Given Sephryn’s assurances that the myth was true, Farilane theorized that the story had grown in folklore, having been planted there by Bran. She speculated that as he had traveled the world establishing literary monasteries, he had also answered questions and relayed the old stories his parents had told. These additional accounts of the Underworld Odyssey were likely never added to the official Codex by the monks because they would have conflicted with both the “Treatise on the Gods” and their own by-then-unshakable belief that Maribor and Ferrol were male.

The Book of Brin ended with an unsatisfying conclusion. The humans had won the Battle of Grandford but not the war. Farilane knew the rest of the story, as did everyone. Nyphron had won leadership over the Fhrey and ended the conflict after single combat against Mawyndulë, but she lacked the details. Some argued that the elven high council asked Nyphron to challenge the son who had killed his own father. This idea had its own problems, but it was far superior to the absurd notion that a troop of heroes had died, traversed the afterlife, and returned. This frustrating gap of detailed information was an unrelenting itch in Farilane’s mind. But a remedy existed.

There is a Second Book of Brin! Farilane remembered the words from Bran’s letter. It was no longer in the book, and she feared it had burned with everything else. Still, she had her first clue in as grand a quest as there could be. For the first time, Farilane felt akin to Bran. This one-time religious zealot and primitive dogmatic icon had transformed into a fellow book hunter and bibliomaniac. She understood him—saw Bran as she saw herself. He was the son of famous parents, obsessed with reading, writing, and seeking the truth through ancient texts. But he was one step beyond her. Farilane had sought part one, while Bran had located part two. Her counterpart and soulmate was pointing the way to the ultimate hunt. Somewhere was a mythical stack of pages so rare that no one had ever read it, and none knew it existed. Farilane had an adventure waiting beyond her wildest dreams: an ancient, never-before-seen book hidden in a secret chamber and protected by some terrible mysterious guardian. No matter what her family had planned back in Percepliquis, this was the best birthday present she could hope for.

Chapter 16: Homecoming

Chapter Sixteen
Homecoming