Gold

Furati

"Well actually..." The prince began. "There is one thing..."

"Yes?" Char wondered, ready to aid some more.

Lucas glanced at Aurelia, as if to ask her if she was sure he should continue. She nodded in encouragement. He took a deep breath.

"You mentioned the Furati. What do you know about them?" He asked.

Char's blue eyes lit up with interest. "As much as you could possibly want to know. They're fascinating creatures!"

"Oh yeah?" Lucas egged Char to continue.

"They're an ancient race of elf known for making deals and stealing children." Char told them.

Lucas leaned forward in his chair. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why would they do that?"

"It is believed that they used the children for slaves or sometimes bartering with the parents." Char shrugged. "Nobody can really say for sure, as the society was very secretive."

"Was? I'm guessing it's not really a society anymore, is it?" Lucas asked.

"There are so few Furati out there. They were killed off by angry citizens across the kingdoms they resided in. There are less than a hundred by the recent observations." Char sighed. It was shame when creatures, even fascinating, foul creatures like the Furati, became endangered.

For some reason Lucas couldn't find it in his heart to share in Char's disappointment. They sounded like awful creatures... As well as awfully familiar. He wondered if Mr. Gold... There were only a hundred left. He couldn't be, could he? By the concentrated look on Aurelia's face she was thinking along the same lines.

"They are known for their fascination with making deals. They'll usually get whatever they want from them too. They're tricky like that. I recommend never making a deal with one." Char stated.

Aurelia bit her lip. Lucas gulped. "And if you do?"

Char eyed them with suspicion. "Well... There is one thing. According to the legends if you can figure the true name of the elf you'll be able to escape the deal. I believe a king from Atharia discovered that to be true with an elf named Crookshanks."

"Do all their names sound that bad?" Lucas asked, somehow able to make a joke.

Char smiled. "They're probably worse."

Aurelia seemed to chuckle silently as Lucas came to a sudden realization. She could see the cogs in his brain start turning.

"Char," Lucas began, slowly. "That wouldn't be like name charm, now would it?"

"I'd assume so. How'd you guess?" Char wondered.

"Oh just luck." Lucas shrugged. "You wouldn't happen to have any of books on name charms, would you?"

Char stood up. "You bet we do. Hold on!"

Char rushed to the back of the library. When he returned he was carrying a thin, worn book that could possibly be mistaken for a tissue do to it's frailty.

"Here! This has everything you could ever need to know about name charms!" Char told them, handing the book to Lucas.

"Thanks for everything, Char." Lucas told him.

"No problem! I'm happy to help."

Lucas shared a smile with Aurelia. Their list was basically complete.