The Chronicles Of The Council #1: The Sun's Tears

Chapter 61: Laelia - Atarah

She pulls a small faded black book from behind the books on the shelf that we are standing next to.

“He just has to accept that your mind cannot be made to forget by my simple spells if the magic he used is the strongest known.”

I smile. “You brought me to the right shelf.”

“Of course I did! I knew that you would take the book.”

“Thank you, Atarah. Can I repay you in anyway?”

She smiles. “Come visit me anytime you need help. And get rid of the forget-cobwebs in your head. I do not like cobwebs and it is time for him to be happy again.”

“What do you mean? Whose time is it to be happy again?” I ask, but Atarah has disappeared.

“Who are you talking to?” Aedan asks from across the library.

“Atarah. She was just here.”

“I did not see anyone?”

“She said you couldn't see her. She gave me the diary.”

I walk to him. The diary is in my hands.

“Atarah?”

“The keeper of knowledge and the library. She has violet eyes and purple hair.”

Before he can ask me any more questions, I open the diary randomly and start to read out loud. “The days are getting shorter. The prince and his people have not noticed it yet. We elves are uneasy at the thought of the coming darkness. We know this war is leading to a final battle, but not when or where it will take place.
Pherenike has been here for a while. No one has seen her, but we notice her presence.

“Caith, the half-elf, is distracted. Something is bothering him. It is not his demotion. I am certain of that. He has never been bothered by the things that would bother other humans. He enjoys the same pleasures as other men, but it does not seem to provide him the same pleasure. He is honourable, in a way. He is loyal to the Order. He is kind to the beggars we have met on the road. He would never expect the men or elves to do anything that he would not do. He has been my friend for some years now. He has aged, but not significantly.

“He slips away from his chores. Usually he is the perfect example of one who is dutiful. But now he cares nothing for his duty, nor the men. He steals away at odd times. I have heard whisperings that he spends a lot of time with the princess.

“I have met many half-elves, but Caith is different. He claims to be a descendant of a pure half-elf, but the magic in him is stronger. He is not an elf. His name was the first clue.”

This entry does not make any sense.
I close the diary and frown at Aedan. “It's queer that Father made a diary of that time. He would have remembered everything.”

“He never talks about the war.”

“Why would our mother need this book? The library is full of books with immense knowledge, and she commands us to bring back the diary, and to not even touch the others. It is strange indeed. What would she want with it?”

“It is, but now we can return home. We have been gone from the forest for too long.”

“This is an adventure, brother. Are you afraid?” I ask jokingly. I do not tell him that Atarah tried hard to make me forget about the book.

“I wish only that I could be sent to the mountains or the Order.”

“You wish to follow in our brother's footsteps,” I say accusingly.