Questions, then.
By that point Aislyn had amassed quite a list of queries that Tail’s teaching had spawned. Her earlier giddiness had returned, curiosity piqued at the prospect of so much information at her fingertips. A whole new world, a secret world; bigger than the underground, bigger than the entirety of Alvadas. It was as if Tail was speaking a different tongue, one Aislyn had only just begun to wrap her mind around. A hundred different skills that before that point she could never have fathomed. It still baffled the woman that all this had existed- and somewhere, deep in her mind, she had
known it existed- yet she had made no previous effort to investigate it.
But now she could. And by Ionu, she would.
Flipping through her notebook, Aislyn collected questions to ask of Tail, her footnotes clearly accentuating what she had and hadn’t understood.
What is the easiest magic to learn, if not Ar Auristics?
What are the ‘beneficial qualities’ he speaks of?
How many kinds of disciplines are there?
De Djed’s role? Purpose? What is it, where does it come from? Where does it go?
What is the distinction between world magics and personal?One by one she read them out, brushing charcoal dust from her fingers as the list went on. Her voice was hushed, her manner reflecting the surroundings in a way that was meant to prevent her from being seen. The eyes in the back of her head and the voice within her mind both agreed that the topic she was so casually discussing was not something that was safe to disclose in regular conversation. It was so strange to hear the clay being’s relaxed tone when it came to such a taboo topic. Speakers had been sent to investigate crimes with less suspicion, and one never knew who was listening. After all,
someone always was.
Alvadas was a city of many layers. When one was peeled back, a thousand more were revealed below. No matter how hard one tried to dig- tooth, claw, nail and all- there was nothing that could be done to force the secrets of the city out to open air. Newcomers saw a confusing city of many dead ends and many new beginnings, where the moment one got used to that layer another was pulled back to put everything into a muddled mood again. The first layer was the illusions, in all their glory. Ionu’s children, each a work of art that the deity of illusions personally crafted. The second: the people, their colourful clothing that was just as quickly bland, their way of speech and lack of time constraints. Their trust in Ionu, in Alvadas, and how fiercely they defended them both. The third layer Aislyn declared to be the Womiyu, the unquestioned power of the Speakers and the inescapable presence of the listeners. The ineffably honored and inexplicably feared Silencers, all the way to Ionu themselves.
Below that, countless more layers to be pulled back; the Underground, the culture, the secrets that no one dare say aloud. The things that happened in the dark of night, and the things that happened in broad daylight that no one seemed to see. Aislyn herself, after twenty-some years in the city, still hadn’t penetrated everything the city had to offer. Now, she was digging herself into yet another layer, one that could reveal a hundred more.
In a way, that was how everything was connected.
For a moment, Aislyn paused on that. What did this connect to. The magic; Tail, the things that Aislyn had never before known. Where did it fall into place?
Of course, the woman’s mind was drawn to a place it often was. The previous winter, and the events thereof. The unceremonious end to the season that crushed and combating and ground the city to rubble. But not the city’s buildings, or its walls, but its
people.
Immediately, another question came to mind. As she asked it aloud, she enscribed her words upon the next blank page.
What magic could raise the dead?OOCAssume whatever Aislyn wrote down she also said aloud.
