Put back together

14. Logan's Scroll

They looked for hours, went through what must have been at least one hundred books and scrolls from multiple shelves and found absolutely nothing.

To say that Roman was frustrated would be an understatement.
He had spent more time reading than his entire life up until now, had gotten at least twenty paper cuts (which sucked) and his back was stiff from sitting in the same position for so long.
At least his muscles weren't aching as badly as the day before.

Logan had told him that "It's illogical to be frustrated simply because we did not find the correct book just yet".
He had never heard someone speak like that, something that was quite surprising considering he had literally grown up in the royal palace surrounded by royalties and people who had been trimmed to talk as formal as possible.

But maybe that was to be expected from a guy who read through a book as thick as Roman's head in about fifteen minutes.

He and Patton followed the librarians back upstairs for dinner.
The smell of cabbages filled the air and maked Roman realise just how hungry he is.
He hadn't had the chance to eat anything up until now.

Just like the night before a few people handed out bowls of soup and for a while the only sounds were the clattering of spoons and an occasional slurping.

After a while conversations started up again.
Valerie was talking to a few people and Logan had pulled out a scroll which he was studying now.
Roman recognised it has the scroll he had been working on earlier, before Valerie had gotten him to help them.

He furrowed his dark brows and that alone made Roman curious. Whatever was written there had stumped this obviously extremely smart man.

"What are you reading there?", he asked munching on a piece of cabbage.

Logan glanced at him over the brim of his glasses and back down: "It's an old prophecy. I am trying to decipher it's meaning."

"Can't you read it?", Patton piped in and Roman noticed him leaning his head to the side in either confusion or curiosity. He couldn't tell.

"I can. It is in Slyn and in a very legible handwriting but as you might have heared, most prophecies are in riddle form or very vague when it comes to their wording. So while I can easily read the text I have been trying for over a year to understand it's meaning," the man explained, somehow a lot more patient than Roman had expected.

"What does it say?", Patton asked trying to catch a glimpse at the writing despite knowing that he wouldn't be able to read it in the first place.

"Do you want me to read it out too you?", the question seemed weirdly genuine.

"Yeah, please," Patton smiled.

Logan looked around for a moment at the other people filling up the room with a frown.

"Perhaps not here. I'd prefer if not too many people were to hear it. Knowledge is power, as they say", he gave a tight smile.

Patton visibly deflated.
Roman could see a mixture of terror and shock in Logan's eyes for a split second. A clear 'Oh gods, what have I done, please forgive me for my crimes'.
To be fair, Roman felt a spike of guilt at Patton's disappointed expression and he hadn't even done anything.

"If you really want to hear maybe I could visit you later tonight?", Logan rushed to say and almost instantly Patton's face brightend.

"Really?"

"I mean, only if it's fine by you and all that and-"

"Of course it's fine", Roman cut him off. "Why wouldn't it be?"