Page 68 of Found in Obscurity

“I’m going to have some very strong words with them.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Lorin winced as he finally found the correct book and pulled it out. As an elder, her words held a lot of weight. He placed it on the table between them, pushing it over.

“I found it a few days ago and marked down some other rituals I thought might help, based on what they claim to do. But some of them gave me the creeps, so I wanted to ask you first.”

“Oh, so now you’ve located a shred of common sense?” she grumbled, pulling the book toward herself and checking the cover. “Takes him trying out a ritual that could kill him to figure out he can’t just go headfirst through the wall.”

She kept grumbling under her breath as she cracked the book open, turning a few pages, the frown getting deeper on her forehead.

“Is this a joke?”

She looked back up into his eyes and he shook his head, reaching out and turning the pages until he found the first ritual he had marked for her to look over.

“This is the first one that seemed like it might help,” he said, pointing his sharp nail to the list of ingredients.

She didn’t look back down.

She kept staring at him.

“Lorin, what do you see on the page here?” she asked slowly.

He returned her frown. “What do you mean? The ritual is detailed there. There are ingredients listed and a few drawings of how they should be arranged before attempting it to make sure it works. Some history on the origins of the…ritual…itself…”

He trailed off, looking at her as she stared at him, the frown slowly replaced by a wide smile. One warmer and more delighted than any of the cryptic Cheshire cat ones she usually gave to the world.

“What?” he asked, nearly squirming in his seat, causing Kit to wake up and perk his head up over the edge of the table.

He gave Lorin a quick lick on the nose and then turned to look at his grandma, who was still silent. Still just watching him with that smile and what looked like pride in her eyes.

“I should have known,” she finally said, Lorin’s world flipping upside down when she reached up to dab at her right eye. It was completely dry, but she did it for dramatic effect, he was certain of it.

“Known what?” he asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Your reclusive tendencies, the aversion to any common type of magic, the need to have answers to everything before trying anything for yourself, the bookworm tendencies you’ve had since you were a little boy,” she said, describing who he’d been his entire life. “I should have seen it the moment you came back, but I missed it somehow.”

“Missed what?” He was getting frustrated. Kit was standing on his lap now, his front paws braced against the table as he channeled Lorin’s energy.

“And your marks,” she continued, grabbing for his hand again and lifting his fingers until they were held up between the two of them. “I’ve seen them once in my entire life. I should have remembered right away. These don’t show up often.”

“Can you please just tell me what’s happening?” he asked, pulling his hand away and stuffing his fingers into Kit’s fur for comfort.

“You’re a pathfinder,” she said, offering no further explanation. As if the word alone was supposed to be enough to fill him in.

“Okaaaay?” he said. “Explain, please.”

“Pathfinders are rare, Lorin. It’s a branch of magic very few people tap into as their calling. But you have clearly chosen that as your way.”

“How can I choose something I’ve never even heard of?”

“Magic guided you where you needed to be,” she said sagely, nodding. “You’ll be important to the community. Pathfinders always are.”

“But what do they do? And how do you know I am one? I didn’t even do anything.”

She looked down at the book still open in front of her.

“This page is blank to me,” she said, tapping her finger against it. Lorin felt Kit perk up in his arms at the words. “All I see is the cover and the title of the book.”

Lorin held Kit by his sides as he stared at the words on the page, the drawings stark against the beige surface, the letters small and neat underneath each of the drawings. They were clearly there.