Nothing But Bones

39: Ellis's Big Elven Loredump

Ellis's eyes sparkle with delight. "Okay. Obviously, I haven't had time to really dive into this book, but wow-wee! This is amazing. So what you have is, as you said, a family heirloom. Of sorts."

Tiff takes a seat on the edge of the bed and draws a knee up. Elton sits next to her such that the two of them are facing the empty space in the room Ellis has chosen to excitedly occupy. He swishes with every movement, holding the book like he's still reading from it.

The elf chews his bottom lip for a moment, still pacing. "Now, I'm old to humans. To Elves, though? No."

"Of course. You're a sweet baby boy."

Elton tilts his head to the side "How old are you? Is that rude?"

Ellis laughs. "No, it's not rude. We expect that from humans. I'm 156. Comparatively, I'm around... Somewhere around my mid-thirties? None of this is really important except that I'm very much a modern elf."

"Like a millennial," Tiff interjects, for Elton's sake.

"I'm going to ignore that you said that, Tiff. Not all of us, as few left as there are, live among humans. I do. So, as a result, I'm not as steeped in Elven traditions or rituals as my predecessors may have been. What I do know, however, is history."

He sets the book down carefully, on an unoccupied space on the bed between them. It's a counterbalance to Kepler jumping onto the bed behind them and making some sort of nest out of the topsheet and pillows. "Back when we were more plentiful, and please understand that we never were anywhere near humanity's population levels, we were divided into... Well, not clans, not really. It's probably closer to sub-groups, but also not really. We were all Elves, but we all did different things. Adapted differently. My ancestral line–"

Melvin clears his throat. "My love, the children don't need a full-on history of Elves. Perhaps later?"

Ellis lets out a breath that crackles with energy. "Right, right. I just get so excited to share things I never get to.."

"I want one," Tiff admits, "and I know it's hypocritical for me to say priorities, but— priorities."

"You know you can visit any time, right? Melvin doesn't dislike you."

"Sure, Ellis. Sure."

Melvin laughs. "Of course I like you! You're Lake Wonder's weird horse girl, except that's actually that one kld who you didn't kill who is dead. He's dead, right? You're Lake Wonder's weird Bigfoot girl. I am Lake Wonder's weird Bigfoot man. Albeit, I am far cooler."

She ignores the bit about Lewis. "Wow. Misogyny. Ellis, can we move on?"

Ellis nods. "Yes, yes! For context, I am mostly a Moon Elf. Whole thing about the tides, moon phases, and all sorts of things. There are other ancient lines as well. Each of them, of us, had a collected work of magical knowledge. Spells, rituals, potions, you name it. Only one is known to exist. The Lines kind of... mingled, and the old ways changed. The war with Oneiron also did a lot of harm to our kind." He runs a hand along his cheek and sighs. "As time went on, as we integrated more and more into humanity, things became lost. And that..."

Ellis points to the book. Tiff points it gently.

"The Volumes, if you will, all but disappeared. I have always thought some, if not all, were kept secret and hidden, or maybe even forgotten about in some old book shops, sold as curiosities. What you have, Tiff, is one of those Volumes. This was once part of the collected magical knowledge of the Sky Elves. Hence the bird."

"Did they live in the sky?" Tiff asks. "Or fly, or something?"

"No, they couldn't fly– Well, they could. I could. I can!"