Late Night Reading

"Why is Lulu in a jar?"

"Everard's owl almost ate her."

As Bard opened the jar and hid Lulu in his vest he mentioned how he had stumbled upon a magical bookstore and met the wizard while showing off the locked journal. 

"You met that coward bookworm?!" Iris grunted as she remembered the trouble of tracking him down only to be pushed away.

"Oh, he told me to give you this."

Bard hands over the letter as Iris takes it and puts it in her pouch. 

"I'll read it with some drinks and food, I'm starving!" 

 Iris runs down through the crowd as Bard struggles to follow behind with Fern. They stopped in front of an inn with the most beautiful lily flowers.

"Isn't it the cutest Inn?"

"I guess so...it looks like a dollhouse."

"Excuse me, mister."

Bard turns to see that a little girl in a light purple dress calls him out holding a ball.

"You can use our stalls at the back for your horsie."

Iris was awed at how cute the little girl was and Bard followed her around the back to leave Fern. Inside, the family greeted them and checked their names in. 

"We welcome you to the Lilly Inn. The guest hall is currently open and it's all you can eat and drink!"

The starving wizard was happy at the news and started to fill up her tray with loads of meat while making Bard carry her beer glasses. Sitting at the table, Iris scarfed her food down and drank sluggishly.

"Dang it Bard! Why didn't you call meeee when you saw Everar? You know how long it took meeee to get a hold of him? Six freaaak'n yeaarss!"

Her drunken state made Bard embarrassed as she was getting other people's attention. 

"I think we should go to our room Iris. You've had enough now."

"Nahh! Ya ain't taken meee nawherrr..."

Iris began to seep into a sleepy state as Bard carried her away to their room. He gently places her down on the bed next to the window as she slightly snorted a bit. 

Lulu flies out of his vest with a disappointed look on her face. 

"Sometimes I forget she's a grand wizard."

Bard places the letter on the desk next to the vase of lilies and tells Lulu that he will go to bed too as he blows out the candle to rest up on the other bed.

A couple of hours pass by and Iris slowly opens her eyes and pulls off her bed sheets to sit up. She notices that Bard is sound asleep with Lulu tucked near him. Iris gets up quietly and sits at the desk to read the letter. 

Dear Iris,

I recently felt a dark essence coming from the snowy peaks just north of the town. It would be in your best interest to regroup with the other wizards as it seems like the witches are now out for blood. They may have found a way to summon Saru out of his imprisonment so be careful and try to shield as many towns as you can. 

Also, it seems like your apprentice requires some more training. I recommend reading "How to Teach Wizards by Toll" or "Guiding Apprenticeship by Val Conts". 

Iris gripped the paper in annoyance at the mocking statement and angrily whispered, "He's not even my apprentice you stupid bookworm..."

P.S. Before meeting him, the Journal of the Hiking Wizard started to glow. To this day, the key hasn't been discovered to reveal its secrets, but perhaps with some more training, he'll be able to open the journal. I have a feeling it has answers on how to defeat the enemy. 

Best Regards,

Everard 

She loosens her grip and looks to see the journal in question. 

"Up north is where that so-called Snowbell town is located. So there is a witch huh..."

Iris opens the window and chants a spell, summoning a stunning purple feathered creature. It was like a hummingbird, but much larger and it had a long flowy tail. 

She moved her hand around again and the animal multiplied in command. The two were each holding a letter of their own and Iris told them to find the other grand wizards. They flew out and she closed the window back looking at Bard again.

"It seems like we got a lot of work to do..."