"It is not just humans who chase this book," Mariza said, lying back on the sofa of the room with a groan. "One of the...darker creatures of the world found my before I could make it here safely, it took all the skill I had to escape him but before my teleportation spell had finished it caught me with one of its claws, if he had done it even a moment earlier god only knows where I would have ended up."<br/><br/>She opened her eyes and watched him for a moment, a smile playing across her lips.<br/><br/>"Has he told you the story of the Battle of the World Tree?"