Two guild members, Juniper and Laughlin, accompanied us to the Wizard's Tower. Laughlin brought his wolf, Dusk who could smell danger a mile away. Given the nature of the magical item we carried, it was suggested that we take the mountain pass rather than risk passage on a busy ship. The walk was longer and more intense than I expected it to be and as we ascended into the Stonehold mountains, a chill ran through me. I wished that I had brought a warmer cloak, but no one else appeared to be bothered by the cold, so I kept quiet, bunching my light cloak together at the front so the cool air couldn't find its way in.

It was well after nightfall when we made it to The Blue Lioness Inn, just inside the gates of Northport. In addition to being cold, I was also hungry and verging on exhaustion. Laughlin took dusk to the stable while we grabbed a table for dinner and rooms for the night.

"Are you sure two rooms will be enough?" I asked.

"I don't sleep, so I don't need a bed—just a quiet place to sit and meditate for a few hours. I can room with the girls, and you can room with Laughlin. I booked us doubles so there are two beds in each room." Juniper replied.

"What do you mean you don't need to sleep? Ever?"

"It's a trait of my ancestry. Elves have no need for sleep the way humans do."

"Oh, I had no idea, it would be handy not having to sleep. I'd get so much more done." I looked over at Sophie and Kamara who sat at the table chatting and giggling like school mates. It was good for Sophie to make a friend and while her smile filled my heart with joy, the sadness behind her eyes was evident. As far as we knew, her father had still not returned and she worried for him more than she admitted.

"Here, Gabe, give me a hand with these would you?" Juniper asked gesturing to Sophie and Kamara's backpacks. I picked up two of them in addition to my own and followed Juniper upstairs. We dropped off the bags in our rooms and then joined the girls and Laughlin at the table.

"We ordered everyone a hot mulled cider, I hope that's okay." Sophie said as we sat down. I looked at the steaming mug in front of me and the smell of cinnamon and apple made me feel warm and cozy. I held the warm mug in both hands and sighed with relief as the chill melted away.

"Thank you, this is perfect."

"Where is the… artifact?" Laughlin asked.

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"Don't worry, I have it in here." Juniper said, patting her pocket.

"What? In where, how?" Sophie asked in a hushed voice.

"My pouch, it has a dimension pocket. I can put items into it, tuck them away in that pocket and if someone takes the bag and empties it, the only stuff that will fall out is what would actually fit in a pouch this size."

"How do you get it out again?"

"I think about the item I want to pull out, reach in and the opening expands to allow me to retrieve the item from the other dimension."

"Wow, how did you get such a wonderous item?" I asked.

"Agatha made it for me, she is a powerful sorceress, and I don't know how true it is, but I've heard rumors that she is a dragon trapped in human form by some spell that was cast back when dragons disappeared."

"Do you think that spell has something to do with the orb?" Sophie whispered. "I mean, what if we have the key to bringing dragons back?"

"Would you really want that? I mean dragons are a wonder to behold, but they can be destructive and are capable of taking out entire villages in a few breaths," Juniper said.

Sophie thought about it, started to speak, then changed her mind. I almost hear the thoughts turning over in her mind. "If the people who destroyed Kamara's temple were looking for this, and they are the same people who took my father, maybe instead of taking this to the wizard, we should be making a trade," she suggested.

"That's way too dangerous. We don't even know what this item can do or why they want it, but if they are willing to kill innocent people to get it then we should do anything we can to keep it out of their hands."

"Even if that means my father's life? What about him, we can't just let him die over some silly little orb!"

Other patrons looked up from their plates and turned their heads toward us. "Shh, Sophie, we don't want to call attention to ourselves. Let's talk about this later." Juniper whispered.

"Excuse me," Sophie choked out as she pushed back from the table. "I need some air."

"Want me to come with you?" I asked.

She waved me away and rushed out the front door. I looked to the others and then back toward Sophie. "Just let her have some time. It's difficult for her, knowing her father might be in danger, but the guild is looking for him. and they will get him back. we have to trust them." Juniper said.

I let out a sigh. "I guess."

After dinner we went straight to our rooms, eager to end this day and begin the next. I wondered what the wizard would be like. I heard that he was a grown man when the dragons disappeared, which would make him over a hundred years old. Humans usually don't live that long, so he had to be an elf, or perhaps even fae. The fae kept the borders of their lands sealed to anyone without fae ancestry. Elves and other fae were welcome, but no one else. I'd never seen an actual fae—exceptionally tall, winged, humanoid creatures, but Ma used to tell me stories that her mother told her about a time before the orc wars when the fae ruled the land we live on now.

Somehow, even with my head swimming with thoughts of wizards and fae, I managed to fall asleep.