Chương 12: Episode Two Hundred and Fifty-Six: Old Teachers

We needed to work on our communication. We needed either more of those visual impressions, or to find a way to help the shop talk.

"Betty, do you know where we need to go?" I asked, as the pulse rose again. The view outside the windows changed, and this time I felt nothing. No shift of the floor or ripple of magic in the shop, just like changes in the shop had been before.

"That was smooth," I whispered, trying to see if there were any other changes within the shop itself.

"Where are we?"

"I wish I knew," said Lorestone, in a quiet voice, then he froze as he realized what he'd said.

"So, you want to learn about the places we visit," I asked, in a statement kind of way. Before I had asked him what he wanted, and he hadn't known besides being in service. For the first time, I had hope he wanted more than that.

"When you asked me to translate the book, I wished I could see it. See the shop, understand more of the world. It heard me…" he added.

"The magic… It knew I wanted to help. Your magic wanted me to be happy."

"Of course I want you to be happy, you are my friend." Echoes of the Cat's warning about names repeated inside my head. It'd started with Betty, and now Lorestone. I closed my eyes and focused on my magic again. Not my fate magic this time, but the solid stone magic. The gems in my bracelet rested heavily around my wrist, while the strange crystal with green steaks in it blazed in color. Then I focused on Lorestone.

Even with my eyes closed, he remained there, a heavy presence with a coating of stone magic around his eyes.

"Friendship is a mutual bond between beings," stated Lorestone.

"I don't know how to be a friend. I know how to be a First Rock."

"Well, you can take your time learning about it," I said, opening my eyes, then leaned against the counter again. His presence wasn't like the Cat's, not that I could ever replace the Cat, but it was comforting having him at the front counter. A knock on the door caused me to jerk. I jumped up, while Lorestone blinked.

"I forgot about the comb," I muttered, as the door unlocked. In walked Eira, my magic teacher. Tall rabbit ears rotated in all directions.

"Is it true?" she asked, before the door even closed. She rushed in my direction.

"Is he back?" I smiled, and nodded.

"Yes, Lord Felix is back in his domain." This time, his name rolled off my tongue and stayed present in my mind. Though, to me, he would always be the Cat. Tears came to her eyes.

"I need to find my way back, I need to see him…" The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I can help you with that," I said with a chuckle.

"Though, first, can you tell me anything about this comb?" She stepped closer to the counter, wiping her eyes, before pausing. Her eyes weren't on the comb, but on Lorestone. Her nose twitched back and forth.

"What did you do to your familiar?" For once, I didn't say anything. Lorestone beat me to it.

"I am not a familiar. I am in service to Lady Sable. We are becoming friends." Her eyes went wide, then traveled to me before returning to Lorestone.

"I think I need this entire story, because right now you both have a familiar-like bond, and that didn't exist the last time I was here." The story came out in bits and pieces, of how Lorestone tried to translate the book from the Fates, and then how I had saved Betty, and the Cat. Plus, how Lorestone was now able to see, and had knowledge from the book of the Fates that he didn't have before. She took several deep breaths before she nodded to herself.

"I swear never to reveal any of this to anyone but those present in this room, or Lord Felix." A heavy feeling washed over the room, then vanished.

"You didn't need to do that," I added, but she held up a paw.

"Yes, I did." She shook her head with kind eyes.

"Sable, you are touching the oldest magic of the Tree. Tales of this sort of thing should not be repeated under any circumstance."

"Okay." She nodded at me again, then stared for a moment.

"The familiar-bond with Lorestone isn't complete. My assumption was in a few centuries you would bond with a familiar, like a stone dog, which was related to gargoyles, but not as sentient."

"Instead, I looped in Lorestone…"

"Lorestone had to want it, or it wouldn't have worked," she said almost immediately, as her ears twitched. Her words hung in the air for a second, before Lorestone spoke.

"Lady Sable, being your familiar is an honor. It makes sense of some of this, and it is a suitable way to serve you."

"Just because you are my familiar, doesn't mean we can't be friends." I knew nothing about familiars.

"First, you need to fix the bond," said Professor Eira.

"By soaking Lorestone with your magic."

"Lorestone needs to take a bath in my magic?" The image inside my head involved the hot tub on the roof, and a golden glow.

"Not literally, more like when you use your hand. When you gather it in your hands. Same thing, but gather it, then dump it over Lorestone."

"What will it do?" I knew each question sounded like I was dragging my feet, and I was. Last time I'd done magic rather impulsively, things had definitely gone a little sideways.

"That depends on the bond between the two of us," said Lorestone, rather quickly.

"Familars gain abilities to help their bonded, usually witches or mages. I don't have any record of a Fate user having a bonded, but there have been plenty of beings touched by the Fates who help them""Like the dog," I said under my breath. The adorable dog who'd found me in the woods and brought me to the older woman. The old woman who'd also been a Fate magic user.

"If you do not wish me to be your familiar, I understand," said Lorestone. My mouth dropped. He continued before I could.

"You seem hesitant."

"No, it's just I don't want to hurt you." I motioned to him.

"I already gave you sight without meaning to, and now you have a book of unfinished tasks inside your head."

"I sat on a shelf for a very, very long time before being given to you. It has been my pleasure to serve you, and I would choose to continue to serve you. You will never set me on a shelf, alone, to gather dust."

"The bond needs both of you to agree," said Profession Eira, with a small smile.

"There really isn't a way for this to go wrong, if you are both in agreement." You never said that before doing something new. Warmth pulsed under my hands on the counter. Betty agreed.

"Alright, let's do this…" I said. It was all there was to say.