Story Snippet: The Library of Knowledge

"Have you seen such an odd arrangement?" 

The elderly wizard shuffled forwards into the forbidden library. His student followed at a much slower pace.  Strolling about after hours, with no permission from the elders, no written dispensations, no protective charms...if they were discovered, the punishment would be swift and most likely lethal.

Again, the apprentice hoped a transfer to a more sane--and sensible--mentor wasn't out of the question. These late night outings detracted from his sleep, and he liked his sleep, thank you very much. Perhaps they could look around once, to satisfy the old man's curiosity, then return to the safe walls of the dormitory. He didn't like the restless air in this library, or the distinct feeling of eyes on his back.

His mentor stopped so suddenly that he nearly ran into him. He caught himself before he swore curses in every language he knew. Such behavior might have scandalized a normal sage, but his mentor would not have been bothered at all. No propriety at all and that rankled him.

"Look at that rune circle. You don't see that every day, lad, and in such pristine condition!" His mentor pointed at the symbols drawn into the library floor. "Lift that lantern high, let's take a look!"

He did as his mentor asked, against his better judgment. Then he saw it: two lines of blood-red runes, neatly entwined and curled around the perimeter of the lower level of the library. It looked more like a work of art than a proper summoning circle. He did not recognize the language, for it did not look anything that was properly taught at the Studium.

"Witchcraft," he muttered to himself, even as he felt the hair on the back of neck prickle in fear. 

"A protective charm of sorts, for certain sure," his mentor mildly rebuked him. "If you didn't want anyone to read your books, you'd want to protect them. Do you recognize the symbols?"

"I'm afraid I do not. It does not look like anything in the approved curriculum."

His mentor shrugged, even as they both heard the note of censure. "I am not surprised. This is the Fae language of eld, used when the mists between our world and theirs were thin. That was so very long ago, before Man turned their backs on the Old Ways."

He bristled and said, "For good reason, I might add."

"That is what the 'approved curriculum' has taught you. Of course, one as long-lived as I have seen many changes come and go." The wizard's eyes passed over the double lines, decoding the runes as if he did this every day. "Huh...and what is this?"

"What?"

He walked slowly to the other end of the room. and they both saw it. The lines of text stopped abruptly, mere handspans from where the circle initially began. The protective barrier was broken. A quick examination proved that no runes had been erased, nor was there any sign of tampering. The ward simply...stopped.

"So this is why we were able to find this. Whatever hid this place from view no longer exists."

"Indeed, but why? It appears that the ward was never finished. Did its protector simply ran out of time? Of paint? Were they interrupted by mysterious forces?" The wizard furrowed his brow. "This is quite a conundrum. A piece of the puzzle is missing--"

"I might remind you that the night is far advanced. If we are discovered here at daybreak, the consequences will be dire. As fascinating as this 'conundrum' is, we cannot linger for very long and--oh bloody hell." He watched as his mentor retraced his steps around the perimeter, as he whispered the long-forgotten words to himself. The seconds ticked away towards dawn, and he couldn't bear the thought of being caught.

The wizard chuckled softly as he reached the end of the runes. "Of course. It is only a framework. The spellcaster brings themselves to the enchantment." 

The student grimaced. He needed everything spelled out for him, perfect, no surprises. The open ended spell made him uncomfortable."What do you mean?"

"It's not a spell of protection. It's a spell of teleportation. We just provide the destination and this whole place comes with us. This is a Fae spell after all, and they were masters of manipulating time and space, a gift long lost to us with Man's arrogance and greed." He smiled. "You were concerned with our return to the Studium before dawn? I believe that could be easily remedied."

He paled. "Wait...what? I didn't mean..."

The wizard smiled wider and said the location of their rooms at the Studium. There was a flash of royal purple light that brightened to a warm gold, and their surroundings faded before he could blink.