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~A Fool's Lesson~ Elder this, Elder that. He's not that great, believe me. How do I know? Because I saw him abuse his powers with my own eyes. Call me naive, call me idealistic, but I couldn't let that stand. It all started last night. First things first: I'm an insomniac. This condition could've been an unbearable one if it weren't for the fact that I was the village librarian. Who needs sleep when there's tomes and texts to be pored over? This position entitled me to live within the library, in a small room in the back. As the library was located in the scenic village square, I often took midnight strolls to soothe my weary eyes and limbs. This is exactly what I did last night. I closed the tome I'd been translating, rubbed my eyelids, and blew out the candle in my room. From my window I could see the moon's pale glow, promising a beautiful experience to a late-night stroller. I locked the library door behind me, took in a few deep breaths of the cool night air, and began to walk. I headed for the Elder's garden--my usual haunt; nothing is more breath-taking than flowers newly bloomed--but a glint caught my eye across the square. It was our village treasury, a modest outfit: where were the guards? And, more importantly, why was the door open? I quickly made my way over. The clink of coins was unmistakable. Determined to catch the thief red-handed, I stormed through the entrance...and saw our Elder shoveling coins from the reserve into a sack of his own! I stood, dumbfounded. He must've heard me because he approached me, placed a handful of coins in my hand, and whispered, "This is no place for a young man. Mind your business and I'll mind my own. Go home." He closed my hand over the coins and resumed his pilfering. My face grew red-hot with rage. This man held a position of trust. Not only was he stealing from all of us but he had the gall to bribe me into silence?! I threw the coins at his back. He stiffened and turned to face me. "Eh?" he muttered. "So it's the hard way, then, is it?" Leaning against the treasury wall was his staff. Before I could blink, he had it in his hands. I'd forgotten how quick the old man was. How many wars he'd fought in and won. Still, I had to hold my ground. It was the principle of the thing. I didn't even see it coming, the blow to my stomach. I was on the ground, balled-up and winded, when another blow landed hard on my shoulder. I cried out in agony. It was at this point when I questioned whether not taking the coins and leaving was such a good idea, after all...but I knew what I had to do. As a student of the arcane, I had found a spell in the library stacks that was labeled as forbidden magic. But that didn't stop me from memorising it. As another blow landed hard upon my back, I closed my eyes and focused. Muttering the incantation--for the first and last time--I summoned forth the fires of hell. This hellfire engulfed the Elder, and for a moment, he burned as bright as the sun. But the process was interrupted as he, flailing, kicked me in the stomach. I lost my concentration (who could blame me?) and the fire went out. He dropped to the ground at once. Panting, I stood up and crossed to him. His robes were smoking and his hair had been singed off. I looked down on him with contempt. Should I have offered him a hand up? Ought I have told him to leave, leave and not return, that his position as Elder was forfeit? Maybe. But my rage was clouding my judgment. Instead, I spat upon him and turned away. I heard him struggle to get up. Let him, I thought. Let him try to explain to the council why he had melted coins grafted onto his hands. I had gotten halfway across the room when I heard it; the sound of the staff slicing the air. I never felt the blow that snapped my neck. //Eamonn\\ | |