Corina ran her finger down the line of books shelved in the innermost section of the archives, housed in the great citadel of Brahna. The expansive room housed every important book and document in Reist. In the front of the room were shelves and shelves of copies of Sir Ramon’ text for purchase, something that had brought a great many people to this building through the revolutions. Of course, that was not her purpose here today.

As she made her way back, the books became more and more old, their covers cracked, pages beginning to fade; if not for the protective nature of the charms on them, many would surely have already turned to dust. Those, she knew, were not the only enchantments in place in the archives. Anti-theft charms had been put over every book and scroll in the place. No doubt this would make her job that much harder.

The book was not difficult to find. It almost felt as though it was pulling her, directing her towards it. And just like that, there it was on a shelf eye level with her. It had a soft, green leather cover, and the outside was entirely blank.

When Corina stroked the spine with the tip of her finger, she felt a rush of energy flow through her. It was small; she hadn’t expected it to be so tiny. From top to bottom, it was only the slightest bit bigger than her own hand.

A quick look around told her no one was looking. She pulled the book out from its resting place and let it fall down her long sleeve into a special pocket made to hold items. Using her other hand, she buttoned the little inside flap closed, effectively hiding the book and ensuring it wouldn’t simply fall out. To anyone watching, it would only appear as though she was adjusting her clothing.

Corina tried to focus on making sure her hands did not shake. Scared out of her mind, she could not back out now. It was a quick walk from the inner archives, but it might as well have been an eternity. She could feel the book; it felt warmer than it should through the fabric. Any second now, she half expected it to catch fire, or some other telltale to give her away.

Above her was the vaulted archways of the citadel; she prayed for forgiveness, but knew she must continue on. To her right was the desk, behind which sat the attendant. Before her, no more than twenty feet away, was the door. Freedom. When she strolled past the attendant, nothing was amiss.

As she passed the doorway, the alarm sounded.

In a panic, she bolted down the street, chestnut hair flowing behind her. The wailing siren of an alarm was going off at the citadel, its cry ringing out over the city.

This should not be! He said there would be no protection on the book! She could hear the shouts of the guards and the pounding of their feet on the cobbles as they chased after her. As far as she could tell, the book itself was not giving off any kind of signal to the authorities.

As she ran, the streets became narrower and more cluttered. Corina flew past shops and vendors, indiscriminately shoving aside anyone and anything in her path. Turning to look around at her pursuers was her mistake.

She collided hard with something, and Corina found herself sprawled over the ground. Her fall was broken by something soft. She heard a groan. Correction; her fall was broken by someone soft. "Shadows!" She cried, then muttered a quick apology and conceded to at least help the man up.

It was then that a shock ran through her body from head to toe. It ran down along her spine before flooding into her limbs, hot and cold all at once. All of her training…nothing had ever felt so arcane. There was no time to ponder the weight of it. She could not stop, and therefore forced herself to turn away.