Chapter Thirty Eight
In all of his high school career, dreaming about studying mythical creatures, and even as he studied them in college, not once did Justin ever fathom a scenario in his life where he would get to have a conversation with a real, live gnome. How do you even go about preparing for that?
As he sat lost in thought, the mages and Maggie all discussed the merit of stealing treasure from a dragon and the likelihood of making it back in one piece. Justin knew the importance of having the gnomes help build the enclosure for the unicorns, and if they would only help with the promise of treasure, then there was no real reason to question their options because they simply didn't have any.
He also knew that he would not let anyone else go get the treasure but himself. As much as anyone on earth could be prepared for a task like this, he was probably the best, at least he liked to think he was, or at the very least, he liked to think he was the most excited about it.
To see a real, live dragon in all of its splendor would almost be worth a few burn marks. But before he could steal from a dragon, he had to haggle with a gnome that he wasn't sure spoke English.
"Art, are you able to speak to the gnomes without an interpreter?" Justin had stopped his conversation mid-sentence with his question, but he didn't seem to notice. "Um... Yes, Master Justin, gnomes speak the same language as you and I, if a bit more rudimentary. Their language is much simpler than ours, although they usually have no trouble getting across exactly what they want to say."
"Good, that is one less thing I will have to worry about, I guess." Art stared at Justin for a long moment, then turned back to the rest of the group and continued the conversation.
For a while, Justin kept to himself as he formulated how he would like to approach the conversation with the gnome. He was not good at talking with people. He didn't think he would be any better when face-to-face with a mythical creature. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he realized something. The force of his discovery brought him to his feet and brought the room to silence.
"Master Justin, are you alright?" Cora's voice seemed extra melodious to Justin's ears, as though she reinforced it with soothing tones to calm his obviously heightened nerves. Seeing the look of alarm on everyone's face, Justin slowly lowered himself to his chair and forced himself to take 5 deep breaths.
"Sorry, yes. I just realized that you said that the gnomes can talk." Art looked at his fellow mages in confusion before nodding once at Justin. "Yes, I did. Is that a problem?" Justin had to clear his throat in an attempt to give himself the seconds he needed to form his thoughts. After rubbing the back of his neck to get out the kinks, he answered. "It is not a problem, but it seems to be an oddity. These are creatures, and yet they are intelligent enough to speak? But I met the unicorns and the jackalopes, and they did not appear to speak at all. Surely a gnome is no more intelligent than a unicorn? Why don't all of the magical creatures talk here, or none at all?
Justin saw the tension leave Art's shoulders as he smiled warmly at Justin. "Oh, I can easily answer that. I am afraid that not all of the gnomes can communicate with us. There are two representatives who befriended our contact years ago, and he was able to slowly, over time, teach them our language. But because they do not naturally speak it, it comes out rudimentary and choppy at times, even after so many years of learning. Most magical creatures will not stay around humans long enough to learn to communicate with us, so having any that can is a gift."
"What did your contact do that allowed him to get so close to the gnomes?" Art's smile grew brighter at Justin's question. "It is a couple, actually. They had only been mated for a little over a year and had a brand new baby. Our contact heard a loud commotion coming from the edge of the woods and found the baby gnome in the clutches of a snake. The parents tried to stop the snake from hurting their child, but they didn't know how. Our contact picked up a large stone and hit the snake on the top of its head. It knocked the snake out, and he was able to cut off the snake's head and rescue the baby. From that moment on, the gnome couple has stayed in communication with our contact. "
Justin took a full 30 seconds to take in all that he had just learned. This really was a new world in every sense of the word. Finally, he met Art's eyes and asked, "What is your contact's name? Will he come with the gnome today?"
It surprised Justin when he asked that question that he felt just as hopeful and excited at the prospect of meeting the mage's contact as he had earlier at the thought of meeting a gnome. This man sounded extraordinary to not only rescue a baby gnome from a snake, but also to have the patience, determination, and ingenuity to teach the gnomes how to communicate. He hoped that this man could be someone who could teach him a thing or two about magical creatures.
"Yes, he should be coming with the gnome and will help make the transaction, if it comes to that, as smooth as possible. In fact, they should be here very soon. I know him quite well, and he does not like to be late to any meeting. In fact, he considers coming on time to actually arriving late."
As though Art's words summoned him, the library door opened, and in walked a man who bore a striking resemblance to Art himself. Justin would have focused on him more, but his eyes were pulled away to the creature walking behind the man. With each step the creature took towards the table, Justin's breath grew shallower.
This creature was unlike anything Justin had ever seen in any textbook. He was having a hard time pulling his gaze away from it until Art spoke. "Master Justin White, may I present to you my brother, Sigmund, and this is his friend, Reggie."
As his eyes focused in on the man's face, he realized that it did not have just a passing resemblance to Art's. No, they were identical. "You are twins." His words came out almost in a whisper.
Art and Sigmund smiled at each other as Justin felt sure they had gotten that reaction before. Sigmund's response was pleasant and warm, much like his brother's smile. "We are, Master White. It is nice to meet you."