When Dreya came home one day, several months later, her chief death knight handed her a note from Catriona. The sorceress smiled to herself. She could guess the gist of what was written even before reading it. No doubt Cat had found an interesting nugget of information either in the Black Tower library, or even just a rumour, and she was off to investigate. She did this, from time-to-time.
Catriona wasn’t big on waiting around, even to tell her where she was going or what she was planning. In fact, she wasn’t big on planning at all. The plans she did have were always ridiculous and radical, and like her Nature’s Mirror magic, seemed to have a way of forming on the spot precisely when she needed them. Then, as soon as she got one of these ridiculous radical ideas in her head, she would act on them. It was impulsive and reckless, but that was her nature. It was exactly that nature that had brought Catriona into her life on Midsummer’s Day, and for that, Dreya was grateful beyond words.
The sorceress dismissed her guard, saying, “Looks like it’s dinner for one, then.”
He bowed once and left.
“What are you up to this time, Cat?” the sorceress pondered, as she headed up the stairs to read the note in her study.
No doubt it would turn into some grand adventure with which Cat would delight in regaling her, upon her return.
‘What was it last time?’ Dreya tried to recall. ‘Of course,’ she realised, ‘the photography incident.’
*****
As an information trader, Catriona got wind of all kinds of things, and a couple of weeks ago, she’d somehow found out about a wizard in Gaggleswick who was experimenting with combining magic with the science of photography, to try and project a three-dimensional image from a two-dimensional photo. Cat was intrigued and decided to pay the wizard a visit. No doubt with the aid of her natural charm and wit, she’d managed to persuade him to let her help, or at least observe.
It was a good thing Cat was there, as it turned out. The subjects of the photographs on which the wizard, Asante, was experimenting, were demons. They were destined for a book intended to help demon hunters identify different kinds of denizens of hell. Asante believed that it would surely be even more helpful if the images were three dimensional and life-size. Unfortunately, his magic worked a little too well and the demonic images went on the rampage in the town. For blurry, semi-transparent constructs of light, they certainly packed a punch, and several people were killed. Demon hunters tried to kill them and failed because they weren’t really alive. Nor could they be Banished down to the lower planes – they never came from there in the first place.
Thankfully, Catriona had a ridiculous radical plan, born of her endless creativity in magic. Using herself as bait – something of which Dreya would not have approved, had she known – she shapeshifted into the form of a Trickster and taunted the creatures until they all chased her. The druidess led them all down a dead end, where she immediately fused some sand into a huge, curved mirror that grew to surround the monsters. The endless reflections confused them long enough for her to spring the trap. Shifting to red-banded falcon, she escaped, while Asante cast a powerful light spell that reflected off all the mirrors until the glare of the white light was too bright to look at. The intense light bleached the creatures out of existence, like a photographic film left out in the sun.
Somehow, that adventure had sparked a rumour that Catriona was romantically involved with Asante. It wasn’t the first such story to circulate. For some reason, the public seemed determined that such a famous and popular figure as Catriona Redfletching must necessarily be involved with someone. They just couldn’t seem to agree on who that someone was. Cat gave up denying the rumours when she realised such denial only made people even more convinced it was true.
What difference did it make what people believed? Cat knew the truth. That was all that mattered.
The incident with the runaway photographic demons was just the latest in a line of such adventures, and now, as Dreya finally sat down at her desk to read Catriona’s note, it seemed she’d found another one.
Dear Dreya,
Just read something incredible in Ulvarius’ journals. Perhaps the real reason why he obliterated the village at Quernhow. He was looking for something: an ancient repository of knowledge. Not a library, as such, but more like a store, or possibly a hiding place. Most likely trying to keep knowledge safe during some long-forgotten ancient war. But that’s not the best part. The best part is, according to Ulvarius – and in this case I have to say his research is pretty convincing – the books in this repository predate the void storms!
I know it’s heretical to even suggest that such a time existed, but everybody thought I was crazy to believe in my Angel, so who knows?
Either way, I know you’ll understand that, for me, the chance to uncover forgotten knowledge from more than a thousand years ago is utterly irresistible. No idea how I’m going to get in – Ulvarius couldn’t, that’s probably why he wiped out that village, to destroy any knowledge of this repository. If he couldn’t have it, he was determined no-one else would, either.
But you know me – I always find a way when it’s important, and as a Red robe, there’s nothing more important to me than knowledge.
So yes, that’s where I’ve gone.
See you soon.
Aye, ever yours,
Catriona
~x~
Quernhow. Dreya was sure she’d read something about that herself, recently. Rising from her seat, she crossed over to the cabinet where she kept notes from sessions of the Council of Wizards. Flicking through recent papers, she found what she was looking for.
The area surrounding the Lake of Tears, allegedly formed when the tyrant, Ulvarius, made the historic village ‘cry,’ had remained undisturbed since that time, three centuries ago. The story of that atrocity had always scared people away. In recent years, though, there had been a renewed interest in the area. People had begun to argue, quite logically in Dreya’s opinion, that Ulvarius had committed countless acts of cruelty and barbarism across Elvaria, but that didn’t stop people living their lives there today. Nor should it. So, without wishing to diminish the magnitude of the Quernhow Massacre, why should that place be any different? The Council had conceded the point and gave the go-ahead for a new village to be developed there.
However, more recently, there had been reports of undead activity from New Quernhow. It was most likely just superstition, or even an attempt to generate a kind of macabre tourism that would hardly be unique on Elvaria.
Still, Dreya thought as one of her ghoulish guards shimmered into the room to inform her that dinner was ready to be served, undead creatures did exist all over Tempestria. Ulvarius had a particular penchant for them, she knew. In fact, had he had his way, the whole world would have been populated by the undead. He had considered them infinitely more useful than the living. So, given the Ulvarius connection to Quernhow, it was plausible that he might have left a legacy beyond just the lake. Dreya knew Cat wouldn’t be fazed by such reports, though, and Dreya herself was not worried as she descended the steps to the dining room.
Catriona Redfletching, the girl with a thousand ridiculous radical plans in her head, searching for a lost repository of ancient knowledge at the site of a terrible atrocity, committed by the most dangerous tyrant in modern history, perhaps infested by the undead?
What could possibly go wrong?
*****
“Thank heavens for shapeshifting,” Cat said to herself as she retook her natural form on the outskirts of New Quernhow. Flying there swiftly as a falcon avoided all the hassle of a long, uncomfortable journey on horseback. She, more than anyone, understood the truth of the expression, ‘free as a bird.’
Cat began wandering the streets of the village. Houses and businesses were still being constructed as the settlement was developed. The expansive Lake of Tears at the bottom of the valley, surrounded by gentle grassy slopes certainly made for a picturesque landscape. She could see the attraction, as long as one wasn’t put off by the history. Cat felt it would be rather hypocritical of her to criticise, considering the history of the Black Tower that she called home. That it had once sat at the heart of Ulvarius’ web of tyranny and death was all the more reason, in her opinion, to turn it into a place of beauty and life. The same was true of Quernhow.
Thinking of Ulvarius, Cat took her notebook out of her pocket dimension and went over the notes she had made regarding the wizard’s exploration of this place. As always, her notes were written in her own private shorthand in case of prying eyes, so they meant nothing to anyone but her. In between the pages, she also had a few photographs of three-hundred-year-old sketches Ulvarius had made of the surrounding area, to aid her search. With these references as a guide, she believed it should be possible to tread in his footsteps. After all, three centuries may be a long time to humans or even Faery, but on a geological timescale, it was no time at all.
Ignoring the new construction, then, Cat continued to walk, all the time trying to match up the outline of the lattice of peaks and valleys to the sketches. However, Ulvarius was not known for his artistic skill, and the view from one side of the lake was similar enough to that from the opposite side, so even after an hour, she still wasn’t sure which was correct.
“Ah, there you are!” came a voice, breaking her out of her inner thoughts.
Cat looked up to see a young, red-robed wizard she knew at least in passing. His name was Jett and she’d first met him a couple of years back, when she’d been researching all things related to Shifting Stars. As usual, her research had told her that he had a rare text that could be useful to her, so she’d gone to visit him. Thankfully, there had been no need to demolish his home, as he was only too pleased to exchange knowledge. He was an archaeologist by profession, and as such he, too, was often searching for rare texts to advance his research. Therefore, he told Cat he would be happy to dig out the book she wanted to borrow, if only she would try and find what he was looking for, in return. She didn’t just try – she succeeded.
As soon as she’d come across Ulvarius’ notes about this store of ancient knowledge, she immediately thought of Jett. After all, what was the point of knowledge without people to share it with? So, she’d sent him an urgent magical message, inviting him to join her on what she had described, without hyperbole, as ‘the archaeological find of a lifetime.’
Grinning, he opened his arms wide and said, “Hey, Cat!”
“Jett!” she cried, matching his smile and embracing him. “How’d you get here so fast?”
“Asked a friend to teleport me.”
Teleportation may be faster than flying, Catriona conceded, but it meant missing out on all the scenery along the way, and the sheer joy of flight itself.
Realising they were attracting attention, Cat said, “Better break the hug, or people will start saying you’re my new wizard lover!”
Stepping back, Jett nodded. “Yeah, I heard about you and Asante.”
“Oh? Do you keep tabs on all my love interests?”
“That would be a full-time job, wouldn’t it?” Jett laughed. “But most of your love interests don’t come with photos.”
Cat blushed slightly and agreed, “Yes, you’re right, photos of me with my ‘lovers’ are much rarer, but that one was not at all what it looked like. The camera just went off accidentally and the angle was…unfortunate.” She shook her head to clear her mind of distractions. “Why am I even explaining? I didn’t ask you here to talk about rumours,” she said. “Well,” she amended, “not rumours about me, but rumours about an ancient repository of knowledge buried around here, somewhere.”
When she explained in detail, Jett was clearly as excited as she was. “If we could really find it,” he said with a crooked smile, “that would be well worth putting up with a few rumours about being your new lover!”
Doing her best to act offended, Cat replied, “I don’t even know how to take that, so I shall rise above it.”
Of course, Jett couldn’t read her notes, and she wouldn’t translate them word-for-word – that would defeat the object of her secret language – but she gave him the gist of what they said. In concert with her photos of Ulvarius’ drawings, they agreed on a place to start, although they still weren’t sure which side of the lake they were supposed to be on. Decision made, Jett felt they ought to share at least some of their plan with whoever was in charge of the local community.
That person turned out to be a lady called Solana, who the locals acknowledged as Community Leader. It was an unofficial post. Unlike somewhere like Gaggleswick, New Quernhow wasn’t yet large enough to have a local government. She was simply the first resident here, having been involved in the original petition to form this settlement. As such, she knew all the right contacts if there were any issues the residents wished to address.
Cat and Jett explained, in broad terms, that they were in possession of certain documents that suggested there might be something buried underneath New Quernhow that predated even Ulvarius’ reign of terror. The area they were intending to begin excavation was well away from any buildings in the fledgeling town, but as a courtesy, they felt they ought to ask permission before starting work.
“What exactly do you hope to find?” Solana asked.
Jett opened his mouth, but seeing Cat shake her head, slightly, he let her jump in with, “I’m sorry, but we’d prefer to keep that to ourselves for now, if you don’t mind.”
If she was right and there was such a repository here, the place would have to be protected and secured. The last thing she wanted was for a crowd to burst into the place and potentially destroy what they found. Besides, knowledge could be dangerous.
Accepting her wish to keep the details confidential, Solana agreed, “Well, whatever it is, I wish you luck. It would certainly be nice if this place could be known for something other than a three-hundred-year-old massacre. And the least said about the so-called hauntings, the better.”
“Hauntings?” Jett wondered.
Solara explained about the rumours that had begun to circulate, but Cat wasn’t worried.
“There are plenty of undead around where I live,” she said. “They don’t bother me anymore.”
“Besides,” Jett put in, “the rumours are probably just that: rumours, and we all know how ridiculous they can be, eh, Cat?” he added with a wink.
Cat gave him a playful shove for his trouble.
*****
Returning to their chosen site, Cat began to use her earthshaper magic to gently tease the ground apart. At the same time, Jett gathered some local stones and placed them in a large ring around the area, which Cat grew into walls to keep people and animals out. Returning her focus to the ground, she took her time, peeling back a layer at a time, not wanting to destroy any vital clues that Jett’s expert eye might spot.
After a few hours, the daylight began to fade, and they decided to leave their work for the night. The village didn’t have any lodging houses, but Solara managed to find a couple of local families who were willing to take them in.
The painstaking process of digging continued for five days until at last, Jett shouted, “Stop! I think I see something!”
Crouching down, he moved some more soil aside with his bare hands so he could feel what he thought his eyes had seen: stone. It wasn’t just compressed earth, but a stone slab, and given the way it curved, there was no question – it was the roof of an artificially constructed tunnel heading directly towards the lake.
“Of course!” Cat cried. “That’s why he did it! That’s why Ulvarius killed all those people in that particular way and formed the Lake of Tears in that spot.”
Jett caught on saying. “You think, the repository is—”
“—right under the lake!”
In his journal, which Cat conceded was hardly unequivocal evidence, Ulvarius had been quite clear that he had found the lost repository he was looking for. Of course, he could have been lying, but if so, since it was his own private journal, he would only have been lying to himself. Again, the idea that the tyrant might have been self-delusional was far from unreasonable, but if he was going to lie to himself about finding it, why admit that he had been unable to get inside?
“You’re right,” Jett said, “it makes sense. An artificial lake with no runoff would naturally accumulate all kinds of silt and soil and debris to cover anything that might lay beneath.”
Cat nodded. She also knew that, according to reports from periods of drought when the water level was lower, the lake was filled with the skeletal remains of Ulvarius’ victims.
“Not exactly the kind of place that makes you think, ‘Let’s go skinny dipping,’ is it?” Cat remarked.