It was fortunate that Rhys was not in on Mahea’s negative ‘conversation’ with Devon. The woman acted like she knew Rhys’ life story, when they had both run away from their troubles. Rhys was completely unaware of their conversation, and was actually speaking politely with Kieran. Ana spoke up about walking around, and Kieran nodded quickly. “Okay. Yes, we can certainly do that. I thought that you might want to rest a bit after the traveling, but if you are feeling up to walking around, we can do that. And maybe get a bite to eat if your stomach feels settled.” Kieran offered. 

Devon suggested that Ana go with him to the library to find texts on healing, and Kieran nodded in agreement that it was a good idea. He wasn’t going to have Ana go off alone with Devon—while he trusted the man, he didn’t think it was fair to pawn her off on someone else and leave. He had just brought her to this world, and he felt responsible for her. “I would love to come along. It has been some time since I have been able to peruse the library.” Kieran replied, shifting the bag on his shoulder.

“Would you like to join us?” Kieran asked, turning to Rhys. He wasn’t a mind reader, but he could sense her energy. He felt like she was not at all confident about her place, and he agreed with Devon that this woman was likely very important to fulfilling the prophecy that he had seen. Rhys needed to feel like she was a part of this group, like she had a place among other magic users. 

Though Devon had asked the group if they were going to be attending, Kieran was right that Rhys needed a more explicit invitation. She hadn’t answered Devon’s initial request, but after Kieran asked, she bit her lip, and nodded. “Okay.” She said, largely because she knew that Mahea wasn’t going. “Devon told me that there was a nice library around here, but I wasn’t sure where it was.” Rhys admitted.

“We’ll show you where it is.” Kieran responded, gesturing for the rest of the group to follow. He led the way to the library, which was along one of the other main roads. Before they entered, Kieran wanted to tell Ana and Rhys a little more about the library. He opened the door to the large building, mentioning that they could read inside or outside, so long as they spoke to the librarian. “Her name is Urkwia. She is a mind reader, like Devon, and is in the know on basically everything going on, especially in Yarlow. If you have any questions, and we aren’t around, feel free to ask her.” 

He knew that Ana was out of her comfort zone, so much so that she was in another world, but he felt like Rhys was as well, and didn’t want her to feel left out at all. “Urkwia! Are you around?” A small bell chimed as he opened the door, and though he could feel Urkwia’s energy, he called out more to be polite. The foyer wasn’t particularly large. The library had been built to be functional more than anything else. There was a staircase on either side, with a sign directing people towards the various topics in the library. On the main level there were books on agriculture, history, religion, and some other academic topics. On the upper level was most of the books on magic. The left staircase was energy and healing, and on the right there was mind reading and elementals. Along the back wall, the two topics met, along with books about politics and interactions between the various magic groups.

“So Ana, if we are looking for some books in healing, you will want to go up the left staircase. Rhys, books on elementals are on the right. Devon can you show her?” He asked, glancing over at his friend for confirmation that they could each play a role in helping train Rhys and Ana. Kieran thought that Ana might benefit from a brief guide on each of the topics, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her. Urkwia appeared a few moments later, finally appearing from the stacks on the floor. “We have a new healer and an elemental who need some guidance. Any books you recommend before we find them mentors?” Kieran asked.