Grimoires and Where to Find Them, Raconteur, Honor [i have read the book txt] 📗

“Probably,” I admitted freely. “Unless we get really lucky. I have to warn you, you rarely get really lucky.”

For some reason, no one was happy to hear that.

Can’t say I was overjoyed, myself.

Jamie had her methods, of course, and they were excellent ones. But in this particular case, I knew more than she did about the matter. Grimoires were not her forte. So, while she took the lead, I asserted myself more than usual.

To Niamh and Foster, I inquired, “Are you familiar with grimoires at all?”

Foster shook his head.

Niamh gave a half-shrug. “I’m not as familiar with human grimoires, but my own people have a type of grimoire. I think they operate on the same principles. I’ll be interested to see how the types match up.”

“As will I. I know that you do not, Jamie. Gerring? No? Alright, let’s find a quiet spot, and I’ll give you a short rundown on them.”

Jamie seemed agreeable to this plan, so we went out of the tent and found a table at a food stall, ordered drinks and sugary confections, and settled in. I, for one, welcomed the respite. Far from having an easy morning, I had instead about run my legs off. The faire buzzed around us, people passing by as if nothing ill had occurred. I ignored them as we settled in around the table, only shifting as Phil climbed into my lap. I was quite accustomed to having a “lap buddy,” as Jamie described it. I welcomed him and gave him a good rub behind his ears. He started purring as he settled.

With all eyes on me, I cleared my throat. “I’ll make this concise, as we’ll no doubt need to canvas the area.”

Jamie dipped her chin in agreement. “That’s my next suggestion. I want to know what else has been stolen here today.”

Gerring glanced around him, assessing the size of the faire as it sprawled out over the rather extensive grounds, and looked resigned. The other two were not far behind him.

“At least I’m wearing my comfortable boots,” Niamh noted rhetorically. “Alright, Doctor. What else do we need to know?”

“Allow me to explain a bit of the basics. The word ‘grimoire’ can mean quite a few things. Every magician learning the trade begins with a basic grimoire—it’s really nothing more than a notebook filled with the spells we learn. Most grimoires aren’t at all valuable. We learn by inscribing our own grimoires, but we quickly grow past those early editions. And, of course, as children we’re not allowed to use magical ink, so they’re more like notebooks filled with spells.

“My own from childhood, for instance. I only keep it for sentimental value. They’re so low in power they won’t need a box or even a ward. You can treat them much like a regular book without issue. What you’ll see at this faire is not of that ilk. These grimoires are from very famous magicians throughout history. They are filled with spells not found anywhere else—often created by the people who wrote them in the first place.”

Jamie let out a low whistle. “So…depending on the grimoire, you could gain a spell no one else really knows? Or has been forgotten over time?”

“Correct. It’s why collectors are so feverish about gaining a whole set. Often, in fact, magicians would scatter the spell between different volumes to keep any of their competitors from stealing their spells. Unless you have the full set, you can’t guarantee that you have the complete spell.”

I was pleased to see everyone taking note of this. It might impact the case as they worked on it. I was a firm believer that having a full, comprehensive understanding often led to breakthroughs in a case.

Gerring posed a question. “But does that mean our thief wants the spells contained within? Are we looking for someone power-hungry and dangerous?”

“While the possibility is there, it’s…suspect to me. This theft was very much a crime of opportunity. Ferrington was being careful with it, and he’d made no prior announcement it would be here today, which gave our thief no advanced warning. So, if our thief does have nefarious intentions and wants the grimoire for some dark purpose, his timing is incredible.”

Jamie snorted. “Yeah, seriously, the luck of the ages. I’m more inclined to think the thief wants it just because it’s valuable, although we can’t rule out that they’ll use the spells within for something bad.”

“Now, there’s another side to this.” I paused to take a sip of quite excellent lemonade. I might have to buy another cup for the journey home. “Some don’t buy grimoires for the knowledge contained within. In fact, it’s quite common for collectors to buy the volumes just to showcase them. The rarer the volume, the more bragging rights. Some volumes are insanely priced.”

Jamie’s tone turned acutely dry. “Like a certain volume you bought today?”

I slid her a wink. “Worse. These books can be more expensive than a house. They’re in high demand in the right circles of society. We have two points in our favor when it comes to this particular theft. One, the volume in question is highly recognizable, and there’s only one copy of it in the world. It will not be easy to pawn this off. And trying to pass it off as a forgery will only lower its value, doing the thief no good. Assuming he stole it to sell, that is.”

“At least something about this case is in our favor,” Gerring muttered under his breath, still writing away. “And the second point, sir?”

“The second point is that you are in a community of vigilant people. Book enthusiasts are very keen on preventing this sort of crime, they’re well-versed in what’s available on the market, and they’re quick to report to each other if they see something amiss. If we can get the word out about what’s happened, they may well do some of the legwork for us.”

Niamh shot me