50. Father of Lies

Kinch enters Fulvir’s hidden bone-house library and is awed and deflated by its formidable trove of grimoires. Fulvir parades books of speech with beasts, lightning, and necromancy, underscoring how small Kinch’s magic feels by comparison.

Fulvir abruptly claims to be Kinch’s father, then immediately retracts it, toying with Kinch’s uncertainty. Hints about Kinch’s copper‑haired mother and the Isle of Ravens surface, as does Fulvir’s past travel with the Galt magicker Knockburr, a name weighted with doom.

A debate on languages follows; Fulvir denies speaking Galtish, yet he, Kinch, and Norrigal slip into it unconsciously until Norrigal exposes the lie. The exchange needles Kinch’s pride and confirms Fulvir’s habit of manipulation.

Fulvir praises Kinch’s fighting against the clay man but flatly says Kinch will never be a wizard. He invites them to leave—or stay another night—maintaining control through ambiguity.

That night, two books await: for Norrigal, a Galtish volume on plants and poisons; for Kinch, a Gallardian beginner’s guide to magical tattoos. The gifts reinforce Fulvir’s assessment of their aptitudes and steer their next steps.