Aiden pushed open the creaking door of Bram's small bookstore, a bell tinkling cheerfully above.

"Out in a moment!" Bram called from the back through a half-opened door.

He inhaled deeply, the musty scent of aged paper and binding glue a stark contrast to the acrid soot and cloying sweat permeating the smithy. Both different from the forest loam and musks of the forest. They all made him feel welcome and content. The differences are a pleasant contrast to his life, setting each part neatly apart from the others. He still wasn't sure which he preferred, and then he wondered why he felt like he had to choose. It wasn't like anyone would care if he spent time in the bookstore, the smithy, or the forest.

A rapid set of tinkles, then the creaking sound of steps on the old wood floor. The door creaked a little as Bram pushed it open to maneuver a wooden serving tray holding a brass teapot wrapped in a patchwork rag, three mismatched cups, a stack of three tea cup plates, also mismatched, and a small crystal bowl holding a meager stack of small brown cake squares. Bram was a portly fellow with a ring of dark black hair around a rather shiny bald cap on his head. He stood much shorter than Aiden and wore an old shirt, vest, and pants all clean but with patches and stitched repairs evident. Far from a wealthy or successful merchant, Bram still managed to look respectable.

Placing the serving tray on the narrow counter he looked up with a wide grin. "I thought it might be you." He said as he began setting the cups on saucers.

Green cup on a blue porcelain saucer, a flower-shaped white cup with a red rim on a green saucer with a small rim chip on one side, and the largest brown cup with the heavy handle on the pewter saucer. He started filling the cups with the steaming tea.

"Why three?"

"I sent Tilda with a payment a couple of hours ago to Holden. She said she'd be back about now."

"Tilda!" Bram said feeling a slight burning in his cheeks and a little dizzy.

As if her name called her into being the door behind Aiden opened the bell ringing out and Tilda's lanky but clearly female form moved around Aiden as if he was merely a decoration.

Tilda placed an almost cubed shaped parcel wrapped in brown cloth and tied with hemp cord on the counter next to the serving tray.

"Here's the books." She announced.

"Ah good, no problems then. I made you some tea and I have cakes."

"Thanks." Tilda picked up the green cup, popped a cake in her mouth, and drank the entire cup of tea in one breath. Putting the empty cup back down with a clink she asked, "Got any other errands? It was fun running to Holden and back."

Bram shook his head, "sorry not today. Take more cakes if you want."

"Okay," she chirped happily. "I'll go check if there are any messages at the market. Thanks for the cakes." Tilda popped another cake in her mouth, put a third in her belt pouch, and spun around to again move around Aiden. As she passed she said, "Hi Aiden, mom told me to let you know she likes the spade you made for her."

"Uh, hi Tilda. Thanks. If she needs more gardening tools just let me know. We have plenty of scrap metal and I need the practice."

"You're sweet," Tilda said as she left. With the sound of the doorbell ringing twice and the soft thud of the door closing she was gone.

Aiden looked out the shop's window to see her jogging down the street towards the central square which doubled as the village market. Her lithe form barely swayed enough to make her braided hair swing back and forth.

A soft chuckle brought Aiden's attention back to Bram. "What?"

"Just looking at youth and being glad I'm not that young," Bram said holding out the larger cup of tea on the pewter saucer.

"Huh?"

Bram, offering the tea with a knowing smile, replied, "The folly of youth, my friend. Plans grand and bold, yet at a glance from the object of our affections, they scatter like leaves in the wind."

Aiden felt his cheeks burning as he took the tea. Instead of saying more he tried to take a sip but it was too hot. That gave him an excuse to concentrate on blowing it cool and taking a noisy slurp.

Bram stepped around the counter and put his tea cup and saucer with a couple of cakes on a small table between two padded reading chairs. Then he sat down with a sigh of contentment. He wiped his ink-stained hands on the equally ink-stained apron protecting his clothes. His eyes crinkled in a smile behind round spectacles as he gestured Aiden into the other chair.

Aiden stacked some cakes on his saucer and carefully moved into the other chair. The small storefront was lined with mostly filled bookshelves and held the two reading chairs for both Bram and any customers to enjoy. There wasn't much room for more. It had felt so much larger to Aiden years before, but then he'd been so much smaller then.

Bram popped a cake into his mouth and chewed happily. Aiden took a half bite and tried not to make a face at the unexpected flavors. The cakes were not chocolate but a dark molasses and gram flavor. He wasn't sure if he liked it, it was almost too sweet. But, after a sip of the astringent tea, the flavor combination was good.

After they'd sipped their tea and finished their first cake, Bram set his cup down. "Why so early?"

"I used the steel preservation today. It manifested as you thought. I'm finished, and Dad is out helping Horn with a broken blade."

"Exactly like I described?"

"I concentrated as you taught, said the incantation in the proper tones, and there was a slight glow of the metal beyond the heat. It had no problems with the quench. It looks a bit smoother and more uniform of color than it would have without the spell."

"But, did you feel anything? Did the energy transfer from you or through you?"

Aiden took a moment to think and then shook his head.

"Mm," Bram said, looking down into his cup.

"I thought you'd be pleased."

"Oh, I am, but this is more proof something is off with the arcanum."

Aiden blew on his tea and tried it again, it was cool enough to take a swallow. "Why do you say that? Even in working metals, there is a huge difference between the precise instructions and actually working it out. This is why we need master blacksmiths, because there are impurities in the ores, other alloys in the mix, and we have to know what we are expecting and make adjustments. That is the most important lesson Dad has taught me."

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Bram waved his hand, "Yes, yes. But you've studied the basics with me. Is saying the words while concentrating the same as the fundamentals taught?"

Aiden paused to think and sipped slowly at his tea. "You've complained that something was wrong but I never understood. But now that I've finally done a major—"

"minor"

Aiden glared at Bram. "A more complex working, I think I see what you mean. It is subtle."

Bram nodded. "So subtle everyone dismisses it. I only really paid attention when I had to teach a first-year class. And that got me exactly nowhere."

Aiden watched Bram for a few moments. He wasn't sure if the reference to nowhere meant Lapidara or just intellectually. Of course, Lapidara was at the end of the western trade roads. Only hunting trails and animal paths led further west into the Occi Obice Mountains and the ocean was the only thing beyond the mountains. So end of the road Lapidara really was nowhere important in the empire or world.

As if reading his mind Bram looked him in the eye, "I like it here. But, I feel like there is something to learn." Then he leaned back and laughed, "I might yet puzzle it out with your help. Or maybe you'll figure it out and go toss the knowledge into those stiff-back masters' faces."

Aiden chuckled, the idea that he'd travel all the way to Surrenth was ridiculous. He might go as far as Nemeth, but that was only a quarter of the way to Surrenth and a hundred miles beyond Holden.

"What did you get from Holden?"

"Oh!" Bram stood excited and grabbed the bundle from the counter to sit back down. He untied the bundle, revealing four books. Three were various sizes, but all were small enough to carry easily and were well-read by the amount of wear on their spines. The last was much larger and a good two fingers thick, its green leather binding with a white set of symbols glistened in the light.

Aiden leaned forward, that book seemed to draw him to it. Bram didn't hesitate or taunt, he handed the volume to Aiden with a wide smile.

"This was published a few years back by a friend. I've been trying to get a copy for some time."

Aiden gently placed the book in his lap and wiped his hands clean on his pants before picking it back up to inspect. The embossed title read The Complete Dawinish Ancient Folklore & Fables. His interest piqued, Aiden flipped through the pages, scanning illustrations of fantastical creatures and adventures accompanied by elaborate tales of their cunning and magics.

When he opened it, a folded packet of paper fell into his lap. Picking it up, he turned it over to see "Master Bramdeitha Finnelish" written in thick, neat strokes.

Bram snatched the packet away, turning it over to open it. "He must have written me back. See if that has an index. We might find a reference to Orditha or Sub Astris."

Aiden froze for a second at Bram's quick movement, but he did note the hurried but intentional flipping of the packet to conceal the address. Yet, he immediately forgot about Bram's eccentric behavior at the mention of the words inscribed on the broken token he'd found a month back. It was silver and probably part of a pendant or amulet and had clearly been ripped in half. The half-circle artifact had a ribbed rounded edge and finely engraved symbols in a band around the outer edge of one side. But, the jagged edge consisted of equal parts melted smooth, pitted burnt, and stress burs.

What could possibly have torn a circular silver pendant larger than any coin of the realm and weighed at least a full ounce in half but left the remaining half in practically perfect condition? Aiden had no clue. There were some clues as to what it might be. One side had symbols, and the feet of some wolf or hound were depicted in the center; the other side had a butterfly-like pair of wings for the left side of some other creature that might have a human arm. At least there was a human-like narrow arm with a hand-held gently open. On the butterfly wing side, there were two partial phrases. The first going around the top over the wings, the other around the bottom. The top one started "Magister Custos Orditha e..." and the bottom one started with "Sub Astris, Ultra..."

Aiden was disappointed to see there was no index. So he flipped through the tome looking at the detailed sketches and scanning the written parts. Each fable was preceded by a scholarly dissertation on the origins, variations, and possible meanings. Then the actual fable. And finally another article about known variations or changes.

Bram's voice interrupted Aiden's perusal of the book. "My friend says he has not been able to find any information on the symbols we sent and he's sent a copy of the rubbings on to some colleague in Nemeth. He agrees the inscription is old imperial and it means something like master guard and the lower part says bowing to the heavens. He has been collecting ancient legends and myths of our lands since we were young students together at collegium so his translation is probably better than mine."

"You didn't tell me you'd sent him a rubbing."

"Actually, I sent rubbings to a few colleagues at the Surrenth Biblitheca and the Collegium. James is just the closest. As long as I was asking for a copy of his recent work I didn't think it'd hurt."

Aiden tried to imagine the grand palace of books that Bram had described on many occasions that was the Surrenth Biblitheca, the greatest collection of knowledge in the world. Surely they'd be able to help identify the source of this odd half coin or token.

"I guess that makes sense." Turning his attention back to the book he patted the open pages. "I want to read this whole book. There is no index, but these details are really interesting." Aiden's eyes lit up as he turned the book towards Bram showing a detailed sketch of a small, vibrantly colored bird. "Just look at the plumage on this one! Have you ever heard tell of such a breed, Bram?"

Bram adjusted his spectacles, scrutinizing the image closely. "Hmm, can't say I have, though it reminds me of an extinct bird I've heard of called a tucan. Known for its intelligence and mischief."

"Tucan? What kind of name is that?"

"A name that made sense to the people who used it. I did say it was extinct, and that should've hinted at ancient."

"Okay, point made. Do you have anything about not extinct animals? I'm curious about how smart can they be?"

"Why? Are your traps still being tampered with?"

"I don't know, I haven't gone out and checked since the day before. Only one had been tampered with. Still, I got a couple of fine finches and one parrotlet."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"Ya, but the one that had been tampered with wasn't cut open. If it had been a person they'd have just opened the latches and pulled the spring top up. If it had been an animal wanting to eat the bird it would have just smashed the trap altogether. And besides the trap was too high up and not something any normal predator could get to. The bindings for the side of the trap had been chewed through opening just enough of the side panel to let a bird out without compromising the trap's location."

"Did you change your traps like you said?"

"A bit, after the last set had been broken out of I've modified them all. More complex, stronger, safer."

"So this tells you smart, not lucky?"

"It was too exact. No other bindings had been chewed on."

"Hm. So you propose there is some nemesis out there freeing your captured birds that is not a person but still sentient. Driven. Purposeful." Bram leaned forward, his eyes alight with interest. "You think there's more to this than meets the eye?"

Aiden nodded, his mind racing with possibilities. "I'm dealing with something that is clever. I'm sure of it."

"Then you must investigate further," Bram encouraged, his voice steady and sure. "Set your traps, observe, learn. There's a lesson in this for you one way or the other."

Aiden leaned back feeling a gentle tingling at the back of his neck and face. And softly answered, "Ya, I thought maybe—" he trailed off without finishing.

Noticing Aiden's sudden mood, Bram reached over to gently pat him on the shoulder. "The theory is possible. But, you only have one sampling of one. I'll look for some possible explanations."

Aiden took a long breath. "I'm going to go out and check the traps this evening. I'll leave this with you." He placed the new book on the side table.

"Very good. Maybe your nemesis will be gone. Tell you what, I have some work I need to finish. Why don't you go check your traps now? If your dad is going to be out at Horn's all night, we can have dinner at Jumper's."

Aiden smiled, he loved the breads and fried foods at Jumper's. "Ya, I can meet you there maybe seven if I go now."

Bram nodded, "between seven and eight then."

Aiden stood and helped carry the tea cups and dishes to the serving tray, then made for the exit, Bram called out one last piece of advice. "Move carefully, take notes, and be aware."

"I will. See you at Jumper's." He stepped out of the shop into the crisp late afternoon air, the bell chiming a cheerful farewell. He made his way out of the village towards the forest.

Pausing at the forest canopy's edge, Aiden looked upward through the swaying boughs. A sense of adventure now fed his anticipation. He needed to move carefully. This wasn't some ancient and arcane force. But, still, it was something fun. And the true nature of his adversary remained a mystery yet to be unraveled.