Freya and Alexia came out of the
lecture. “So, what was that about an ancient manuscript, again?” Alexia asked.
“A history student came to me in
the studio…” Freya started again.
“This obfuscation is obviously
sophisticated,” Alexia said when Freya had finished.
“There’s a lot I’m missing.”
“Of course. I’ll help.”
“Really?” Freya asked.
“It’s still early in the
semester,” Alexia responded. “Let’s go to the Library now.”
Freya nodded and skipped briefly
as she lead the way.
Olivia was looking up references
to the rune in Aurora’s history. “There is still a lot!”
“These things take time,” Talia
said. “But even so, we need to know where the manuscript was taken.”
“Maybe there’s a clue in the
rune map,” Janara suggested.
“Or maybe it’s a misdirect,”
Olivia said. “That it’s in a building that was built during the Nordic Era or
afterwards.”
“That’s a possibility,” Talia
said. “Are you writing these ideas down?”
“I am,” Janara said.
“I’ll record them later,” Olivia
said.
Freya lead Alexia to the area in
the Ancient Section. “Here we are!”
She found Janara and Talia
looking over several print outs.
“Morning, Olivia.”
“I’m Janara.”
“Sorry,” Freya said. “It’s that
I didn’t actually see her yesterday.”
“How’s that?” Alexia asked.
“My usual visual overwhelm, and
she wasn’t here when I did the actual investigation,” Freya answered.
Alexia nodded
“Speaking of. We have found
something,” Janara said.
“What is it?” Freya asked with
her usual bounciness.
Freya examined the rune and the
overlaid map, both the visual and tactile versions. “I have seen this rune
before.”
“Where?” Alexia asked.
Freya glanced at Alexia. “It was
in a history class in high school.”
“Do you remember anything else?”
Janara asked.
“I probably need to look it up
again,” Freya said.
“I’ll come with you,” Alexia
said. “Just as well we looked at the information Science Section last week.”
“We’ll go there first, but the
information is certainly in the Nordic Section,” Freya responded.
“So, we go around and around the
Library, that’s fine,” Alexia said as they left the area.
Janara sighed. Freya’s energy
was slightly overwhelming. “We’re still not getting anywhere.”
“This will take time,” Talia
said.
“Hopefully not too long,” Janara
said.
Olivia then returned. “Where’s
Freya?”
Freya and Alexia entered the
Information Science Section. “Where would the directory of the Nordic Section
be?” Freya asked.
“We find the outline of the
Library’s expansion again,” Alexia said.
“Then look at what’s in the
Nordic Section!” Freya said excitedly.
“Exactly.”
They soon found the book they
had looked at the week before. “Here is the Nordic Section,” Alexia said,
“marked in yellow.”
Freya looked. “Nordic Languages,
Linguistics of Auroric. Nordic Runes…”
“There,” Alexia said as she took
out her tablet. “Row 13, Section Brynjar.”
“Got it,” Freya said as she
jumped up.
The amount of shelves on the
ground floor of the Nordic Section were intimidating to Alexia. There were far
more than thirteen.
But Freya wasn’t. “Come on!” she
said as she bounded into the area.
Alexia quickly followed her and
could hardly keep up without running. “You really are full of energy, aren’t
you?” she asked in a friendly way.
Freya giggled in response as she
came to a brief halt. “Here it is.”
Brynjar – 13: Nordic Runes
“No doubt there are lots of runes,” Alexia considered.
“True, but there are certain to
be books about runes in general.”
It didn’t take Freya long to
find such a book. “Comprehensive guide to Norse and Early Auroric Runes,
Auroran Edition.”
“You can get an Auroric edition
if you want.”
“I can translate it, but I’m
sure it’ll be the same as the Auroran.”
Alexia shrugged. “Maybe it would
be slightly more in depth.”
“I was going to get it anyway,”
Freya added as she grabbed the Auroric version.
They found a reading table close
by. Freya gave Alexia the Auroran version, while she opened the other.
“Here it is,” Freya said after a
few moments. “It says that it’s said to offer protection.”
Alexia looked at it too. “So the
question is, why a protection rune that matches the layout of the university at
the start of the Nordic Era?”
“No idea,” Freya answered. “But
I’m seeing it with a green tint here. Green has always represented Aurora’s
land.”
“Like on the flag?”
“Exactly.”
“But there was no way they would
know a synesthete would see it that way,” Alexia said.
Freya stood up and fidgeted.
“That’s true,” she sat down again. “It could have been any colour, tone or
texture.”
“But the green of Aurora’s land
may be important.”
“Still, the rune and the map.”
“I may need to look at the plans
of those buildings,” Alexia said.
Freya jumped up. “Let’s go,” she
said as she grabbed the book she had been looking at.
“But maybe we need to check in
with the others.”
“Sure.”
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