On a day during Lamu's brief rainy season, the day dawns with a drizzle, overcast and cool, as Rory makes one of his periodic journeys to Sunrise City, for supplies and to collect the mail. Often the rainy season renders the countryside a virtual swamp, with gale winds and heavy storms commonplace, so the young unicorn is eager to take advantage of the present respite and complete the trip. Koshiro predicted that, though light rains would persist for the next few days, the big storms would hold off. Rory has never been entirely sure whether the shadow dragon's observations on the weather are the result of scrying magic or just experience – but whichever it is, he's usually right.

At about mid-morning, the apprentice mage at last arrives. Silhouette, his companion for the walk, slips away takes a little before they arrive; she still isn't fond of crowds, even the small ones that cluster on Sunrise City's street, nothing compared to Babel or Rephidim. Say hi to Jiri for me, she bid him, before melting off.

His first stop is at a modest trading store near the airship dock. Seeing the owner, Jiri, is always a slightly surreal experience for Rory, because the unicorn can remember the day he was born. A Niton, he is one of the few that have left Niton Valley, with Koshiro's amulet to shield him and grant him a life-span comparable to that of most of Sinai's other sapient species. Jiri has since demonstrated a knack for languages, mastering not only the Lacinus' tongue as well as the fairly simple speech of his own people, but also Rephidim Standard – the last, partly with Rory's assistance. Jiri's command of the major trading tongue has helped him establish himself and his shop as the primary middle-man of Sunrise City, and he brokers most of the deals with incoming ships, as well as accepting the mail and keeping it until the recipients come for it.

On this morning, as Rory enters his store, the lizard shopkeeper busily arranges bolts of linen and a pile of leathers on one of the tables at the front. Glowing horgus eyes keep the interior cheerfully lit despite the gloom of the day outside. Jiri looks up from his work at the unicorn's entrance, and his crest flickers, up and down, in a gesture Rory has come to think of as a Niton smile.

Rory waves one hand vigorously. "Hello, Jiri! Sil says to say hi, too! How's business? Did the storms cause you any trouble?"

"No, only the usual. Got the booths packed for the season in time – first storm almost caused some trouble, took Karkarif and Juji by surprise. Karkarif lost his tarp – I tell him we make better one with the new leather I got in." Karkarif and Juji are two of the Lacinus that operate booths in front of the permanent stores on the street, during the long dry season. In the rainy season, the booths are typically stored away. The Niton flickers his crest again, and bows to Rory. "How goes with you, young master? And Mother?"

Rory beams. "Oh, it goes fine!" He frowns. "Well, I tried planting some flowers, but I didn't do it right, and they got flooded out of their beds with the heavy rains … but I'm still learning. And – er – Mother is just like usual, you know? Still teaching me lots about shadows and light and life. I'm still having a rough time pretending it's all the same thing. But I'll get it one of these days. And then I'll be a master mage, and be able to do all sorts of really dark stuff!" He wanders around the store, an eye out for anything new and unusual. "Hmm. What sort of leather did you get? Is it hide from some sort of monstrous sea creature that gobbles up sailing ships? Or maybe that stretchy stuff from a waashu? Or maybe … " Rather than just making up more possibilities, he takes a look for himself.

Rory peers at the leather some, then says, "Oh!" He digs through his robes, pulling out his shopping list, and starts going along, finding his items. "Do you have any candles?" he asks the proprietor. "I want to find a really interesting one, if you've got anything unusual. I want to find one that lets off really tasty light."

"Ah… " The Niton pauses from where he was spreading out the leathers. "Have waashu hide, here," he says, flicking out his tongue a few times. "Very pricey. Expecting the Cayena tribe will want it for their ceremonial garb at end of the rainy season," he says, knowledgeably. He flicks his tongue out a few more times, then continues, "My Rephidim Standard not so good. I thought you just say 'want light that tastes good'." His crest bobs several times with humor.

Rory shrugs. "Uhm … well, I don't know exactly how light would taste good, either. But, you see, Koshi – er, Mother eats light. And I thought maybe it'd be nice if I brought back a little snack." Meanwhile, he goes down the list, picking up a few items, mentally tallying how many coins he's going to need to cover things, and figuring out if he's got a little extra for something special. "Oh yeah," he whispers to himself, and goes back and picks up a cloth bag of seeds, then scratches that item off his list. "Any mail?" he absently asks – a ritual for him, since he doesn't get any.

"Oh yes!" The shopkeeper's crest rises and stays up. "Am glad you asked. Have letter from strange address, do not recognize who for, either. But you read better than I, maybe you can tell?" he continues, hopefully, as he walks behind the counter to retrieve it.

Rory looks up hopefully at the "oh yes!" but then his ears droop a little in disappointment when he hears that it's not clear to whom the letter is addressed. "Oh … yeah, I can do that! I can read pretty well." He clip-clops across to the counter, and sets down the items he's accumulated so far.

"Is for Niton Valley, I can tell, not sure who," the lizard continues, sorting through pieces, until he finally comes up with an elegant bone scroll case, the top sealed by wax, a card dangling from it by a thread, with engraved writing on it. He offers the cylinder to Rory.

Rory blinks a few times at the fancy-looking item, and turns it over in his hands, peeking at the seal and the card to see if it is in a language he can read – and, if so, what it says.

The elaborate script on the card features a number of embellishments, no doubt part of what challenged the shopkeeper in identifying them, though the language itself is Rephidim Standard. The "From" line reads: Chancellor of Exchequer, College Esoterica, Caroban. To: Cosheyroh of Niton Valley, via Sunrise City, Lamu. Below that, it reads in smaller print, If undeliverable to Cosheyroh, remand to Apprentice Rorschach Stormshadow at like address.

Rory reads it out loud, and only then, after stumbling over the name does he say, "Oh! KOSHIRO!" Having his own name listed at the end helps with the context. "Uhm … what does remand mean?"

The Niton only shrugs, equally bewildered. "Koshiro – is your name for Mother, is it not? Is it for Mother? Or for … ah … Remand?"

Rory hmms. "Well, it says for Koshiro, otherwise, I guess it means to give it to me. Maybe they meant remind. Like, if you don't know who this is, then remind Rory, so he won't be a nooglehead and forget something important like that."

"And, yeah," Rory says, "That's what I call 'Mother'."

The lizard flicks his tongue in and out of his mouth several more times, and then nods. "That is good, then? I reminded you and you knew, so now it may be delivered to Mother?" he says, as if ensuring that he's gotten the story straight.

Rory scratches his mane. "Uhm … I guess so. Any road, I'll bet Koshiro would know. Uhm … do you have any candles? Maybe any interesting colors? That's all I have left on my list. I just wanted to get an extra one for 'Mother'."

"I have scented candles. Myrrh and thistlebark, for the festival at end of rains," Jiri offers, going behind the counter again and pulling out a small wooden box stocked with thin tapers of light and dark brown gritty-looking wax.

"Oooo!" Rory says. "Well … myrrh sounds good. Thistlebark kind of messes with magic, so that might taste – er, smell bad to 'Mother'." He counts out his coins, and holds them out. "Do I have enough left over for an extra myrrh candle?"

The lizard scrutinizes the coins. "Is for Mother, yes? Is enough for ten. Maybe Mother would like a horgus eye? They make very good light." He points to one of the two glowing eyes that illuminate his shop.

"Ooo. I hadn't thought of that!" Rory says. "Yes, if I've got enough here, I'd like a horgus eye. And one myrrh candle, too, if there's enough for both."

"Horgus eye expensive, hard to come by. But is for Mother," the Niton says, taking down one of the two, his crest flattened. "Keep it glowing bright by placing in fire every night. Oh!" He waggles a finger at the apprentice. "Karkarif's son, hurt leg taking down stall. You go see him, fix leg. Then Karkarif give you enough so I can replace eye."

Rory beams. "Okay! I can do that. Here, I'll go ahead and pay for the rest. Let's leave the horgus eye here until I have enough to replace it for you, though. I don't want to be carrying around too much while I'm in town, after all." He counts out the coins and pushes them across to the Niton.

The Niton nods again, collecting the coins. "I box them up for you. You leave here until ready to leave Sunrise City, yes?"

Rory nods. "Right. I won't take long." He flashes the Niton a smile. "Thank you!" He then clip-clops out of the store, aiming to find Karkarif and his injured son.

Rory clippity-clops into the cavern. "Hellllooooooo! Sil and I are baaaaaaaaack! I have a surPRIIIIISE for you!"

"Welcome back, Rorschach," a familiar voice answers. "I trust you found everything needed?"

"Yepyep!" Rory says through an overpowering grin, then slows down to be a little more respectful, trying to hide a glowing horgus eye and a candle behind his back (held with gloves, of course). "Close your eyes!" Rory says. "And don't open them until I say so, okay?"

"I don't have eyes," Koshiro explains, patiently. "But," he adds, anticipating Rory's look of disappointment, "I will endeavor not to notice what you are doing until you … say so."

The unicorn nods. "Oh. Well … all right!" Whistling happily to himself, he finds a bare spot and sets down the horgus eye on a fold of cloth, then sets down the myrrh candle nearby, and pulls out his flints, and tries for a while until he finally lights the candle. Once this is done, and the steady glow of the horgus eye and the flickering light of the myrrh candle fill the chamber, he announces, "Ready! Er … 'so'! You can look now! Er … notice, whatever."

For a moment, Koshiro does not reply, though the central crystal on the floor flares up when the horgus eye is set down. "That's very … bright, the shadow dragon comments, at length.

Rory smiles happily. "I wanted to get you some special light! I … uh … I don't know if light 'tastes' different to you one way or the other, but since that's what you eat, I figured, well, if I can make shadow snacks for Silhouette, maybe you'd like a light snack."

Another pause. "That was thoughtful of you, Rory. I have not had bright light close to my crystal in a long time. It is … an interesting sensation. Tendrils of shadow reach out to the eye, and they roll it closer to the crystal. "Thank you."

"Uhm … the candle's for you, too. Not really as bright, but … " Rory shrugs. "Just in case you didn't like the horgus eye. That's what that is, you know. Of course, you probably already do, being around here longer than me and all. It's a horgus eye. You get it to glow by putting it in a fire to warm it up. Then it glows. Jiri sells them in town. Oh! And I have a letter, too. It says it's for you, but it says that if I forgot, then to remind me. Or something like that." He digs around in his robes, and pulls out the scroll, with the card dangling from it.

A black tendril reaches out for the scroll case.

Rory holds it out further so Koshiro can take it, releasing it once the tendril has a good hold on it.

The shadow takes the scroll case into itself, and the unicorn hears a muffled noise, like the wax seal breaking from it. "Remand," Koshiro says, idly. "It means, 'to send back to'. They must have meant this letter for you if it could not reach me. Though an odd choice of words – you did not send it, did you?"

Rory blinks a few times, then shakes his head. "No. If I wanted to send a letter to you, I'd just take it right here to the cave." He brightens, as if struck with an idea. "Say, do you like getting mail?"

"That depends on the message it contains," the shadow dragon replies, after a moment. It goes silent again, the lights of its cave flickering, like the myrrh candle.

Rory nods. "Okay," he says. He figures that it wouldn't be best to badger Koshiro with too many questions this time. After all, he'll be around for a good while longer. He can slip in a few questions later to find out what sort of messages Koshiro might like, and then figure out clever ways of sending him mail messages.

"It seems your College has finally remembered you, Rory," Koshiro comments, after a long silence. "They are sending one Mage Canticle here to see how your studies progress. They apparently think you should be qualified to be a Journeyman by now, if not earlier."

Rory's eyes go wide. "Really?! … Er, I mean, of course. I wasn't implying you were joking or anything. But … wow! Sil's going to be so happy! I'll try to brush up on everything, and do my best, and do you proud!"

"I am sure you will," the shadow replies. "You do not, by chance, know what day this is on the Rephidim calendar, do you?"

Rory furrows his brow, deep in thought. After a while, he concedes, "No, master, I really haven't any idea. Sil and I have just sort of been celebrating holidays now and then when we feel like it's about time for one. Sometimes, we just make new ones up."

The unicorn imagines he hears a smile in the shadow's voice as he replies, "Pity. The letter has a date with the estimated time of the mage's arrival, but it does us little good when we do not know what date it is now. He will arrive when he arrives, then. Until such time, you shall continue your studies. And speaking of which – show me the reagents you brought for the scrying work."

"Oh!" Rory looks abashed. "I forgot all about that. I mean … I have them here… " He kneels down, and digs through his pouches and pockets. "… somewhere." He smiles nervously up to Koshiro. One of these days, he'll have to learn to be better organized. Being prepared for three spheres instead of one requires more pockets!

A few days after the letter, a black and white unicorn stands in a magic circle near the edge of the cliff, chanting with his eyes half-open, when the shadow of a female appears on the bushes before him, jumping up and down gesturing wildly. Rory! Rory! she signs, then pauses before continuing, seeing how intent he is.

Rory ponders that Silhouette jumping up and down must be pretty important. With a sigh, he lets his chanting die off, and lets his ritual fizzle, officiated by a raspberry sound that escapes his lips as he feels the magic slip away. "Oh well. That can wait. Uhm … What is it, Sil?"

We've got a visitor! the shadow signs excitedly. The Nitons saw him come into the valley. It's a Rath'ani! And he's wearing robes! Do you think he's a mage?

After a moment, she adds, Do you think he's the mage? He must be!

"Oh!" Rory says, hopping up. "Really? It must be that Mage Canticle fellow! Uhm … oh … I guess I can make the berries bloom later. I really shouldn't keep him waiting." He starts picking up items that ought not to be left laying about.

A visitor from the College! Silhouette signs, wavering from side to side to keep in view of Rory as he paces around. It seems like I can hardly remember what the College is like, it's been so long. Hey, isn't it funny that the card on that letter said it was from "College Esoterica, Caroban"? What do you suppose Caroban is?

Rory shrugs. "Well, maybe they opened a new one up. I mean, you know, it's the Collegia Esoterica, you know. That's plural. They've got them in Rephidim, Nagai, Babel … some other places, too, though smaller. Maybe they decided to shuffle me off to some place called Caroban. Hmm. I know! It must be some place on the surface in a land heavy with magic, where I can more effectively utilize my powers! Instead of being cooped up on a sky island where magic only works about a fourth as good, that is, you know." He nods, certain that he's got it all figured out now, and picks up the last of his things, then starts making his way back toward the – "Uhm … where exactly is he, anyway, Sil?"

He was at the valley entrance. Koshiro told the Niton that came to tell him to show him to Koshiro's cave. He'll probably be there by the time we get back, Sil signs, sliding along beside Rory.

Rory nods, and works his way down. "I hope he's nice. But even if he isn't … boy, it's been a long time! Or, at least, it sure seems like it, any road."

It's been at least … five years? Six? There've been that many rainy seasons, I know. Even if we haven't been following a calendar out here. the shadow signs.

The little unicorn skips along, frowning as he tries to figure it out. At last, he gives up, and breaks into song. "Caroban! Caroban! Can you tell me a name that's neater than – Caroban! Caroban! Caroban! I can do it, I know I can – Carobannnnn!" He looks over to Sil. "I just made that one up, by the way."

I could tell, the girl signs back, looking sincere.

Rory beams, taking it for a compliment, and continues on down the slope. "Silhouette, Silhouette, you make me skip and pirouette! There's none that's nicer, that I'll bet – than Silhouette!"

Then, he's quiet a bit longer, as he tries to think up more words that rhyme with Silhouette. It seems he's run out for now.

"Minuet?" he ponders, bouncing over a patch of scraggles.

That's a good one, the girl unicorn says encouragingly. Silhouette's even harder to rhyme than Caroban

The unicorn mage nods a few times, partially because he's bouncing his way down the hill. "Well … Sil is pretty easy to rhyme, at least. But just you try to rhyme Rorschach! I just make up nonsense words when I try that!"

The young unicorn pair has had ample time to invent quite a few new words to rhyme with Rorschach and Silhouette both by the time they reach the entrance to Koshiro's cave. A rotund raccoon in the gold robes of scryer sits on a flat stone just outside, though he climbs to his feet as Rory approaches. "Apprentice Rorschach Stormshadow?" he calls out, half-greeting, half-query.

The unicorn clip-clops up, panting, then executes a deep bow, his cowl flopping over his face. "Welcome … pant … Mage pant … Canticle?"

"Yes," the mage answers, responding with a similar, if less deep and more graceful, bow. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance at last, Apprentice. I am on a mission from Caroban to collect wayward wards," he continues, straightening. "Your master tells me he believes you fully qualified as a Journeyman in both Life and Shadow, if I understand him correctly. Most impressive."

The black and white unicorn adjusts his cowl, and beams at the praise. "I'm an apprentice in Light, too! Master Koshiro is a great teacher!"

"It sounds like he's done a fine job. He has commended your skill as a pupil, too. He says you've been a dedicated student with a great deal of talent and potential." The raccoon smiles at Rory. "I thought I would do some tests on you here, and assuming you're as good as your teacher's word, we'll take you back to the College and graduate you."

"Darrrrrrk!" the little unicorn exclaims. "Then I can get a job and start paying off my tuition and then I can become an Alumnus and get one of those really awesome guild rings and won't Skiree think that's something else!" He bounces on the tips of his hooves. "What do I have to do?"

"Demonstrate command of certain spells of the spheres of Life and Shadow, assuming you want Journeyman status in each. You need to perform three minor spells and two rituals of each sphere, in my presence." The raccoon glances up at the sky. "Given how late it is, we'll get started on this tomorrow. I'll select some appropriate Life rituals then. I hadn't expected to be testing you in that sphere." He pauses. "Actually, perhaps I'll just test you in Shadow, and leave the Life to the College to decide. I gather your mastery of Life is somewhat … unconventional."

Rory scratches his head. "Well … I don't know about the unconventional part … but I'm mostly a shadow mage any road." He smiles. "I'd be happy to take some tests. Oh! And I can show you the house I live in. It's not really mine, but I fixed it up, and it belongs to a friend of mine, and she lets me stay there."

Silhouette, standing just behind the raccoon, makes a raspberry at Rory. It is so yours! she signs. What's mine is yours.

Rory's ears blush. "Well, we share it, anyway," he amends.

Mage Canticle looks a bit puzzled by that amendment, and he glances behind him. Silhouette waves to him cheerfully. The raccoon frowns, the puzzled expression deepening, then he shrugs and turns back to Rory. "By all means. Mage Koshiro suggested I might find your house more hospitable than his, ah, cave."

The unicorn beams brightly, then says, "Come on! I'll put on some tea for you, and – oh boy! I have so many stories I could tell you about the great time I've had here! And some of them are so weird!" And with that, he starts to skip down the path to the house in the middle of the valley, following the path of stones, humming happily to himself.

The raccoon mage may not be quite as enthusiastic over the cottage as Rory might have hoped, but he does listen with patient interest to the young unicorn's stories. While at first he seems incurious at mentions of Silhouette and the stories of Corwin and Sylvan, after a while he appears to get intrigued by it.

The next day, Mage Canticle conducts a scrying ritual, and at the end of it – much to everyone's surprise – he is able to see Silhouette. "Fascinating! She's not an elemental at all!" the raccoon says, blinking.

Silhouette folds her arms over her chest, then moves one hand enough to sign, Of course I'm not an elemental! indignantly.

The unicorn lets out a loud squeak of a laugh, covers his mouth, then hops on his hoof-tips. "You can see her? Really? Wow! The only other people that can see her are Skiree and Koshiro and – Oh! They're scryers, too!"

I can't believe he thought I was an elemental. What do I look like, a Creen? Sil grouses to Rory, as the scryer turns to look at the apprentice.

The unicorn shrugs to Silhouette. "Well, I think you look just fine to me." He looks back to Mage Canticle. "Uhm … what do you see, exactly, anyway?"

"That may be the connection. Your friend is some kind of … well … I don't know exactly what she is, really." The raccoon scratches his head. "Quite a puzzle. She's not an elemental or a ghost. A spirit, I suppose, though not the profile I'd've given one. Fascinating. I must explore this further. Ah, she looks like a shadow-elemental in the shape of young female unicorn," he answers Rory, "but according to my ritual, she's no elemental. She's a fully sapient being, just as you said. And my apologies to you, Silhouette," he adds quickly, turning back to look at the shadow. "I wish I knew sign."

The black and white unicorn nods. "It comes in really useful. I'm surprised more shadow mages don't learn it. It's not all that useful in the dark, but it's pretty useful when sneaking around and trying to keep quiet. Uhm … you know, she used to be a life mage. Do you think the College would have her record? Maybe there's some way to figure out how she can learn to use her magic again. Or get her back to normal. Or both. I'd really like to find out how to do that. I mean, we would." He looks to Silhouette for confirmation.

Silhouette nods enthusiastically. No way of misunderstanding that sign.

Rory smiles, encouraged.

"I'm certain the College should have some information on her. I'll send a letter on ahead to see what research we can drum up and what avenues to pursue, as far as, er, normalizing her goes. One can't bring the dead back to life … but I agree with you, Silhouette's never been, er, dead, per se. She's not a ghost." The raccoon rubs the brushy fur of his cheek. "I'll talk to Koshiro about it, too."

The black and white unicorn grabs Silhouette's hands (He's rather practiced at it, after all), and bounces up and down. "Hoorayyyyyyy!"