Page 32 of The Curse of Indy Moore
I didn’t think it could, considering it took us a day to travel to Westshire.
“Oh, no.” Otis waved his hand dismissively. “We will use a summoning circle, enchantments artificers use to travel. We have one in the garden that can take us to a few places around the world, so long as the circle on the other side is also open to us.”
A summoning circle. I never heard of such a thing. They could travel with such ease, bounce around the world without a care. The envy within me blossomed, and I tried fruitlessly to tamper it.
“Speaking of the house, would you like a tour?” Otis suggested, setting aside his finished tea. “Ivory House is a labyrinth, and I say that as one living here. Ivy will show you the way when lost, but it’s nice to find the path yourself.”
I sat aside my tea, jumping slightly when the cups fluttered over to the tray. Then the tray wandered out of the room. I would never grow accustomed to flying inanimate objects.
“While on this tour, could I ask about it? I cannot fathom how Mr. Hawthorne did this on his own. He mentioned being the best inscriptionist in the world, but he seems to love his dramatics,” I said.
“Of course he would, but never agree with him, otherwise you won’t hear the end of it.”
“I figured as much, but surely you helped?” I asked.
“None other than him knows the secrets of this place.”
Otis stepped into the hall. He offered his arm in a gentlemanly manner I saw the nobles do to one another. The act always made me laugh, but here, I wouldn’t deny how it felt good to take his arm, to feel like he appreciated my presence and valued my conversation.
“I understand enchantments as well as any artificer, but Rooke’s specialty is discovery, in learning new ways to command these enchantments. They’re more complex than a scribbled rune here or there,” Otis said when rounding the first corner to present the library I had been searching for previously, four stories high, with more books than anyone could read in their lifetime.
A staircase at the back of the room led to the upper floors that circled the tower. Each shelf was stacked full. A fireplace warmed the sitting area configured with a large couch and two plush armchairs in a deep burgundy tone that clashed with the plum-colored walls. Windows interrupted the shelving, switching between a triangle and circular shape. At the center of the ceiling, a long light surrounded by shimmers like fireflies lit the room. It wasn’t a chandelier or lamp, but something made of magic entirely.
I was never an enjoyer of books. Having never been given a proper education, my skills at deciphering text were lackluster at best. Books were intimidating. However, I loved when a bard came through Westshire to sing tales of their travels, and I always wanted to see a stage play. Cavehallow had a theatre, but we couldn’t afford the tickets, and it’d be so rude of me to go without my family.
However, as I stood in Ivory House’s library, I had the sudden urge to partake in a tale or two, if only to use it as an excuse to lounge about. It was certainly more welcoming than any library or school I had ever been in.
Otis departed to press a hand against the wall. The silver glow from Mr. Hawthorne’s cloak appeared, little more than a shimmer, and spread from ceiling to floor. “Ivory House has these runes everywhere. These runes allow the house to be…”
“Ever-changing,” I finished for him.
“Yes, Ivy has a mind of its own. That is one of many reasons enchantments on thinking creatures is forbidden. Magic is alive, in a way. The more enchantments Rooke lays upon Ivory House, the more sentient it becomes. The same with people.” Otis tapped his thigh above the prosthetic. “If I tried to regain my leg through an enchantment, one could not guess what may happen. I may die simply from trying.”
“What about plants and animals? I have witnessed artificers blessing crops, and you study botany, do you not?”
Returning to his arm, we moved on from the library to pass a handful of extra rooms that may have once been for guests, if Mr. Hawthorne had those. Instead, they became storage rooms for his endless oddities, one of which was nothing but clothes. If he let Ivory House become a shop for a day, he would make a small fortune, though he clearly didn’t need the coins.
“Blessing is not how I would explain it. Animals have the same issues as humans, but plants are a gray area. That is why I find them so fascinating!” Otis’s eyes had a brightness to them, an excitement that one could taste, sweet as sugar. “Artificers can enchant soil to be fertile so the herbs grown will be stronger, and thus, their effects more potent. However, enchanting individual plants is unknown. Most ofour medicine contains herbs from enchanted soil. As you know, those herbs cannot regrow a limb or bring back the dead, but they soothe the sick and dying.”
Otis hesitated outside a set of double doors constructed of painted glass. If I were an astronomer, I would know what constellations were on the glass, but all I could decipher was its beauty. Past the doors laid an outlandish contraption tall enough to nearly touch the domed ceiling constructed of panels. The long device had cogs along the shaft that connected it to the floor and a small hole at the end.
I gawked at the contraption while Otis went on about his research papers. “However, a paper by Mx. Ellencot theorized that enchanting individual herbs in a careful pattern could result in the enchantment of people, albeit not permanently. Eating an enchanted fruit could give one supernatural strength or the ability to fly. Rooke and I offered our services. If anyone could decipher the patterns, it would be him. Alas, our sovereign fears the repercussions and finds it unnecessary considering all we have already accomplished, so there have yet to be any approved studies.”
Realizing I wasn’t paying attention, Otis wandered to my side and asked, “Have you seen a telescope before?”
“Oh, sorry, no.”
“They’re used to observe the stars.” Otis approached a golden handle on the wall. Tugging the handle, the dome ceiling cracked open. “Tonight we could take a look, if you’d like.”
One glance at Otis had him remembering why that wouldn’t work.
Frowning, he pushed the handle up, and the ceiling closed. “My apologies. However, you are always welcome to use the observatory after the cure is found.”
If it was,though I didn’t say that aloud.
Otis hugged my arm. “I apologize for babbling. I got carried away when I meant to be taking you on a tour.”
“There is no reason to apologize. My knowledge of magic is subpar at best, so this will be quite the learning experience,” I said.
