The Hand That Mocked Them

He took them, placed them into his own satchel, then limped rapidly to the door and stepped inside

Kivvien looked up from the spell he had been writing out. "Back so soon?"

"Changed my mind," he said curtly. "I'm going to bed."

"Sleep well," he said dismissively. He would leave tonight. He may have to sedate Hieronymus, for his own good of course. He would come around quick enough.

Laurean entered his room, locking the door behind him.
Hieronymus had remained there as instructed and was pacing anxiously.
"Transcribe this," Laurean ordered, tossing the books at him. "Immediately."

Kivvien continued working quietly on a spare bit of parchment.

---

The journals were filled with studies of many kinds, most surrounding the demons, with the occasional question and answer written by alternate writers in the margins. Curiously, though, there were also occasional little notes from one to the other written there. Exchanges wherein one asked the other to tea, the pair giving each other compliments, and many other mundanities between close friends.

Hieronymus read it all with a small smile, transcribing obediently into Laurean's blank journals.

(kivvien's handwriting is slanted, the second writer in bold)

One page, dated a few weeks before Kivvien had reported leaving the castle, had a particularly long exchange written out in the margin.

Join me for tea on the solstice?

Perhaps.

My mother will be joining us to talk about our project, please bring your notes

It's not ready

We're out of time, we need her approval

I'll see what I can do

Charm her, she'll find some way to justify approving

I admire your faith

Hieronymus frowned and turned his attention to that in curiosity.

The experiments concluded on the next few pages with the creation of the cure, punctuated by short exchanges alongside the text and diagrams.

Mother is coming around, I think, but all of her ideas are pretty dire

I will endure whatever she decrees

was written beside the second to last entry. Beside the next and final entry was,

Goodbye, Ezeren

Please return to me safely, Kiv

"Aw," Hieronymus said softly.
"What?" Laurean peered over his shoulder. "What are you reading?"
"Oh--I found the cure, sir. But..."

The rest of the page was just conclusive notes, ideas on where to take the experiments next, and other such finalities.

"But what?"
"Er...sorry, just the handwriting was difficult...." He went back to writing.

Kivvien finished up the spell and stashed it away in one of his many pockets.

Laurean paced.