Eight Intertwined

91 - Odette

About two hours had passed since Cyrus and Odette began their research into the abridged version of From the Far Reaches of Hell in earnest. Neither one of them had stumbled into something that could even vaguely pass for a lead yet, but Cyrus was certain they had to be getting close. That was his hope, at the very least. If he and the rest of the travelers were still planning on leaving Quarrycrest the following morning, he didn't have as much time as he would have liked to solve this mystery. That meant finding out as much as he could about the binding of the book while he still could, and while the stress would have weighed on most others, Cyrus did his best to push it aside. He wouldn't work any better if he was panicking, so he allowed the familiar rhythm of searching for more information to overcome his body and mind as he looked at the stack of books Odette had set aside for him. He hadn't been given many opportunities to enjoy himself this way since heading on the road, so he was going to milk this chance for everything it was worth. 

Or, at the very least, that was what he would have done had he not found something just a few moments later. 

"Eureka!" Cyrus declared as he launched himself to his feet. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of a new lead as he glanced up to Odette. 

She pulled herself away from her bookshelf to approach him carefully. "Did you find something?" she asked of him even though the answer was clear as could be based on the look on his face. 

Cyrus held up the book that had caught his attention, and he began to examine the page before him. The tome discussed bookmaking as well as the process of binding each printed volume, and it also just so happened to be the key to everything Cyrus had been searching for since uncovering the abridged version of the disappeared book. "The thin yet sturdy pages are characteristic of paper made from the finest pinewood..." Cyrus began as he glanced across the page before him. "The texture of the vivid red binding reveals it as unmistakably tanned lambskin. There is only one place in the realm where both can be found in sufficient quantities... Stonegard. I am certain of it."

Odette took the book from Cyrus and read over the page about bookmaking before striking gold upon everything he had just paraphrased. Once she was finished, she glanced back up to him with determination in her eyes. "So that's where you will travel," she concluded. 

"Where else? I must track down this tome, Odette," Cyrus insisted. It was certainly a shame that he and the other travelers had been in Stonegard not long ago, but Cyrus knew it would be fine. As long as they had the Warp Staff on their side, all would be alright. It wouldn't take even a moment for them to arrive at Stonegard, and from there, they could teleport out and be right back on their ways without missing a beat. After the tournament and the travelers' adventures in Victors Hollow, they would be able to go wherever they so chose, and that included returning to Stonegard. It was just a matter of time before they went back, and when they did, Cyrus would ensure that the truth made itself known to him. 

Of course, Cyrus wanted to travel to Stonegard as soon as he possibly could, and he glanced down at the abridged version of From the Far Reaches of Hell where it sat on the nearby table. The cover seemed to taunt him, looking back at him ominously. "And I must do so before any other horrors can be unleashed upon our fair realm," Cyrus went on. He knew he would never be able to forget what he had seen in the sewers beneath the city, and he was confident that none of the other travelers would forget it either. How could they? Something like that would live within their memories forever regardless of how desperate they were to banish the truth. 

Odette closed her eyes in a moment of contemplation. "I wasn't asking, you know," she said after a few moments of heavy silence had passed between them. "I already knew this was where this was going to be headed the instant you decided you want to learn more about that tome."