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Zoe huffs, out of breath, as she finally makes it to the small village that her brother had told her about. And to be honest, it was a lot less impressive looking in than he made it out to be. It also would have been easier to get to if her horse hadn't run off. Wherever those kids were, she hoped they had gotten in trouble at some point after she left, however selfish that request was.
She stops for a moment, before the gates, watching the sky with a hand held over her eyes to block the sun. It was near the horizon, which meant that it was in her best interest to find shelter soon. The climate was less like the mountains and more akin to the desert. Which, in hindsight, made sense since that was what stood beyond the village.
Zoe leans back down to pick up her dropped bag, sliding it back onto her shoulder, and she continues down the path.
"Hey, traveler!" Zoe turns to the brown-haired teen who stands close to the edge of the path with a sword held tightly in one hand and a guarded look on his face. That moment, Zoe knew that there were things that Connor had neglected to mention. On purpose or accident, she wasn't sure. The strangely vulnerable teen steps forward, letting her see the strange, mismatched colors of his eyes that she could still somehow make out the individual colors of, even while standing a handful of feet away. "What is your business here?" Zoe allows another breath to slip between her lips before she answers.
"I'm seeking something that can only be found here," she says, only letting the barest of information out. She didn't want to compromise the mission now. Unfortunately for her, the guard doesn't seem satisfied with her answer.
"What are you looking for?" his eyes shine with curiosity, the brown becoming a lighter shade- akin to a darker shade of amber. There was also a hint of fear in his expression. Then he glances towards the gate, and all the clues put together made it seem like he knew what she was looking for.
"A book," she finally answers after a minute pause. Not much could come from that response. The guard glances towards the village again, concern more apparent. "I don't mean to cause any trouble, Sir," she tries, noticing his hesitation as his eyes dart to the side, the blue in his eyes illuminated under the sun as well, before settling on her again.
"Alright, traveler. I'll trust you. But,-!" he holds up the pointer finger from his free hand "-if you cause any trouble, you won't like the outcome." And then the guard is stepping back and pulling a lever, and the gate opens. As she glances back over to where the teen was standing, there's no sign of him, almost as if he were never there in the first place.
She sighs before picking up her bag again and slinging it back over her shoulder. The doors loom over her as she goes through, a reminder of the threat the guard had made.
Most of the little town is alit with floating lights as she approaches, the lanterns casting colorful patterns against the ground. The few people that are out in the open cast curious glances her way as she passes, on her way to the Inn that should be somewhere near.
She spots it at the end of the road, a taller building than she was used to seeing, but felt familiar all the same. It also felt like she had been there before, a strange sort of deja vu, even though she knew she'd never been. Zoe knew that that was the effect of the magic that coated the building, as it seemed to be abundant everywhere else she had seen.
The wooden door opens easily under her hand, a cold breeze immediately following. The sudden change is surprising, although Zoe knew it could easily be a witch's spell enchanting the inside. Before she has the time to internally comment about anything else, a dark-skinned girl appears at her side, a hand on her arm.
The girl was pretty, that much she was sure of. Her dress was a soft pink, with a heart neckline, that went a little past her knees, and she wore a necklace of small crystals around her neck. The flowers braided into her black hair are the last thing she notices.
"Hello!" Zoe can feel her cheeks warm and- shit she has a crush, doesn't she? Zoe wasn't exactly a fan of love at first sight, but this girl was one that could prove her wrong. "Welcome to the Inn! I'm Alana, the head of this place. How long are you staying?" Alana's sweet smile is infectious as she finds herself grinning back.
Alana waits expectantly as Zoe finds herself speechless. As platitude as it was, Zoe found that she wanted to dawdle. So what if she returned a few days late?
But staying? For a girl? What would they think? Zoe ignored the thought in favor of answering.
"A few nights, at the very least," she says, and Alana seems happy at her response. She decides not to mention the book, mostly because of the guard's reaction from earlier.
As the girls walk down the hallway, Zoe can't help but sneak glances at Alana, her brown eyes sparkling with joy. She also had a hunch that Alana was more magical than she let on, but she didn't voice the thought. Where she was from, witches weren't exactly common, so she didn't want to offend her if she did bring it up.
They stop at the end of the hall, Alana turning towards her.
"Here's your room and your key. I hope you're comfortable." Alana flashes one more smile before scurrying off back down the hallway. Later, Zoe admits that Alana was blushing the entire time and that she hoped it wasn't because of embarrassment. Her face grows warmer the longer she thinks about it.
Though the downside of it all was that while she knew Connor would understand, she wasn't sure about her parents. She had known them to be a little apprehensive to people like her; people who liked the same gender, people who liked multiple genders, even people that liked no one at all, sexually or romantically.
For now, she decides to sleep on the problem. She'd had a long day, after all. And she'd have an even longer one tomorrow.
The next day, the village is a bit busier. Children were running from one side of the road to the other, and the adults were busy setting up stalls with various items. She couldn't find very many teens, but the ones that she did see were entertaining a group of kids.
A baker waves at her as she passes, and she decides, totally impulsively, to get something from him.
"Hello," her voice is a bit quieter than she intended, but it gets his attention. She looks down and points something out, and he puts it in a bag for her. He's quiet, she notes, but he does seem to be kind otherwise.
"Hey, Evan!" a voice yells, and she turns to see the guard from yesterday. He had changed clothes from yesterday, obviously, and now wore a t-shirt paired with a pair of jeans and converse. His glasses were starting to slip off his face, and he pushed them up, but they fell right back down. It also took her a second to realize it was a hoodie that was tied around his waist.
Zoe looks back at the now-named Evan, to see that the teen had lit up at the sight of his friend. For some reason, she can hear a snicker right after she completes the thought. She looks at Evan again, but he's too busy conversing with the guard.
"They're cute, aren't they?" Zoe jumps, facing a woman who resembled Evan. She stood a few inches shorter than him- maybe around five foot nine- and was wearing an apron over a simple light blue dress. Zoe nods, glancing back at the two boys. Evan seems to be rambling about something, and the guard has a lovesick look on his face. "I'm Heidi," the woman says, and Zoe smiles.
"I'm Zoe." Heidi returns her smile.
"Hello, Zoe. Have the boys introduced themselves yet?" Zoe shakes her head, and Heidi adopts a fond, yet annoyed expression.
"Who's the guard?" She gestures to the brown-haired teen sitting across from Evan with a dark blush on his face.
"Oh, Jared? He volunteers at the gate sometimes. His father was a blacksmith. He knows his way around swords because of it."
"Was?" Heidi's face drops, and Zoe almost wants to say nevermind, but she keeps going.
"It was an accident. A dragon found its way in, got distracted by the fire, and something fell. No one could fully heal him, so he died." Zoe glances back over at Jared. The story was bereft of details, leaving a lot of questions, but Zoe couldn't find the heart to ask further. "But that was years ago." Jared looks over, and his face shifts to show distrust. Heidi sends him a look, but his expression doesn't change.
"So, what brings you here?" She says, and strangely Zoe can feel someone poking at her head, but she knew it wasn't a physical feeling. And when she looks in Heidi's eyes, she finds a hint of suspicion.
"A book," Jared interjects, suddenly standing beside her with Evan standing next to his mother. A frown appears on her face, and she can feel annoyance creeping up her spine.
Heidi raises an eyebrow. "A book?"
"A magic book," Zoe clarifies.
There's a strange look on Heidi's face as she speaks next. " I think I know what you're talking about." And she disappears into the shop. She doesn't come out for a few moments, but when she does, she holds an item Zoe had only seen in pictures. "Is this it?" she holds out the book so she could see the cover.
"It is." Zoe takes it out of her hand, staring at the cover. It was plain black, with the exception of gold lettering.
The St-