The same clerk that was working the other day was wandering and aisle, putting things back and straightening them up as the pair of friends approached the place. Corwin paused just long enough to arch an eyebrow at Arlan. He’d never been the type to be interested in this sort of thing before and really he wasn’t even now but this was the only lead they had, as silly as it seemed. They hadn’t even stepped inside when a voice called out, though the clerk wasn’t even looking at them.
“If you come in here, that thing stays in your pocket. I won’t have it out in here.”
“What?” It was Corwin that spoke up, he wasn’t the one with the heavy pocket, stone pressed against his leg. He had no idea what Arlan had brought along with him.
“Sure. I won’t bring it out.” The condition was agreed to, though it made Arlan uncomfortable, worried that maybe this shop clerk had something they wanted to stay hidden.
“Then come on in, both of you.” The clerk hummed a bit as they headed back towards the counter, tune nothing like the one playing through the store speakers. They hopped onto a stool that waited behind the register, a welcoming smile upon their face. A heavily ringed hand held up their chin, looking comfortable but not bored. “What can I do for you both today.”
“Well, I have a question, about that quartz stone actu-”
“I’m sorry, don’t mean to interrupt but is that Corwin? Little lost Corwin who went missing years ago? They found you?” The clerk looked floored, straightening up, both hands braced on the counter as they looked the once missing man over. The friends exchanged a look of surprise between them. Even on the way over they’d run into more than one person who’d known Corwin before who acted as if he’d never left. No one had mentioned a peep about it which had been strange but in comparison this was unsettling. The clerk looked genuinely surprised at the sight of Corwin as if they expected never to see him again, as if they’d been to the same empty casket funeral.
“Uh, yeah? I’m Corwin.” He was reluctant when the clerk waved them closer, only moving when Arlan did, clearly grateful there was at least a counter between them. With a fingers sporting chipped polish the clerk tugged at an earlobe, looking the man over a few times more, eyes a little distant.
“Ah, they had you. You reek of the hidden folk.” There was a hint of understanding in their tone as they let their hand fall back down to the counter, nodding to themselves. “So do you. You’re worse actually. What on earth have you been up to, don’t you know to stay far away from fae?”
“It’s a little late for that now. I just came in to ask about that quartz.” Arlan pulled the pieces out of his pocket, setting them gently down on the glass countertop. It wasn’t the semi-precious stone that caught the clerk’s eyes however, their fingers reaching out to hover over his arm this time, just above where he’d been grabbed by the advancing guard.
“How is this… You’re branded by them, they’ve claimed you for their own. How are you here right now? This brand should have bound you to their palaces?” The clerk refused to touch him, tracing a pattern in the arm above his arm for a moment before they pulled their hand away entirely. “I’m Elwynn.”
The introduction caught both young men off guard, shifting almost in unison in their uncertainty.
“Well, you know I’m Corwin, this is Arlan and we were kinda hoping you could help us answer that question.” Arlan was grateful for his friend, he wasn’t sure what to say now, how much he was allowed to speak of without sounding like he’d jumped right off the deep end. Finally the clerk, Elwynn, looked down at the pieces of quartz that had be gifted not that long ago, split in two.
“Uh, wow. Okay. Usually a stone will chip or maybe carry an internal crack if they absorb something meant for their holder? I’ve never seen one break like this. It took something major that was meant to harm you.Or was malicious at least.” Elwynn picked up one hand, rolling it about between their fingers, peering at it with interest and focus. “Or maybe it took a part of whatever spell it was. They branded you but maybe it took the binding portion for you. Either way I knew you were going to need it, I’m glad you had it.”
Elwynn set the piece they held down next to its pair, their expression not one of annoyance or disappointment like Arlan had been expecting.
They looked intrigued, gaze distant and far away as they pushed on piece of the quartz around. After a moment they grabbed a book from underneath the counter, one that looked like a worn school notebook, random pages that had been added half sticking out as they flipped through in search of something in particular.
The page they stopped on was full of scribbles that Arlan had no hope of reading, a few diagrams taking up larger sections. The clerk tapped one in particular, humming to themselves again though this was less jovial and more thoughtful. They made a list, using whatever was in the notebook as a reference, before they tucked it all away again leaving only the list out. Corwin shot his friend a look that said he wasn’t impressed by any of this and Arlan had to admit he was starting to doubt that they would get any useful information here.
“So, you got yourself mixed up with some of their royalty, if I’m reading the seal right.”
That seemed wrong. There was no seal there, it was just his skin, bare as it always was. The statement made his stomach churn a little and he slipped his other hand into the pocket with the faerie stone, letting just one finger touch the surface. There, on his forearm, was a series of lines that almost shimmered as they formed a few rings and loops.
“Stop that please. It’s making my teeth hurt.” Elwynn broke the silence again, startling Arlan. How had they known just what he was doing, his hand was hidden in his pocket. He pulled his hand back out again, but not before he glanced up, a strange shimmer settling around the clerk before the connection was lost.
“Sorry. Um, you were saying?” Corwin looked more confused than ever, looking back and forth between the two, the exchange seemingly random.
“That you got mixed up with royalty. You can look at it later, there’s too many amplifiers in here and fae magic sticks to everything. I don’t want to have to cleanse this whole place.” Elwynn’s explanation was to help clarify for the confused party, their posture relaxing once more, small smile on their lips.
“Uh, okay. But what does that actually mean?” Corwin was starting to get anxious, it was clear in his tone, in his body language. “Like the sealed thing? Or the royalty or whatever?”
“Being sealed makes a person more manageable. With it on you can’t access magic and some seals will actually bind someone to a location or a person.” Elwynn’s words sounded like some child’s fantasy, made up of lore and imagination but they said it with such confidence that it seemed real. “As for the royalty part, well, they don’t hear no often and I’m sure their toys rarely run away. They’ll be looking for you.”
“Looking for us?” Arlan felt sick, his ears ringing. This was a nightmare he really wanted to wake up from now.
“Well, you. Corwin doesn’t have a mark and while he absolutely stinks of the faerie realm, there’s nothing that ties him there now.” The clerk tapped their fingers against the counter for a moment, hopping to their feet after a moment. “It might not hurt to have some protection in place though, in case they do try looking for you both?”
Elwynn made no motion for the pair to follow them but they did anyway, trailing just a little behind them as they beelined for whatever it was that they wanted. From a little glass case they pulled a few metal charms, mostly moon themed. Draping them on their arm they kept going, plucking things from a few different sections so fast that Arlan couldn’t keep up. Any other time he might have assumed Elwynn was just trying to make a big sale, filling a basket with good they would insist the pair would need. Today however, today he was willing to believe them, to put his trust in their knowledge.
“So, I have some iron necklaces here. Fae can’t touch iron, it repeals them so it’s handy for keeping all types of the hidden folk away.” Elynwnn explained all their choices as they placed them on the register counter, taking their time. “It’ll probably work really well for you Corwin. for Arlan, it might just slow them down. I figure moon charms are pretty basic right? And you don’t have to have it visible, just on you. Make sure the chain is looped around your neck or wrist or ankle or wherever or else it’s basically useless.”
“There’s a couple more quartz here for your Arlan, since the last one took so much to protect you I’m thinking it has an affinity for you. There’s also some more sage in here, just to try and keep away any other creatures that might be up to mischief. You already have your hands full.” The quartz picked this time were a little larger, one of them wrapped in wire and set on a chain to make a natural looking pendant. Something in its shape reminded him of the one he had in his pocket, familiar in it’s curves.
There were a few more odds and ends in the basket, all of it making its way into a bag at the end of the conversation. The clerk did their best to bring down the cost, adding more than one discount until it looked a little like highway robbery. Elwynn just kept insisting that it was more important they had the items than the store having a huge sale. That in and of itself could be a sales tactic but somehow Arlan doubted it.
Corwin put his necklace on before they even left the store, murmuring something about not wanting to take any chances. Arlan wasn’t so quick, mostly because he was still feeling uncertain about everything. He’d left with no real answers as to what it meant to be sealed and he wasn’t sure if he was still bound by the oath he made. Would he wake one morning to find himself back inside the room, back in front of that dais? If he had any saw in the matter he would never return and would make up for all the lost time Corwin’s disappearance caused.
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