The Resurrectionist's Notes [Magistream]

[Valravn]

Grey parchment. The book was written in red on grey, faintly-musty sheets of parchment and bound in tanned, black hide. The front had no words, only a set of initials on the bottom corner. "AV", carved out of the leathery bookbinding and filled in with the same shade of red as the words written on the inside. The initials seemed to be an afterthought, hastily scratched into the front cover, and written in a different script than the rest of the book. On the inside of the front cover, in the ever-present red text, was a message.

Well, if you've found my book, then you've probably been snooping where you oughtn't. I'll forgive you for that; you're obviously a curious child, even if I never get to see for myself. In this book, my young friend, are my observations of the less savory creatures of our world, and how to befriend and tame them. Consider yourself lucky! Consider yourself my pupil! For I am going to teach you, my dear, the ways of the dance of decay and rebirth. Of shadow and the light of gleaming eyes and fangs. Night and the moon will be your guide, brave child, and where you are going, you will need them both.

Lazarus Haines

---

A'asera squinted in the bright daylight. The merchant in front of her glared her down, arms crossed and head shaking as his shaggy, salt-and-pepper beard followed.

"No! Nope! I refuse!" the old man snapped, "I know exactly what that-that-that thing is, and I am not makin' a saddle for it! No way in fu-"

"Sir, I-" A'asera started, voice highly accented, before cringing at the man's volume.

"Are y'mebby short of a marble, girl?!" he asked, slamming his hands onto his table, shaking stacks of leather samples as he pointed at the blindingly-white, red-maned unicorn stallion A'asera held a lead to. "That is a Forgotten One!! I ain't e'en sure how you've got it out in th'daylight!"

The gaunt creature pushed his head into A'asera's shoulder, laying his gold horn against the side of her neck and fixing the leatherworker in an unnerving, milky-eyed glare. She could feel the cold of his touch through her cloak, and shivered a bit despite the warmth.

A'asera looked at the leatherworker and tilted her head slightly, grinning, to the side, in a poorly-done attempt to hide the nervous tic of the left side of her face from the man.

"Then will you sell me the leather?" she asked, trying and failing to keep the edge out of her voice.

"No! No one ought t'be ridin' one of those abominations! Don't care how docile it pretends to be in th'daylight!" the leatherworker snarled, spittle flying and sticking to his thick moustache.

A'asera rolled her eyes as she inhaled.

"Alright. I will learn tanning myself, then, since you will no doubt be passing the word to the leatherworker's association not to serve me." she said, pulling her hood the barest bit closer around her face, in an attempt to keep the white forelock of her hair out of view.

The Forgotten unicorn, seemingly annoyed at also being an ignored unicorn, chose that moment to take A'asera's hood in his teeth and pull on it, hauling it down to reveal the entirety of her white-fronted black hair, pointed ears, and grey eyes.

"Morticai! You ass!" A'asera growled at the unicorn, turning around to chide the creature.

She turned back to the leatherworker and sighed.

"I do not know why people always make things so hard on me." she said, glaring at him. "But between you and me, I would rather deal with my abomination."

A'asera suddenly wrapped her fingers into Morticai's mane and gathered a shocked crowd as, with a slight hop, she vaulted onto the Forgotten One's back.

"Until I get a saddle, it looks like I am riding bareback." the elflike Mage sneered from the height of the unicorn's back. "If you change your closed mind, I can be reached at the keep. Mind the flesheaters; I stay by the graveyard."

A'asera pulled the reins and gave Morticai a slight heel to the flanks. The unicorn hardly registered the feeling, but started into a canter out of the market square.

A'asera had a massive headache from dealing with the people in the market, and prayed that Mathias would have a teakettle going by the time she got back to the keep.