Page 46 of Magic Cursed
“Well done,” I whisper.
“I aim to please.”
I huff a laugh and shake my head at him.
I set the torch down, stomp out the flame, and slip through the opening with Daimis following. I stand and take in our surroundings. The smell of dust, leather, and the earthy-vanilla scent of old books fills me with fond memories. I used to come here to search for the best stories. Far-off lands, harrowing escapes, heroes saving the world from evils and winning the hearts of the princesses. It was a time when those things were appealing, when I imagined myself as the hero or the princess. Never did I think I would grow up to be the villain. Life sure can be disappointing.
The athenaeum hasn’t changed much on the inside. The main cavern, five stories high, is filled with ten massive, column-shaped dark wood bookshelves with attached walkways and detailed balconies. They spiral upward, reaching toward the crystal stalactites high above. The walls of the cavern contain even more bookshelves built into the stone, filled with thousands and thousands of books and parchment scrolls. Tall, dark wood, rolling ladders are interspersed along the walls for accessing the books high up.
Several arched openings lead to the many caves that also have bookshelves built into the stone walls. The caves eventually circle back around to connect to the main cavern, so there is one way in and out of each. Torches in sconces are lit every few feet, casting dim-light, and shadows. I stare in awe, the sight of the athenaeum still taking my breath away just as it had when I was a child.
My wonder is cut short when I’m hit with the sickening wrongness I’d felt earlier. Adrenaline courses through my veins, and all my senses go on alert. As I crouch into a fighting position, my eyes roam the cavern for any signs of danger. Daimis notices my change and his hand moves to the pummel of his sword. A guttural growl, both raspy and wet, echoes through the athenaeum from one of the caves.
It’s not a shadow demon, but we’re not alone.
Chapter13
Baxon
Acold, bone-chilling shiver runs down my spine. My veins freeze and a fresh wave of nausea pulls at my stomach. It’s like my body is rejecting the presence of whatever is in here with us. Daimis frees his blade from its sheath. I follow suit, pulling my twin blades from their holsters.
The growl echoes again, louder, closer. The sound bounces off the walls, making it difficult to pinpoint which cave is the source. I’m certain I’ve never heard any creature make such a sound before. I’ve definitely never had a visceral reaction like I’m having now.
Daimis leans over to whisper in my ear. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to leave on account of a guard dog,” he says, his breath warm on my ear.
“What do you suppose it’s guarding?” I whisper back.
“Now that’s the golden question, isn’t it?” Daimis gestures to the opening we came through. “If you want to wait for me, I’ll let you know when it’s all clear.”
A part of me considers taking him up on it. Running and hiding from danger is how I’ve survived for so long. I only fight when I have no other choice. Danger has been such an integral part of my life that if I can avoid it, I do. But my magic isn’t something I can run from, and even if it means facing danger, I have to see if I can find answers. And there’s something about having Daimis next to me that lends me courage. When we were young, we always felt we could take on the world together. I suppose some things never change.
I turn my back on our exit and square my shoulders. “And let you have all the fun?”
Daimis gives me a dark smile. “Hunting then.”
I match his smile and we move deeper into the athenaeum.
“If we could find out which cave it’s in,” I whisper. “Then we can enter the cave from opposite sides, flanking it.”
He nods. As confident as I am about my skills, I won’t be able to rely on my magic at all. It can feel like fighting with one hand tied behind my back. But I can’t risk Daimis knowing I’m a magic user.
As we navigate around the bookshelves, I’m impressed with how silently he moves. Every few feet, we stop and listen, trying to determine where the creature might be. We come up to the first cave and peer in. When we see nothing, we listen for any movement, any shuffling of feet on stone. But it’s silent. In fact, the wrongness is easing up the farther we venture.
I hold up my hand and point the way we came, signaling Daimis to follow. His brows crease, but he nods and lets me take the lead. Sure enough, the awful feeling increases, and I’m certain we’re going the right way. Just as we’re coming up to another cave, Daimis grabs me and pulls me with him behind a bookcase.
He leans down to whisper in my ear. “Look,” he whispers and gestures over my shoulder.
I turn to follow his gaze. A shadow that I can’t quite make sense of slowly creeps across the wall until it disappears. The darkness shutters in the candlelight and the only thing I’m sure of is that I have never seen anything quite like it. Its master just entered a cave. I turn my head back to face Daimis, who’s still staring at where the mystery creature’s shadow had been. His body is stiff, and he shakes his head slowly, like he can’t quite believe what he saw.
“Still want to do this?” I ask.
He locks his jaw and nods, giving me a look as if to say,Do you really need to ask?We leave the cover of the bookshelf. Approaching the cave the creature entered, we peer in. Only the spines of books lined up on the rock shelves stare back at us. We can’t see very far past the curvature of the walls. Daimis signals he’ll proceed and for me to go to the exit. I nod and watch him disappear into the cave after the creature. I jog to the cave’s exit, but just as I’m about to enter, the sickening feeling intensifies. . .from behind me. Heart hammering, I spin around, blades ready.
I suck in a sharp breath at seeing one of thethings,a second one, enter the cave behind Daimis. The beast looks part lizard, with a scorpion-like spiked tail and a long snout full of oversized teeth that look perfect for tearing into flesh. Its yellow skin is littered with angry unhealed lesions. The beast is at least six feet tall, and twice as long, with deadly finger-long claws. And it is now coming up behind Daimis, to flankhim.
I curse and run back to chase after the creature. It’s fast and has a lead on me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch it before it reaches Daimis, and he has no idea there are two of the beasts. Panic and anger push me faster.
“Daimis, watch out!” I yell down the cave, hoping my words will reach him, but unsure of how sound will carry through the book-lined space.