The drawing in the book was the same shape that I had dreamt about on the flight to Pavidale, and maybe more times then I realized. I finally recognized the shape for what it was.
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" asked Soy.
"It's... what I was drawing that day in class when I saw Deli," I told him.
"So, you've seen this book before?" he asked.
"No, never," I answered.
"You are the first humans to see it," said Tryt solemnly. "It is a great honor that I have bestowed upon you."
"Well, we deserve to be bestowed," said Soy (clearly not sure what the word meant). "So, what do the rest of the pages say?" he asked.
Tryt closed the book with surprising speed.
"All you need to know is that if you fail, the consequences will be dire," said Tryt.
"Okay, but I feel like we're missing something major here," Soy stated.
"What do you mean?" asked Deli.
"So, Ream's the villain and he's the hero?" Soy asked as he pointed to me.
"Correct," said Tryt.
"Yes," said Deli.
"And I'm some kind of expert guide who helps the hero," Soy continued.
"Nobody said that," said Tryt.
"But what is the point of the fairytale? Like, what's the thing we have to beat Ream at?" Soy inquired.
It was a question that I hadn't even thought to ask. There was always a reason for a fairytale. Maybe a giant was terrorizing a village, or sometimes a kingdom was under siege by a witch, but it was always something. What was it that Ream wanted? Why was this fairytale happening at all?
"I'm curious too," I said, "and that title doesn't seem to help."
Deli jumped on top of the book in a puff of shiny dust. Her head was low as she spoke. "Ream didn't escape his fairytale by chance. He knew things that helped him. Things that he shouldn't have known."
"Somebody helped him, then?" I asked.
"We believe so," said Deli.
"Some believe so," said Tryt, glaring at Deli.
"What we know for sure," she replied, "is that once he escaped, he set out to find the one thing that could make him more powerful."
"What is it?!" asked Soy, "a magic wand?"
"No," said Tryt. Then he turned to Deli and me. "Why do you let him guess so much. He's terrible at it."
"Hey!" Soy yelled. "I can still hear you. Regular-sized ears work, too."
"How would you like it if I turned you into a newt?" said Tryt, staring angrily at Soy.
"Tryt!" exclaimed Deli.
"He can't actually do that, can he?" Soy whispered to me. I shook my head, hoping I was right.
Tryt got back his composure and confessed, "Apologies. I just... he just, draws my ire."
"Yeah, well you should really work on that," said Soy.
I spoke up, "It's the pen isn't it?"
Soy look at me, puzzled.
"That shape in the book and the shape that I was drawing in class; it's a symbol for your Fairytale Pen isn't it?" I asked Tryt.
"Ah, now I see it!" said Soy.
"A pen," Tryt answered, "but not mine."
He lifted the pen up to show us more details. As he spun it, I saw the stonegold shimmer and dance like it was alive. It was mesmerizing.
Soy had done battle with a hypnotist once at a birthday party. She made the mistake of picking him to be the volunteer, and it all went downhill from there. By the time Soy he stood up, he was already convinced that he had learned enough to hypnotize the hypnotist. We watched them try to hypnotize each other for about a half-hour. Her, with techniques that she had learned over the years, and him with exaggerated movements and shouts of "sleep!" and "bark like a seal!". When she finally gave up and asked him to sit down, Soy commanded her to sit down, instead. That lasted another five minutes.
