A flash of tiny bright dots blinded Merryn from the spell, that the Elders cast. Rubbing them, she stumbled onto the cobblestone walkway. She pulled a map out of the pouch on her hip. Now, where was it again? The port and the book were at opposite ends of this city. Yes, it's off ahead, near the northern district.

The paved jade streets and marble-lined walls bled of status and wealth. No, there wasn't any point bothering to try to fit in and ask people questions, no time. It would be a lie to say their disdainful looks didn't sting, of the men and women who passed by each haughty face and glare were as subtle as a kick in the gut. She glared back while holding her tear-drop necklace. A calm spread over her as she took a small portion of its essence. She double-checked the leather knot making sure it was secure. "To lose this is to lose yourself." Mamma could be quite literal at times but the warning was clear.

The corners of her mouth drooped. It was bad enough having to learn the darker arts, let alone be dumped into this human city. Now wasn't the time to give in. Concentrate on the mission, and need to hurry now. They didn't say how long the runes would hold. It was hard calling him but had to be done.

“Feared Kage, pull the shadows and wrap them tight, with a kiss of the night.” She whispered.

A transparent spirit arose out of the street, he touched her hand. As he did a coolness flowed over starting at her feet spreading from end to end.

“Ah, the spirit adepts calls. So, you pledge to be bound by my pact and accept the cost?” His voice a soft breath that whispered in her ears.

She swallowed. “Yes.” Generally, the cost was exhaustion.

He curtly nodded before flipping over and dispersing back down through the street.

Majestic trees dotted in the city, providing cool shade, she edged away into the shadows; avoiding the light, one-touch would break the spell of hidden. She pressed to a house wall, working her way forward.

Crouched down, she breathed slow and even. Soft pink petals floated down, carpeting the streets. People sat under them, chatting; ignorant. The petals created a false sense of serenity to the city, it masked the evil here, contained in a fragile cage; its magics within weakening. It was already breaking out. Little time was left now.

The grasyish shadows moved on their own scaling the sides of the buildings. A thin trail lead back to the castle where it hugged the walls and buildings as it trickled back before sliding through a crack. The humans couldn't see them. She shivered. It was awake. The other adepts should never have agreed to let them guard it, hell they can't even see its spirit.

She worked her way towards the back-end of the city. The elite lived here in their white houses, decorated with paintings of the gods. While most other houses had murals of Olenus, this one was of the goddess in long robes, in one hand she held out a globe in the other a closed book. As usual, had a stern look about her as if daring anyone to cross her.

Padding closer, her footsteps, but of a whisper; her outline, but a shadow. The spell absorbed the surrounding darkness, wrapping about. Stopping as she crouched near the high outer castle brick wall. The old woman had lied! A seer still patrolled the castle. This could be a problem as some guards could detect fresh cast spells. Prowling the alleyways through the large gardens, she hid behind some small bushes and potted plants. There, it's clear now.

Crouching low as possible, she sprinted to the house ahead.

A group of overdressed women walked past. How could they breathe in those tight-ribbed girdles? She pulled in a breath and forced her breathing to quiet while she crouched low. Come on, move your slow-moving butts. As soon as they passed, she tiptoed closer.

The magic shadow barrier was fragile. Avoiding the shafts of light she darted to a thin shadow line along the wall behind the guard patrol path. The barrier ahead buzzed, where the light touched it had a faint iridescent gleam. Two guards stood in slick black armor the spears they held were longer than even her own people's.

Honed tips towered over their heads. Their jawlines next to their noses ended at a sharp angle, unlike their wit. With silent steps, she slunk her way past them and turned the corner. She slid her pack off under the window ledge. Opening it, she took out a rope tied to a grappling hook. She tossed the hook up, and it clanked on the edge.

Pulling the rope taut, she ascended the wall and dropped in through. It was dark in here but was dotted here and there with a faint light that came from outside.

She dropped to the floor crawling to the hallway. It's clear. She streaked through it while hugging the wall.

The patrolling guards were lazy today. Slipping past them was the easy part.

Pressing against the wall the cold cut through her leather armor. Come on, hurry up.

A blondy guard played with a coin end over end on top of his knuckles, flipping it to the other. The other patrolling guard came up talking to the first. The discussion became heated, and he pushed the blondy, who dropped the coin, it bounced spinning on the marble flooring.

Moving forward, she half somersaulted-backtracking away out of sight.

The blondy guard doubled back to pick it up, leaving after and muttering.

Pulling out the map, it showed the room was close, its open archway entrance had four pillars, two near her and the other ones in the back of the room. It seemed too easy. There had to be a trap there always was.

In the middle of the room, a glass case was surrounded by several locks on each side. It glowed with purple sealing runes. They hovered just above the glass and ancient words uncoiled as she neared:

Turn back now! They who break the seal of these ancient texts will wish for a swift death and know only torment, their bodies know not decay nor know of release, the soul bound forever between both worlds.

What? Wasn't that curse lifted by the third Elder? She shrunk back. Just how old is their information? She squeezed and twisted her wrist. It couldn't be helped, going back now would bring great shame. It couldn't be helped just have to suck it up. Hopefully, the trap is the same, unless the whole report is wrong. There it is.

She rummaged through the many pouches strung on her belt and pulled the handkerchief out, leaned over, and dropped it in the case. Here goes...

The handkerchief exploded into flames the moment it neared the runes. The alarm was enough to drive anyone crazy. Were the guards coming?

As it stopped the building filled with another grating, high-pitched alarm.

The case before her rattled from the impact when each ward exploded.

“Uarrg!” She covered her ears.

Ignoring the alarm, she pulled several thieves' tools from another pouch.

Five locks along the edge of the case surrounded its total. She picked the locks one at a time and held each one by its sides.

Her hands flew over the locks as footsteps echoed in the corridor. Oh, gods! Sweat trickled into an eye. Don't screw this up.

A finger slipped over the seventh lock, and the pick almost dropped. Quit messing up.

After opening the eighth lock, a hidden spring popped from within it immediately a sharp hook swung down that dripped with a dull green liquid.

With a snapping motion, she whipped her hand away. The lock clanged on the marble. Damn it!

Her silver daggers rang out of their sheaths. She whirred them hilt side up and shattered the glass case in the middle.

The thick book flopped as she jostled it. She crammed the Omega Tome inside her leather vest, it was a tight fit.

Thin wisps of the shadows now half solid slid down her chest toward the tear drop necklace, cold and wet as it dripped off the edge of the armor. She shook, unable to stop. “Foul god!”

Over at the window ledge, she climbed and secured the grappling hook and started to work her way down.

“Thief!”

Spinning around, a guard had entered and now was standing next to the broken case.

He seized the rope with a hand and yanked her back up. He leaned his face nearer, and his bushy eyebrows came up to her forehead.

“Um, hea-hi.” Without looking away, she tugged on the rope.

He growled. “Hand it over. It's pointless keeping it now.” Glaring at her, he hefted her closer. Spittle flew from his mouth, it landed on her cheek.

Humans were so disgusting. She leaned back further pulling away, taking a peek it looked about ten feet down. Should make it.

She wiped the spittle off with a finger and flicked it back in his face, he ducked. Tich.

The other guards inched closer.

Letting go of the rope she balanced on the thin window ledge. “I've a better idea: I'll keep it while you go chew a mint leaf.” She winked.

He dropped it, sidestepping as a spear whizzed past. “Get her, not me, you idiots!” He yelled at the others.

Yi! She ducked, just below the window was a pond with a tree beside it. Looks deep enough. Maybe. Olenus, please let me make it to the water.

She sprang off the wall diving toward the water. A long tree branch brushed her head, she slipped in the muck almost turning her ankle.

She hopped about a little finding her balance and footing. “I send this prayer to Aetae the spirit of the wind may he hear my call.”

He came in a breaths time.

His touch a frosty cloak rising from the tips of her toes extending out as fine spray while it climbed to the tips of her long ears.

“Swift of feet so death might pass by,” he said. He held three transparent fingers up.

She nodded. Her body vibrated with power. Ignore the pain, go!

She went through the city streets, weaving about the busy people.

Rushing by them caused dresses to go over their heads and hats to fly off, as she swooshed past everything became long blurred lines.

To the right a dead-end, she swerved into it, flattening against the wall.

The guards ran past, their footfalls booming behind.

A little further down was a grime-encrusted sewer gate. Dropping through she just missed hitting her head on the bars as she squeaked through.

The thick stench of dead animals rotting assaulted her. She breathed through her mouth, but this only made her taste it. Disgusting! Jumping and wading through the nasty water, she crawled onto dry dirt on the other side. Need to check this book, make sure it's the right one.

Whispering a blessing to the light spirits called several to through another grate overhead, they stayed in the light shafts. Spinning together, a luminous globe appeared between them. The small globe hovered in the air, casting a bright glow. “My thanks.”

They nodded and left.

After wrestling with it, she drew out the book from her vest. Licking her dry lips while thumbing the pages. Looks authentic enough. Holding it at eye level, the pages had an enchantment of some sort, as the words hovered above the pages.

Holding it, they become flat again. Curious. Was it still in here? She inspected its cover, tracing her fingers along the embedded runes in its leather cover. Could just leave it here and run and delay its coming. Better just get it home and figure it out there.

She huffed. Tiny runes glowed on the pages, she squinted reading them. Setting the ancient book on her lap, she started reading.

“What is light becomes of shadow.”A soft voice filled the room.

Closing it, she backed away from where it hovered. The illusion of safety fell away like stuck snow on her lashes. This wasn't just a simple pick up and deliver, it was awake!

The pages flipped on their own. She edged away. The book flipped its pages, threefold the speed of seconds before.

It stopped.

The remaining runes fragmented deteriorating into a pile of dust.

They said nothing about this! Merryn twisted and vaulted out through the cracked section of the wall, her heartbeat erratic and her palms sweating. “Olenus, protect me.” Too late, far too late.

A shadow hard to see showed at the edges of the sparse light that streamed from cracks in the walls. Parts of it wafted from the tome's center and met with the rest. A face formed near the top, then a month. “I'm free, and all shall suffer for my pain. Our souls now one.”

It—came—wrapped around tight-so hard to breathe-she wheezed, gasped, and tugged. Goddess help me!

Its airy grip lessened as it snaked up her body looking her in the eye then passed into the tear drop necklace, it became momentarly prismatic and thrummed twice before stopping.

Not that. No. She screamed.

Stumbling backward, falling she landed on her side shaking. “Insane, this is insane.” Am drunk at the in is all, this isn't real.

I don't think you're convincing yourself any more than you are me.The voice came from within, slithering around repeating the words pain and reality.

She stood up and leaned on the decaying brick wall. This can't be right. They said it was weak and couldn't escape the tome! She propped her hands on the wall. She slid down and sat trying to stop shaking.

The thunder of the city guards running overhead.

Cripes, what if it's all of them? Sweat trickled down her neck, and she rubbed it. Now, what to do? Stay here with it or go up there and-and—

Leaning over, she drew in deep breaths her throat sore. It was all so surreal. The next thing she knew, she was deeper in the sewers.

Behind a ratty cloth mural of the city, a hidden stairwell leading back up. Cast the hidden again? No, it wasn't worth being aged a week.

Panting, she sprinted through several gardens. Following a wall, she stayed in the shadows. Running towards it, she skidded several feet from the exit. Was there a trap?

Turning around, she climbed up the side of a house near the wall, scampering off and jumping onto the edge.

A guard came patrolling from underneath where she knelt, she held her breath. Don't look up, don't look up, don't look up. The guard turned the corner out of sight.

Exhaling, she jumped, then went into a roll before hitting the ground. A blinding beam shot out from the city's middle.

She ran and stumbled into a shallow slope, the hairs on her arms curling from the heat. Still too close.

After clawing up the loose soil, a finely pitched shrill hit as did a rush of air, turning back around, the beam widened and engulfed the city.

Shrieks and screams rang in her ears their faces locked on her, then they disappeared into the sky, within seconds the entire city melted to the ground. The tomes seal how could it break, there was still time! Need to get away. She plopped to the hard ground at the top of the slope in a heap, next to the road.

She stared at where the city had been. Her body shook as she succumbed to the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her sobs and tears flowed free like the spirits. The last few souls rose from the city and vanished. The city swirled down into the gaping hole and the earth surrounding this turned an ash gray around it.

Behind was the clop of horses, a small group of soldiers on horseback. They stood, a gape locked in place. The one in the lead was not a soldier, he spotted her.

It was him!

His features, contorted into hard-lined hateful darkness.

Her stomach filled with sour bile.

“How dare you! Betrayer!” Maxwell bellowed across the field pointing his staff her way, his once warm and gentle eyes so cold. His scream spread out echoing to all corners of the valley.

Tears welled up blurring him, all except for his piercing eyes, the color of a rusty blade. She bolted away following the north path. A deep ache welled in her chest. He'll never forgive this.

Maxwell and the men came straight at her at full gallop.