It was the first dry autumn morning after several rainy days. Little white clouds were slowly flowing in the bright blue sky, the wind was cool, but not very strong. Yellow and red leaves which have still been left on the trees were falling on the ground, slowly covering the mess of the Southbridge village's main road.

Even though the weather was fairly pleasant, and the villagers were seen in their yards, no kids were playing in the streets. It seemed like everyone was trying to stay as close to their houses as possible.

A not very tall figure in a deep-purple cloak, head covered with a hood, was quickly approaching a small house at the edge of the village. The figure attracted a few long glances and two neighbouring women shared loud whispers across the fences of their homes, pointing at the young woman crossing the village, but this attention wasn't distracting her from approaching the rickety wooden house and firmly knocking on its door.

No reply followed, she knocked again and waited for some time before taking a walk around the house, knocking on the dusty windows and trying to look inside, then knocking on the back door, before returning to the front one.

"I know you're in there! It took me a few weeks to find you," the young woman shouted. "And you must listen to me!"

No answer again, so the woman leaned on the wall of the old house, taking a rest for a minute.

"I have a letter from Elaine, it had to be sent to you many years ago," the young woman paused, as she heard someone's steps on the other side of the wall. "And it's addressed to Bave…"

"Shhh!" the girl was interrupted, as the door slammed open and someone's hand pulled her into the house, a tall old man quickly shut the door behind her.

Inside it was looking different than what she saw through the dusty windows while trying to reach the owner of this place. It was still old wood everywhere – walls, floor, furniture, but it was neat and clean.

"That name was not supposed to be pronounced here! How did you come to know of it?" said an old man with long white hair and beard, and a very vivid glance of blue eyes. He was dressed in a dark robe and stood high looking down at the young woman. "And who are you at all, coming to my house and demanding my attention?"

She pulled off the hood, her golden hair tied in one simple plait.

"I'm Everia, and I'm here because the queen has mentioned you were her last hope," the girl replied, looking straight into the old man's blue eyes with her green ones.

"Where is the letter?" the old man spread his hand to Everia, gesturing for her to give it to him immediately.

"It's not with me," the girl shook her head. "You have to promise to come with me first."

"You're a liar!" the old man shouted, his voice making Everia shroud her shoulders.

"I have done something terrible. I thought I could help him, but I only made it worse," tears burst out of her eyes, she covered her face with her little white palms.

"You're using Elaine's name just to get my help to fix some love potion's side effects? That's not going to happen! Get out!"

The old man has pointed his finger at the door, but Everia stood where she was, wiping her tears.

"I've traced a whole line of the secret messengers between the queen and a powerful magician, Bavelor Valneran because only you can save the prince now!"

"Why would the prince need help?" the man frowned, his eyes narrowing into two thin lines.

"Because he can't keep the Shades of the Demons under his control anymore," whispered Everia.

"The Shades belong to prince Kiniar?" Bavelor shook his head. "Not to the king anymore?"

"They never belonged to the king, as long as I know prince Kiniar" whispered Everia. "I promised to return in a week, thinking the address on the envelope would bring me to someone who would be able to help, but then, it was just a first person who knew the second address and would give it only in exchange for some information".

"How many people know about the Demons then?" magician raised his voice again, Everia shrouded her shoulders in response again.

"Only me and… you now," her green eyes opened wide. "I didn't tell anyone why I needed to get here!"

"How did they give you the necessary addresses then?" frowned the old man.

"I used the name of the queen and a little bit of charm," she replied.

"And now you want me to do what exactly?" Bavelor looked at Everia up and down.

"Come with me, please, the Demons have become stronger. Prince can send their Shades away for some time, but they return stronger. He can't hold them within for a long time, and it's all because of me," she sobbed again.

"If all these attacks on the villages are happening because the prince is searching for you, you must return to the castle immediately and just stay by his side, the whole country will be thankful to you!"

"I won't be able to save anyone, because… prince can't control them anymore. Kiniar has promised he wouldn't allow the Shades to touch me, but you see," Everia pulled her right sleeve up, opening an ugly fresh burn mark on her arm, her eyes teared up again. "And the king has ordered me to leave the castle if I wanted to stay alive, saying prince is attached to me too much and I'm not of a noble blood."

"The king has forbidden any magicians to come close to the capital," frowned the old man. "How am I supposed to do anything?"

"What if you change your appearance?" the girl's eyes lit up.

"Do you think the king didn't take any precautions? There are the shields, I'll be stripped off my magic if I am not invited by the king himself."

"There must be something you could do!" exclaimed the girl.

The old man narrowed his eyes, looking up and down the girl, before nodding.

"You must stay here for a year," he said.

"I promised to return in a week, I'm already two months late, I've seen the Shades destroying a few places which I've just left, and they will come here one day, just because the prince is still searching for me. These people here, they don't have to die, you must come with me!"

"Nobody died here so far, even though we were attacked by these Shades in the last three months. I guess, the prince is looking for you all over the country, if they came here a few times before you arrived. And I can only protect this village if I stay here. So, I can't go with you to Dain-Tar."

The old man looked deeply into Everia's sad and desperately looking eyes before continuing.

"You are smart to realize that if you're found by the prince, you'll be quickly taken back to Dain-Tar. You came to me, and there's only one way I can help you. If you are to succeed then you must stay here for a year to learn all I know about destroying the Shades of the Demons."

"I… I can't, a year, so many places will be destroyed, so many lives…" Everia looked at the man in half-disbelief.

"We are learning to fight these Shades with their every attack, many places are secretly protected by magicians and the Forrest nation. You know how the Demons have changed, and I know how to destroy this evil, so a year it is. Take it or leave it."

"You left me no choice," Everia slowly nodded. "But we don't have a year, the prince will find me before that, his Shades, they need just a day to cover a distance I've covered in three. I've been hiding and changing my routes often, but I've heard about attacks on the places I've left, and witnessed some myself."

"Then I have to change your appearance to win us some time," the old man snapped his fingers over Everia's head and she felt that her thick plait turned into something like a short tail, her eyes have dried for a moment and she looked in disbelief as her pale-white hands turned into weather-beaten hands similar to those of a kitchen maid.

"You will find some less noticeable robes in the wardrobe in your room, the last door on the right upstairs. That is, if you decide to stay, of course," continued the magician while Everia tried to comprehend the changes.

And only when the old man took a step aside, she has noticed that the small hut has a second floor.

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