ㅤ
The first thing Evelyn said when she saw me was, “You look tired.”
ㅤ
She had stopped beside the archive entrance with her notebook under one arm. I was still checking that the letter’s wrapping had survived the walk.
ㅤ
“Good morning to you too.”
ㅤ
“How much did you sleep?”
ㅤ
“Five hours. Mira woke once, and I spent the rest of the night calculating what a mattress costs.”
ㅤ
“That isn't enough.”
ㅤ
“I'll inform my responsibilities.”
ㅤ
She closed her notebook. I put the damaged letter on the table, still inside its protective wrapping.
ㅤ
“Oh, and the apartment has marigolds. Mira wanted you to know.”
ㅤ
Evelyn's expression softened. “Did she?”
ㅤ
“She considered it essential information.”
ㅤ
“Then tell her I appreciate the report.”
ㅤ
I would. Mira would ask whether Evelyn had smiled, and this time I could tell her yes.
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
The academy archive occupied an older building behind the library. Its entrance bore a stone inscription declaring that knowledge was a responsibility. I'd assumed that meant returning books on time. Apparently, it also meant signing three forms before anyone allowed me near a magical instrument.
ㅤ
Evelyn completed hers without complaint. I read mine twice.
ㅤ
“Why does this say I accept responsibility for damage?”
ㅤ
“Because you brought the document.”
ㅤ
“And yours says the same thing.”
ㅤ
“Because I requested the procedure.”
ㅤ
The archivist held out her pen. “Please sign.”
ㅤ
Miss Vale wore protective gloves even while turning the pages of her appointment ledger. She led us into a workshop lined with cabinets and narrow tables. Beneath a shaded lamp stood a preservation frame: two sheets of clear crystal held between brass supports, with runes set around the edges.
ㅤ
“Have either of you operated one?” she asked.
ㅤ
“I've studied the principles,” Evelyn said.
ㅤ
“Excellent. Then you'll understand why I'll be operating it.”
ㅤ
I liked Miss Vale immediately.
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
She examined the letter through a magnifying lens.
ㅤ
“Heat damage, water damage, possible magical exposure. The paper has dense fibers, though I can't identify the supplier.”
ㅤ
“Can you identify the spell that damaged it?” I asked.
ㅤ
“Not from discoloration. Nor can I restore ink that no longer exists. I may be able to reveal traces beneath the damaged surface. The frame is an examination tool, not a repair spell.”
ㅤ
Evelyn leaned forward. “We don't want to alter the original.”
ㅤ
“Then don't touch the frame while it's active.”
ㅤ
I put my hands behind my back. Evelyn noticed but had the decency not to comment.
ㅤ
Miss Vale positioned the letter between the crystals. The runes brightened one by one, and a thin layer of light passed across the paper. For several seconds, nothing happened.
ㅤ
Then pale strokes appeared beneath the stains. I gripped the edge of my own notebook and made myself leave the instrument alone.
ㅤ
“Some ink penetrated deeper into the fibers,” Miss Vale explained. “The surface damage hasn't entirely obscured it.”
ㅤ
Evelyn opened her notebook. I leaned close enough to read without breathing on the crystal.
ㅤ
The first fragment was familiar: Find Adrian. Academy.
ㅤ
It was the part Mira had already managed to follow.
ㅤ
Beneath it appeared another line.
ㅤ
Adrian will—
ㅤ
The rest vanished beneath a blackened patch.
ㅤ
Near the bottom, a third fragment emerged.
ㅤ
Do not return by the—
ㅤ
I waited for more. Nothing came. Evelyn copied the visible letters exactly, including the unfinished words. She left the gaps blank.
ㅤ
“Could you increase the output?” I asked.
ㅤ
“I could. I won't. The remaining ink is unstable. Greater illumination might reveal another word and destroy the trace afterward.”
ㅤ
Evelyn shook her head before I could answer.
ㅤ
“No. Preserve what we have.”
ㅤ
Miss Vale made a preservation copy of the visible fragments, then returned the letter to its wrapping. She advised us to keep it dry and avoid cleaning spells. I thanked her with considerably more feeling than I’d put into the liability form.
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
Outside, Evelyn unfolded the preservation copy.
ㅤ
“Three fragments,” I said. “One instruction we've followed, one sentence about me that ends at the worst possible place, and one warning that doesn't tell us what to avoid.”
ㅤ
“Don't decide what the missing words say.”
ㅤ
“I was about to invent six possibilities. None of them would be evidence.”
ㅤ
“Only six?”
ㅤ
“I'm tired.”
ㅤ
She gave me a small smile, then tapped the last line.
ㅤ
“Return could refer to a route, a place, or a method of travel. We shouldn't assume it's an instruction for Mira to follow now.”
ㅤ
“Agreed. I also don't want her to feel responsible for remembering it.”
ㅤ
“Then we won’t interrogate her.”
ㅤ
She folded her own transcription without writing a theory beside the missing words.
ㅤ
I folded the copy and put it away. Evelyn didn't ask whether I was afraid of what the second fragment might say. I was grateful. The answer was obvious.
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
We had half an hour before practice. Evelyn suggested comparing the copy with our previous transcription. I suggested food.
ㅤ
“It's ten thirty,” she said.
ㅤ
“An early lunch.”
ㅤ
“You ate breakfast.”
ㅤ
“I stood in a room while someone else operated a machine. Emotionally exhausting.”
ㅤ
She considered me for a moment. “There's a bakery near the eastern gate.”
ㅤ
“An excellent suggestion.”
ㅤ
“It was an observation.”
ㅤ
“An excellent observation.”
ㅤ
I bought two savory rolls. Evelyn bought tea. We found a narrow table by the window and spent several minutes eating without discussing death, the future, or damaged letters. It was a pleasant change.
ㅤ
“When must you decide about the apartment?” she asked.
ㅤ
“This afternoon. Mr. Pell will show it to someone else tomorrow.”
ㅤ
“Can you afford the deposit?”
ㅤ
“Yes. The first week's rent comes later, once the academy approves the lease. I have enough for both, but bedding and fuel will cut into what's left.”
ㅤ
“And afterward?”
ㅤ
“The assistantship, grading work, and one tutoring student. The second hasn't committed. I won't pretend the budget balances yet.”
ㅤ
She nodded. “You've made progress.”
ㅤ
“I have.”
ㅤ
It felt strange to admit it without adding a joke. The deposit would take money out of my savings, but the lower rent could buy us time. That mattered more than whether the apartment looked respectable.
ㅤ
“Would you like a second opinion on the apartment?” she asked.
ㅤ
“I've inspected it.”
ㅤ
“From someone who wasn't distracted by marigolds.”
ㅤ
“I was distracted by the window. It looks like the building is winking.”
ㅤ
“Is it secure?”
ㅤ
“Mr. Pell says the frame is sound. I tested it.”
ㅤ
“Then why mention it?”
ㅤ
“Because it looks ridiculous.”
ㅤ
She pressed her lips together.
ㅤ
“You're laughing.”
ㅤ
“Finish your roll, Adrian.”
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
Our practice session produced fourteen seconds, then thirteen, then fifteen. Evelyn maintained the barrier and two additional spells while I tracked interference in the third channel. We kept the same measurement conditions and recorded the failed intervals as carefully as the successful ones. Fifteen seconds was progress over yesterday’s twelve, not proof that the configuration was stable. Halden examined the readings and declared them worth comparing.
ㅤ
From him, that was nearly applause.
ㅤ
At the end, Evelyn asked, “Will you tell Mira we examined the letter?”
ㅤ
“If she asks.”
ㅤ
“She knows we planned to. Don't pretend nothing happened.”
ㅤ
“I won't. But I'll show her only what we recovered, not what we're afraid it might mean.”
ㅤ
Evelyn closed her notebook. “Good. And tell her I said hello.”
ㅤ
“I'll deliver the report.”
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
Mr. Pell was repairing a cupboard when I arrived. He set down his tools and brought out the lease.
ㅤ
“Made your decision?”
ㅤ
“I'd like the apartment, provided the academy approves the arrangement.”
ㅤ
He checked my provisional certificate again. We went through the written terms: twenty-six silver weekly, thirteen silver deposit, water included, fuel separate, shared courtyard, no subletting, and one week's notice before leaving.
ㅤ
I asked whether the window would be repaired.
ㅤ
“The shutters can be adjusted before you move,” he said.
ㅤ
“Thank you.”
ㅤ
“I'd hate for you to lose sleep over it.”
ㅤ
“Too late.”
ㅤ
He took the thirteen-silver deposit and gave me a signed receipt. The first week’s twenty-six silver would be due when the housing office confirmed the lease and released the keys. I left with less money and a feeling I hadn’t expected: cautious satisfaction.
ㅤ
We didn't have a new home yet. But someone had agreed to let us try.
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
Mira was helping Mrs. Fenwick sort buttons when I arrived. She jumped off her chair.
ㅤ
“Daddy! Did we get the house?”
ㅤ
“The landlord agreed. The academy still has to approve it.”
ㅤ
“More directions?”
ㅤ
“This time we have a receipt.”
ㅤ
I showed her.
ㅤ
She examined it suspiciously. “That's not a key.”
ㅤ
“An excellent observation.”
ㅤ
Mrs. Fenwick laughed. I told her the possible new address and promised to confirm it before changing Mira's routine. Mira watched the exchange closely, then took my hand for the walk home.
ㅤ
“Did Mommy eat today?” she asked.
ㅤ
“Yes.”
ㅤ
“What?”
ㅤ
“A roll.”
ㅤ
“Did she like it?”
ㅤ
“I believe so.”
ㅤ
“Did you tell her about the flowers?”
ㅤ
“Yes. She appreciated the report.”
ㅤ
Mira smiled.
ㅤ
Then she looked up. “Did you read Mommy's letter?”
ㅤ
“We found a few more words. The original is safe; the archivist made us a copy.”
ㅤ
“Can I see?”
ㅤ
I thought about Evelyn's warning. Mira knew we were investigating, and keeping the copy hidden would make the letter more frightening than it already was.
ㅤ
“Yes. We'll sit somewhere quiet.”
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
We stopped at a bench near the guesthouse. I held the paper against the breeze while Mira read the first line.
ㅤ
“Find Adrian. Academy.”
ㅤ
“I did that,” she said.
ㅤ
“You did.”
ㅤ
She examined the next fragment.
ㅤ
“Adrian will…”
ㅤ
“What comes after?”
ㅤ
“We couldn't recover it.”
ㅤ
Her forehead creased. “Mommy wrote it.”
ㅤ
“I think she did.”
ㅤ
She moved to the last line.
ㅤ
“Do not return by the…”
ㅤ
Her finger stopped.
ㅤ
“Mira?”
ㅤ
“Mommy said not to go back.”
ㅤ
She pulled Sir Flopsy closer. The words came out smaller than her usual voice.
ㅤ
I kept my voice even. “Back where?”
ㅤ
“To the red room.”
ㅤ
“Did she say why?”
ㅤ
Mira shook her head. “She said I had to go forward. Find Daddy. Don't go back.”
ㅤ
“Was that before the big spell?”
ㅤ
“I think so.”
ㅤ
She rubbed Sir Flopsy's ear. “I don't remember all the words.”
ㅤ
“That's all right.”
ㅤ
“But I should.”
ㅤ
“No, sweetheart. You were frightened. Remembering isn't your job.”
ㅤ
Her eyes filled anyway. She blinked hard, then pressed her face against my shoulder when the first tear slipped down. I folded the copy with one hand, put it away, and held her until she was ready to walk. I didn’t ask another question.
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
At supper, Mira supervised the eggs.
ㅤ
“Not too round,” she instructed.
ㅤ
“I'll try to restrain them.”
ㅤ
She watched me stir. “Mommy makes them better.”
ㅤ
“I'm certain she does.”
ㅤ
“But yours are good too.”
ㅤ
“High praise.”
ㅤ
Afterward, she drew the apartment, with the crooked window beside the front door. I didn't correct her. She added marigolds, Sir Flopsy in his blue cloak, and Evelyn standing outside with a paper bag.
ㅤ
“Mommy's bringing honey cakes,” she explained.
ㅤ
“That hasn't been confirmed.”
ㅤ
“She will.”
ㅤ
I let the prediction stand.
ㅤ
***
ㅤ
Once Mira was asleep, I read the preservation copy again.
ㅤ
Find Adrian. Academy.
ㅤ
Adrian will—
ㅤ
Do not return by the—
ㅤ
I couldn’t tell whether the last warning concerned the red room, the spell, or something else entirely. Mira remembered an instruction not to go back, but I wouldn’t turn a frightened child’s recollection into certainty the letter didn’t provide. Nor did I know what the unfinished sentence about me had been meant to say.
ㅤ
Tomorrow, I would ask Evelyn whether she'd found any reference to rooms with red floors in the material she'd been studying. We could investigate without taking Mira anywhere near one.
ㅤ
I put the copy away and checked the guesthouse door. Mira slept with one hand resting on Sir Flopsy's repaired ear.
ㅤ
The academy still had to approve the lease. The budget still needed work. There were questions I didn't know how to ask.
ㅤ
Tonight, none of them required me to wake her.