HEAVY WAVES OF CONFUSION rippled through Ravenna. Hesitantly, she reached out and picked up the book. Her fingertips traced over its edges. There was no latch on the side, no magical glue holding each piece of paper together. The book easily fell open in her hands, revealing clear, legible words scribed in dark ink.

The talisman around her neck began to burn. It was a soft burn, a burn that she almost didn't notice. A burn that she quickly forgot.

As she flipped through the pages of the book, her eyes greedily scanned over its contents. Most of the passages were unlocked. There were a few passages that remained locked to her eyes --still visible among the sketches and scribbles, yet blurred to incoherent smudges. A majority of the blocked passages could be found near the front of the book, where the pages had aged the most.

Ravenna paused when she located the paragraph that described the demon. Without second thought, she devoured the words around it, hoping to find more details concerning the demon. The more that she read, the more that her heart sank. There was no mention of the demon, or a creature like it, in the paragraphs around the passage she'd already been exposed to. She couldn't tell whether the book was messing with her, or if that vague description was all that was written about the beast.

With a frustrated sigh, she resigned herself to the rest of the book. She spent the night pouring through each page, consuming the content that was unlocked. When morning came, and beams of sunlight began to stretch across the floor toward her, Ravenna set the book aside. The moment that the book clicked shut, she could hear the lock latch and the talisman cooled against her skin. A headache prickled at the back of her mind, like a small spring shower unfolding into a hurricane.

Rubbing at her temples, Ravenna stood. She bathed and changed into a cleaner dress. Breakfast was a simple affair --an apple paired with a chunk of bread. When she was finished, she emerged from the house, squinting into the sun.

She made her way through the streets, toward the market. Training with Vyses could wait for another day.

The market seemed louder than usual. Screaming children and bellowing vendors seemed to be lost within a desperate fight for dominance. Endless chatter ricocheted against the stone walls of the buildings, each word pelting Ravenna's mind like hail. Annoyed, she weaved through the streams of bustling townsfolk. Elbows nudged, shoulders brushed. She couldn't breathe.

Ducking into the general store, Ravenna's gaze scanned over the front counter. Bella was nowhere to be found. Instead, a scrawny girl with charcoal hair stood with her hands pressed flat against the countertop, her dark eyes focused on Ravenna.

Ravenna's headache began to magnify. She forced a smile at the girl and then ducked in between the shelves, half-heartedly glancing at the products. She made her way toward the back, where the apothecary was.

Relief bristled past Ravenna's lips when she spotted Bella. The redhead stood behind the apothecary counter, carefully measuring a silvery liquid into a glass vial. Her hair was pinned back, away from her face.

"Did that old lady come back and bother you again?" Ravenna asked teasingly as she approached the counter. "Is that why you've traded counters today?"

Bella almost dropped the vial. Her gaze met Ravenna's, her expression unreadable. "Oh," she said. Her voice was soft. Not quite relaxed. "Good morning, Ravenna. I didn't see you standing there."

A seed of dread sprouted within Ravenna's stomach. She leaned against the counter and tried her best to look unbothered. Bella quickly filled the vial in her hands, pushing a cork into its top to seal it. Then she scribbled on a scrap of paper and attached it to the vial with a piece of twine. When she was finished, she turned toward Ravenna completely, folding her arms across her chest.

"I was able to ask Eadric about that tavern," Bella said. She leaned a little closer and lowered her voice. "According to his friend, the taverns been here for as long as the town has. It was one of the original structures, used to house soldiers back. It has a bit of history attached to it, including a murder."

Ravenna's eyebrows arched. Her thoughts immediately twisted with the image of that little ghost girl. "A murder?"

"Yes," Bella said. She glanced around, and suddenly straightened. "Here, come around this way, into the back. We can discuss it there."

Ravenna stepped around the counter and followed Bella through a door. The room that they entered was used for storage, filled to the brim with various ingredients and merchandise for the store. Curtains rustled as Bella pulled them aside, allowing light to fill the room. She took a seat on the edge of a wooden crate and waited until Ravenna was seated before she began to speak.

"I didn't want to talk about it out in the open like that," Bella explained. "Eadric said that a lot of the townsfolk don't like to talk about the murder. It is somewhat of a sour spot."

"What happened exactly?"

"It happened a long time ago, before the current owner took over the tavern. There used to be a powerful wizard that lived in our town, working as an apothecary and selling simple spells. He had an apprentice. According to Eadric, the apprentice stole a spell from the wizard. It was powerful, and too advanced for him. No one quite remembers what exactly the spell was meant to do, as that information was lost over time. Apparently, the apprentice lured a young girl to the tavern and attempted to perform the spell on her. It didn't work, and her death was the result."

Ravenna's hands curled into tight fists in her lap. The story seemed way too familiar to her. "The wizard. What happened to him?"

"I'm not sure. I think that he left town for a while," Bella admitted. She fiddled with her hair, twirling several strands around her fingers.

Caelan was the wizard, Ravenna was certain. Her stomach rolled into knots. She was fairly certain that she knew the identity of the apprentice. "Did he say anything about the current owner?"

"No," Bella said. She abandoned her hair, allowing the half-braided strands of red to fall behind her shoulder. She hugged her arms to her chest and stared at the floor. "The murder was more than enough information for me. I just couldn't stand anymore horrors from that tavern. It was too much for me. I've got the chills just talking about it now. I'm sorry."

Ravenna's eyes narrowed. A cloud of anger emerged from the depths of her mind, warping into a massive storm. Her voice became ice cold. "You didn't even bother to ask?"

Bella's eyes widened.

"I asked you to find out information about the owner. Not the tavern itself. There are plenty of places have had murders occur," Ravenna snapped. She stood and brushed the dust from her skirt. "I suppose that simple task was just too hard for you to handle."

"A little girl was murdered," Bella cried out. The shock in her tone mirrored her expression. "Murdered. A life was ripped away. And that doesn't affect you?"

Ravenna met Bella's gaze evenly. "Death is unavoidable. You will die one day. So will Eadric. Every person in this town will wind up rotting underground. It's inevitable."

"You're heartless," Bella hissed.

"No," Ravenna told her. "I'm realistic."

"There is a difference between the murder of a child and the death of an old woman," Bella ground out through her teeth. With each word, her voice seemed to lift an octave. "That child didn't even have a chance to live her life. It was forcibly taken from her."

"Death is still the same, no matter how it occurs." Ravenna's body felt stone cold. She stared down at Bella, her face expressionless. "The end result will always be the same. A life will always be taken."

Bella glowered at her with glistening eyes. "It seems as though I've misjudged you, Ravenna," she said. Her voice was tight. "I thought of you as a friend. A kind soul. It didn't take long for your true colors to shine through."

"It would seem as though I've misjudged you as well," Ravenna responded. She turned her back to Bella, starting toward the door. "You are much more of a disappointment than I thought you'd be."

She paused, and then added, "If I were you, I would try hard not to disappoint Eadric as well. Guards are known to sleep around when their wives do not perform."

An outraged cry filled Ravenna's eardrums.

She heard the rustle of Bella's skirts as the redhead bolted to her feet. Ravenna didn't even turn around. Shards of ice erupted from the ground around her feet, aimed at Bella.

Ravenna heard a startled gasp. "Run to your fiancé," she told the redhead. She reached out and grabbed the handle to the door. "He'll protect you. Well, he'll try anyways."

Dun, dun, duuuuuun! >:D 

As always, I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Remember: if you ever want to read ahead, there are a solid 20+ more chapters available on the Tapas version! And for those of you who are reading the Tapas version (and waiting for an update) I promise it should be ready soon! Thank you for your continued patience and support <3