SandScript 2023 [Digital Exclusive]

decade or so to keep with the times,” Aidan stated plainly, seeming to take the subject
seriously. “Let me go grab a couple books. You can start looking into the most current maps.
Knowing more about those can help us too.”
The boy stood up and walked out of the parlor, leaving Brigid to her own devices. She didn’t
realize Aidan would be so eager to help her with this mystery, especially since she didn’t
have any other proof than an official seal, but it made her smile. By the time he got back to the
room, Brigid had spread a few books in front of her, and had already started on a book about
Emberon’s maps and how they had changed over the years. It wasn’t all that interesting, so
Brigid found herself glancing often over to the boy helping her, seeing that he was deeply
invested in the book he was reading. She had seen Aidan immersed in historical texts before,
but she never realized how he had always been so good at the subject and how he truly
seemed to enjoy it. Aidan laid across the couch researching what the cartographer may have
done with that map, his brows furrowed and eyes heavily glued onto the book he gripped
tightly.
The book the boy was reading was one Brigid had seen him reading on numerous occasions,
but one memory appeared in her mind. Brigid and the triplets were only 14 years old, and they
decided to have a picnic at the Belbroke summer fields so that they could study and have fun
at the same time. Brigid had been procrastinating her spells and potions homework for over
a week, but she decided to start the work during their study session, not admitting to doing it
because Rain was there and had a perfect score in the class. Every hour, the gang would take
a break and run around the golden fields of flowers before snacking and getting back to the
work they were assigned. At some point in the day, Dom and Rain went to sit under a nearby
tree to do a project they had together, which left Brigid alone with the green-haired boy who
always made her nervous. Brigid was tired so she laid on her back to stare at the colorful sky
when Aidan began reading Emberon Emblems and Sigils aloud. It was the first time the two
had shared a moment together, but at the time, Brigid hadn’t thought of it as anything more
than just friendly bonding and when her friends returned from running through the grass and
flowers she quickly forgot all about it.
For just over an hour, the two studied the map making books quietly, writing down anything
and everything that seemed to stand out, though Brigid hadn’t written down much, not even
filling the first page of her notebook. She knew she should have felt intimidated because
Aiden seemed to have found a lot of information, but the only thing she could think about
was the cramp in her legs and the fact that she always chose to swing her legs over the arm
of the chair even though she knew it would end in an uncomfortable charley-horse. Looking
down at her notebook, the notation that stood out most prominently was a recent addition
made by the official mapmaker for the kingdom showing a sailing port located at the east side
of Emberon, but everyone knew traveling to the east was a dangerous venture and nothing
worth the trouble was out there. Brigid only knew a little about the town of Pandora itself,
but what she did know was the resident population was small, and they were known for their
flamboyant array of colorful cottages with people traveling from all over during the fall season
to see their Spirit Season decorations. Traveling beyond the town in the waters to the east was
not recommended so she did not understand why a port would possibly be in that location.
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