Chapter
Nine
Winter
Iwoke to the sound of intense debate.
"—absolutely certain it's authentic?" Fenric's voice, precise and skeptical.
"As certain as I can be without more extensive testing," Dr. Thornwick's excited reply. "The parchment composition matches the era, and the energy signature is consistent with prophetic artifacts from the Alexandrian collection."
I sat up, rubbing sleep from my eyes as I got out of bed to see what the fuss was. Fenric, Dr. Thornwick, and Zane were gathered around my kitchen counter, examining what looked like an ancient scroll fragment.
"Morning, Shortstack," Zane noticed me first. "Sleep well?"
"Like someone who got chased by cultists and had their brain almost explode yesterday," my voice croaked as I ran a hand through my tangled hair. "What's going on?"
Dr. Thornwick bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. "A breakthrough! The scroll fragment that appeared during your evaluation, we've decoded a portion of it!"
I shuffled over, pulling my blanket I'd dragged with me tighter around my shoulders. "And?"
"Coordinates," Fenric's tablet was open to a map. "And a reference to something called the 'Feather of Eternal Discord.'"
"The whaty what now?" I blinked.
"The Feather of Eternal Discord," Dr. Thornwick's eyes gleamed with excitement. "A legendary artifact mentioned in several ancient texts, believed to be a source of primordial chaos magic."
"Sounds dramatic," I yawned. "Let me guess, I have to find it?"
"Precisely!" Dr. Thornwick clapped his tiny hands. "According to our analysis, this is the first of several trials you must complete to fulfill the prophecy."
"And where exactly is this feather?" I was already dreading the answer.
Fenric consulted his tablet. "The coordinates point to a location approximately thirty miles north of the city."
"What's there?" I poured myself coffee from the pot Zane had made and it was fresh.
Oh sweet heaven.
"Sunset Meadows," Zane answered with a barely suppressed smirk.
"Sunset Meadows?" The name sounded pleasant enough. That couldn't be too bad.
Right?
"It's a retirement community," Dr. Thornwick took a sip of his coffee, but I wasn't sure the overly excitable gnome should have anything that could make him even more insane. "For elderly magical beings."
I nearly choked on my coffee. "A what? You're telling me this powerful, mystical feather of whatever is in a magical nursing home?"
"Retirement community," Fenric corrected, his nose looked like it was in the air. "And yes, that appears to be the case."
I stared at them, waiting for the punchline. When none came, I burst out laughing. "You've got to be kidding me. My first big prophetic trial is at aretirementhome? What am I supposed to do, play bingo for the fate of the universe?"
"The prophecy trial is quite specific," Fenric frowned at my levity. "The Feather of Eternal Discord must be retrieved by the Chalice-Bearer, that's you by the way, as the first step toward fulfilling your destiny."
Did Fenric just give me snark? Mr.Stickuphisass?
"This is ridiculous," I set my mug down with a thud, some of the precious liquid spilling. "What's next? The Slipper of Cosmic Balance at a magical daycare center?"
