For a time we sat in silence. He was letting me come to my own conclusions. I was wise enough not to voice them aloud. “And Elderlings?” I asked at last.
“A different sort of riddle. At the time they were written about, all knew what they were. So I surmise. It would be the same if you went to find a scroll that explained exactly what a horse was. You would find many passing mentions of them, and a few that related directly to shoeing one, or to one stallion’s bloodline. But who amongst us would see the need to devote the labor and time to writing out exactly what a horse is?”
“I see.”
“So, again, it is a sifting out of detail. I have not had the time required to devote myself to such a task.” For a moment he sat looking at me. Then he opened a little stone box on his desk and took out a key. “There is a cabinet in my bedchamber,” he said slowly. “I have gathered there what scrolls I could find that made even a passing mention of the Elderlings. There are also some related to the Skill. I give you leave to pore through them. Ask Fedwren for good paper, and keep notes of what you discover. Look for patterns among those notes. And bring them to me, every month or so.”
I took the little brass key in my hand. It weighed strangely heavy, as if attached to the task the Fool had suggested and Verity had confirmed. Look for patterns, Verity had suggested. I suddenly saw one, a web woven from me to the Fool to Verity and back again. Like Verity’s other patterns, it did not seem to be an accident. I wondered who had originated the pattern. I glanced at Verity, but his thoughts had gone afar. I rose quietly to go.