  The papers danced their message above his palm, continuing its magical relaying as he made out the words in the dim light. The grotesque stump of beeswax candle burned faintly, its meager flame flickered and guttered, leaving acrobats of shadow where its light did not reach. The faint glow left much to be desired in the way of light for a commoner, yet he had long grown accustomed to the dim settings.
The weak glow illuminated the archmage’s study, his arcane sanctuary. Tomes of unspoken power, bound with all sorts of hide, even human, adorned the rows upon rows of shelves that lined the circular room. The shelves were a wonder by themselves, their exquisite workmanship evident in the failing light, where magical designs prevented the wrong hands from getting to the shelves without permission. All that, and much more, had been acquired during the great mage’s adventuring days. Now he lived sequestered deep in his tower where young aspiring magi came for tutelage.
Powerful magics had been drawn in the construction of the tower, for the blocks of black granite that had been hewn from the mountain face of the Daishain Mountains a thousand miles away had been carried with an unerring precision that outdid any mortal’s work, as arcane glyphs and sigils engraved upon the impregnable stone walls interweaved and twined together, forming intricate designs that defied the eye, making even the finest lace seem drab. Even a century after its construction, the tower still prickled with fey energies from the residue of its making. The man focused his eyes, the yellow gleam still undiminished with age, upon the bits of parchment that still danced their message.
His initial irritation was soon smoothed over as the message unfurled its contents. The frowned dissipated, leaving only the wrinkles of age, as his facial muscles twitched in a smile. Excitement added its own gleam to the magical yellowness in his eyes, an emotion so seldom associated with the man even in his younger days, but he could have been a different man then, as he nodded his head in what seemed like agreement. 
