Piper jerked upright in bed, her body covered in a cold sweat. She struggled to suck in a breath, her chest tighter than a drum. For a second, she felt disoriented by her strange surroundings. But then the dark outline of the inn’s room slowly took shape.

  She inhaled slowly, like Selene had shown her, before flopping back onto the bed. Her nightmares had grown worse after being stabbed, with the ever-present dragon always watching her from a distance.

  Rolling over, she could barely make out the faintest smudge of light through the window shutters, heralding the oncoming dawn. If she fell back asleep immediately, she might still get another hour or two of rest.

  After closing her eyes for a minute, she realized her racing heart would never allow her to go back to sleep. Instead, she decided to use her time doing something useful. She wanted to try to learn a way to conceal Gorebark and her freaky quiver.

  Pushing back her blanket, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed. She didn’t want to wake up Ophelia, so she’d have to be quiet. Then a snore shook the room, and she realized a herd of stampeding mammoths probably couldn’t rouse the girl.

  Piper walked over to the corner and cancelled her [Enduring Casting]. Almost immediately, the illusion dispersed, revealing her weapons. Someday, she’d have to learn how to cast two [Enduring Casting] spells at once. But that was something to attempt another day.

  She grabbed her bow and placed it on the bed. After hesitating for a second, she removed the gag from Gorebark’s mouth.

  “You have to be quiet,” she whispered. “Or the gag is going right back on.”

  Gorebark glared at her with wooden eyes, popping his tongue in and out like he had a bad taste in his mouth. “I’m getting pretty tired of being gagged all the time.”

  “Maybe you should be less annoying,” she said sweetly. “Then I wouldn’t have to gag you.”

  “Yeah, and you should start acting more like a demon.”

  Piper simply shrugged at his response. “Now, lay still and be quiet while I practice my spell on you.”

  “What are you trying to do now?” Gorebark groused. “Are you going to pretty me up with some illusions? Just so you know, I’m going right back to the Infernal Realm if you try to put flowers on me.”

  “I’m trying to figure out a way to hide you,” she whispered. “My hope is that I can learn an illusion to make you look like a regular bow.”

  “So, you want me hidden?”

  She nodded.

  “Good luck.” Gorebark chuckled. “I’ve known imps with head trauma who are better casters than you.”

  At the demonic bow’s word, her expression darkened slightly. Her gaze darted back over to the gag, but then she let out a sigh. Gorebark was only trying to provoke her. Most likely from keeping him gagged all the time.

  Hopefully, when she figured out a way to start doing more difficult quests on her own, she could leave the gag off for longer. She didn’t want her legendary weapon hating her guts.

  Piper focused on the bow resting on the bed and cast [Veil of Lies]. The wooden weapon immediately disappeared from sight. She reached out and groped around on the bed until her fingers found the grip.

  She concentrated as she lifted the bow, trying to shift the illusion. But nothing happened, and the weapon emerged from the spell like it was rising out of a still pond’s surface. She placed it back on the bed to try again.

  Piper continued to repeat her efforts, not understanding why her spell wouldn’t move. Then she thought back to the time she’d learned how to cast [Identify] with Alfred on the farm.

  In that case, she’d had to look deeper to see the mana infusing his body. If this was going to work, she’d have to learn the mechanics of the spell itself. She’d have to alter the mana woven together to make the illusion.

  She focused intently on the spell until she could see tiny sparks of mana. She explored them, getting to know every fibre of the energy woven together to make the spell. When she reached the edge, she tugged slightly with her mind. She was shocked when it moved slightly.

  This was a huge revelation for her. All this time, she’d hoped that she would be rewarded with new spells simply through her actions. But if she could interact with the mana from an active spell, she could change the spells into versions she needed. This opened up all sorts of new possibilities.

  Piper repeated the process, the illusion moving more with every effort. She knew it was really shifting less than the breadth of a human hair, but at least she was making progress.

  After a few more minutes had passed, she had to stop, panting with exertion. Even the simple act of altering her spell had left her mentally exhausted. And it had nearly depleted her mana reserves.

  The next few minutes were spent allowing her mana to trickle back before she returned her attention to the center of the spell. This time, she used every ounce of willpower she had to move the illusion. At first, it resisted but then began to rise slightly.

  As she tugged on her spell, she lifted her bow, the illusion moving with it. Then the spell shattered, leaving Gorebark completely exposed. To make matters worse, her stupid bow looked like it was desperately trying to hold in laughter.

  “What did I tell you?” Gorebark crowed. “Brain damaged imps are better casters than you.”

  Scowling, she returned to her work on the spell. For the next hour, she continued moving the spell slightly, while lifting the weapon at the same time. Most of her efforts failed immediately, but a few times she managed to raise it a full centimeter off the bed.

  Finally, as the dawn light poured in through the window, everything seemed to click, and she lifted Gorebark concealed behind a tapestry of mana. With wide eyes, she placed it back on the bed, the illusion returning to its original location.

  For her efforts, she was rewarded with a notification.

  Congratulations! Your spell, Veil of Lies, has evolved to become Shifting Veil, level 16.

  A battle against a deceiver is an exercise in futility. Nothing is as it appears, with constantly shifting illusions to befuddle any attackers. This spell allows you to create moving illusions within a medium-sized area.

  Excitement flooded through her veins as she read the notification. This could change everything for her in battle. No longer would her illusions be restricted to static images. Now she could hide her companions as they moved or create false images to trick her enemies.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  She decided to test it out and cast [Veil of Lies]. Then she shook her head as nothing happened. She’d almost forgotten that the name had changed for the spell.

  With a slight blush of embarrassment, she cast [Shifting Veil] on Gorebark. As she did, she pictured a simple wooden longbow. A second later, it transformed into an innocuous curved piece of wood.

  “What did you do to me?” Gorebark cried out. “I used to be so scary.”

  “It’s only for when we’re in the city,” she whispered harshly. “And keep your voice down before you wake Ophelia.”

  “I’m already awake,” Ophelia groaned. She rolled onto her side and pulled the pillow over her face. “Why in the name of Infernus are you up so early?”

  “Sorry,” Piper said with a grimace. “I couldn’t sleep and thought that I’d try to learn some new spells.”

  Ophelia lowered her pillow to peer at Piper with blurry eyes. Her blonde hair was sticking out in every direction. “Why can’t you sleep?”

  Gorebark chuckled. “Because she got stabbed in the heart. You should have seen it. Frankly, I thought she was a goner for sure—"

  Piper cut off her bow’s sentence as she clamped a hand over its mouth. Turning back to Ophelia, she saw the young woman’s mouth hanging open.

  “You almost died?”

  “I’m fine,” she replied hurriedly. “My racial skill healed me no problem. But if anyone asks, I used a healing potion.”

  “Is that why you were so upset yesterday?”

  “Not really,” she said slowly. “The quest also wanted us to kill some ratfolk children…”

  “Is that all?” Ophelia lay back in the bed and looked up at the ceiling before continuing. “They’re probably pests like the redcaps. My dad had to help the militia take out an entire tribe of them once.”

  “Really?” Piper asked, her eyes widening slightly. “He never told me about that.”

  Ophelia shrugged. “He talked about it the one time and then never mentioned it again. I remember him saying something like it had to be done because they kept attacking the village.”

  Piper understood why Alfred had wanted to avoid the subject. If he’d helped to wipe out an entire tribe, it probably meant he’d seen some terrible things. Still, she wasn’t convinced ratfolk were as bad as the others claimed.

  Stifling a yawn, Ophelia glanced around the dim room. “Did you at least learn a new spell?”

  Piper grinned. “Hold out your hand.”

  Her friend dutifully extended her hand, with her palm up.

  Piper cast [Shifting Veil], frowning slightly as it consumed a chunk of her mana. It cost a lot more than [Veil of Lies]. But then again, it made sense that a spell evolution would be more mana intensive.

  As the spell activated, a bowl of ice cream appeared in Ophelia’s hands.

  The young woman rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen your illusions before.”

  “Try to move your hand.”

  Ophelia lowered her hand, and her lips curled up into a smile as the ice cream moved with it. She reached out and touched the frozen treat. When she withdrew her finger, Piper tweaked it to make a fingerprint appear.

  “That’s amazing! Just think of all the tricks we can play on my dad when we get back home.”

  “I’m only using it for good.” Piper giggled slightly, imagining the many ways they could get Alfred. “At least mostly.”

  Piper rose to her feet and cast [Shifting Veil] on her bow and quiver. Then she tied off the spell with [Enduring Casting]. Using her new spell meant that a huge chunk of her mana wouldn’t regenerate. But it was better than the alternative of someone discovering her bow while she was out.

  She leaned down and rapped on her bow. “If you promise to be quiet when we’re in public, I won’t gag you again. Deal?”

  “Deal,” Gorebark replied, though he sounded a bit subdued. “You’re honestly the worst demon in the world.”

  “That’s high praise,” she replied with a smile.

  “Anyway, that spell is way worse than my new skill.”

  Piper blinked. “What new skill?”

  “I leveled up fighting against those filthy rats,” Gorebark said with a grin. “You’re looking at a Level 3 legendary weapon.”

  “What’s your new skill?” she repeated.

  “Demonic Recall. Any time you want, you can send me and any other infernal items on you to the Abyss. And when you want us again, you can summon us back. I’ve got to admit, the abyss sounds a lot more fun than this place. Lots of screaming, torturing, and watching bear spiders eat people.”

  She facepalmed at the news. She’d spent hours this morning trying to learn a way to hide her bow, all while she could just summon and dismiss it at will.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she breathed.

  “Why else? I enjoy tormenting you.”

  Ophelia rose to her feet and stretched. “That bow is super annoying.”

  “Tell me about it.” But Piper’s frustration lasted only a moment. While it was annoying to find out she hadn’t needed to learn a new spell to hide her bow, [Shifting Veil] would probably prove incredibly useful in the future.

  Shaking her head, she set about getting ready to go downstairs. The scent of cooking breakfast was wafting into the room, making her mouth water. And she could smell her favorite: roasting potatoes.

  Once she had washed and dressed, she checked her [False Face] and [Truth Shroud]. Both were active, and both were draining her mana. In the near future, she really needed to improve her magic attributes again.

  Piper waited at the door while Ophelia finished getting dressed. As she watched her friend struggle to braid her hair, she hurried over and gently pushed her hands away. Piper interwove the golden strands of hair together like Ethel had taught her back on the farm.

  Ophelia smiled at Piper. “I can’t wait until I awaken so I can become a wayfarer, too.”

  “I’m just an aspirant. And it’s not all fun.”

  “I know, but then we can be together all day again. Like old times.”

  “I can’t wait either.”

  Releasing the finished braid, she smiled at her friend and then headed over to the door. She descended the steps two at a time and arrived in a packed room. It looked like everyone staying here was eagerly awaiting breakfast.

  Seated around the tables were travelers, aspirants, and less prosperous merchants. None of them mingled, as each seemed to keep to their own kind. And even then, the aspirants were divided by their type of badges. Anyone with a bronze or higher wanted nothing to do with anyone lower than them.

  The sound of the front door opening made her look over, and she was surprised to see Basil leading the others from her group into the room. The man stopped and peered around until his gaze landed on Piper.

  With Selene at his side, he threaded his way through the room while Althea remained at the doorway. He arrived in front of them a moment later.

  “How is your health?” Basil asked, crossing his arms. “Are you… well?”

  “Oh, stop it.” Selene gently smacked his arm. Then she turned to look at Piper. “We’re all worried about you. You went through a lot yesterday. Are you doing alright?”

  “I’m mostly fine,” she replied before turning toward Basil. “And sorry about… everything.”

  “No offense was taken,” Basil said. “Everyone struggles with different aspects of being an aspirant.”

  Selene shook her head at her companion. “The reason that we’re here is that we were offered an amazing quest. It’s with a more experienced group, and it pays a full silver piece each.”

  Piper chewed on her lower lip. “How experienced are they?”

  “One of them has a silver badge,” Selene said, some of her excitement leaking through into her tone. “This quest should be a breeze.”

  The fact that they were going with a much more powerful group made her decision to take a break much easier. After everything she’d endured in the mountains, and being stabbed yesterday, she just needed a day where she wasn’t risking her life.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “I need more time.”

  Selene stepped forward and touched her arm lightly. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll always have a place in our group. We’ll meet you for dinner later?”

  Piper nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it. And be careful out there.”

  Basil touched his chest with his hand. “I look forward to regaling you with tales of our success. Until then.”

  Piper watched them leave through the front door. A moment later, Lukas entered from outside. Thankfully, she’d paid for him to have his own room last night. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to work on her spell casting with Gorebark.

  Lukas glanced over his shoulder as he approached them. “Was that your group I saw departing with Platon? If so, you should warn them.”

  “Warn them?” she repeated with rising alarm. “Warn them about what?”

  “His groups have unusually high death rates.” Lukas shrugged. “Which is saying something for a wayfarer aspirant group. It might simply be bad luck, but some think otherwise.”

  Piper gave a longing look over at the kitchen. All she wanted to do was eat a big breakfast and relax today. But it seemed like the fates had other plans in store for her.

  “Did you see which way they went?”

  “I heard them mention they were headed toward the Echoforos Bridge.”

  She stared at him blankly.

  With a sigh, Lukas gestured at her. “Come with me and I’ll show you.”

  Grabbing Ophelia’s hand, she ignored her friend’s protests and dragged the young woman out of the inn after Lukas. Hopefully, Lukas was wrong and Platon was simply unlucky.

  But if he wasn’t, she would do everything in her power to keep her group safe. Then she could return and have a relaxing day with her Ophelia; preferably one with lots of ice treats and treats.