Hawke settled into his seat, relaxed but alert. He looked across at Johnson. "Ready yet, Em?"
"Momentarily," the other mage murmured.
"Don't you need candles or…" Liel looked around the sparse room. "Something?"
Em smiled, although his eyes were still closed. "We can certainly get some of the trappings for you if you like, but we thought you were here to see what we can do for you."
"No, that's alright, I just thought maybe you needed them."
Hawke gave a dry chuckle. "Magic, real magic, is more akin to working as a stevedore than an entertainer. All boring heavy lifting that requires discipline and patience."
Em's eyes blinked open and he looked over at their guest. "Don't listen to him. Next time I'll have candles for you." He looked at Hawke. "Well, I'm ready when you are."
Hawke nodded. "Then let's begin."
Both wizards closed their eyes and sat quietly. Liel looked from one to the other but neither of them moved. The looked as though they might nod off into an afternoon nap. Heavy lifting indeed. But boring, yes, it was certainly that. They had asked that she think of someone she would like to speak with from the afterlife and with some thought she decided upon her original elvish great-grandmother. She was thinking about some of the stories her mother had told her of their roots, distracted for a moment from the events at hand, when she heard Hawke expel a deep breath. The temperature in the room grew frigid and Johnson began chanting softly and motioning with his hands as though he were holding a sphere.
Hawke sat up straighter and his eyes opened. The dark brown of his irises had turned pale silver, his expression had become haughty. With his gaze on Liel he spoke, his voice soft and sibilant with the elvish tongue. "Why do you call to me daughter?"
Liel frowned again. "Mr. Hawke, you know I don't speak very much elvish. This isn't very entertaining."
Em's eye's opened and he spoke. "She fears her father is being haunted so she is reaching out to the afterlife in search of answers."
Hawke's eyes turned to Em. "There are more answers in life than in death."
Go to next installment >>
No comments:
Post a Comment