Chapter 6

Seth opened the bookstore door and the little bell rang as a sign of his arrival. Chaos flew inside behind him and Seth held the door open, even if it wasn't necessary to do so for a ghost. After all he could just as easily have flown through it.

The shop's owner, a witch called Midra Smee was a well-known dealer of magical artifacts. A couple of months ago The Knights of the dawn had investigated her business, suspecting that not all her transactions were quite legal. In the end they hadn't found anything too damning and she'd been able to continue running her business, legal or not. Her boutique looked like any quaint little bookshop for those with an untrained eye. When Seth focused hard enough he could make out the signs in the windows advertising love potions and psychic readings. The stacks of books in the windows would be replaced by artifacts from every corner of the world.

Seth had never been allowed to visit the shop and now he was desperate to go explore it further. Who knew what kind of cool stuff he'd be able to find. They were even having a sale according to one of the signs in the window. Seth could hardly restrain himself, but he knew they had come for one thing and one thing only.

"Hello, a soft female voice crooned. "Are you looking for anything in particular?" An old woman with long silver hair came out from behind a bookshelf. She was short and had drooping skin with the most wrinkles Seth had ever seen. "Hello, Seth answered trying not to stare at a huge mole that had sprouted on the woman's forehead. I'm looking for something specific. Something to open a portal between realms. "Ahhh, the moment you entered my shop I could tell you were up to no good, shadow charmer." Well that wasn't really fair especially since for once Seth was actually trying to do something good. "I'm kind of in a hurry," Seth answered. "Young people these days. Always in a hurry," The woman muttered as she disappeared amidst the endless rows of books.

Chaos had told Seth about the faithful nights events. How Navarog had appeared with Kendra. Then Bracken had turned up and they'd fought. Bracken had apparently lost witch Seth had had a hard time believing. He told Seth how Navarog had opened a portal and they'd all disappeared through it. According to chaos Bracken had been badly wounded with a sword stabbed through his chest. Seth feared the worst, but a little spark of hope assured him that Bracken was fine. He was sure the Unicorn prince had survived much worse than that during his long life time. At least he hoped so. If not for his sake then Kendra's.

Right now the little demon was flitting around the room examining the contents of the bookcases. "U-uu bye this one," Chaos told Seth as he pointed a long claw at an old volume as thick as his head. He sounded like a kid in a candy shop. Seth went over to examine the book. It looked old and dusty like most of the stuff in the little bookshop. Seth looked at the tittle. "The how to guide to Demonic rites and resurrections," Seth read aloud. Well it did sound like something Seth could be interested in reading.

"You find something interesting," The voice made Seth jump and he turned around to face the little woman. She was holding a decorative wooden box with a neon post it on top saying: hands of Margaret. Seth had no clue as to who Margaret was, but he dismissed the question deeming it irrelevant. "How much for the book?" Seth asked still holding it in his hands. "We'll just have to see what you have to offer, little shadow charmer."

She went behind the counter and placed the box on the table. "The book plus the box makes five hundred dollars." "Five hundred?!" Seth exclaimed. Where on earth did the woman expect him to get five hundred bucks. "Unless, she began. You have something valuable to trade for them."

Seth had prepared for this and he dug through his satchel. He brought out a small figurine of a tower. "What's this? The woman asked looking at Seth with curious eyes. It's a powerful magical object that turns into a real life sized tower when you say a few magic words," he explained. Seth wasn't happy to part with the item. It had been given to him by Thronus a giant who lived at Wyrmroost, a sanctuary for dragons. It was definitely one of Seth's favorite souvenirs, but he was willing to part with it, if it meant he'd be one step closer to rescuing his sister.

"Interesting, The woman said thinking over Seth's offer. I'll give you the box but not the book," she finally decided. "How much for the book then?" "Twenty." "Greedy old hag haggling for twenty dollars for god's sake," Chaos squawked. Seth wanted to tell Chaos to stop complaining. After all it's not like it was his money they were spending, but instead he reached for his wallet pulling out two ten dollar bills. "Fine, he relented. It's a deal."

He slid over the tower and a small piece of paper that he had written the spell down on. The old woman gave Seth the box and removed the post it. Want me to write the words down for you?" "Yes please." She took a pen from her pocket and crossed over the warning on the post it before writing down the spell and handing Seth the note. "Don't loose this," She emphasized before letting go of the post it. "I won't," he promised.

Seth opened the box and looked inside at the small white cube. It had strange small mechanisms embedded inside. "It has enough magic for two trips, but only two. So don't go crazy." Seth was a little disappointed. He had hoped to be able to use it latter on as well. He thanked the woman and bid her a pleasant evening. After all it's like Bracken always says. Good manners are the mark of a true gentleman. He exited the bookstore, once again ringing the little bell as he left.

Hi again. Sorry about the code. I was out of town all day and couldn't fix it. I've had trouble with it before, so if you have guys have any helpful tips on how to remove it or avoid it all together, i'd be happy to hear them. I hope you like the chapter and I hope to update my story again soon.