The doors opened with a loud groan, filling up the large empty room. The room was dimly lit and deadly silent. Elora stepped cautiously forward as if she was expecting to be scolded for making a noise. Her boots tapped loudly across the marbled floor, dust sprinkling on the shiny tiles. A large archway stood in front of her, leading her down a long hallway. Swallowing her sudden nerves, she tiptoed across the floor making sure not to breathe too loudly. Just when she was sure she had made a wrong turn somewhere, the hallway opened into a ginormous room filled with books.

Elora's eyes widened in awe at the sheer size of the room, the ceiling was so high it looked like it could go on forever. Rows and rows of bookshelves lined the room, the aisles were narrow and dark. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling in the centre of the room, its glow barely illuminating the area. As she stepped further into the room a small man appeared from behind a large wooden desk.

"Hello there Miss, how may I assist you?" Elora blinked at the man for a few short seconds, still getting over the sudden appearance of the strange man. His hair was white and curly, stark against his dark skin. Unlike the other people of the Southern Realm, this man was dressed modestly, with a pair of long draping pants. Upon his face sat a small pair of spectacles. Unlike the librarian at the prison, this man had a warm and friendly face, as if he was pleased to see her.

Unsure of what to say to the small man, she hesitantly asked. "I'm looking for books on magic? Do you have any?"

The man tilted his head back and laughed. "Books on magic, why yes my girl! This entire library is filled with books on magic." He continued to laugh to himself as if it were the most ridiculous question he had been asked all day. Annoyed and somewhat humiliated, Elora cleared her throat.

"Right, er sorry. Anything in particular that you are searching for?"

"Well...I'm hoping you might have some information on transference magic?" She noticed the surprise in the man's features.

"Transference magic?" His voice lowered into a loud whisper even though the library was empty, "What on earth would you be interested in that for?" He eyed her suspiciously.

"I'm just curious that's all, so can you help me?" She whispered back. The man straightened up and looked around them as if to make sure there were no prying ears, before motioning with his hand to follow him. Elora wanted to roll her eyes at his dramatics.

Together they wound their way through the maze of bookshelves, the lights above them getting dimmer the deeper they travelled into the room. They stopped abruptly in the middle of an aisle, the man scratching his temple as he scanned the titles, humming quietly to himself.

"Ah-ha!" He cried triumphantly. "This may be what you're after." He dumped a large book into her arms, a small cloud of dust burst into the air and floated in the air above their heads.

"Everything you need to know about transference is in there." He tapped his wrinkled finger on the cover of the book.

"Is this sort of magic practiced in Alzoh?" She asked, hoping he may be of even more assistance. Again, his lips twitched as if to laugh but stopped when he saw her serious face.

"No –"

"- is it because it is banned?"

He hesitated. "Well it's not outright banned, it's just not practiced, and those that do are not well-liked."

"What about blood magic?"

The man's face scrunched up in shock and his hand travelled to her mouth to cover it. Elora was taken aback by his reaction and moved her face away from his hand.

He swivelled his head around the room. "Shh do not say that so loud! Someone might hear you." He leant forward till he was only inches from her face. "Where did you hear about that?"

"Around? So, are they related?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, his face hardening.

"Listen, girl, I can tell you're clearly not from around here, so I'm going to give you some advice. The folk around here do not take kindly to outsiders sprouting their head off about..." His voice dropped to a whisper "...blood magic. People have been killed for less."

A heavy silence settled around them as Elora let his words sink in. He was afraid, his body had jerked as if she had physically hit him. She could tell beneath his hard face, the man was scared, no terrified, at the mere mention of blood magic.

"Alright I understand, thank you for the book. You've been very helpful." She offered awkwardly. He nodded at her and turned quickly on his heel. Elora slid the book onto the tabletop, not noticing the man glance over his shoulder at her once more, face set in suspicion and distrust. A combination that can be extremely dangerous in Alzoh. She cracked open the spine of the large book in front of her, skimming quickly through the first couple of pages. Her mind baulked at the pages that were filled with complicated words and phrases she did not understand, at times they were written in completely different languages.

Some time had passed, she could tell by the midday light that fluttered through the dust and the grumble in her stomach. Her spirits lifted when she happened upon something of interest, lifting her head off her hand she leant closer to the book. Her heart started to beat as she read the words. For transference magic to work correctly, both parties needed to be linked. Surprised she furiously turned the pages looking for how a connection is made. The linking between two persons required a physical connection, which was simple enough. Most times a person wouldn't even be aware that they have been linked, this is especially true for non-practicing persons who did not have the ability to set up wards.

Transference magic can be deadly if used maliciously, the initiator has full control and access over the link, which can lead to death. Elora's blood ran cold and shivers snaked down her spine, her mind racing. A physical connection was needed, yet how could she know who had cast the spell on her. There were so many people she has physically connected with, handshakes to accidental bumping. Her shoulders slumped in defeat; it was impossible to figure out.

As she sat there in silence another thought hit her, so hard that she stumbled out of her chair, knocking it onto the floor loudly. That night of the attack at the prison, the cloaked figure in her room. She remembered how their cold fingers had wrapped around her wrist and the vision that followed.

"That's it!" She cried out loud, forgetting where she was. The cloaked figure, they must be the one who established the connection...but why? She heard light footsteps echoing down the aisles, as she listened the footsteps multiplied into many and they were getting closer. Not sure why, but she felt something was wrong. Quickly she moved away from the table and walked down the aisle to her right, making sure to keep her steps light and quiet. The footsteps got louder behind her and she could hear the low hum of voices. Glancing behind her, she turned right again and changed direction, heading back up the aisle, towards the entrance.

A voice echoed throughout the room. "I thought you said she was here?"

Dammit, the old man had ratted her out!

She could hear them fan out, their steps loud and urgent now. They were looking for her up and down the rows of books, knocking them off the shelves.

As she stood there in front of the large bookshelf, a horrid thought entered her mind. If I just push this shelf, they would all tumble over, squashing the old man and his peers like little bugs. Their bodies would squirm and wiggle under the crushing weight until... As quickly as the thought came it left, leaving Elora feeling ill. Startled she ran through the entrance, not stopping to look behind her or try to hide in the other rooms, she thundered her way through the main doors, bursting out into the bright square.

A few people glanced at her curiously, the pink-faced girl who had all but dived down the stone steps. Ignoring the strange looks she was getting, her legs carried her past the weathered tree and down a small alley lined with barrels and crates. The narrow alley weaved through tall buildings, their height blocking the sunlight. A group of young children wearing dirty and dusty clothes giggled amongst themselves as she ran past them, delighted at the thought of a game, they too ran alongside her for a short while.

Eventually, the alley spat them out into the busy marketplace where she was swallowed by the colourful crowd. The children scattered and she let the crowd carry her. There was no sign of her pursuers, they had given up on her. Smiling she pushed her way through the throng of people, ignoring the calls from the salespeople and the rich aromas that wafted throughout the market.

After a few wrong turns and barked directions, Elora found herself outside Banu's door. It was now late afternoon and the air had cooled only a fraction. Upstairs she could hear pots and plates clanging, Banu must be home. However, as she entered the room her mood soured at seeing the dark-haired beauty standing in the small kitchen. Jahyia had obviously been expecting Banu because her smile dropped into a sneer of dislike. "Oh, it's you..." And she turned back to the pot in front of her.

Elora, tired from the day's adventure and also upset about what she had learnt today, snapped. Stomping forward she grabbed Jahyia's arm and swung her around to face her. Ignoring Jahyia's snarl of surprise Elora's fingers tightened their grip. "Why do you hate me? You don't even know me."

Jahyia ripped her arm from the small girl's grip and leant her face right in, enjoying the fear that had entered Elora's eyes. "You're right, I don't know you."

"But I know your kind." The last word was said with so much venom and hate it constricted Elora's breath. "I know what your kind do to people like us, people who practice magic. What I don't understand is why you're here or why you're dragging Banu into this..." She reached into her pocket and flicked a small coin at her. Elora's coin, the coin she had hidden in her bag.

"You went through my bag!" Elora accused her. 

Jahyia shrugged her shoulders as if she couldn't care less. "I don't know how or why you've got that thing, but let me tell you. You have till tomorrow morning to pack your bags and get the hell out of here before I report you for practicing blood magic."

"What! You know that's not true." Elora cried out in dismay. Jahyia grinned at her, like a cat hunting a mouse, a nasty, evil grin.

"Yes, but they don't. Even the mention of blood magic will send them in a state, proof or no proof." Her fingers tapped a happy tune on the tabletop. "Especially when dealing with trollops from the North."

The blood drained from Elora's face as she figured out what Jahyia was really mad about, the kiss. The more she thought about it, the more she realised how true Jahyia's words were, the men at the library would back up the claim easily. Jahyia smiled to herself, knowing that Elora took her threat seriously. She turned away from the blonde girl and back towards the pot and spoke out loud as if to herself. "I wonder if it will be a beheading or burning at the stake..."

Wordlessly Elora walked into her small room and closed her scared eyes as tears slid down her cheeks.