The morning sunlight paved a path through the shadows as Elina wandered around the market, the autumn breeze gently rustling her hair. Using her hand to push the strands of hair that had gotten loose, she tucked them behind her ear before spinning around.

  “Hey June, thanks for escorting me to the market,” she said, noticing the excitement in his eyes as well. “Rose and Anna have been busy training the new maids and didn’t have time to take me.”

  “It’s no trouble at all,” June replied, his eyes constantly jumping from stall to stall. “Lately, I haven’t been able to check out the market when a caravan is here because I’m usually on guard duty. So, I’m glad you asked me. But why didn’t your uncle assign a guard to you?”

  “Uncle Hector said that he doesn’t trust the soldiers, but if someone from the Diamond Guard took me, he’d let me go. I’m glad you're here with me! It's my first time at the market when The Eastern Caravan is here!” Elina said, smiling radiantly as the crowd flowed around her like a wave.

  “Well, I’m glad that I got back just in time,” June said, his chest puffed out in pride. “I just returned from escorting a noble lady to the Great Shrine!”

  “I heard of that!” Elina said excitedly, locking eyes with him, her eyes sparkling eagerly. “I heard you guys got attacked multiple times! And that you managed to fight them back every time! Shina even told me that Zenrom complimented you. Do you know who you were escorting?”

  Blushing at the compliment, June cleaned his throat. “We don't know who we were escorting—the lady never spoke. But from what Zenrom and Reges were able to deduce, the assassins who attacked us must have been from one of the larger assassination guilds!” His last words came out in a hushed whisper, his voice pitched low.

  Signing dramatically, Elina threw her hands in the air. “I want adventure! I want to travel to different kingdoms and experience their cultures! I want to be free! Being stuck inside all day is driving me crazy!”

  Laughing at her own longing, she continued walking between the sea of stalls, the exotic and rare treasures from the east surrounding her. Between all the foreign smells and colors that her starving senses picked up, she wondered if she could trick herself into believing she was in a different land.

  “Why has it been years since the Eastern Caravan visited last?” she asked, walking over to a stall and picking up a bracelet that seemed to be carved from a green stone.

  “War,” June replied, waving away a man who was trying to sell him some sort of herbal mixture, his nose scrunched up by the smell. “The Eastern Kingdoms have been at war with each other, which prevented the Eastern Caravan from traveling to Vanura.”

  “I see,” Elina responded, putting the bracelet down and picking up a hat. Placing the hat on June’s head, she started to giggle at how the hat covered his head, the large hat drooping in front of his eyes. Skipping ahead while June tried to convince the merchant that he did not want the hat, she headed deeper into the jungle of small stalls and shouting merchants.

  Spinning around and walking backwards for a couple of steps, she kept her eyes fixed on a group of merchants loudly showing off their wares in a language she didn’t recognize. An old man climbed up onto a table, holding what looked like a small knife with a hollow center that ran from the handle all the way to the tip. Grabbing a vegetable from a nearby basket, he pressed the flat side of the blade against it, sending a rain of vegetable skins falling around him.

  “This tool can peel the skin off any fruit or vegetable without cutting the flesh,” he shouted in Common, raising the freshly skinned vegetable over his head.

  Gasping in wonder, Elina turned to June as he ran up beside her. “How does that peel only the skin?” she asked, her eyes wide with interest.

  “I’m not sure,” June admitted, frowning as he watched the old man grab another vegetable. “But what’s the point? Any knife can peel vegetables.”

  “That’s not the point!” Elina sighed in exaggeration. “Innovation is what makes that impressive! It may not be useful, but someone was able to think of it!”

  “I guess so,” June responded, nodding to himself. “Maybe if I have time, I’ll try to make one.”

  “That’s the spirit!” Elina exclaimed, breaking eye contact with the group of merchants and marching forward. “Now follow me with that spirit!”

  Skipping past a large stall stacked with piles of woven baskets, Elina stopped abruptly, seeing a pile of books, each one bound in expensive leather. Her face lit up with joy as she rushed to the stall. “June, look! Books!” she cried, her voice bubbling with excitement. Picking up a random volume, she flipped eagerly through its pages, her smile growing wider with each turn.

  “Do you like books, my dear?” asked the old man sitting beside the stall, his wrinkled face splitting into a wide, toothless grin.

  “I love books! when I was younger, they were all that I had. I must have read every storybook and biography in my home,” Elina said, carefully setting the book down. “We didn’t have too many of those books, but we still had quite a collection.” Her eyes danced over the array of titles before she turned back to the bookseller. “Do you have more books written in Common? I can also read a little of Ancient Beneric, and Elvish.”

  “I’m so sorry, my dear,” the old man apologized, his smile fading. “Unfortunately, I sold most of those to a local bookstore just this morning—the one near the fountain. If you hurry, they should still have most of them.”

  “I know where that is! Thank you,” Elina exclaimed, spinning around to look at June.

  “Let’s go!”

  Dragging the helpless boy behind her, she made her way through the lively market, the crowded throng of people forcing them to carefully weave, duck, and squeeze past people as they went. Breaking out of the final group of people attending the market, Elina felt her spirits rising. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a new book, she thought to herself. I hope they have something good. The last time I read something was the tax codes in Mr. Maliri’s library!

  “The bookstore is just a couple of minutes from here!” she said to June, picking up her pace, “I’ll race you!”

  Ignoring June’s protests, she started to run, her body hardly noticing the strain. She was much stronger than she had been before her father's death, her daily training at Maliri’s giving her endless stamina.

  Smiling at her victory in a race only she had been running, she reached the bookstore. “I won,” she called over her shoulder as she grabbed the door handle and pulled it open.

  As the door swung open, a charming little bell announced her arrival, its clear chime drawing out a lady who appeared to be in her late forties from the back.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “How may I help you?” the lady asked, a friendly smile on her lips; her graying hair was tied in a tight bun at the back of her head.

  “I heard from an old man at the market that you acquired books from the Eastern Continent,” Elina said, glancing over her shoulder and smirking at June, who had just walked in. “Can we have a look at them?”

  “We haven't had the time to sort them all, but please help yourself,” the lady said, gesturing to a pile of books that was sitting in a corner. “I was going to sort them out tonight. But you are more than welcome to purchase any that catches your eye.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Elina exclaimed. Quickly running up to the pile of books, she crouched down and grabbed a book, lifting it to her face. “The Extraordinary Tale of Captain Elias Stormbane,” she read. Now this is more like it!

  Grinning from ear to ear, she sat down, crossed-legged, and started sorting the books into two piles. One for books she had read and one for books she had not.

  “Have you read any of these books?” June asked, curiously opening one before closing it without actually looking through its contents.

  “That pile over there is the stack for books I’ve already read. These over here are new books,” Elina answered, placing another volume onto the ever-growing pile of books she had read.

  “It looks like you read most of the books already,” June said, his eyes widening in amazement.

  “Don't underestimate the Royal Family's Library!” Elina proudly said, placing another book on the read pile. “If it weren't for the fire, I suspect that all these books would have also been part of the collection!”

  “There was a fire?” June asked, picking up another book.

  “Before my grandfather’s time,” Elina offhandedly said, turning back to the books. “Hold on, what is this?” she muttered, lifting a book.

  The book was bound in weathered, amber-colored leather, its mixture of dark and light sections revealing its age.

  “Looks old,” June commented, looking over Elina’s shoulder.

  Opening the book, Elina blinked in surprise. The pages seemed to be made of some sort of paper-thin leather, each page almost translucent. Written across the pages in spindly cursive were ancient letters.

  “What language is that?” June asked, moving closer to see the pages more clearly.

  “Elvish—but much older than what the Elves use now,” Elina replied, tracing her finger over the words as she tried to sound them out.

  “Can you read it?” June asked in surprise.

  “No, but every member of the Royal Family studies Elvish. My tutor taught me how to read the modern form of the language.”

  “Oh, wow,” June whistled.

  “Impressed?” Elina asked, grinning.

  “Very.”

  “I’m going to buy this book. When I have free time, I can try to translate it.”

  Standing up, she scanned the room looking for the shopkeeper. “Excuse me, how much does this book cost?” she asked, spotting the lady.

  “Which one, dear? Ah, that one. Well, we weren't able to find anyone who could translate it, so I’ll only charge one silver,” the lady said, tilting her head as she tried to judge its value.

  Reaching into her purse, Elina pulled out a silver coin and handed it over. She wasn’t sure whether the book was truly worth that much, but her interest had been piqued.

  “Thank you,” the lady said, making the silver vanish into her clothes.

  Clutching the newly acquired book to her chest, Elina gestured for June to follow as she left the store, a skip to her step. Once again stepping out into the hustle and bustle of the market, she turned her head back and forth, trying to determine where to go next.

  “Where should we go?” she asked.

  “We should get something to eat,” June replied, glancing up at the sky. “After that, we should go back. I think it might rain in a couple of hours.”

  Three days later, Elina punched her pillow in frustration, tossing it over the book she had bought. Ever since acquiring the leather-bound book, she had been trying to translate it, confident in both her ability and her family’s resources. But reality was much bleaker than she had hoped. After hours of work, the only thing she had any grasp of was the crude drawings of a humanoid figure in motion.

  “It looks like some sort of dance, or a martial system?” she muttered aloud. “Or perhaps some form of meditation? I need help.”

  Snatching up the offensive book, she made her way to the stables, signaling for the attendants to ready a carriage.

  “Take me to the Maliri residence!” she ordered

  “Yes, Princess.”

  Stepping into the hastily prepared carriage, Elina spent the next couple of hours deep in thought, the book resting on the seat next to her. When they arrived at the manor, she ran to the training yard, the chaotic sounds of training weapons clashing filling the air.

  “June!” she called, seeing him gingerly picking himself up. San was standing above him with a smile on his face.

  “Princess, did you come to see me?” Shina called from a few paces away. Stepping out of range of a guard's spear thrust, grinned at June. “Or did you come to see someone else?”

  Leisurely, she closed the distance with her sparring partner and rested her practice sword on the man’s neck. Turning towards Elina, she gave a small bow, a sly smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

  Ignoring the teasing woman, Elina made her way to June.

  “June, do you know of anyone who might be able to translate this?” she asked, holding up the book.

  Blinking in surprise, June scratched his head in thought. “Maybe Grandpa Veston?” he finally said.

  “Can Grandpa Veston read Elvish?” Elina asked, skepticism clear in her voice. Reading Elvish was a rare skill, one usually practiced only by the nobility or the Elves themselves.

  “Ummm… I don't know, but I’ve never seen him not know an answer,” June admitted lamely. Reaching down, he picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his head.

  Seeing the boy’s embarrassment, Elina nodded. There was no harm in asking Veston if he knew Elvish. And she was suspicious of him. This would be a good chance to learn more about him.

  “Alright, let's go see him!” Elina declared.

  “Let me gather my stuff, it’s over there by the trees,” June said cheerfully, darting over to the pile of clothes he had left near the edge of the practice field and the forest.

  “Don’t you need to finish practice?”

  “Nope, I’m done for now!”

  The quick walk to the blacksmith was filled with easy chatter as the two talked about everything that came to their minds, the cool day perfect for the walk.

  “Grandpa, I'm home! Are you there?” June yelled as he pushed open the door to the blacksmith.

  “I'm in the back, boy! Why are you back so soon?” came the gruff reply.

  Following June’s gesture, Elina stepped into the shop, the familiar sense of warmth and comfort settling over her.

  “Princess! What can I do for you today?” Veston asked the moment he laid eyes on her, the deep wrinkles around his eyes creasing with delight.

  “I bought this book at the market the other day, and I was hoping you might help me decipher it,” Elina explained, pulling the amber-colored book from her bag and handing it over.

  Taking the book, Veston blinked in surprise.

  “Princess, this book is bound in human skin…” he said, flipping to the first page.

  Hearing his words, Elina felt her stomach drop, a cold sweat instantly covering her whole body. “Are you sure?” she stammered.

  “Quite sure.”

  Remembering the hard but flexible texture of the pages, Elina gaged before rushing over to a bucket of water in the kitchen. Plunging her hands inside, she started to vigorously scrub them, making a hysterical mental note to burn her pillow and bedsheets when she got back. She had been trying to decipher the book while in bed! If she had known that the book was made out of human skin, she would never have bought it.

  After washing her hands raw, she returned to find Veston carefully studying the book.

  “Grandpa Veston, can you read it?” she asked cautiously, her curiosity getting the best of her.

  “Most of it seems to be written in some sort of Elvish cypher, so I can’t read it fully. But the first sentence seems to say, I will destroy the world,” Veston calmly replied, looking up at her.

  Hearing the words, Elina felt goosebumps run up her arms. “That’s bad. Isn’t it?” she asked.

  “Well… It’s not good,” June laughed, trying to break the tension.

  Turning back to the book, Veston flipped through some pages.

  “Judging by some of the images, I think this book describes a martial system,” he finally said, looking at a drawing of a human figure standing with one leg raised above its head. “An extremely old and brutal one at that. But it’s tainted… corrupted by a deep rot. Where did you get this? Its contents don’t suit you, Princess. I suggest you destroy it.”

  Swallowing hard at the sudden seriousness in Veston’s tone, Elina nodded. “June and I bought it from a bookstore that got it from the Eastern Caravan. I’ll talk to them before destroying the book. June, can you please help me? I don't want to touch it.”

  “Sure,” June replied, taking a bag from the corner of the room and placing it over the book. Grabbing the bottom of the bag and the book at the same time, he slipped the book inside. “Let me grab my sword and shield—it’ll just take a minute. We can head out as soon as I grab my shield from the back.”

  Feeling a sick chill run down her spine, Elina shook her head. “Just grab your sword. You don't need a shield; we’re just going to the market in the capital.”

  She had to get rid of the book as quickly as possible.

  “You sure?” June asked, slinging the bag over his shoulder and fastening his sword to his side.

  “I’m sure. Let’s go now!”

  “If you say so.”