They reached Messina around mid-day the following day. It was a large, bustling city situated on a large island in a bay by the coast. You could only access it by large bridges over the huge moat of seawater, or via the harbour on the north side, towards the open sea. Guard towers protected every entrance to the city, and weapons had to be left at the gates. It had been dubbed the City of Peace as it boasted a near-zero crime rate due to the many guards. Ironic as it was less than a year since it had been in the possession of the Dark God's Disciple and his zealots. It was only the previous autumn they had taken back the city and defeated the Dark Disciple. Ereptus knew surprisingly much about its history, and history in general.

The city amazed Rain. She had never been in one of that size. Gor may be a city, but compared to Messina it was nothing but a huddle of houses. The streets were clean, even if reconstruction was going on in many places to rebuild after they recaptured the city. Ereptus, who had been before, showed her around so she'd get her bearings. He took her to the bustling market square where various sellers were peddling their goods, and shoppers were running their errands. They visited the harbour, which was on the other side of the city walls to keep the city protected from attacks from the sea.

Later in the afternoon, he took her to the place she had dreaded; Highglaive, home of the Sorcerers. The tower was named thus because of its distinguished look, Ereptus told her. It was said they built it on a powerful magical location, one reason the Dark God's Disciple had initially invaded the city years ago.

Rain stood outside the tall tower for a moment, staring at its white-washed stone walls, not quite wanting to go inside. Once she did her life might change forever, and she wasn't sure that she was ready. Ereptus seemed to understand, as he let her stand there for a good few minutes before he opened the door and brought her inside.

The tower was empty, with no one in the entrance hallway to greet them. With a shrug, Ereptus forged on ahead and Rain had no choice but to follow if she didn't want to be left alone. They followed a hallway in a slow circle around the tower, checking behind doors, but it wasn't until they reached a large library that they finally found an older man in a robe shuffling some books around. He recoiled when he first saw them, as if he expected an attack, but quickly recovered.

"Who are you?" he asked brusquely. "Who let you in?"

"It wasn't locked," Ereptus said, making Rain wonder if that was true or if he had picked the lock. "We're here to talk to someone about learning magic."

The old man looked between them, his nose crinkling as if he was smelling something foul. "It's not something you can just learn," he sniffed. "You either have the gift or you don't."

"This young girl does." Ereptus took Rain's arm and pulled her forward from where she was loitering slightly behind him.

"She's an elf!" The sorcerer stared at her ears which were clearly visible as she had made the, apparently, bad choice of pulling her hair back in a ponytail.

"Half-elf," she corrected quietly. "Or quarter. I honestly don't know. I don't remember my mother."

The old sorcerer looked offended. "We don't teach just any riffraff here! This is a divine institution blessed by the Gods themselves!"

Ereptus looked about ready to throttle the old man, but Rain put a hand on his arm to calm him. "Come, let's just leave."

"I think that's best," the sorcerer said haughtily.

They turned around to do just that but caught sight of a woman coming down some stairs at the back of the room.

"Gryn," she addressed the old man as she approached while smiling at them. "Who are our visitors?"

Rain couldn't help herself, she was staring. The woman who had just joined them was beautiful. She was tall and slender with long, silver-blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

"They were just leaving," he muttered gruffly.

"Oh? So soon?"

The old sorcerer waved a dismissive hand towards Rain. "They claim this elf," he spat the word out like it was something foul he had tasted. "Has the gift of magic. I told them we don't teach just any rabble here."

The woman's winged eyebrows shot up in surprise. "The gift of magic?" Her deep-blue eyes turned to Rain to regard her with more interest. "Really? How fascinating. How long have you known?"

Rain shrugged awkwardly. "As long as I can remember. But I can't control it very well."

"I'm not surprised," the woman smiled understandingly. "Few can control magic without being taught how."

"Why are you wasting your time?" The old sorcerer grumbled. "Just send them on their way."

"Gryn," the blonde woman turned to him, looking somewhat frustrated. "We lost most of our fellow sorcerers in the fight against Deva and his fellow zealots. We really cannot afford to be picky. I think we should take the chance to embrace any magically gifted people out there. We never know when we may need their help."

The old sorcerer muttered something unintelligible, then grumbled and walked off, leaving them to it.

Smiling apologetically, the woman giggled quietly. "I'm sorry about Gryn, he's an old grouch. That's about as much of an approval as one ever gets from him." She sobered up. "Where are my manners? I'm Isobel. Who might you be?"

"Isobel?" Ereptus repeated, his voice incredulous. "As in the Sorceress Isobel?"

"One and the same. And you are?"

It took them a moment to gather their wits. They were standing in front of a living legend. Even Rain living in a decrepit city few people visited, had heard the stories of Sorceress Isobel. Together with the recently crowned High King she had defeated the Dark God's Disciple, and with the help of Goddess Dhim sealed him in a crystal, spellbound for eternity. The same crystal that now hovered over Messina as a warning and reminder to the Dark God's zealots.

"I'm Ereptus, and this is Rain."

She made an awkward curtsy as Ereptus introduced them.

"I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance." Sorceress Isobel smiled, and it seemed genuine. Rain thought she might like her.

"Are there really not many sorcerers left?" Ereptus had a keen interest in all things, which had surprised Rain. It wasn't something you'd expect from someone considering themselves a career thief.

Isobel's face fell. "Sadly no. When Deva, the Dark Disciple, attacked Messina the sorcerers tried to fight him off, but they were defeated. There were never a huge number of us, but after that, there are even fewer. It takes time to rebuild our ranks as the pool of the magically gifted is not a big one. Which is why I am very keen on getting to know your young friend here."

"But she won't be a sorcerer?" The question made the sorceress laugh.

"You are very inquisitive, Ereptus!" She motioned towards a wall of portraits. "As I suspect you already know, the title of Sorcerer is given by the Gods. Having the gift of magic is a rare occurrence on its own, and I don't think it should ever be wasted. However, becoming a Sorcerer is much more than learning to use that gift, it's about dedicating your life to assisting the kingdoms of Erya and keeping them safe."

Curious, Rain walked over to look at the wall of portraits. There were maybe thirty of them, men and women in beautiful robes and dresses. Most of them had a black sash painted hanging across their chest.

"Our lost comrades," Isobel explained, noticing Rain's interest. "There are more portraits of Sorcerers of the past in other parts of the tower, but these are the most recent ones."

"There are only seven of you left?" Ereptus had counted the portraits without the black sash.

"Six, actually." Isobel lightly traced the face of an old man whose portrait had not yet had the sash added. She looked lost in thought for a moment, then her eyes widened, staring at something on Rain's shoulder. "What is that?"

Rain scooped up Peeves, who had been trying to escape the confinements of her tunic, and held him up for the other woman's perusal. "It's my pet, Peeves."

Isobel stared at the little reptile. "Is that a... dragon?" she breathed, looking amazed.

"Yes," Rain nodded.

"No," Ereptus said dismissively at the same time. "It's a lizard."

The sorceress reached out and gingerly touched the little beast, her mouth slightly open. "No," she said, straightening and looking at Ereptus. "This is a dragon. That is amazing. They are supposed to be extinct. Who did you say you were, Rain? Where did you get this?"

Feeling vulnerable, Rain put the little dragon back inside her tunic. As much as she had adamantly insisted to Ereptus that Peeves was a dragon, she hadn't actually truly believed it herself. "I... I don't know," she said. "He's been with me as long as I can remember. I think he was my mother's."

"And who is your mother?"

"I don't know," she admitted miserably.

Seemingly sensing her distress, the sorceress smiled again. "Oh, not to worry. It will be a mystery we can try to solve together. How fascinating!"

Ereptus was staring at her in a way that made Rain feel like she was naked and vulnerable. She didn't enjoy thinking about her heritage. That her mother had died or left her, and her father had been an awful man who had never wanted her. He'd gotten rid of her as soon as he could, hadn't he? Leaving her to fend for herself in Gor about ten years ago. What little she knew of her mother was only what her father had said in his drunken ramblings, none of it flattering.

"Why don't you come back tomorrow?" Isobel suggested. "We can discuss how best to train you, and where to go from here."

Rain nodded, and after Ereptus had a little chat with the sorceress, he walked back through the city with her to an inn where they were staying for the night.

They were quiet for a while as they were getting ready for bed, both processing everything they had seen and learnt that day. Finally, Ereptus looked at her from where he was sitting on his bed.

"I knew you were special," he murmured. "But I never quite realised how special."

"I'm still just me," Rain interjected. "Nothing has changed."

"You have an actual dragon as a pet!" He shook his head in amazement. "Do you not realise how rare that is? No, not rare - unheard of!"

Rain ran a finger down the spine of her scaled pet where he was lying on her pillow. Peeves made a sound that was probably as close to a purr as a dragon could. Not sure what to say, she lay down in bed next to him.

"Do you think you will like it here?" Ereptus asked after a moment's silence.

"Yes, I think so," she said thoughtfully. "Isobel seems nice, and the city is beautiful."

"Good." He nodded. "You will be safe here, and the sorcerers can teach you everything you need to know about magic."

Closing her eyes, Rain felt herself starting to drift off. She was exhausted after a long day, but she felt content. She was safe, and she was with Ereptus. Everything would be well.

"Tomorrow after I've been to see Isobel, could we go see the royal castle?" she asked sleepily.

"Mmm..." Ereptus sounded distracted. The bed shifted a little as he sat down on the edge next to her and his hand stroked her cheek softly. She opened her eyes a little, her eyelids heavy, and smiled sleepily at him. It looked as if he wanted to say something, but when he remained quiet, she soon fell asleep.

Rain awoke the next morning to find the room empty, except for her and Peeves. All of Ereptus' belongings were gone. Next to her on the pillow lay a single, white rose and a leather pouch filled with coin. She carefully picked up the rose, and with a gut-wrenching realisation, she knew that Ereptus had left her.

Pressing the rose to her chest, she burst into tears. He was her only friend, and he had abandoned her in a city foreign to her. While he had always said that his job was to deliver her to Messina, she had believed that as they became friends, he would have maybe stayed with her since he wouldn't let her go with him. His was not a life for someone like her. He thought her fragile like this rose.

She flinched and looked down at her hands. A drop of blood was forming on her thumb where a thorn from the rose had stung her. Wiping away the tears, she stood up, anger replacing her grief. Well, if Ereptus didn't think she was strong enough to live his life and be with him, then that was his loss. She would study with the sorcerers and learn to channel her magic, and she would be all right. She was not the fragile little girl he believed her to be. She could take care of herself. A rose may be beautiful, but a rose has thorns.

Ereptus watched from the shadows of a dark alley as Rain emerged from the inn where they had spent the night and made her way towards Highglaive. A stab of guilt pierced him when he saw her red-rimmed eyes, but he reminded himself that he was doing this for her sake. She was special, more special than even Gaylen had realised, and he was nothing but a lowly thief. If he stayed he might bring her down to his level, and he didn't want that. She deserved more. So much more. He could never be enough for someone like Rain. She might think she wanted to stay with him now, but she was only young. She didn't know better. It was up to him to decide for both of them.

Heavy-hearted, he turned around and made his way out of the city, leaving Messina and Rain behind. With a final glance towards the city, he reminded himself of the words Gaylen had said to him so many years ago. They rang truer than ever before, reminding him of exactly who he was, and exactly why he had to leave. Once a thief, always a thief.

THE END

Author's Note: Do not fret! We will see Rain and Ereptus again in a future Spellbound novel.