Pages | Chapter 7 | Relations

[marsgemwrites]

Our protagonists learn more about The Order of the Sphinx members and make the beginnings of plans for adventure!

BONUS CONTENT (including world map)

Chapter 7. Relations

Erin looked down at the photograph. Her eyes on the face of the woman who looked almost exactly like she did. She had tears in her eyes, but she didn't know how she felt. It wasn't happiness, or sadness, or anger. It was almost like a weird amalgamation of all emotions that created a tight and sickening knot in her chest.

She felt Vechs' warm, comforting hand on her arm, "Are you okay?" He asked softly. Erin nodded and wiped away the tears in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine," she wasn't. Erin had never met her birthparents, she was adopted as a baby and there was very little information on where she came from. She had always hoped from the moments her adoptive parents told her that she might meet her birthmother. It seemed unlikely now. Because, if what Chad had said about Liana was true, she was dead.

Erin abruptly stood up, "I'll be right back." She said before going back to the front desk to find the librarian who'd helped them. He was stood behind the desk, once again going through files.

"Hi again," Erin said.

The librarian looked up, "Hello,"

"Do you have files on the Sphinx members?" Erin asked hopefully.

He nodded, "Yes, we do, I'll get them for you." The librarian did his brisk walk again back to the cabinet  from before, this time unlocking the drawer under the shelf section. He pulled out five leather bound files with gold lettering on them, "Here you go." The librarian said, handing the files to Erin.

She thanked him and took the files back to where Vechs and Chad were going through the book again. Erin, unceremoniously, dropped the files on the table, making the boys jump.

"What're they?" Chad asked.

"Files on the members of The Order of The Sphinx," Erin said as she sat down, "I want to see who is definitely alive so we can ask them about their research."

Chad and Vechs exchanged looks, "Alright, well, let's start with Liana's." Vechs said looking for the file he wanted. He found the file he was looking for and carefully untied the leather cord that held the file closed. He opened it to reveal a few yellowing papers, the one on top had information written on it in a flowery script.

It listed her name, a little information about her appearance, date of birth and the date of her death. Erin felt the tears returning to her eyes but she shook her head and looked through the other pages in hopes of finding a family tree. She was in luck.

"She had a brother and a sister," Erin read aloud, "both younger, both deceased." She said quietly, "And no children…"

"No kids?" Chad looked at the paper to check Erin was reading it right, she was of course, "Huh, but you look just like her."

"Hang on, how could Erin have been Liana's daughter? You're what, mid twenties?" Vechs said.

"Just turned thirty." Erin said, met with surprised looks.

"You look young for your age."

"I get that a lot." Erin laughed.

Vechs chuckled, "Anyway, as I was saying, you're still too young to be her daughter. She died in 1979, you were born in '86, it's impossible."

Chad let out a little laugh making his friends look at him with confused expressions, "Oh, it's just I was born in 1879, I thought it was funny…" He trailed off, "I'll shut up. Did her siblings have kids?"

Erin looked back down at the paper, "Uh, yes, they both did,"

"What if Liana was your aunt?" Chad suggested.

"But their children have different names to me," Erin replied sceptically.

"Were you adopted?"

"A little bit personal, but yes, I was."

"Well, if you were adopted as a baby then it's possible that your birth name is different to the name your adoptive parents gave you." Chad explained.

"That's really farfetched, Chad," Erin said dryly.

Chad shrugged, "Well, yes. But not impossible."

"Why would either of them send their child to another world, though?" Vechs asked.

"Maybe she was in danger? Taking Erin out of our world might have been a way to keep her safe."

"I don't know…" Erin said slowly, "I mean, it'd be nice to know who my birth parents are, it was a private adoption, you see. But we're really grabbing at straws here."

"I guess we'll just have to keep it in mind." Chad said, deciding it was best to drop the subject as Erin was feeling particularly argumentative.

In an attempt to fill the silence that had been created, Erin went back to the files, this time going over Greenwood's.

"Holy shit! He's ancient!" Erin said a little too loud for a library. According to the file Greenwood was three-hundred and four, born in 1712.

"Liana was also pretty old," Vechs pointed out, "the file said she was  born in 1820-something."

"Yes, but Greenwood is ­three centuries old!"

"Yeah, but he's a caster, possibly a hexer," Vechs said matter-of-factly, as if that cleared everything up and made perfect sense.

Erin looked at the man blankly, "I'm missing the point part of your point, Vechs."

Vechs laughed, "Sorry, I forget that you're not from around here-"

"I'm not from here at all," Vechs glared at her for interrupting, "sorry, continue,"

"Well, casters and hexers live roughly four times longer than the average human. There's lots of different species that live much longer than humans, I think it was mentioned yesterday? Drerkeks, for example, live about three times longer, braks are greedy with nearly five times. Mimics are basically immortal they live so long…"

"I'm sorry, whats?"

"Mimics? They can take the form of any living thing they desire."

"Ooh, shape shifters. That's cool."

They turned back down to look at the files. It seemed Guude now lived in Athose with a wife and a child. Erin suggested that maybe they should try visiting him, seeing has he might be able to give them some information on Sphinx.

Next they looked through Luran's file, "Huh, she has a daughter, Skereth." Vechs observed, "We should definitely go to see Luran too," the other two agreed and they went back to reading the file.

When they got Etho's file it just made them laugh, it was only one piece of paper with a giant question mark on it.

Once they'd gone over the files and discussed what they now knew, Erin brought up the point of how they were going to get to Athose - Vechs had convinced them to go to Athose first because he said hadn't been to his home country since moving to Skol Prida.

"Going by boat would be the best choice," Vechs said.

"Vechs, it's the only choice." Chad pointed out.

"Yes, it is, which is why it's the best choice. I'm sure there'll be a captain going to Athose, we just have to go to the dock and find out."

Erin touched the shell that hung around her neck next to the moonstone compass, "I think I know where we can get a boat."

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

OK RELEVAAAAANCE and uh kill most of them and slightly mutilate the rest?

[marsgemwrites]

Indeed ;3

[scara]

Erin looked at the man blankly, "I'm missing the point part of your point, Vechs."

I love this line XD

Oooooo they're going to meet the pirates and then going on a boat m**********rs! On a boat! XD

[marsgemwrites]

Aarr! They be travellin' on yonder seas! (I am so sorry for that impression, I promise the pirates in the fic don't speak like that)

[scara]

XD

[(Anonymous)]

Etho's file is the best. I imagine a little kid saying, "Mom, what's an Etho?" And the response is something like, "No one really knows. They say it was a mysterious creature that lived hundreds of years ago." Also, I can't wait for the adventure. (::) (::)
-Observing Anon

[marsgemwrites]

Hah, yes, that is exactly how it is!

[ruddiestbubbles]

Etho's file was perfect XD can't wait for adventures to continue!

[marsgemwrites]

*insert inspiring adventure quote here*

[(Anonymous)]

"Adventure is out there!" -multiple people from the movie Up
-Observing Anon