Magic

Chapter 19: The Cipher

"What's that doing in here anyway?"

"I was using it to test the stupimum."

"The what?"

Varian chuckled, holding up his weapon. "Oh, this. It's one of my most recent inventions." He grinned. "You want to see?"

"Please." Anna smiled.

Varian tossed the ball to Ruddiger who then scurried next to them. "With this newest compound, this will stun an opponent for a few minutes. Okay, Ruddiger, on the count of three throw the ball. One. Two. Three!"

Without a word, Ruddiger did what he was told. Anna watched the ball fly up in the air until she heard Varian fire his weapon. The stupimum shot right out and hit the ball, causing it to pause in midair. After a few minutes, the goo faded away and the ball dropped on the ground.

"Woah! That's amazing!" Anna exclaimed. "Did your dad help you with that too?"

Varian's face fell as he lowered his weapon. "Sadly, no. I came up with this shortly after I moved into the Ruby Inn." Ruddiger scurried over towards a shelf and put the ball on it. "Luckily, I showed him, Eugene, Kristoff, Max, and Sven this while they helped put my inventions on the sled. What's weird was that I had déjà vu when I showed them and Eugene even did too."

That must've been when Madame G. turned back time back at the library so Anna could catch the horse trolley on time. So, this was what it felt like to everyone else? Anna still hadn't had a chance to tell him and the others about Madame G. She would tell Varian now but felt like she should wait for everyone else so she could tell them together. They should know about her since she knew Scott and could help them. Speaking of which, she should ask Varian about his process.

"So, Varian, did you learn anything from that book?"

"Oh yes! I think I found something that proves that Demantius and Zhan Tiri created the map!" Varian picked up the Histories and Legends of Bronzadelle and dropped it on the table in front of them while Ruddiger raced for the map. "Now where was it?" he muttered, opening it. He skimmed through the pages until he finally stopped on page two hundred and two. "Aha!"

Anna tilted her head at the page below her. There was a picture of Demantius and Zhan Tiri in her woman form standing next to a young woman with blue eyes and black hair. "The Mysterious Arrival and Meeting of Demantius and Zhan Tiri. Over a thousand years ago, shortly after Countess Estelle founded Bronzadelle, Demantius, and Zhan Tiri came to the country for unknown reasons. A few weeks after Zhan Tiri betrayed Demantius, Estelle unexpectedly suffered from high fever and delirium and passed away. To this day, it is unknown whether Estelle's death was linked to Zhan Tiri and Demantius's feud." Anna looked at Varian. "You think this had something to do with the map and the unidentified object?"

Varian nodded. "It said that Demantius and Zhan Tiri were believed to be allied with Estelle. I believe that they came to her so they could hide this object somewhere in Bronzadelle. She must've helped give them a complete layout of the country so they could create the map. And get this." Again, he skimmed through the pages until he finally laid his finger on two hundred and fifteen. On the top of the page was "Vlad Moonstormer's Mysterious Visit". There were two men in the picture, the first man she could tell was a resident of Bronzadelle by his uniform. The other man must have been Vlad Moonstormer. He was a tall, decent-looking man with a chestnut beard. He wasn't very well built, but he also wasn't very slim or skinny. "Centuries later, Vlad Moonstormer arrived in Bronzadelle and met with Lord Matthew for unknown reasons, similar to Demantius and Zhan Tiri's meeting with Countess Estelle. Shortly after their meeting, Moonstormer left the country and never came back. Over the years, there have been many rumors and theories about the mysterious visits, but the answer has never been discovered."