Circles of Ciridia ~ The Memoria Animus

Chapter 2 ~ Trouble

If Tiber'ian could obtain a Memoria Animus, he could prove to people that Haust'us had stolen him from his rightful parents. He could be free to go home to his real family. It was his deepest desire. So instead of going inside the astrologer's home, he sat on the front step and studied the information in the book.

The Memoria Animus required many ingrediens to make several different parts that were then combined together. A golden chamber segmented into three circular parts, a golden chain of perfect circles interlinked, a glass switch welded to the chamber, and inside, a crystal to project the memory, surrounded by a circle of diamonds. It also required the highest level magicae, that of the Astrologia Orbis. It was well out of his reach to make his own, so he'd have to somehow find the parts to make one and then find an astrologer to make it for him.

Was it possible?

"Whatcha looking at?"

Tiber'ian looked up with a start to see Liviann'ah watching him from the top step. Her black bunny ears drooped on top of her blonde head, making her look sleepy and mopey. She had somehow opened the front door without making a sound and had snuck up on him.

"Liv! You startled me!"

"Sorry Ti. I didn't mean to." Liviann'ah made a silly face, her brown eyes glinting. "Is that book for Haust'us? You better not read it. If he sees you reading his book, he'll be furious." She had such a lovely voice, so smooth and high and clear as a bell. Liviann'ah liked to sing, but one day Haust'us overheard her singing and scolded her for wasting time singing when she could be studying magicae for the Prime Astrologer Trial. Now she only sang when she was alone or with Tiber'ian and Vuk'as.

"I know he would be," Tiber'ian said, referring to Liviann'ah's warning about Haust'us. Their foster father hated everything that wasted time and took them away from their studies. "But I need to write something down from the book. Do you have a pen and paper?"

"No, but I can go get some. What's so important you don't want to forget?" she asked, suspicious. She made a curious face, raising her eyebrows and making wide eyes at him.

"I'll explain later. Just get me some paper and a pen quick!"

"Okay. Hide around the side of the house," she said, pointing, and then she went back into the house and shut the door.

Tiber'ian ducked around the side of the house. In the secluded area, he read the paragraph about the Memoria Animus three times while he waited for Liviann'ah to come back. Once she handed him the pen and paper, he jotted down the necessary ingrediens and the process for making the magical item, and then he stuffed the paper into his pocket and shut the book.

"I'll go deliver this book now. Don't ask me about this, alright? I'll tell you when it's a good time." Tiber'ian raised his eyebrows at her, showing he was serious.

"Okay," Liviann'ah said, though she seemed disappointed.

They entered the house, and after searching for just a moment, they found Haust'us in his study. The man had white hair and the ears of a wolf. He had a white wolf tail, and though it might be Tiber'ian's imagination, he swore that Haust'us had the canine teeth of a ferocious wolf.

"Here's the book you sent me to the library for," Tiber'ian said as he handed it over.

"Good. Now leave me to my reading. You are not to run around and make a ruckus now! Sit in your rooms and work on your independent magicae lessons. Do you understand me?" Haust'us glared at them. Tiber'ian once told his friends that Haust'us's brown eyes looked red when he got angry.

"Yes Haust'us," Tiber'ian and Liviann'ah said at the same time. They hurried out of the room. It was only until after he'd already left when he remembered that Miss Ves'da had asked him to warn Haust'us to return his overdue books. And that Miss Florie'nah had said she'd come by demanding to be paid for the bread he'd taken from her this morning.