Thank the gods that Shadow Conduits weren’t mind readers. I pictured myself being doused with cold water just to calm down before responding.
“Lead the way, then, Captain.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect as Kieran led me through the bustling streets of the Academic Quarter, away from the Biblyos and towards the center of the city.
Though I peppered him with questions along the way—What kind of museum? Didn’t he have anything better to do? And just how in the Hel did he find my aetheric signature so easily?—the man gave nothing away.
“Just trust me,” he said again. “I’m taking you to one of my favorite places in the city.”
Ten minutes later, we arrived at a tall building, several stories higher than those in our immediate surroundings, though it was still white limestone, much like the rest of the buildings in this quarter.
I struggled to make out the letters carved into the marble facade above the large entryway, as they were written in a very flowery iteration of the ancient Elder script.
“It’s the Museum of Arcane History,” Kieran supplied.
“Wait, can you read Aetheric?”
“I can, actually,” he replied.
Of course he could.
“But in this case, I just know the names of almost every building in this quarter. I know most of this city like the back of my hand.”
“Did you grow up in Sophrosyne?”
Kieran glanced away for a moment, suddenly interested in the grit underneath his fingernails.
“Nah, I grew up in Pyrhhas, but very close by. And I’ve lived here for… Gods, I think it’s been five years now? Maybe six.”
“Ah, okay.”
Only five or six years, and already a captain of the Elder Guard. There was more to Kieran’s story, it seemed. Much more. I resisted the urge to pepper him with further questions as he led me down a series of halls. Instead, I turned my attention back to my surroundings. He seemed a bit closed off about his past, and I could respect that. I had my own secrets, after all. Things that I preferred to keep close to the chest.
“It’s rather empty, isn’t it?” I observed. I could hear our footsteps echo, but not much else.
“That’s why it’s one of my favorite places in the city,” he explained. “For whatever reason, this museum doesn’t see much foot traffic during the week.”
“I wonder why not,” I mused, thinking out loud.
“I’m not sure, actually,” Kieran said with a shrug. “But it does make for a nice place to unwind after a long day.”
“Aw, have you had a long day, Captain? It’s barely noon,” I teased, glancing toward a room that looked to be filled with old globes, maps and star charts.
As I started towards it, Kieran caught me by the hand—and I felt my breath catch in my chest. There was something about the sensation of it, the warmth. I hadn’t really been touched by anyone in… quite some time. In those scant few seconds, I memorized the roughness of his calloused fingers as they’d wrapped around mine. The sensation was lovely, and it left me wondering what they might feel like against my cheek.
“This way first,” he said, interrupting my reverie and nodding his head towards a hall to the left.
Wordlessly, I let go of his hand and followed him into a large, seemingly empty room that was absolutely flooded with natural light pouring in from the skylights above. It was only when we’dmade our way into the center of the room that I realized it wasn’t empty at all—but rather, the walls were the exhibit here. It was one massive, sweeping mural.
I strained my eyes again, attempting to read the plaque that was, again, carved in Aetheric.
“The… Mur…Mural,I’d assume, so… The Mural…” I murmured under my breath.
“They call it the Mural of Creation,” Kieran offered. “It’s the Elder’s depiction of the universe.”
Oh. Wow.
I took several steps towards the wall in front of us, marveling at the whorls of color, the elegant brush strokes that had somehow captured the beauty of the cosmos—not in an exact sort of way, but the artist had somehow managed to capture theessenceof the night sky as the backdrop to several scenes. I tilted my head back just enough to take in the full picture, having been immediately distracted by details.