Elements of Change

The Study

Ezo had searched the library when he'd been in Riverkeep before, but there were a lot of sections he had only breezed through. He'd been looking specifically for books that mentioned the bond. Now he was trying to look at each section of shelves with new eyes.

Kammon was searching, as well. They were both trying to find the journals of the keepers. It had been placed in a position of importance in Mountainkeep, and Ezo couldn't believe the keepers here hadn't done something similar. They'd have taken precautions and left some sort of account for the library in case the keeper was lost.

Kammon moved around the room, mumbling softly as he shuffled from place to place. He'd tossed around all night, waking Ezo frequently with his disturbed sleep. Ezo didn't mention it to him, other than a quick question over breakfast. That led to a soft grunt and Ezo taking his food to the other side of the table to eat in peace.

"I want to look at something else," Kammon trailed his hand across Ezo's back as he walked past him and out of the library.

Ezo didn't know where he was going, but let his lover go without question. They both had the same priorities, even if they went about things differently.

He had no idea how long he'd been at the search. His eyes were tired, and he thought about curling up in the corner for a nap or stealing away to one of the bedrooms, but he wasn't quite ready to give it up yet.

The door opened and Kammon came up behind him, dropping his chin to Ezo's shoulder. Ezo looked back at the other elementalist. "Unless you're offering food or a nap, I'm not in the mood."

"Something better," Kammon said with a grin.

Considering the mood he'd been in, Ezo went along with it. "What?"

"Come on." Kammon grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door and down the hallway to the main room. "I came out here to meditate for a few minutes, and when I opened my eyes, I was staring at the window. Specifically, the word carved over the top of it. Why was the name carved over the window? Why not put it in the library itself?"

Kammon walked over and trailed his fingers over the frame and then over the words. He ran them up and down, then back again. When he brought his fingers to the dot of the 'I' the last time, he pushed.

Ezo heard a pop, and the wall to the left cracked open to reveal another door.

"How did you find that?" he asked.

Kammon smiled. "There is a very small, subtle amount of water worked into that spot on the sign. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't reached out to touch it."

Ezo moved forward and followed the path of Kammon's hands. He was right. Even with his hand over the same spot, it was almost unnoticeable.

"What's behind that door?" Ezo asked.

"I have no idea. I figured I better get the truthkeeper of Riverkeep before I started opening up secret doorways on my own."

Ezo smiled as he moved away from Kammon and to the opening. Kammon was right there at his back when Ezo pushed the door open. He'd almost expected another hallway or a set of stairs, but it opened into a new room. It wasn't as big as the library was, but it was large for a personal study. A desk dominated the far wall, with shelves lining the walls behind it. A fireplace sat on the left, with a smaller table and two chairs.

"I haven't seen this before," he said softly.

Kammon pushed him into the room so he could move past him. Ezo walked to the desk and ignored his lover. A few minutes later, though, a warm fire was going, and the study was better lit.

"I think this is it." He reached the books and noted the same organization that the journals of the keepers of Mountainkeep had been in. Each keeper had their own journal style, and they were shelved together. When Ezo picked up the first one, the pages felt brittle, and he put it away with caution.

He reached for a book in the middle of the shelves. Opening it, he found the account of a truthkeeper from 300 years ago.

"How long have these been here?" he asked.

Kammon stooped down to take the first journal of the last keeper of Riverkeep. He ran his fingers over the leather, then handed it to Ezo without opening it. "This might be a good place to start."

Ezo nodded. "What are you going to do?"

"Find food. One of us needs to be practical before we both delve into these books and get lost."

Ezo laughed at that. "True. Thank you. I want to see what happened to the last keeper."

Kammon nodded. "I'm interested to hear as well. If it had anything to do with the fire in the castle, though, we might never know."

When Kammon left the room, Ezo grabbed the final two books of the keeper's journals. He coughed as he kicked up dust. He took a minute to swipe the books clean as best he could with his vest, then dropped one onto the edge of the table to deal with later. He settled into the chair, opened the other book, and started reading.

Author's Note: Will they learn more about the mysterious Fire Born Castle? Or will the last Truthkeeper's journals just leave more questions in their wake?