At first, what the town warden said took a moment to sink in. There has never been a herbalist stand in this town square. Ardwyn saw the herbalist with his own eyes, and talked to them. And they gave him the Ethereal Blossoms. There was no doubt that they were real. So how come the town warden had never heard of any herbalist stand?

After realizing they weren’t going to get any other information out of the town warden, Ardwyn and Flynn made their back to the town square. The sun started to lower in the horizon, with a softer glow of light falling onto the streets of the town.

Flynn noticed Ardwyn’s downcast expression and asked, “Can you show me the spot where the herbalist stand was?”

“It was over there, near the town corner, just a few minutes away,” Ardwyn said, pointing. They walked to the market center, where merchants were already packing up for the day. Turning left at the corner, they reached the area Ardwyn mentioned.

Where Ardwyn had last seen the herbalist stand, there was now only a patch of worn grass. There seemed to have been a stand occupying the spot by the looks of the trampled ground. The only thing around was a trinket shop next to the empty area.

The trinket merchant was a woman with a scarf covering her hair. She had deep brown eyes, and curly brown locks of hair. As she turned to face them, her jewelry jingled, the golden earrings swaying with the movement.

Her shop displayed an eccentric collection of trinkets: vintage jewelry, astrolabes and old parchments in glass bottles. It seemed to be a one stop shop for curious old things.

When the lady saw them approaching she said, “What can I help you gentlemen find today?”

“We’re actually looking for a herbalist shop,” Ardwyn said. “It was right here.” He pointed to the spot right next to the trinket shop. “I visited last week, and now we’re trying to find the woman who was selling flowers there.”

“That’s odd,” she said. “I’ve had my stall here every week, and I’ve never seen a herbalist merchant anywhere nearby.”

“But it was right here,” Ardwyn said, “Right in this very place,” he pointed.

The merchant shrugged.

Ardwyn looked down at the ground. “Then why is the grass worn down?”

“A baker sets up there occasionally, every other week or so. But a herbalist stand? Never. I’m here daily. I would have noticed.”

Ardwyn thought for a moment. The town warden must have been right then. The townspeople genuinely had no recollection of a herbalist shop. But then, what had he seen? Where did the herbalist and those Ethereal Blossoms come from?

Later in the day, Ardwyn and Flynn started to begin to feel tired. They started to feel hungry as well. The town’s bustle was dying down, with merchants packing up their shops for the evening.

Ahead, near the town center, they spotted their classmates gathered around the fountain. The students lounged on the stone edges, waiting for the others to meet them. Some of the students talked excitedly about their day’s adventures. The professor also sat on the edge of the round stone fountain, taking a moment to relax, while reading a parchment of some sort.

Once most of the students had found their way back to the group, the professor stood and addressed the group, “Well then, I trust you’ve all had ample time to explore and observe,” her eyes sweeping over the students. “We’ll discuss your findings back at the Academy. But right now, I’m assuming everyone is starving to death.”

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The professor led the class to The Sleeping Moon Inn, one of the largest inns near the town center. As they entered, Ardwyn recognized the familiar surroundings. The barmaid he’d met before was maneuvering through the crowded room, balancing two trays, one with large glass pitchers of beer, and the other with grilled fish.

“Welcome to the Sleepy Moon Inn!” the barmaid called out. “My, what a gathering of mages we have today!”

The professor stepped forward. “Dinner for fifty,” the professor said. “Do you have room for us all?”

“More than certainly,” the barmaid said. “Right this way, please.”

She led them to the heart of the inn, where a massive fire pit crackled. A large burly man emerged from the back, with thick muscled arms and a chest covered with hair. His cook uniform strained against his broad frame.

“Would you mind helping me with these tables?” the barmaid asked.

The cook nodded and set to work. With a grunt, he pushed two long tables, sliding them together. Each table could seat about twenty people. Once joined, they formed two parallel rows stretching down the center of the inn.

Ardwyn sat down at the far end of the table, by Flynn and Myriel. The rest of the class seemed excited, recounting the events from their day with each other.

The crackling fire cast a cozy glow across the room. The aroma of roasted meats, and freshly baked bread filled the inn. The sounds of talking, and the clashes of dishes and cups made a warm comforting noise. Ardwyn, for a moment, forgot about his troubles and closed his eyes.

Waking him up from his thoughts, Myriel said, “So, where did you two vanish off to earlier?”

Before Ardwyn could respond, Flynn leaned inn, “Oh, we were on a secret mission.” He showed a mischievous smile. “Ardwyn was trying to solve a mystery.”

“Do tell,” Myriel said, and turned to Ardwyn.

“It’s complicated,” Ardwyn said. “I was looking for something I encountered during my previous visit, but it seems to have vanished into thin air.”

“What exactly were you searching for?”

As Ardwyn opened his mouth to respond, the barmaid approached their table with steaming platters of food. The professor had apparently dishes for the class to share.

When the barmaid had finished laying the plates, the professor rose to her feet, her glass held high. “I’d like to propose a toast.” She paused allowing the moment to settle. “To new experiences and new knowledge. May you always remain open to the wonders of the world.” She sat back down. Some of the students clapped, and others clinked their glasses with utensils.

The students began to serve themselves out of the shared platters. Ardwyn took a bite out of the crispy fish. Flynn threw himself into his meal, the conversation they were just having put on hold.

As the dinner progressed, the professor stood up once more, gently tapping her glass to get everyone’s attention. The room gradually quieted down.

“I hope everyone is enjoying themselves,” she said. “Now, as our day comes to a close, I’d like you all to meet me by the town square fountain in half an hour. That’s where we’ll open the portal back to the Academy. Don’t be late — the portal will only remain open for a short time.”

As the dinner wound down, Ardwyn sat there, taking in the atmosphere. This trip to town had been a surprising start to the semester, far from the stuffy classroom lectures he’d anticipated. After all they would be traveling a lot more, trying out their mage skills out in the real world.

The students began to finish up their meals and leave. Myriel had gone up to talk with the teacher about something, with just a few of the students left around the dinner table. The fire now smoldered low, casting shadows across the emptying inn.

Flynn stretched and yawned before turning to Ardwyn. “Ready to call it a night?” Flynn asked.

“Yeah,” Ardwyn said. “Let’s head out.”

When they exited the inn, Ardwyn glanced at the sky. The sun was already beyond the horizon, with a darkness falling over the town. The streetlight lamps softly glowed with halos lighting up the street before them. Ardwyn hadn’t realized how quickly it got dark.

The town square had grown eerily quiet. A chilly breeze whispered through the empty streets, rustling discarded parchment papers and causing some of the hanging signs to creak.

Flynn shivered, pulling his robe tighter around himself. “Is it just me, or did it get colder?”

Ardwyn nodded, an inexplicable sense of unease settling over him. The familiar streets they had walked earlier now seemed alien and foreboding. In the distance, a dog howled. The sound echoed through the deserted streets.

They walked a few blocks and Ardwyn spotted a figure walking down the cobblestone street under the streetlamp. A woman with silver gray hair bundled and flowing out of her scarf.

“Wait,” Ardwyn whispered, “That woman…”

Flynn squinted in the dim light.

The woman turned a corner, disappearing from view.

“The herbalist!” Ardwyn said to Flynn. “That’s her. That’s the herbalist from the market stand!”