Amaretto and Theá found themselves standing outside, the book held in the former's magical grasp. He looked it over with apparent disinterest, wondering why anyone would want to read through a book such as this, only to dig out what truths were buried under the rubbish. Despite his apathetic opinion of the book, he still held it with great care. Only a solemn promise that the book would not come to harm had let Arcon part with it. Otherwise, he had said, he would not let them leave his fort. Amaretto couldn't help but count himself lucky that he had been primarily ignored throughout the entire ordeal, as the glare Arcon directed towards Theá on more than one occasion made even him uneasy. 

"I suppose it's time to head back," he said, eyes still looking over the old tome for a few more moments before he carefully deposited it in his saddlebags. He then glanced at Theá, almost as if waiting for her to do something. 

"I suppose it is. Though I am not eager to return. I cannot put a hoof on what is going on in that mortal's mansion, but something is off. Something I do not think should happen. At all." She fluffed her wings, extending them slightly from her sides before settling again. "Though I could annihilate him and his entire home in the blink of an eye, whatever goes on in that mind of his... it unsettles me. Something about him... is not of this world. I am sure of it." 

She sighed and looked away, eyes trained on the horizon for several moments before she turned back to Amaretto. "But enough of that. Let us be on our way." A small flash of light and Theá was gone. Or rather, she had changed her shape into that of a tiny bug again, settling behind Amaretto's ear. "Use the key again. Trigger the inlaid enchantment with your own magic and it will return us to where we last were. Do not worry about his detection spells discovering me, or that the key is fake. However off-worldly his mind may be, he is but Mortal and yet no match for me." 

"So long as you can get me out of there should he prove dangerous. I'm willing to do what you ask, but putting myself in harm's way when there is no need to is a risk I'm not willing to take. Family comes first." 

"I understand," was all Theá said. Next thing she knew they were back in the mansion, Amaretto having used the key to teleport them back to where they were. For anyone looking, it seemed as if he appeared through the door to the library. 

[i]Now, it's only a matter of waiting until that Mortal gets here.[/i]