Tiliana Mistruen's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Tiliana stepped through the twisted driftwood arch and stopped cold. She had come to scout the grove where the text's holder was rumored to hide. Hiding, it turned out, was not the plan. The arch stood tall and unashamed, a front door planted in open ground. Whoever owned the book wanted her to walk right up to it. She followed the path to a willow shrine woven from living branches. A folded note waited on the stone step, pinned beneath a single pink scale. Her name was written on the outside in careful ink. The note was short. "I see you looking, dealer. Come closer if you dare." Above the shrine, a purple and pink dragon uncoiled from the willow boughs. It watched her with bright yellow eyes and did not move to attack. It only waited, as if amused. Tiliana folded the note and slid it into her coat. Her quiet approach was finished. Whoever held the text knew her face, her trade, and her fear. If she wanted the book locked away, she would have to stop watching from the trees and start bargaining in the open.