The wagon ride lasted a full day riding on the bumpy roads and beautiful terrain. They stopped at a few different towns and delivered their goods. August made use of himself and helped them give the goods to the people. Ryan and Tim talked constantly during the trip, but they didn't talk about the king much anymore. Instead they talked about their lives and families. Ryan had a son and was working hard to send him to a good school. Tim was more of a free spirit who liked spending money on good food.

They reached Cloudacre in the middle of the next day and parked next to the docks to trade the goods with the ships coming in and out of the ports. August looked at the crystal blue ocean in awe. It was his first time seeing the ocean in person. One day he'd sail this ocean and see what was beyond it. No more being locked up in the castle and studying books. His life would take a turning point from now on. August turned away from the ocean calling out to him turning back to Cloudacre.

August thanked Jake for the ride and left to find the runi Monica told him about. Finding the runi wouldn't be very easy. Unlike fairies, they didn't have wings. And while their ears were a bit pointed like elves, they weren't as long. Basically, they could very easily blend in with humans without sticking out.

Time to ask for help again.

August scanned the crowd to see who could possibly know about this runi. He saw a group of teenagers conversing among themselves. They probably knew about the runi, but they probably wouldn't tell him with a straightforward answer. A group of men carrying wood passed by him. Not them. They were probably too busy with their work to care about who was a runi in the town. His eyes fell on an old woman sitting knitting something. Perfect. She probably knew the most about the town.

August put a bright smile on his face and approached her with an aura that he could only hope came off as polite.

"Excuse me ma'am do you happen to have time to answer a question for me?"

"Didn't you just ask a question just now?"

"Yes, but," August faltered. "Okay, two questions then."

"I suppose I could have some time." She said matching August's cheery smile.

"Do you know where a runi in this town might be?"

"A filthy runi in this town?" She said while keeping her cheery demeanor. "The one in this town owns a bar. It won't be hard to find him. His bar is such a dark and desolate place. We all avoid him and you should too young man. Don't want to get cursed do ya?"

August's smile faded a bit. The runi couldn't be that bad. If he wasn't arrested it meant he hadn't done anything wrong. But trust was hard to come by, especially for magical creatures. August thanked the old woman quickly and headed in the direction that she pointed to. 

The woman was right about it not being hard to find. The people seemed to avoid the bar like it was diseased and made hushed whispers as they passed by it. August, unlike the others, dove directly into the runi's bar.

The door creaked loudly as August pushed it open the noise echoing loudly through the empty building. Spider webs and dust filled the place and it had an overall depressing feel to it. Behind the bar, a man sat with a glass of beer in his hand. His brown hair was cut short so August could easily see his slightly pointed ears. Definitely, the runi he was looking for. He looked at August with a disdained expression on his face once he entered.

"You're August aren't you?"

August's eyes widened. "I am. And you're Barry?"

"I'm surprised you know my name" He laughed. "Surprised the sheltered prince managed to make his way here. Your father has been making a ruckus about you. I've been getting even more dirty looks than usual this week."

"Do people really dislike you that much? You've been living here for so long."

"The only reason I'm still in this godforsaken kingdom is because Lux told me you'd need my help one day." He said taking a long sip of his beer. "You took your sweet time getting here didn't you?"

"I didn't mean to take so long if that makes you feel any better," August replied.

Barry laughed at him and put his beer down. "It doesn't, but I appreciate the concern."

"I came here because someone told me you could help me with the prophecy. She said you were a student of Lux."

"Ah yes. The good old days. When my life wasn't a mess. Before Lux died the world was much easier to live in. You wouldn't know. You were just a baby at the time."

August rocked on his feet.

"But you don't care about that do you?" Barry said laughing bitterly. "To be honest, Lux never told me anything about this prophecy. She just said I'd know something that you would need, but I honestly don't know what you need."

August gritted his teeth. Yet another dead end. How was he supposed to make it to Evelyn like this? And he had no idea where to turn next.

"But," Barry said looking at August's disappointed face. "I do know a place you can go to find out."