Jolting awake from the moonlight seeping onto his face, Dastan groaned and unconsciously rubbed his ink-stained hand onto his cheek. Edvard and Dastan had been going through page by page through the old book, making notes in a leather-bound journal. They stopped when they had reached a large blank page with on word inscribed on the top corner.

"ωζζΞ" map. They had been working for hours trying to discover the secret to the blank parchment. How could a map be empty? Was it concealed with a layer of magic? There were no indents on the back of the page suggesting pressure of a quill.

Edvard had refused to give up when Dastan suggested that maybe it was never written. Edvard knew that the people of Asreldion were keepers of secrets. He spent hours going through old books for enchantments or rituals that could hide ink. It was just a matter of discovering how they did it.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Dastan noticed Edvard asleep in his chair, snoring louder than a horse. Empty bottles of ink and quills were laid out on the table along with a few black handprints. Picking up the book Dastan went to put it away for safe keeping until he paused when the moonlight caught on the page.

The page caught a light, glowing brightly before the moonlight sunk into the page sketching out a terrain. Unable to believe his eyes, Dastan quickly placed the book back down and started to shake Edvard awake. Jolting him from his slumber, a trail of curses left his lips before glaring up at the boy.

"What is it boy? I was sleeping" Edvard grumbled before Dastan turned back to the book only to frown. It was once again empty, no signs of the previous drawings and runes. Picking it back up and walking backwards slowly until the page hit the moonlight Edvard stumbled out of his chair to watch.

"Is it magic?" Dastan questioned whilst Edvard ran his fingers over the page in awe of the silver ink.

"No my boy. It was written in starlight. An old trick to keep it safe from evil eyes" Edvard answered before the light faded along with the drawing. They both looked up towards the window to see the clouds covering the moon.

"Quickly! Go out and copy it, we can study it in the morning" He commanded. Without wasting a single moment Dastan did as he was instructed. Perching himself against the village well, he watched the clouds waiting for the moonlight to bring the book to life.

The clouds covering the moon slowly floated away and allowed rays of moonlight hit the book, causing light to flow through the map which has been laid in Dastan's lap. He was more prepared for the third time, shielding his eyes until the light softened.

He had never been artistic, yet he knew every detailed mattered. Starting with the caves of Sllort, in the bottom left-hand corner, he noticed the ink trailed a quarter way through the page before disappearing.

Cursing he flicked through the rest of book roughly, hoping that another page would catch light to reveal the missing sections of the map. With no luck, he grumbled and stared down at the drawing. Running his hand over the blank half of the page a small smudge of black ink from his palm stained the paper. However, the stain formed into a teardrop and merely rolled off the page, splashing onto the cobblestones.

Frowning he used a small knife to sharpen his quill, a curse left his lips when he scraped the top of his finger. Panic seeped through his mind at the sight of blood hitting the paper, however it only soaked through allowing red runes to take place of the empty page.

The brush strokes of the ink were sharp and jaggered. Dastan knew that it was a warning of some sort. The markings didn't stay long enough, which resulted in Dastan every few minutes to allow a drop of his blood seep into the paper. Quickly copying into his journal, he worked throughout the night before returning to the library at dawn.

"DASTAN! WAKE UP!" Edvard grouched ripping off the thick furs from his shoulders. Dastan fell off his chair with a fright, landing with a solid thud against the stone floors. Groaning he glared up at the old man who stood with his hands on his hips.

"Where is the rest of the map! I told you to copy all of it! Not part of it!" Edvard snapped whilst Dastan picked himself back up from the ground. Slowly walking out of Edvard's private chambers connected to the library he returned to the long table covered in parchments and books.

"That's all there was! Did you understand the runes on the page?" He yawned struggling to keep his eyes opened. Edvard frowned, there hadn't been any runes on the drawings Dastan's had done in the journal. Quickly rushing back to the book he flicked through the remaining pages, yet there were no signs of additional runes.

"What runes?"

Dastan remembered that he had written it down on a separate piece of parchment. Patting down his body, he found it scrunched up in his side pocket. Handing it over Edvard quickly unscrambled the paper and lit a candle to decipher the translation.

Noticing the plate of bread, meat, and fresh cheese Dastan happily helped himself followed by a mug of ale. It helped settle his stomach before he watched the old man work his wonders.

"What does it say?" Dastan questioned with curiosity.

"It's a warning" Edvard stated as he continued to scribe the translation underneath the runes.

"It warns to keep hidden all that is revealed, to those who are deemed untrue. Through nightlight and blood, the rest will be revealed" He slowly informed as they met each other's eyes. They knew they would have to be careful and this warning struck fear in their hearts.

Edvard went quiet for a brief moment before he took hold of the drawing that Dastan had made. Holding it up to the candle he allowed it to catch fire, ignoring Dastan's protests. Neither spoke another word until the drawn map was nothing but a pile of ashes.

"The only map there should be is the one in this book. We must protect Asreldion's secrets." Edvard instructed as they glanced back down at the blank page.

"What will we tell the King?" Dastan questioned. As he watched Edvard carefully rip out the page from the book. Dastan was beyond shocked, Edvard held the utmost respect for books and here he was tearing a page from one of the eldest books in history. Watching carefully as he folded the page to fit into Dastan's journal he glued it with hot wax.

"When I inform the King of our discovery, I don't want to take any chances. Anyone with dark intentions mustn't get his hands on this journal" Edvard spoke in a hushed whisper afraid to be overheard. A harsh wind blew through the library, howling as the parchment on the table blew into the air and the candle blew out.

"What was that?" Dastan questioned uneasily whilst he noticed recognition settle in the old man's eyes.

"Never let the journal leave you" Edvard sternly informed him as he watched Dastan slip it into the inside of his coat. With a silent nod, the promise was sealed before he helped stack the parchment on the table.

"Come boy!" Edvard commanded with a cough causing Dastan to chuckle. They were back to their usual routine as they exited the library to seek an audience with the King. Forgetting to lock the door behind him a cloaked figure took this opportunity to rummage around in desperate search for one thing. The map.