The three had finally veered away from the mountains. The miles of the forest soon became less and less until they were in the flatlands. From the eye could were nothing but fields of violets and tall grass. The contrast of purple and soft yellows dancing against the brilliant blue sky was hypnotizing.

The tall grass made for easy cover off the main path for them. The horses looked as if they were a few wandering wild mustangs. Gabriel would take no chance even though they were now in the southern kingdom.

During the weeks of travel, both Noah and Theo had taken to studying the night skies when they were clear. Gabriel did his best in teaching them how to travel by the stars and the constellations. He was by no means a perfect teacher, but neither boy cared. It was a nightly occurrence and each night they became better and better.

That feeling of dread that had consumed Gabriel on this journey had disappeared a few days into the trip. The three long weeks seemingly flew by. Within those weeks the three boys grew closer and it made the traveling a lot easier. Gabriel for once felt genuinely happy.

The day this journey ended had finally arrived. All three were tired and sore and ready to be done with horseback for a long while. So they packed up for the last time and began towards Asra.

It was a little past noon when the boys made it into Asra. The city was quite larger than Kestramore, and just as busy with a melting pot of people coming and going. Coming into the city there wasn't a main road leading in, but a smaller cobble road weaving through buildings. There were many roads like this weaving throughout the city linking together and finally, connecting to the center of the city. Right in the center was a large apple tree and merchants and vendors scattered around. The majority of people were here with streams of people walking around finding random stores pushed into the winding roads around the center of town. Many of the buildings hosted multiple stores on different levels along with other buildings used for housing for either the locals or travelers.

Noah and Theo's senses were overwhelmed. Neither one knew where to look first or where these delicious smells were coming from. Gabriel on the other hand knew where he was going. He led the brothers through the winding streets going from more of the homes of the locals to the crowds of travelers and locals making their way to the center. After a few minutes of pushing through, Gabriel found the man he was looking for.

The man was around forty. His clothing was covered in hay and dirt. The man stood as Gabriel dismounted his horse and had a small chat with the man. After a short time, Gabriel looked back at the boys to move them off their horses. This was one of the many stalls throughout the city.

Gabriel took what he needed from his saddle bag followed by the other two. He thanked the man and headed out into the center again. He told Theo about some bookshops on the main road traveled. Theo decided he would head that way while Noah stayed with Gabriel. They would find an inn and all would meet back at the stables in a few hours.

~~~*~~~

Walking up there was a small wooden sign that hung above the entrance. Mariupol's Inn. There was a little lobby with a sitting area and a fireplace that wasn't lit. A few people were standing and talking and an older lady reading over a large book behind the counter. A few words were exchanged with the sweet lady and a room was paid for. Two beds and a small private bath attached. Gabriel led the way up to the third floor and Noah followed.

"Well, it's not as nice as the other place." Noah scrunched his nose in slight disapproval as he looked around.

Gabriel dumped the bag he carried on the bed and some dust flew up. "It was all that was available." He turned back to Noah. "Many are traveling to Ifera to join the war efforts."

There it was. The monster Noah had been running from showed its ugly head. He let out an awkward cough and shuffled to the other bed. "So I'm guessing this is the end of the line for us?"

"There's some business I need to take care of while here," Gabriel smirked at the obvious demeanor change in Noah. He would never admit it but they had really grown on him. Damn, you're getting soft.

"Damn, was hoping we'd finally get rid of you." Noah dramatically said with a small smile. He had no clue what they would do once Gabriel left them.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and walked out without another word. When he noticed Noah wasn't following, he poked his head around the doorway. "I'm not unloading everything from the horses on my own."

"Oh," Noah jogged after him as Gabriel disappeared again.

Noah really took in everything he could as the two walked back to the inn with arms full. From what they learned according to the stable hand, large waves of travelers had been coming and going for weeks now. A new wave would be coming in at any given day now and they all were waiting. The inns were almost at capacity throughout Asra. When Gabriel pushed for more information, it came to light that northern armies had pushed into parts of the southern territory. Mass casualties and displacement occurred. The King ordered movement to protect what they could but the northern armies were even more powerful than before and had no answers to why.

It was clear to Noah that Asra was a haven city. It was a grim reality and one he realized wasn't as safe as he thought. He would need to think of their next plan of action.

"You, okay?" Gabriel had noticed the furrowed eyebrows and frown that etched themselves into Noah's face.

He sighed, "Just when I think we're okay..." Noah stared at the bags littering the bed. Their lives are packed away. "Everything flips again and new plans have to be made."

Gabriel placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "It'll be okay."

Are you really going to give these kids false hope?

~~~*~~~

Theo walked around the center for a bit. Really just taking in everything and everyone around him. It was definitely much different from Kestramore. The people were kinder and there was a sense of happiness that floated right above people's heads. He was greeted by many and offered samples of food. Though he hadn't been to many places, this was probably his favorite. After several rounds around the circle, Theo decided to head to the bookshop across from where he was.

Willow Tree Book Keeper. A two-level shop with a cute little makeshift "fairy garden" in a window garden set up. From the outside, the store didn't seem like much, but walking in was like entering a new world. Walking in there was a greeting of a warm smell of incense burning almost dizzying if one let it consume them. If not overwhelmed by the smell then the site of books would. Any place that could be covered was definitely covered with books. Walls completely covered by bookshelves and tables piled to the ceiling. Even the floor had books stacked as tall as some of the tables. Small paths had been made by many customers throughout the years weaving in and out of piles and to the there's leading to the second level.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Theo didn't know where to start really so he just kind of wandered around. He glanced over the spines of all the different books. Many names he couldn't read as they were in different languages or just so worn they couldn't be read. He wandered towards the back of the shop where a lady appeared.

This lady was about Theo's height with a tightly made bun and a freshly pressed dress. She looked up from her book and adjusted her glasses. She gave a warm smile that sent wrinkles around her eyes as she motioned Theo towards her.

"Hello deary, is there something you're looking for in particular?" She asked in a soft voice right above a whisper.

"Um yes. Would you happen to have any children's books with myths and lore," Theo asked, he wasn't going to get his hopes up. Even in a shop with so many books.

"Well let me just see." The shopkeeper disappeared and then reappeared with what looked like a long scroll.

She adjusted her glasses once more and started reading the infinite list of books. Theo's eyes wandered around while the shopkeeper was busy. Little knickknacks seemed to appear before his eyes, but Theo shrugged them off as tricks on his eyes from the incense smoke swirling in the beams of sunlight.

"Aha. Here we go." The shopkeeper had found something and was now looking at Theo, "Tales of Drazhen and Legend and Lore of the Ancient Gods. The second one isn't really a children's book but you may find it interesting." She gave a mischievous wink and grin.

"I'll take both," Theo said. Then something strange happened.

As soon as Theo agreed to the books, the shopkeeper put away the scroll and as she returned the two books appeared in front of her. Theo didn't remember seeing her carry the books from where she came from. They just appeared. He went to pull out his coin bag and the shopkeeper shook her head and motioned for him to put the bag away.

"I can sense you're searching for something. You came for a reason." She pushed the two books towards him and grabbed one of his hands. "Here." She then placed a small purple crystal that was in the shape of a daisy head in Theo's hand. "And this is to wear for protection wherever you go." He looked down at the small crystal. It was connected to a chain to be worn as a necklace. He went to thank the shopkeeper, but when he looked up she had disappeared. He looked for a minute but couldn't find her to thank her. So he place to necklace around his neck and hid it in his shirt and walked out with his newly given books.

Theo was greeted by Gabriel outside of the shop. He showed Gabriel the two books but said nothing else. He still couldn't believe what had occurred in the shop and didn't want to seem crazy telling Gabriel. "Where's Noah?"

"I think he decided to take a short nap." Gabriel had one of the books looking it over thoughtlessly. As he handed it back he asked, "You hungry?"

Theo smiled. "Starving."

Gabriel smiled and motioned his head down the road. He knew of a tavern that served pretty good food. It was at least better than what they had been eating during those days on the trail.

~~~*~~~

The tavern was huge. A large bar on one wall with booths and tables in the open room with a stage looked like on the opposite wall from the wall. There was a second floor with more booths against the outside wall with a large wrap-around table along the inner wall for anyone wanting to watch entertainment down below. It was a lovely place with beautiful stained wood. Music seemed to just pour from the walls and floated around the crowds and staff.

Gabriel led the way to one of the booths on the main floor. Theo kept pace but was trying to take in every ounce of this place. He caught a glimpse through the crowd surrounding the bar and could've sworn one of the barmaids flew up to grab a bottle of some liquid from the top shelf. He did a double take and the barmaid was running around again with drinks and orders.

Of course, she wasn't flying you idiot. Theo thought to himself. You're seeing things now.

Soon enough the two found a place to sit and a waitress appeared out of thin air. Theo was truly losing his mind. First the flying barmaid now a magically appearing waitress. Maybe those nights of traveling were doing more harm than good. Gabriel didn't seem alarmed and went ahead and ordered. Theo quickly tried clearing his mind and looked up at the waitress to give his order. She made sure it was correct, snapped her notebook closed, and just like that vanished. Theo must have had some sort of look of awe or surprise on his face because Gabriel started chuckling.

"What?" Theo started feeling crazy. The incense was getting to his head.

"You seem a little surprised is all." Gabriel shrugged still smiling as if he knew something.

Theo narrowed his eyes at Gabriel. "You saw her..."

"Appear and vanish?" He took a sip of his drink, "Yeah, you're not crazy. This city is full of magic users. Really the whole kingdom." He saw the childlike wonder in Theo's eyes. It was as if a whole other world had been unlocked right before him. In this case, it really had been.

Theo put two and two together from the store and the strange shopkeeper. "That explains it then."

"Explains what?" Gabriel asked.

"The Bookshop. The lady there was a bit odd. She never went to grab any books just this huge scroll with hundreds if not thousands of books listed. Then she found two and they just appeared in front of her. She also gave me this." Theo pulled the necklace off to show Gabriel," She said this was for protection and gave it to me along with these two books. When I went to pay she had vanished."

"She's a witch," Gabriel said it like it was the most normal thing in the world, and to him it was. He continued when he saw the look of surprise on Theo's face, "No one knows her name just that she's the bookkeeper. She travels from her many shops. Normally you go in and leave the money on the counter if you find a book you want. However, when someone comes in with any particular need, she appears to help. In your case, she's seen something in your future that you need protection from and has gifted you the necklace. It's a high honor to be gifted one of these."

"Why's that?" Theo had taken the necklace back. He looked it over with a newfound appreciation.

"Because these are powerful pieces of magic and are only given to those that are deemed worthy of such magic." Gabriel pulled out his necklace only his was an opal crescent moon.

"Woah." Theo was in amazement at the delicate necklace Gabriel was showing him. He was just amazed at this place in general. If magic was still being practiced what other things were true? "So the barmaid..."

"Seems like some sort of fey creature," Gabriel replied. Theo looked over and there she was flying again. Beautiful translucent wings fluttering like a hummingbird. He was in awe.

Dinner came and Theo remembered just how hungry he was. The two were silent for the most part with small chatting every now and again. Travelers and locals came and went as the night went on. Theo was enjoying the atmosphere not just in the tavern but in the city as well. He wanted to know more about the city and learn as much as he could about magic. While Theo was lost in thought Gabriel finished eating and spoke up.

"So what two books did she give you," Gabriel asked. Theo wiped his mouth and grabbed the books from where they sat next to him. He pushed them towards Gabriel so he could get a better look. "You take a look at them?"

"Not yet but she said they could be useful," Theo said with a mouth full of food.

Gabriel picked up one of the books. Tales of Drazhen. He flipped through it glancing at the blurred pages. Nothing much to it really. A fairly small book but again it was only children's stories. Theo picked up the other book and started flipping through it. He quickly realized this was something quite different than he thought. Page after page were entries of Gods. However, these were not the Ancient Gods that Gabriel told them about. No, these were Gods and Goddesses roaming the universe.

"Gabriel." Theo continued flipping through the book. Illustrations and entries continued every few pages a new God being discussed. He flipped the book over to Gabriel. "Elmar was right."

The book had flipped to an almost empty page. A few sentences were written as if the author had been in a hurry. No illustrations were drawn.

"Ahmes. The god of the night. Keeper of moon and stars. Protector of night travelers. A great warrior against dark forces." Gabriel read quietly. He flipped the page and it went on to another God. "That's it."

"That's it. There's nothing else here. What the bloody hell is this." Theo was flustered. He started flipping through the book trying to find anything else on this god. He started cursing to himself as he continued.

"A forgotten God," Gabriel whispered to himself. Theo hadn't heard him but maybe that was for the best. Gabriel had this odd feeling of familiarity and loneliness. Questions ran sprints in his mind. Ones that he knew couldn't be answered.