The transparent walls of the archives led to myriad chambers, transforming the underground Palace levels into a honeycomb of glass. Dio’sh would have preferred to remain in the high towers and open balconies, where he could listen to the streams of water leaping from platform to platform, but only here in these quiet catacombs could he find the resources he required. Down here, the rememberer had access to all the ancient records of Ildiran history.

His hands still trembled, and he’d had little appetite since being rescued from the dying colony on Crenna. He felt weak and sick at heart. Rememberer Vao’sh had tried to convince him that his symptoms were a mental reaction to the ordeal he had endured, not due to any echo of the plague itself. Dio’sh and the refugees had remained in difficult quarantine until they were all deemed healthy. Even so, any muscle pain, headache, or twinge made him nervous.

However, nothing would divert him from his obsessive curiosity now. Dio’sh had too much information to find, too many stories to read, too much history to learn. He had to discover the truth.

All rememberers spent their lives learning and rehearsing the Saga of Seven Suns. The members of their kith were blessed with well-organized eidetic memories so they could retain and repeat the massive epic, word for word. Once accepted into canon, no phrase was ever changed.

Because that story was so incredibly vast, with so many plotlines and legends and adventures, no one historian could possibly perform it all. Rememberer Vao’sh preferred to spend his days telling favorite tales to avid listeners, glorifying Ildiran heroes and accomplishments. As the Mage-Imperator’s court rememberer, he loved to perform.

Even before the plague, though, Dio’sh had preferred a more solitary life. Oh, he had often entertained the Crenna Designate and the settlers, but the colonists had much work to do and little free time. No one had ever expected him to spend his entire day reciting stanzas from the Saga. During the good times on Crenna, Dio’sh had had many free hours to read and analyze obscure portions of the epic poem.

Now that he was back in the Prism Palace, recovering, Dio’sh decided to devote even more time to studying, digging through ancient records, deciphering early written accounts. He would analyze shreds of apocrypha to uncover hints and texture in what he and all rememberers knew as a matter of course. Many old documents and interesting recollections had never been incorporated into the permanent Saga, and thus the incidents were nearly forgotten. Though such information was not considered canon, Dio’sh still felt that those records might provide him with valuable insights.