A look of shock crossed her face, followed quickly by a massive grin and the clap of hands. “Do I have the story for you! His name is Finneus Burgeon, and he’s legendary in Glueburn. I’ve heard stories that he was here even before Glueburn was founded, and that was over five hundred years ago. I’ve never seen him before, but according to the stories, he made a pact with an evil god that gave him immortality, even more than what your kind already has. But anyway, for such a precious soul, the evil god not only gave him immortality but also gave him the ability to see into the past and read people’s memories. As the stories go, if you show bravery and go to him offering the right reward, he will fix any problem you have, no matter how big. Mr. George told me that the emperor went to Finneus when his uncle had ousted him from the throne, and Finneus made his uncle disappear and raised the emperor back to his rightful place in the seat of power. Imagine what kind of price you’d have to pay for an empire.”

As soon as she mentioned Uncle Finneus’s name, I wanted to tell her about my relationship with Uncle Finneus, but as she continued speaking, that feeling disappeared. “Do you know what he looks like?” I asked.

Zara shrugged. “Like I said, I’ve never actually seen him before. But according to legend, the pact with the evil god was not without consequences. Finneus Burgeon is known to have a massive burn scar down the left side of his face, and a heavy limp on his right leg, so much so he’s always seen with a gold cane.”

We were still standing in front of the bakery, and as Zara finished speaking, Mr. George walked out of the door, locked it, and waved goodbye to us. Both of us waved back.

“So, are you ready to show me the city?” I asked.

“Sure,” she said. “What part of the city do you want to see first?”

“Huh, all of it?” I asked.

Zara laughed. "Glueburn is a massive city; it would take a week to see all of it."

"Oh, I don't know then. Where do you think we should go?" I asked.

Zara folded her arms and brought a finger to her lips, tapping it. "I know exactly where to go," she said, wrapping her arm around mine and pulling me forward.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

She smiled at me as we skip-stepped along. "Don't worry, you'll see when we get there. It's going to be awesome."

It was a fifteen-minute walk to wherever we were going. On the way, we talked about everything and nothing. It was a discussion that mattered more than anything in the moment, but in reality, we could of been discussing how many particles of dust were in the three-meter square space in Glueburn for April and July, and I probably would of had just as much fun. Either way, I was having a very pleasant chat when we arrived at our destination. It was a massive structure made out of granite, marble, and a myriad of other stones of which I could perhaps name a minority.

Zara released my arm and gestured expansively. "This is one of the coolest places in the city. It is a museum. They have crazy old artifacts, some dating back to 3,000 years ago. They have cursed weapons, magical clothes, and even books written on forbidden spells."

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I shook my head in disappointment. "It sounds pretty awesome, Zara, too bad it’s closed for the night."

Zara turned around with a grin. "That’s what you think, but I happen to know security guards who work the night shift. Come on."

I shrugged and followed her up the steps towards the museum. Instead of the main entrance, we moved to the side, and behind a pillar in the old Algerian dwarf style was a small door just large enough for a small human. Zara went up to the door and knocked three times, paused, then knocked twice more. A few minutes went by before the door swung open, and a dark-skinned human with short curly hair greeted us.

Zara waved. "Hi, Braxos, how much do you love me?"

Braxos raised his hand, holding his thumb and index finger close together. "About this much on a good day, Zara. What do you want?" he said in a deep lilting voice.

Zara put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "Hey now, no need to be so cold-hearted. Anyway, this is Bartholomew. He’s new to the city, so I told him I’d give him a tour. I thought this was the best place to start; any chance you could let us in to roam the museum after hours? It will only be for a little while."

Braxos appeared to be unmoved by Zara. "Why don’t you come back when the museum is open? Then you can spend all the time you want showing him around."

"It’s nowhere near as much fun in the dark, and you know it. Please, Braxos?"

Braxos sighed and, bending down, reentered the small door, holding it open for us to follow. As I walked past, Braxos glared at me like I had killed his mother. I offered a small smile and shrugged, but it did not appear to lift his mood. If Zara was aware of the stink-eye Braxos was giving me, she did not acknowledge it. Instead, she was all bubbly excitement, urging me onward to look at the curiosities of the room. Her happiness and excitement were infectious, and I found myself looking at artifacts with interest, though there was no doubt that every artifact in the place was subpar to the ones kept within the confines of my uncle’s house on Golden Trout Lane.

The first exhibit she brought me to was one showing two animal skeletons standing ready for combat. To the right of each of the sets of bones was a magical replication of the animals when they were alive. It showed them hunting for food and even fighting humans and other conscious creatures. They were huge, with thick black fur striped in yellowish-green. Their teeth glowed green and appeared to be razor-sharp, tearing through flesh and wood as easily as cutting butter.

"These are called Zolori, a professor of history from the University of Glueling told me that these creatures used to be the apex predators in the area. According to Professor James, their fur functioned as an anti-magic barrier, making them dangerous to even other magical creatures. Magicians were so terrified of them that they would hire private armies to hunt down every one of them to extinction. The last one to be seen had a bounty put on its head and was killed off by a mercenary group called the Silver Cranes. Their leader, a guy by the name of Kevin, wore it as a symbol of power until his death." Zara stopped talking, gasped, and pointed. "That exhibit wasn’t here last time. I think that’s the pelt of the creature."

With that, she raced across the hall, leaving me wondering which one of us was giving the tour and which of us was the doe-eyed stranger, amazed by everything he saw. I grinned as I watched her. There was something infectious about such sincere wonder. Shaking my head, I walked over to catch up with her.

The next hour was spent much like the first, with Zara pulling me along from one exhibit to the other, telling me everything there was to know about this cursed artifact or how this race used to hunt for food. Amazed would not describe how I felt. I was appreciative of the knowledge, but it was the pure joy she offered with every explanation that made me enjoy the time we spent together. After two hours and endless amounts of information, chuckles, and stories, we walked out of the Museum together under the scornful eye of Braxos.

Zara stretched her arms up towards the stars and let out a long sigh. "That was a lot of fun. Where do you want to go next?"

I offered a smile. "While I’d love to go with you to see more of the city, I promised my uncle I would help him with something tonight. But I’d love to do this again."

Zara eyed me up and down. "I suppose we could, even if you are abandoning me early. Is whatever your uncle is doing really that important?"

I shrugged. "Le famille."

Zara raised a questioning eyebrow, but I didn’t elaborate. "Yeah, let’s do it. Come visit me at the bakery, and we can make plans."

"Ok," I said, then looked around at the dark, semi-empty streets. "Do you need help getting home?"

Zara laughed. "I was going to ask you the same question, elf. Your kind would sell for a pretty penny on the black market."

I shrugged. "They are welcome to try, but I do get your point. I’ll see you tomorrow, Zara. Thanks for showing me the museum. I had a lot of fun."

Zara offered a nod and a wave and walked away into the night. I stared after her until she turned down a corner. Sighing and cursing my uncle under my breath, I started making my way towards Golden Trout Lane.