The day moved by faster than most for Era. She was still sitting under the tree but she was unable to read or do much now that the sun had set. It cast the sky into darkness causing them to be covered in shadows.

The night was the darkest out of all these days. The sky was covered in clouds the moon and stars hidden behind than casting the lands into endless darkness. The only lights was that from the castle but that too went away in the end. The woman lying on the ground felt fear creeping into her heart that nothing could not be calmed. Her mind running in all directions as she was fearful for what was to come.

Even after all the nights she spent sleeping under these trees and lying on the grass outside of the kingdom she still felt no relief. She still felt afraid at every howl of a wolf, at every rustling of leaves, at every movement of the grass.

She was suppose to be braver than this but she wasn't it. She was still a weak and scared girl watching as the rules of her kingdom were killed in front of her as she could do nothing.

Her hunter green eyes scanned the land around her checking for anything that was there. They scared the land stopping the the same place they always do, the large wooden doors. It wasn’t like all the other times through the door stood adar. A young man standing outside the doors looking at her. She recognized him a the man who had told her to leave not allowing her in the kingdom. Now he was back. Was he going to tell her to leave again or was he going to imprison her?

“Have you come to kill me this time? If you have please do it fast.” she said her lips dripping with venom for him.

“No, I’ve come to take you to the king.”

“What! Why all of sudden?” she said her mind running wild as she tried to figure out what was going on. Why was he allowing her enter the kingdom.

“I am not allowed to tell you, all I can say is that the king requests your presence.”

“Very well.” she said standing up grabbing her bag. Her legs were stiff and sore and her head spun. She grabbed her daggers placing them in her boots just in case then moved over to the man.

They walked into the doors and for once the woman could see what was inside. The man turned to her and asked for any of the weapons that she had. She handed over her bow and sword but she kept the daggers in her boots. He turned starting off. “Follow me please.”

“What else would I do?” she said sarcasm dripping from her mouth.

He showed no reaction though. It was as if he hadn't heard her, but he had. He had a smirk on his face as they continued.

The woman eyes drifted to everything around her. The beauty of it all. The walls were made of a stone that sparked in the light. She didn’t know what was in it that made it do that but she loved it. The floor was made of a smooth white stones. Each step they took their feet send an echo through the hall.

Suddenly the man stopped causing the woman to run into him. She stepped away moving next to him to see why they stopped. Once she moved out from behind the man she was face to face with a large, not as big as the one leading into the kingdom though, wooden door with intricate designs on it. The man stepped aside gesturing for her to enter the door.

She stepped forward as the men open the door. The room was dark shedding barely any light across the room. For a moment she thought they entered the wrong room but when the door shut behind her she assumed this was the room that they wanted her to be in. She continued forward noticing the outline of the throne along with the man sitting on top of it. There was also the small torches littered around the room lighting up very little of the area around them.

“Tell me who you are?” a loud voice rang out startling her.

“My name is Era Symbola, your highness.” she said stepping forward until she could make out the man on the throne.

“Why have you come to my kingdom. Why did you stay all those days outside of my walls?”

“My home was attacked and my Queen and King were both killed. The prince, and now king, sent me here to find who was responsible for their deaths.”

“Why did you come here, of all the different kingdoms what brought you to mine?”

“Someone saw the mans crest. He carelessly left it exposed on his shoulder and we were able to see it. It was your crest. The black dragon with two swords piercing it. That is your crest is it not?” She asked knowing that it was theirs.

“That it is, and you are sure that is what you saw?”

“Yes your highness.”

He let out a breath rubbing his eyes before standing up and walking down to her. She backed up a little not expecting him to approach her. “So you have come to find those who did it and put them to death for it. Did you freely take up this responsibility or was is forced on you.” His eyes were soft and kind. She could tell he was different than her King. He didn’t seem like someone to force someone to do something for him, he seemed like a just and kind king.

“I...I willing did it your highness.” she said her voice quieter as if she couldn’t believe she had said that.

“Very well. You will have the finest room and nice clothes to wear while you stay here to locate those responsible. I trust that we can help each other.”

“Thank you very much.” she said a smile growing on her face. She had done it. She was going to find those responsible and she was going to go home and show the King that she wasn’t a helpless young woman who stood by as people were killed. She was going to do it.

“Miss, follow me to your room.” said a gentle voice behind her. She turned around finding a young man. He looked like he was maybe eighteen or maybe nineteen. His skin was darker, like he was outside a lit, and the top of his head was covered in thick brown hair that covered his eyes.

A chill traveled down her back as she looked at him. She could see through his nice voice and kind gesture. He wasn't like he acted. There was something off about him.

He turned on his heel walking to the door. She turned around gazing at the king one more time, before bowing and following the prince. He walked quickly making it hard for her to keep up. She had to run after him to catch up to him, but when she did she opened her mouth to ask him something. Before she was able to get a single word out though he spoke catching her off guard.

“Don’t talk to me. You have no right o be here, or to talk to someone in such a high position, as I am!” his voice raising but not enough to distract anyone from what they were doing.

She shut her mouth faltering behind a little. She looked at the ground as she continued to follow him. She didn’t want to look at him. She knew that he wasn’t as kind but she wasn’t expecting him to be so rude. Her hands swayed at her sides so much that you could barely tell that they were shaking. Her eyes watering but she would not let any tears fall.

The prince still walked fast but she didn’t care as long as she could see him that was fine.

They rounded a corner and she saw four more feet. She lifted her head meeting the eyes of two young men. One of them looked familiar to her but she didn’t know where from. She didn’t think she had ever meet him but there was just something about him. She followed after the prince but didn’t take her eyes off the man until they disappeared along another wall. But rather than continuing the prince stopped causing her to walk right into him.

She bumped into him and stumbled back almost falling down. Before she had any time to apologize for running into him a strong stinging sensation filled her check. He had slapped her. He hit her, the prince had hit a young woman from a neighboring kingdom.

“How dare you touch me!” he shouted at her.

“I...I’m...I’m sorry.” she said trying her best the get the words out. Her body shaking and her hand over her check. Her eyes had teared up even farther the tears threatening to come spilling out.

“Your sorry! Well I guess that makes it all okay now.” he took a deep breath, “Your room is here, someone will be there in the morning to bring you to breakfast. Don’t be late.”

He started off leaving Era standing in the hall tears in her eyes and a red check. “Oh and if you ever so much think of talking to me, I will have you executed,” he didn’t even turn his back to tell her that.

She opened the door hurrying in and then shutting the door behind her making sure that no one could come in. She sunk down the door till she was sitting on the ground. Tears falling out of her eyes as she cried. She had come all this way traveling away from her home to find another prince exactly like her’s. The rest of those here seemed to be pretty nice. They followed their orders and were gentle but this prince was mean. He was rude and didn’t care about hospitality. He would rather see her hanged than have her here. She didn’t understand why people were like that.

After several minutes of sitting there she stood up here eyes red and puffy but all dried up. She had no more tears left to cry, she had gotten rid of them all. She looked around at the room that she had been in. The room wasn’t as large as the Kings and Queens at her kingdom but it was much larger than her past one.

There was a large bed with curtains around it. A table and chair with a bookshelf behind it. There was also a large window that held a pot of Nigella damascena. She walked over to the window peering out of it at the land under it.

She realized that the view was that of the land she had been staying on while she waited. She could see the tall willow tree she slept under. The long dirt bath that she traveled here on.

“Hello miss.” a voice said from behind her causing her to let out a yelp. She turned around seeing the young girl from the other day.

“Hello again, thank you for the other day.” Era said trying to figure out how she had entered the room. She had made sure that the door was locked and that no one could get in. She didn’t understand how she had gotten inside here.

“Don’t worry about that, I was simply helping you out.”

“If I might ask how did you get in here, I thought I locked the door.” The young girl looked a little taken aback by the question. “I apologize if that was rude, that was not my intention.”

“Oh it's perfectly fine, I figured you must be wondering. I came to give you this.” she said holding out a large old book. The binding was falling apart and the pages looked old and ripped. Era grabbed the book from the young girls hands. “I came in through the door because I do not exist in this world as you may think.”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand what you are saying.”

“Its okay I will explain. This book I gave you is a book full of magic spells.”

“Magic? I thought magic didn’t exist?” Era said not quite wrapping her brain around what was going happening.

“Oh who told you that, Magic is very real and very dangerous. I myself am a entity of magic. I come to those who have magic and help they learn how to control it and harness it. That is the reason how I got into your room and why I have helped you so. I am here to assist you.”

“Wait, so does that mean that you are not real?”

“No I a very real. I am just not able to be seen by everyone. Only those with magic in their bones.”

“I think I understand better. Magic exists, I have magic and you are made out of magic and are trying to help me learn how to control my magic. Is that all right?”

“Yes you are understanding. This is only the basics about it though, there is a lot more that you must understand but for now read through the book and I will come soon.”

Before she was able to protect the girl was gone. She was once again alone in her room. This time she didn’t enjoy the loneliness.

She looked down at the book in her hands knowing that everything that happened was real. There was no way that it wasn’t real. She still had the book. She put the book on the desk and opened it. As she looked through the pages she realized that it was writing in a different language. The funny thing was that she could understand everything that was written on the pages. It all made total sense to her. She had only even known two languages but this was not one of them.

As she flipped through the pages she stopped on one of the pages. It was a spell that for living shadows. It brought the shadows to life giving them a shape. The caster is able to make a pact with them but it is said to be extremely difficult.

She read the spell memorizing it. After just a few seconds she had memorized the spell. She was going to do it. She was going to cast the spell and see if what that young girl said was true. She had to know if she had magic like she said or if it truly was a lie and a dream.

She was going to raise shadows and create a pact with them.

She was going to cast a spell.