Callum leaned down to his shadow and pulled out a thick book. Callum handed the book to Lexy,

“That will answer a lot of questions. To what attacked. That was the warden. But this is also to thank you for the flowers.”

Lexy looked at the sun and saw it was at least a few hours from setting. Lexy looked back to Callum and smiled.

“I'll read some while you're here and then you can leave me at the mansion.”

Callum smiled,

“Well then, I think I would like to just sit here for a bit and yeah I can just take us through a shadow when we need to.”

Lexy set down her bow and sat down on the grass. Callum looked at Lexy while he sat down next to her.

Lexy opened the book Callum handed her. Lexy opened the book to a random page to see an illustration of a creature that had the head and back legs of a deer but had the front legs of a bird. It also had very large wings that matched it’s peacock tail feathers.

Lexy looked to the text to see it was written in a strange language. Lexy looked to Callum and raised a brow,

“how am i supposed to read this?”

Callum looked to her,

“Oh right, sorry my bad I forgot the sight glass.”

Callum reached into his shadow and pulled out a circular piece of glass that had wooden riming. Callum placed the item on the page.

Lexy watched in awe as the text on the page rearranged itself to english. She read the title above the illustration and read,

“Peryton steed of the sky.”

Callum looked to the page and smiled,

“Peryton? Really pretty. But they don't like being looked in the eyes. They will see it as a challenge.”

Lexy looked to him and returned the smile,

“I will have to take your word on that. What’s their fur like?”

Callum humed,

“The best way I can describe it is that it's like petting a duck. Smooth and soft.”

Lexy looked back to the book and turned the page. This page had an animal that had the head and back legs of a horse. While it’s front legs were tiger legs.

Lexy looked to the label that was above the illustration,

“Tiger horse.”

Lexy then looked to the other page that had info about the Tiger horse and turned the page to see one of the creatures that attacked Alcore on the page that were labeled as Drakes.

Lexy pointed to them and looked to Callum,

“I've seen those before.”

Callum looked to the picture of the Drake,

“Oh, really?”

Lexy frowned,

“Yeah they were trying to kill the rebel that caused me to slip out of the veil.”

Callum nodded and the two sat there for a while. Lexy looked through the book while Callum enjoyed the peace.

Lexy looked to the sun’s lower place in the sky and closed the book. 

“Are you going to come back tomorrow?”

Callum smiled,

“Yeah, besides who is going to help you with the warden? If you keep vail hopping you won't have to worry about it and my mom might need more flowers.”

With that Callum put a hand on Lexy’s shoulder. Lexy watched in awe as they sunk into a shadow and raised back in another shadow of a tree near the mansion.

There by the mansion was a limo and Callum looked to Lexy,

“So does this mean we're friends?”

Lexy smiled,

“Of course I will see you tomorrow.”

Callum nodded and sunk into the shadows.

Lexy watched him leave and went into the mansion. One of the maids looked at her.

“Will you be having dinner?’

Lexy shook her head,

“No, I'm heading to bed if you don't mind.”

The maid nodded and with that Lexy went to her bedroom to see the book Callum had given her waiting for her on her dresser. Lexy smiled and went to bed.

****

Lexy woke up with a yawn. She sat up to see sunlight filtering through her window curtains.

Lexy got up and walked over to her dresser and pulled out a white t-shirt, black pants, and her light blue hoodie. 

Lexy slipped into the black pants and pulled over the white shirt. She grabbed her light blue hoodie, put it on and zipped it up. Lexy grabbed her red goggles from her dresser and put them on.

Lexy flinched when she heard a knock at the door. Lexy went over to her bedroom door and opened it to see one of the maids. The maid looked to her,

“Thokath sends his apologies in that he won't be able to be here with you for today. There was a server malfunction that demanded his attention..”

Lexy nodedd,

“Oh ok.”

The maid nodded and left.

Lexy looked back to her dresser and walked over to it. She pulled open the bottom drawer and pulled out her fathers knife. Lexy put the blade in her hoodie pocket and grabbed her bow, arrows and quiver from the top of the dresser.

With all her equipment Lexy left her bedroom and walked down to the main lobby of the mansion. From there she walked to the garden. There she saw Callum. Lexy walked up to the boy,

“Need more flowers?”

Callum nodded,

“Yeah, if you dont mind of course.”

Lexy smiled,

“Of course!”

Lexy then began looking for dandelions with Callum. The duo managed to gather another bundle of twenty dandelions. Once gathered Callum looked to lexy and her bow and arrows,

“What’s all that for?”

Lexy shrugged,

“precaution you never know.”

Callum humed,

“Makes sense. Ready to go?”

Lexy smiled,

“Yeah.”

Callum nodded and walked over to Lexy. He put his hand on Lexy’s shoulder and the two fell through shadows and rose back up in front of Callum’s home.

Callum and Lexy entered the house to see Niph in the kitchen. Niph looked to them and sighed,

“Alright let’s get this over with.”

Lexy noded, with that she and Callum had begun cutting the dandelion tops off. Lexy looked to Niph,

“So while we do this I have a question.”

Niph raised a brow,

“Alright shoot.”

Lexy pulled another dandelion head off and put it in the stone bowl Callum had taken from the cupboard,

“Who is the blood king? Like I've heard people talk about him and it got me thinking is that his real name or is it just some title because he did something?”

Niph just stared at her for a moment like the girl had grown two heads,

“Do you genuinely know nothing about the Anawrath kingdom? You know the kingdom that we are standing on?”

Lexy blinked,

“Oh, that's what the name of this place is.”

Niph slapped her forehead,

“I wish you were lying but you aren't. Ok so Anawrath is the kingdom where in its ten constellations are strong. The kingdom’s neighbors are the star dwarfs, The Elves, and the kingdoms' closest neighbor the Trilleons. I'll tell you what each day you help Callum bring the flowers. I'll answer more of your questions. Deal?”

Lexy smiled,

“Sounds like a deal.”

Niph nodded and took the bowl of dandelion blooms. Niph began to speak while she pulled the water from the blooms,

“Alright first to answer your question, yes, the blood king’s title is just that, a title. Did he earn it? Yes he did in the crowned trials. The Crown trials is where one of the royal family members duels against a pier to earn a title. All siblings will dual each other until one is left that isn't unconscious for the title of king. So to the question of him having a name other than the blood king? Yes he does but only those under his explicit permission may know.”

Lexy blinked and watched Niph as she pulled a pan out and had begun the procedure to boil water for the tea. Niph looked to her,

“Do you know who Tethys or Orion are?”

Lexy hummed,

“You mentioned them yesterday, said how there are currently two major religions that believe in one or the other being the true gods?”

Niph nodded and grabbed a stone cup from the cupboard and poured the hot water from the pan into it. Niph then added the dried dandelions in and continued,

“They say it all started with a story. If it's all true that's for you to decide.”

Callum looked to Lexy with bright eyes,

“oh! Oh! I know this one! Lexy, I think you'll like it.”

Niph sighed, 

“Alright let me see if I can remember this all right, it went something like this.I shall tell a tale long, long ago of one of great beauty and one of great woe. A tail that begins with the creatures known as mankind. For he was destruction, greed and chaos all in one! For they were the children of Orien himself! They would take and take until the land was no more. Of which you shall see the earth is still scared. 

The monsters would ravage the land until one fateful day a set of great wizards sent by the holy goddess said, “No more!” The wizards gathered the races of magic and banded together to fight the monsters. 

Only to find the dark god Orien had blessed his cursed children to never die! So how did our heroes defeat something that never dies? They were aided by the goddess of light! Yes, Tethys herself came down with all her might to create a trap for the humans. 

For this trap she called the veil and she created a powerful creature to guard it. Known as the Warden. The monsters fell into the trap and the world was finally at ease. But not is all as it shall seem.

 Beware children I say beware for there are those who wish the world harm and wish to set the humans free. Beware of those with no magic and are of human traits for they could be children of the cursed.”

Niph sighed,

“Still can't do it the way Carlose told it. Sorry Callum.”

Callum smiled,

“It’s ok! I know Carlose would have been proud!”

Niph nodded and looked back to the tea,

“ It's finished.”

Niph was about to speak again only for there to be distant howling. Her eyes widened and she looked to Lexy,

“You need to go in the afternoon because the winds are early this time.”

Lexy nodded and looked to Calum,

“Could you take me home?”

Calmun nodded,

“Sure thing! Do you want to see the winds before we go this time?”

Lexy tilted her head,

“see them? uh sure.”

Calum smiled and led Lexy outside. Lexy watched Callum point to the horizon where there was an immense moving sand storm heading straight towards them. Lexy looked to Calum with wide eyes,

“Yeah, let's go.”

Calum nodded and placed his hand on her shoulder. Lexy yet again watched in amazement when they sunk into the shadows and rose back in the back garden of the mansion.

Lexy looked to Callum, 

“Same time tomorrow?”

Callum nodded,

“Of course.”