#earthrunes

"mmm" Delores keen eyes fall on the chimerical books and spines there of. "Wonderful. Anything else I can get for you two?"

"The tea is wonderful. My compliments, as always - not many have the right touch."

She inclines her head "Earth Runes aims to ..." Sounds in the halls "oh dear. I think the childlings may have found my sweets as well. Pardon. It was nice meeting you, Miss Waveborne" And the boggan heads out

Siv waits a count of three, then blushes "I should feel bad for this, but is it wrong I want to peek around the corner and see if she's listening in?"

Zara smirks and shrugs.

Siv coughs "Not many boggans in the lodge itself. Lucia's nice and Anne Marie's..well, she's a force. But if I mention this in front of them it'll be all over the county" A tilt of her head then softly "Okay. So how does one go looking for signs of wizards?"

"They are difficult.. they aren't like fae, that you can sense just by looking..."

"And their magic, too, is subtle..."

She flips through one of the books - it looks like a text on Chicanery...

Siv grabs another book and starts to study, the nearest "I see. Well, I don't see. Kenning doesn't help? That's going to be a problem. Maybe luring them out with glamour if they can sense us. But in a place of our choosing. Whew...just the thought is exciting. Wizard lures"

"They want to stay hidden. Most prodigals do."

"And we don't know if this was done by wizars."

"Right. Right" Siv trying to restrain a growing excitment. She's trying to be good, but there is a part of her that wants to see and do. She has a wayfarer's soul

"THough wouldn't it be exciting if it were?" A mischievous grin, dark eyes sparkling.

"Aye, maybe the wizard's a lad, an I'll have to seduce the secrets out of him" Archly "Duty to my County would demand it"

then a chuckle

Echoed by a raspy giggle.

"Witches in the stories do know how to dress though, either that cleavage showing stuff that makes a fellow's eyes pop out so he gets frogged before he can realize he's in trouble, or some old lady outfit that catches the wind just right? I wonder how much truth there is to that sort of thing? I Suppsose they ahve to blend in in their way, but I would dearly love to meet a Harry Dresden" naming some of the books she actually is into.

She says this as she reads.

"Witches can wear many different kinds of attire. I'm rather fond of Granny Weatherwax."

"can't say I heard of her"

It would appear the girl has some how missed Discworld

"Ohhh, we'll have to fix that..."

"Dresden is good, modern, urban... Pratchett is more comedic high fantasy."

"Ah, yes, Vali probably has a copy then. He's a comedy fan. " She sighs "Dresden is such a rough and tumble sort of fellow, hard steel inside him but also great kindness. And yes, sometimes his magics area bit hammer and tongs, but he's got a brain sharp. What's not to crush on?" she keeps reading then tilts her head "Interesting. If neither texts nor memory of fae or mortal were untouched, we're definitely talking about folks with a breadth for their cantrip if cantrip did this. I've met folks who could affect gallian with a spell that hey couldn't affect on a toothpick, for example"

"Realms, precisely. And the more you add in, the more difficult the casting..."

"I mean, this would be... a master of fae, of mortal, of prop, of scene..."

"Which is..sorcerer level, siochan perhaps if changeling he or she be" A startled look

"Aye. It is a working of mind-boggling proportions. Fae, Prodigal, or minor godling."

"Could.. it be like a coven of witches? Like in tales?"

"you know, they share their power?"

"Oh, maybe!"

"Let me get the book on willworkers..." she fetches it and starts flipping through... taking and sharing notes with the wayfarer...

"I'm barely through the first chapter of this one , there's so much conjecture on.."

"Is that the Bartlett?"

"Skip to chapter three. The first two are always... well..."

"Aye. ..chapter three..okay"

It takes hours with Zara taking the lead...however, it turns out Siv has a very good memory of the before and after the day, and knows the county quite well, her birds eye view with t he map of the county aids Zara some... and Zara studies patterns and ...

well...Zara notices that it landed on the anniversary of the first Saturnalia in ancient rome.

An eyebrow.

"Your birthday is Saturnalia?"

"I think mum and dad just picked it so it wouldn't be too close to Yule. Sides, we don't have Saturnalia, we have Carnival and that's still a bit off"

That gets Zara thinking, different date or not, it is a topsy turvey day, like Boxing day or Carnival. There's something of a kIng of misrule for this, and slaves were treated by their masters...

Could be just a coincidence, but no, further study indicates some museum was due to receive a statue?? From Rome, no less.

Hardly unheard of, Rome was nuts for statues.

But the statue was said to be that of Saturn aka Chronos!

"Aye, aye... but Siv, look, here - the newspaper before..."

"Saturn for Saturnalia..."

"Hold on" She breaks out her smartphone then "Zara, there's no mention of it not arriving, but there's no mention of it arriving too. Nothing in the papers of the 18th or aftrer..and the website of the museum. It doesn't mention having it. If it did, wouldn't it be crowing?"

"Oh, Cadman just had that roman book..." She snags it. "Oh, this might BE a godling! Extra exciting!"