Arianne POV:

2 Days Before (When Temsello and Arianne left)

Temsello was silent as we set off on our ride towards Triapora. I fidgeted slightly as we proceeded. After half an hour, he suddenly broke the silence. “I’m not sure how much I trust Adam.”

I looked up in surprise. “What do you mean? He seems like he’s got a good… heart, I suppose. Do Overminds have hearts?” I suddenly wondered. What was in an Overmind’s body? Was it solid? Adam was fairly light, only ten pounds or so. I couldn’t help but wonder now.

Temsello grunted. “I’m getting mixed signals from him. He appears to be good natured, he spoke of the importance of free will regarding the students, and he is polite whenever he speaks with us…” Here, he grimaced. “He keeps secrets, he certainly has something to do with Raz Amun, whom I am trusting less and less, and he has a lot of potential… for good or bad. I’m fairly confident that I can destroy him if he becomes a threat… except when I factor in his human intelligence.” He sighed. “One of the things I hope to obtain on this expedition is a bit of insurance.”

I was shocked at this, and more than a little worried. Was Adam that big of a threat? He was a scary unknown, yes, but he hadn’t done anything worthy of suspicion, yet. The most he had done is refuse to answer some questions relating to his past. Suspicious, yet, but there were a great deal of reasons someone would do that, not all of them malicious.

“...The reason I’m becoming suspicious of Raz is fairly concerning.” He said suddenly. “I’m considering my actions back when I met him, and while I was pretty drunk, I am ashamed to admit, it was still unusual of me to be so open with someone I had just met, let alone involve them in something of this magnitude. Raz wanted me to start this academy, and he guided me to that conclusion. The question is… why?” We considered this, but I came up empty.

We were silent for the following few hours, until we reached Triapora. We continued up the carriage road, passing through several guard stations, until we reached the palace. Here, Temsello spoke up. “If you get the chance, I would appreciate if you could look up some information on Overminds. I would hope to get some information on Raz as well, but I doubt that’s possible.” He laughed here, though I could tell that it was bitter. Raz was quite a mysterious person, one that had chosen to interfere with Temsello’s dream and use it for his own. I could understand why Temsello felt down.

I tried to console him. “We don’t know that Raz’s intentions are bad, you know, after all, he is still helping you try to accomplish this, isn’t he?” I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince, but it seemed to do the trick. He seemed to lighten up a little, a wry grin reaching his face.

“Hmph, possibly. Thank you, Arianne.” He touched his forehead, bowing a little to me in respect. Then, he tugged the reins, and turned the carriage away, carrying himself out of the courtyard. I turned back to the castle, feeling my resolve grow firm. I would do all that I could to help Temsello with his academy, which at this point, meant helping him determine if we had already placed its fate in the wrong hands…

Adam, I certainly hope that you can be trusted, but if you can’t… I doubt Temsello has any mercy for those who toy with his dreams, and even if he did, I don’t.

He was still my idol, after all.

---

Father was holding court with supplicants in the throne room. My father had set up a system early in his reign where issues could be brought up by the peasantry, and if they were deemed serious, then he would take action. Smaller issues were delegated to various agencies around the kingdom.

In the early days of the system, several unsavory characters attempted to falsify some tales in order to trick my father into some bad situations…

Nobody tries that anymore. I waited until the current supplicant had stated his case, and my father issued a verdict. As the current peasant left, I hurried up to my father before he could wave the next one in.

“Father! We’ve come up with some plans for the academy, and we’ll need you to sign off on something and lend some assistance!” I chirped, sitting in his lap.

“Oh? What is it that you need, Ari?” I pouted at the nickname, though I didn’t actually mind. “You know I want to help get this academy up and running, it sounds like the beginning of quite a beneficial process for the kingdom.” He said, while stroking my hair.

“Well, we decided that the academy should teach not only magic, but several mundane, but useful, subjects as well, such as mathematics, history, and geography. We’ll probably come up with more classes that will be deemed useful as well, but those will be a good start. We’ll need teachers for those classes, though…” I trailed off, looking up at him meaningfully.

“Ha! I see where you’re going with this Ari! Very well, I’ll help you find some suitable instructors. Caian!” After speaking to me in a quiet voice, he barked out the last word to his right hand man, Caian Belar. “How is young Mr. Bankes settling into the Treasury?” He asked.

“Oh, moderately well, sire. He is quite good at handling bookkeeping, but he goes off on tangents often. If the head of the treasury doesn’t keep an eye on him, he’ll work on things that won’t be necessary for months yet. Productive, certainly, but a bit of an unrestrained soul.” Caian calmly dictated.

Bankes? Was this Johnathan Bankes? Hohoho, this would be interesting. My father nodded before replying to Caian. “Please fetch him here for me, along with Mr. Haywright, the mapmaker. Bring me a writ, as well.”

Caian bowed, before leaving the room at a quick pace. After he left, father and I simply chatted and laughed for a short time. After a short time, Caian returned, inkwell in hand and a scroll under his arm. “Here you are, sire. I informed Mr. Bankes and Mr. Haywright that you requested them, they should be here presently.” At this, I scooted off of father’s lap so he could receive the quill and scroll. Caian stood next to my father with the inkwell so that father could dip the quill as needed.

After writing something on the scroll, father let it dry a moment before rolling it up and handing it to me. “This will help you get your historian. Take it to the royal library after we’ve spoken with those two, and they’ll help you then.” I smile gratefully while taking the scroll. Before I can say anything else, a servant appears at the door.

The maid gives a curtsy, before speaking up. “A certain Johnathan Bankes and Richmond Haywright are here to speak with his highness. Shall I show them in?” She asked. Father nodded.

“Please let them in, Sophie.” Father made a point of knowing all of the staff by name and face. It had saved him from assassins more than once. I doubted that was the reason, though. He was simply good with people.

Johnathan, a thin young man of middling height followed a tall, middle-aged man with silver hair and a serious face, whom I could only assume was Richmond Haywright, into the room. Upon seeing me, Johnathan’s face reddened. Hehe, memories.

Father began to speak. “Greetings, thank you for meeting with me here today. You might have heard that the Archmage Temsello is starting an academy at the Quillfort estate. I’ll be straightforward here. I want the two of you to take on teaching roles at the academy. Mathematics and Geography, respectively.” He said, gesturing at Johnathan and Richmond in turn.

Johnathan raised his hand timidly. Upon seeing my father nod at him, he spoke up. “U-Um, is it possible that Ar-uh, her highness is teaching at the academy as well?” He asked. I smiled beatifically at him and nodded. “Oh.” He said in a small voice. “Um, good.” He fell silent.

Richmond looked at him with a tired look, and then turned his gaze back to us. “When do I need to prepare to leave?” He said simply. Father turned to me at this question.

I cleared my throat. “The academy will not begin session for a few months yet, but we’re hoping to gather as many of the teachers at the site as soon as we can. Would it be possible for you to be prepared to leave for the academy in a week’s time?” I asked.

Johnathan nodded, while Richmond considered this. “Yes. That is acceptable.” He stated simply. “Will that be all for now?” He questioned.

“Yes, thank you for coming you two, and good luck.” My father said, smiling wryly. After the two of them bowed and left, he turned back to me. “Alright, you should head along to the royal library now, Ari. I must, unfortunately, get back to work.” He laughed at this.

I grinned at him. “Yes, father. You take care of yourself now. You take care of him too, Caian, he needs all the help he can get. “ I said laughingly. Caian merely managed a small grin, while my father laughed uproariously.

I left the throne room as another supplicant entered, striding towards the western wing, where the library was housed. The smile fell off my face as I drew closer to the library. I enjoyed a good book as much as anyone, but I didn’t particularly like the library. It was a noisy place, as a center of scholarly debate. I had a habit of darting in, signing out with my book of choice, and then finding a nice secluded corner of the palace to sit down and read, possibly with an apple. Those were simple times.

I braced myself, and opened the door. I was disappointed to learn that my preparation was necessary, as I immediately found myself hearing a particularly heated discussion.

“No, no, no! Cratharmus specifically stated that the Umbatin people were a polytheistic faith! They believed in the god of many aspects, Humbatu, and his myriad soul, as a multiple existent being!” One scholar spat to another.

“It is easy to come to that conclusion, but it is not, however, correct. Cratharmus’s actual words were, ‘The Umbatin’s god, Humbatu, has many faces, all of which reflect his true nature as Ginjandi, the Creator.’ They were monotheistic, they simply worshipped his different aspects for different reasons.” The other stated more calmly.

I stopped paying attention to their antics, and strode up to one of the librarians. “Is Remley about?” I asked the man. He glanced at me before jumping slightly.

“Oh, ah, Princess Arianne! Um, he was around here a moment ago, please, wait one moment while I try to go find him.” He managed to say, before dropping his stack of tomes onto a nearby chair, and dashing away into the depths of the shelves.

I dusted off another chair and sat in it, trying to clear my head of the still-ongoing argument between the two scholars. Remley had always been one of the kindest librarians here, and he was now the head librarian, by dint of outliving all his competition. At the solid age of 87, he was still a rather energetic man. Instead of growing frail over time, like some, he seemed to grow more solid.

“Ah, if it isn’t little Arianne!” A cheerful voice called out to me from the side. Remley strode out from the shadows. “What can we do for you?” He stated lightly. I grinned at him and produced the scroll my father had given to me.

“Have you heard about the academy? I bet you have, you don’t stay outside of any loop for long. We’re in need of a teacher, for history, specifically. Have any good candidates?” I challenged. Talks with Remley were always an enjoyable affair.

He grinned toothily. “Ha! Were I twenty years younger, I’d jump at the opportunity myself, give me a decent pension from here and I still might! Ah, but I doubt you’d want to take these old bones along for that ride. Let me think…” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. He suddenly turned to the scribe that had told him of my presence in the library. “Simon, is miss Scribbs here today?”

The scribe now identified as Simon jumped at this. Twitchy thing, wasn’t he? “Oh, uh, yes, I believe she is, sir. Do you want me to fetch her for you?” He asked, desperate to please. Remley nodded. Simon quickly turned and dashed away, returning to the land behind the shelves. I often wondered what they kept back there. The library was a labyrinth none but the librarians could maneuver. I was actually fairly certain that they moved the shelves regularly to keep this state of affairs in place. Smelled like Remley’s doing, to me. That old man loved elaborate pranks.

“Glenda Scribbs is the candidate I believe you need. She loves nothing more than to pore through the pages of the history books. She’s memorized quite a few. Yes, if it’s a history teacher you need, she fits the bill quite well…” He trailed off here, looking into the halls. Simon was returning, a small, mousy woman following in his trail.

“I found her sir! Is there anything else you need?” He asked eagerly.

Remley gave a grandfatherly smile. “That will be all Simon. Thank you.” Simon beamed before leaving, presumably returning to his work. “Ah, Glenda. Good of you to come! We were just talking about your prowess with history!” He stated.

“O-oh, thank you sir.” She squeaked out. “It’s t-true that I’ve read a great number of the historical records we have here. I’m sorry if I’ve been neglecting my work sir!” She said, tears rising in her eyes.

“Quite alright, quite alright. I had actually been planning on having you apprentice with Mrs. Pharen, the Cataloguer,” he began. Fear rose in Glenda’s eyes. I didn’t know this Mrs. Pharen, but she was apparently a frightening figure in the library. “But princess Arianne here has another alternative for you!” He finished brightly. At this, Glenda glanced at me, wide eyed.

“Oh! Your highness, I’m so sorry for not recognizing you-” She burst out, voice filled with worry.

“It’s fine, I’m here to ask a favor of you, after all.” I interrupted. I’d caught on to Remley’s plan, though I felt a bit of a bully for it.

“Anything that I can do for her highness, I’ll try my best!” She said, fear being overtaken with determination. Good, she had a bit of spine. Not much, though.

“Glad to hear it! You’ll become one of the Quillfort Academy instructors then. Your subject is History, which I hear you are quite proficient in. Thank you for your cooperation Miss Scribbs! You’ll need to be ready to come in a week’s time.” I said, voice light. My tone almost completely disguised the fact that I was utterly taking advantage of this girl’s timid nature and fear of the alternatives.

“What? O-oh…” You could see the gears turning in her head. If she didn’t take this opportunity, then her only other choices were an apprenticeship with the dreaded Mrs. Pharen, or unemployment. “Yes ma'am.” She whispered after a moment.

Remley clapped his hands together, quickly hiding the pitying look he had glanced at Glenda with. “Good, that’s settled then. Thank you for coming by, Arianne. It was good to see you again. Take care!” He led Glenda away with a firm hand on her shoulder.

I sighed. I felt kinda bad now, but I shook those emotions from my head. Regaining my balance, I searched for Simon. Finding him, I called out. “Simon! Would you mind helping me find some information?”

Jumping again, he turned, before relaxing. “Oh, your highness! What do you need? Just say the word, I know almost the whole library by heart!” He said stoutly.

“I need everything you can get me about Overminds.” I stated. Time to learn if I could uncover any of Adam’s secrets…

---

Several hours later, I sat at one of the tables of the library, several books spread out in front of me. I was staring down at a paragraph of text that had shocked me. I had learned a great deal of the history of Overminds in the past few hours. Several pieces of information had stuck out at me, but the paragraph I had just found was the most jarring.

The adventurer Ingrid Jans had the following to say; “Overminds are a strange race. The ancient people of Weislan worshipped the creatures, sacrificing many animals, and even slaves to them. Their writings claim that the beings were created by their god, Alcatraz Amoongo, whom we have very little knowledge of. Overminds feature very strongly in their culture, appearing in folk tales, works of art, and even prophecies, the most prominent of which, is the Prophecy of Atako Lolona, the pieces of which we have recovered read as follows:”

The bringer of change will hold the world in his soul.

The 4113th child of Alcatraz will bring order or chaos according to his whim.

He will show great knowledge and understanding, as well as loss and confusion.

He is Atako Lolona.

“It is suspected that we have but a small fragment of the prophecy, which was inscribed in the crumbling remains of what we suspect to be an enormous, but inoperable, calendar device. Many believe that the calendar was to count down to the coming of this, “Atako Lolona”, but that the Weislan people were destroyed before the prophecy could come to pass. This is all we know of the Weislan people.”

But the thing on the page that struck chills into Arianne’s bones was not the prophecy itself, but a small pictograph made with dyes on the page, with the following heading. “Perhaps this is a picture of Atako Lolona? This picture was a prominent design that was duplicated many hundreds of times across the calendar.”

The picture was of a small black box with glowing red and green lights on it.

The picture was of Adam.

---

Author Note: And that's why this interlude was super important. Tomorrow, back to our regularly scheduled Adam Geoffrey!

I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Arianne is a fun character, and her people equally so. Writing Remley made me happy.