“I prefer to concentrate on the useful words,” Drake answered. “I hold few academic conversations with campfires.”

“Have you asked Tibrus if he knows where we can learn about Darian?” Nia inquired.

“I did. Tibrus specializes in medicine, the arts, and the strategy of warfare. But he told me where we can find several guides with rich backgrounds in history.”

Farfalee thanked Tibrus in Edomic and set down his stone. The instant her fingers lost contact with the hemisphere, the wispy soldier vanished. She ducked behind the counter and came back up holding a small iron strongbox with a keyhole in the front. After setting down the heavy box, she moved along the counter a few paces, crouched again, and produced the key.

“These are some of the more expert guides,” Farfalee explained, unlocking the container. “Since the library is vacant, Tibrus was kind enough to tell me where to locate the key.”

“These guides are better than the others?” Jason checked.

“History is by far the largest section of the collection,” Farfalee explained. “Tibrus warned that the expert guides can be trickier to handle, which was my experience centuries ago in the Great Document Hall at Elboreth. The experts are designed to carefully match the seeker of knowledge to appropriate volumes. They will steer the unworthy away from the weightier texts.”

“Then why use the experts?” Nia asked.

Farfalee took six stones from the strongbox and placed them in a row on the counter. “If we knew the name of the book we desire, any guide would suffice. But I have no idea what tome will inform us about the most recent abode of Darian the Seer. So our best chance will be to solicit an expert who can suggest how to locate that information. We must impress them and win them over. Jasher, would you prefer Edomic or common?”

He winced a little. “I’m more comfortable with common.”

“It won’t help your credibility,” Farfalee cautioned.

“Neither will poor speech,” Jasher said.

“Very well,” Farfalee conceded.

“Why don’t you consult the experts one by one, Failie?” Drake asked.

“Partly due to time,” Farfalee replied. “Partly because the experts have varied personalities. Some prefer men to women. If necessary, I will solicit all of them personally. For the present we should share the task.” She tapped four of the stones in turn, muttering a phrase about common speech each time. “You may each select one and see what you can learn.”

Jason picked a cloudy white stone with fiery orange flecks. It felt smooth, cool, and somewhat heavier than it looked.

Farfalee told them the word they should speak to activate the stone. Jason felt a little nervous, because Edomic commands had never worked for him like they had for Rachel. But in this instance he just needed to pronounce the word correctly, not pour his will into the command to demand compliance.

Trying to match her inflection, Jason repeated the summons Farfalee had shared, and the stone instantly hummed in his hand and grew perceptibly warmer. A bald man with a hook nose and thin eyebrows appeared, leaning on a cane, his skin and clothes a luminous white.

“Common tongue, is it?” he said, sounding a bit cranky.

“It’s my native language,” Jason explained defensively.

The old guy waved a dismissive hand. “What a sorry state of affairs. Native tongue, you say? The current common speech does not even originate from our world, lad. It comes from the Beyond.”

“I know,” Jason said. “So do I.”

This surprised the old guy. “You hail from the Beyond? Then you know the country our common speech is named after.”

“England.”

“Correct.” The ghostly figure suddenly seemed more friendly. “Do you know how English came to be our common tongue?”

“From the Beyonders who came here?”

“The Beyonders planted the first seeds. There were many factors involved. The primary culprits were wizards. The wizards of Lyrian have long been fascinated with Beyonders. Some wizards have even traveled to the Beyond. Since English was utterly foreign to this world, a number of powerful wizards began using it for secret communication, both in writing and in speech. As the trend grew, the study of English became second only to Edomic for many wizards. Consequently, even outside the society of wizards, many of the learned and wise adopted the practice.

“Of the two languages favored by the wise, English was easier to master. And so interest in it increased. English became synonymous with learning and power. Diverse cultures spoke their own languages, and English besides. In time, English provided a means to converse across cultural boundaries. Gradually, English became firmly established as the common tongue of Lyrian. As an increasing number of children learned it from the cradle, English also became the primary language of many cultures.”

“You know a lot,” Jason said.

“It is my calling,” the old man answered pleasantly. “Under most circumstances I would consider the use of English inelegant, but the opportunity to converse with a native speaker of a Beyondic tongue is indeed an honor. What brings you to these hallowed halls of learning?”

“A single question, really,” Jason said. “I’m looking for the last home of Darian the Seer.”

The old man burst into laughter. Not brief laughter. The mirthful condition persisted long enough to make Jason feel awkward. The old guide partly got himself under control, then started up again, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Why is that funny?” Jason asked.

“My apologies, my young Beyonder. For how long have you inhabited our world?”

“Several months, now. Less than a year.”

“And already you’ve turned treasure seeker?”

“I’m not a treasure hunter,” Jason said. “I need information.”

The old man nodded. “Information that will lead you to Darian’s fabled treasure.”

“No. I need information from Darian.”

“My boy, surely you are aware that Darian must have died ages ago.”

This was not news to Jason. Not long after hearing the prophecy, Farfalee had explained that Darian should have died well before even she was born. “Are we sure he’s dead?” Jason asked the guide. “Was it confirmed? Did anyone find a body?”

The old man made a disappointed face. “Are you one of those?”

“One of what?”

“I thought we had seen the last of them.”