Page 24 of Eternal Thorns

Kai passed over the strange artifact, which had been serving as an impromptu paperweight. The moment it touched Silas's hand, the journal's writings shifted again.

“There,” he breathed, excitement cutting through his fatigue. “Listen to this: 'First meeting with the forest guardian today. Nothing like the stories. Expected some terrible spirit of vengeance, found instead a being of such grace and power that mere words fail to capture it.'”

“Your ancestor had a way with words,” Kai said, adding another log to the fire. “Also terrible survival instincts, apparently.”

But Silas was already deep in the next passage. “His name was Marcus Ashworth. He wasn't afraid of Thorne at all - he was fascinated. Look at these observations about forest magic.”

The journal pages were filled with detailed notes and diagrams. Marcus had documented everything: how forest magic flowed like water finding its level, how it responded to intention rather than command, how it sang in harmony with human craft when approached with respect rather than demand.

The key grew warmer in Silas's hand as he read, and something strange happened. As Marcus described the sensation of first touching forest magic, Silas could have sworn he felt an echo of it - like sunlight through leaves, like spring water over stones, like the first breath of dawn.

“You're doing the thing again,” Kai warned.

“What thing?”

“The glowing thing.” He gestured at the key, which was indeed pulsing with soft light. “Every time you get excited about some magical discovery, that thing lights up like a beacon. Probably sending up a big signal to everything in the forest saying 'dinner is served.'”

Silas forced himself to take a calming breath, and the key's glow dimmed. But the echo of forest magic lingered, humming just beneath his awareness. The journal seemed to respond to his heightened sensitivity, more passages becoming legible.

“Marcus wasn't just studying the forest,” he realized, scanning the newly revealed text. “He was learning to work with it. Look at this - 'The guardian, Thorne, speaks of balance between realms. Says humans once understood how to walk between worlds, how to blend our craft with forest power. He'soffered to teach me the old ways. Mother would be horrified. I can't wait to begin.'”

“Your ancestor was definitely a nerd,” Kai decided, but his fond tone took the sting from the words. “Just like you.”

“Thanks so much.”

“I mean it as a compliment! Though maybe with a side of concern about how you're both way too excited about potentially deadly magic.”

Silas turned another page, and his breath caught. The journal entry here was accompanied by intricate drawings - Thorne, but not as they'd seen him last night. These sketches showed him teaching, explaining, demonstrating magical techniques with obvious patience. The artist had captured something extraordinary in his expression - not the bitter fury Silas had faced, but warmth and enthusiasm for sharing knowledge.

“He was different then,” Silas murmured. The key pulsed gently against his palm as he traced one of the drawings. “Before whatever happened to make him hate our family.”

“Speaking of which,” Kai moved to the windows, drawing the heavy curtains against the gathering dark, “maybe we save the rest for daylight? When our chances of angry forest spirit visits are slightly lower?”

But Silas had found something else. The next pages detailed experiments in combining human and fey magic. Marcus's excitement practically leapt off the page: 'Breakthrough today! The guardian showed me how forest magic can enhance human crafting. The possibilities are extraordinary. When our powers harmonize, it's like nothing I've ever felt. Like finding a piece of yourself you never knew was missing.'

As he read those words, the key flared with sudden warmth. The sensation Marcus described resonated through Silas like a struck bell, awakening something that felt less like new knowledge and more like remembering.

Lost in thought, Silas absently traced one of the key's intricate engravings with his thumb. The response was immediate and electric - silver light erupted from the metal, bright enough to make Kai yelp and nearly topple his chair.

“What did you do?”

But Silas couldn't answer, transfixed by what was happening to the library's shadows. They peeled away from walls and furniture, gathering in the center of the room like ink drops in water. The darkness coalesced into moving scenes, playing out moments from the journal's pages in startling detail.

A young noble, dressed in clothes two centuries out of date, stood at the forest's edge. His face bore the Ashworth features Silas saw in the mirror every day. Marcus, meeting Thorne for the first time. The forest guardian appeared as he had last night, but different - his power displayed in grace rather than threat, curiosity rather than rage.

“Holy shit,” Kai breathed, pressed against the fireplace. “Are we seeing things that actually happened?”

The shadows shifted, showing new scenes. Marcus and Thorne bent over ancient texts, their heads close together as they discussed magical theory. The guardian demonstrating how forest magic flowed, his hands weaving patterns of light that the young noble tried to copy. Moments of shared discovery, of growing trust, of something that looked surprisingly like friendship.

But these didn't feel like simple historical projections. Each scene carried emotional weight that hit Silas with uncomfortable intimacy. He felt Marcus's wonder at first touching forest magic, his growing appreciation for Thorne's ancient knowledge, his fierce desire to bridge the gap between their worlds.

“This is weird, right?” Kai's voice seemed to come from very far away. “We should definitely be more freaked out by magical shadow theater?”

The display reached its peak with a scene that made Silas's breath catch. Thorne stood in a grove much like the one from last night, but his expression was transformed by joy and trust. He was teaching something complex, his power flowing in intricate patterns while Marcus watched with obvious admiration. The guardian's smile held none of the bitterness Silas had seen.

The key pulsed so strongly at this image that Silas nearly dropped it. Silver light flared again, and the shadow scenes scattered like startled birds, leaving the library feeling suddenly too ordinary.

“Right,” Kai said into the ringing silence. “That was”

---