The early afternoon sun peeking through the dome of leaves painted a mosaic of shifting colours onto the pathway ahead.

But the peacefulness surrounding Andor could not alleviate the weight of Rose's bag hanging like lead from his shoulders. He might not be able to understand much of the book, but he was no fool. It was a dangerous and powerful object, and the fact that Serande was so intent on getting her hands on it, did nothing to subdue his worries. Trouble was brewing on the horizon, and he was about to get caught right in the middle of it.

As the ivory spires and turrets of Valantes appeared through the thinning vegetation ahead, Andor casually mingled with the elves who made their way into the city. The pulsating afternoon crowd allowed him to move along undisturbed. The streets were packed with chattering families seeking entertainment and no one paid him any heed. Still, he chose to walk the hidden alleyways. There was no way he would risk running into his pupils or worse Kendra.

When he came to stand in front of Serande's house, he lingered for a moment undecided, realising that they had not agreed on a specific time for him to be back, so he might as well have come here for nothing. He pushed his hesitation away and reached for the brass door knocker in the shape of an unfolding leaf, but before his fingers could touch the metal, the door swung open by itself, a silent invitation to enter.

Andor let himself in and hung his bow and quiver at the entrance, his fingers clamped tightly around the straps of the bag.

"Come right through, Andor," a familiar voice came from the back of the house, "and make yourself comfortable."

The low rafters of Serande's main room were bedecked in a myriad of dried herbs and lush plants. A warm and golden light streamed through an open door at the far end. Beyond the door there was a small garden where Serande tended to the herbs and flowers she had brought from locations all over Elysse. Andor crossed the room and was greeted by the scent of lemon balm, verbena, and sage as he peeked through the door and into the garden.

Serande was kneeling between the patches of lemon balm, plucking the bright green leaves from the bushy stems and dropping them in a small wicker basket on the ground beside her. Contrary to yesterday she wore a simple honey coloured dress and a matching headband slung around her head, her thick black curls spilling over it in ebony waves. Nothing in her unassuming appearance gave away the position of power she held.

"Don't just stand around there. Go and sit inside. I'll be with you right away," she said without even so much as looking up from her task.

"I have the bag," Andor said in lack of anything else to say, while he lingered in the doorframe looking out into the garden.

"Good." Serande dropped a few more leaves in her basket. She then finally turned around to face him. "I expected nothing less from you." She rose from the ground and placed the basket on a low lying table, brushing off earth from her dress. "I will lay the leaves out to dry later. They will make an excellent addition for my new tea."

She strode over to him, an excited gleam in her eyes. "Let's see what you've got for me."

Andor handed her the bag, suppressing the desire to do something stupid, like withholding it from her.

"Did anyone follow you here?" Serande dropped the bag on the large table in the middle of the room and beckoned Andor to sit down.

"No one," Andor said, taking a seat. "I am a hunter. I know how to be stealthy."

Serande cocked an eyebrow. "And you have kept this task to yourself?"

"Yes," Andor said tersely. He found it was best not to elaborate on how much he might have revealed to his friends.

"Very well." Serande nodded, directing her attention to the bag in front of her. She quickly sifted through the contents, her face lighting up when she pulled out the book.

Andor sat bolt upright in his seat, holding his breath while trying not to think too much on the drawing tucked away in his pocket.

"I have been searching for this book for a very long time." She placed the book on the table, her fingers running over the delicate symbols embossed on the leather cover.

"The Leaf and the Flower," she murmured to herself, as if she had found a long lost treasure. "Have you looked inside?" She narrowed her eyes. "Better stick to the truth, because I'll know it, if you are lying to me."

"Yes, I did take a look," Andor said, holding her gaze, "but I don't know much about the Ancient Tongue." He swallowed, adding quietly, "It seemed like a dangerous book to me."

Serande nodded. "It could be, if it got into the wrong hands, but luckily you have brought it to me." Andor should have felt relief, but Serande's eagerness made his throat tighten. She leafed through the book, her eyes flying across the pages, scanning a few of them until she seemed to come across what she had been looking for. A satisfied smile played around her lips and when she closed the book again, her face radiated with barely hidden excitement.

"This book has the power to shape the future of Elysse. It can bring a long-lasting peace to our people, real peace, not this fragile construct requiring a renewal every forty years."

"How so?" were the only words making their way through Andor's constricted throat.

Serande adjusted her headband, tucking a few stray curls back into it.

"Before we take this conversation any further, I need to be sure about where your loyalties lie."

"My loyalties? I don't think I have ever given you any doubt about my loyalties." Those were treacherous waters to navigate.

"No, you haven't, but it is essential that I hear it from you again." She folded her hands on top of the book, her gaze stern and unyielding.

Andor straightened himself, willing his voice to sound as steady as possible.

"My loyalties lie with all the people of Elysse who deserve to live in peace."

"A wise answer." Serande nodded. "But what about the king?"

"What about him?" He was toeing a thin line that could get him thrown into Xanthos's dungeon if he misstepped.

Serande raised her eyebrows. "Does he also have your loyalty?"

"He has all the loyalty he deserves."

Silence blanketed the room and Andor could have sworn, Serande assessed him with a calculating gaze. When her mouth widened to a conspiratorial smile, the tension eased off Andor's shoulders. Serande lowered her voice to a near whisper.

"With a good amount of careful planning and a little bit of luck on our side, this book might be able to open a new path into a better future for all of us."

Andor barely could hear his own tumultuous thoughts over the rushing of his blood. "How can a book alone accomplish such a thing?"

"A book is never just a book. It is always more than the sum of its words and only when interpreted by the correct person, can it unfold its full power. That time has finally come. This book was written ages ago by the wisest of our kin to be kept safe in the vaults of the library of Valantes. Unfortunately it was lost in the turmoils of time, passing out of all knowledge to the point where it has been deemed a legend, apparently nothing more than a figment of our imagination."

"But I still don't understand what this has to do with bringing peace to Elysse? Do we not have peace now? And why would Rose have possessed this book?" A myriad of questions tumbled over each other in his head. He finally spilled out the one question that had been bothering him the most. "And what do I have to do with all this?"

"You do have a lot of questions young one. I'm afraid I do not have answers to all of them, at least not yet. The important thing is that the book has found its way back to where it belongs and I must now delve deeper into its writings to—"

There was a sharp knock at the door and Serande stilled for a moment. Andor could have sworn that there was a glimmer of concern in her eyes, when she leaned closer. "What we just spoke, will remain between us. The fate of Elysse depends on it. Have I my made myself clear?"

"Yes," Andor nodded, his stomach clenching as the realisation sunk in that he wouldn't be able to walk away from this like he had thought.

She slid the book back into the bag, stuffing it under the table as another knock, more determined than the first, cut through the tension.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming," she said, making her way towards the door. "Just give an old lady some time."

Andor watched her with apprehension, wishing himself as far away as possible, when an agitated female voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this unannounced, Serande, but I need a moment of your time."

"Has something happened?"

"Not yet, but it might soon. You know I wouldn't disturb you, if it weren't urgent."

"Yes, yes I know. Come in."

There was a rustling of cloth and then the door snapped shut and Serande led Lessindra, a member of the king's council,  into the main room.

"Have a seat. I will make us some tea. I'm sure Andor won't mind having a cup with us."

"Oh hello, Andor, I didn't know you were here, what a nice surprise." Lessindra flashed him one of her brightest smiles and pulled up a chair to sit beside him.

"Hello," he greeted her rather stiffly, even though they were generally on friendly terms. But today there was the kind of tension in the air that set him on edge.

Lessindra appeared oblivious to his distress and chattered away, while Serande busied herself with the preparation of their tea.

"I heard that there were some irregularities during the tournament," Lessindra said, plucking at the long sleeves of her dark green dress. "I saw Eldoran with Zayn and Kendra and he appeared more irritated than the usual, and that means something because he is always irritated." A small chuckle escaped her.

"The children were distracted and an arrow went astray, but that was all." He really didn't feel like delving into this embarrassing moment again.

Lessindra only winked and then mercifully dropped the subject, when Serande placed three steaming mugs of tea on the table in front of them. Lessindra pulled one towards her, closing her eyes as she inhaled the vapour.

"Now what has brought you here?" Serande said, returning to her seat and reaching for her own cup. Andor didn't even touch his mug. No amount of tea could wash away the tightness in his chest.

"I bring news from the palace," Lessindra said, throwing a cautious glance towards Andor.

"You may speak freely." Serande beckoned her to continue. "I want Andor to hear what you have to say."

If Lessindra was surprised by this, she did not let it show.

"Very well, then. Xanthos has issued an order obliging all council members to remain in Valantes for the time being. He apparently plans to hold another meeting in a few days time, yet he has not revealed the reason behind this." She drew her brows together in a frown.

"I just come from a conversation with Rakhis, who is not the only one to have been taken by surprise. Most council members do not appreciate to be kept in Valantes, as they have matters of their own to attend to in their lands. Marante was especially unwilling to stay longer than strictly necessary. You know her people and their aversion for cities and everything built of stone. Xanthos had to exert his authority to make her stay."

She swirled the contents in her mug, her eyes fixed on the liquid inside. "She wasn't pleased. That much is for sure." She took a long swig and then set the cup down. "Is there a reason why there should be another meeting? None of us council members have been told anything else apart from the fact that we are supposed to be attending it."

Serande's mouth tightened, as her fingers curled around her own mug, her eyes darting between Lessindra and Andor.

"The king's plans are entirely his own and he does unfortunately not always share them with me or anyone else. But I have to admit, that this is rather unexpected."

Lessindra nodded, worry etched into her features. "He seems to be growing restless and impatient."

"Yes, he does." Serande paused as if she were contemplating something. "Which is why we must make our move soon."

"What move?" Andor asked before he could stop himself.

"You'll find out soon enough," was all Serande said to him and then she pulled out Rose's book from the bag under the table. "We have this on our side now," she said to Lessindra, holding it up. "Andor just brought it to me. Rose was indeed the one who carried it, just like we had suspected."

Lessindra's hand flew to her mouth to stifle a gasp, her eyes widening at the sight of the book.

"I—I thought it had been lost. So it was true indeed, all that you have seen."

"Yes, it was true, but we are nowhere near our goal and this is not the moment to be discussing the details. It is essential that we prepare ourselves for the king's meeting. Is Rakhis with us?"

Lessindra gave Serande a brief nod.

"What about Eldoran?"

"He might be persuaded." Lessindra wagged her head. "But I fear that his sense of duty is not allowing him to join the ranks of reason."

"I'll make sure to talk some sense into him, the sooner the better. I assume Marante and her people will welcome anything that ensures their independence, so we do not have to worry about them right now, nevertheless their rather violent disposition might pose a problem." Serande drummed with her fingers on the table. "Have you already spoken to Nuala? She might be stoic and relatively aloof to whatever goes on outside her mountains, but it might be of importance to be able to count her in as an ally, and not just because they breed the finest dragons up there."

"I can speak to her," Lessindra offered, "she is not usually averse to a chat with me, as long as the conversation involves praising the clean air on the mountain tops of Kendar." A small smile quirked around her mouth. It was well known that flattery was one of the surest ways to get the Kendarians to soften their stony attitudes.

"Good," Serande appeared satisfied. "That leaves us with Velos. I will make sure to speak to him as soon as I can." Her fingers absentmindedly traced the leaf and flower engraving on the book when she fixed her eyes on Andor.

"I know that all this must come as a surprise to you and I will make sure to explain everything to you once the time is right, but for now, I just want you to know that everything I do, I do it with the wellbeing of Elysse in mind. You have proven yourself worthy throughout your task and by bringing me the book. So when you said that your loyalty lies with the people who deserve to live in peace, do you still stand by your words?"

"Yes, I do," he said while everything inside him screamed no. "But this is not—"

"Can we count on you then?" Serande cut him off and looked at him expectantly.

"Count on me?" he repeated, his fingers curling around the armrests until his knuckles turned white. Helpless rage coursed through his veins. "What do you need me for? Why can you not tell me? You promised me that my task was done once you had the book. I don't really want to have anything to do with this!" it broke out of him, his composure finally flaking away. "I am not your pawn in whatever it is that you are planning!" His anger was now turning molten inside him. "I am not interested in your politics. I wish to go now. Find someone else to do your bidding."

Andor shot up from his seat, sending his chair tumbling to the floor behind him.

Serande seemed completely unfazed by his outburst. "Sit down again, Andor, please," she said, lifting the chair from the floor with a mere flick of her hand.

Andor stared at her, fuming, but then Lessindra chimed in, as if she were talking to an unreasonable child. "I understand that you do not want to have anything to do with this, because you think it does not concern you, but you are wrong. This does concern you, and not only you, but also your family, Olear and Meril and even little Tin."

"Leave my family out of this," he said through gritted teeth.

"I am afraid we cannot leave your family out of this. As a matter of fact, we cannot leave anyone out of this, because having peace, as well as the absence of it, affects every single person in Elysse." Lessindra's naturally soft features hardened and there was a determined glint in her hazel eyes. "I am sure that you only want the best for your family, but they are not the only ones who deserve a peaceful life. So, I am asking you now again, Andor, are you willing to aid us in our cause to ensure a long lasting peace for our realm, or do you say no to a better future for Elysse?"

"We are not your enemies Andor," Serande added calmly, pointing at his chair with her finger.

Lessindra placed her hand on Andor's arm and looked up to him. "You know that I have been a friend of your family ever since they took you in and I have always supported you, even in difficult times. Do you not think that I deserve the same from you now?"

She gave him a pointed look and let go of his arm. Andor stood for a moment undecided. He felt like a scolded child, who had questioned a perfectly reasonable rule established by his parents.

"Fine," he said with a resigned sigh, reluctantly sinking back onto his chair. "But I have one condition." A daring idea began to take shape in his head and his heart thundered in his chest at the thought of what he was going to propose.

"Name it and if it is within my power, it shall be granted," Serande said.

Andor was feeling positively reckless, but he didn't care about the consequences. They needed him, that much was clear, so why not use this to his advantage? Foolish or not, he was going to stake everything on one card.

"Find a way to undo Rose's sacrifice. Then I am willing to help you."