for talking to her in such a way.
She turned and stalked off calling back over her shoulder, “Just
uncover that opening!” She snatched a cloth out of their saddlebags
and meticulously scrubbed at her hands, lamenting over the broken
nail while behind her she heard Devon’s grunting and was satisfied
that he was at least doing as he was told.
She hadn’t imagined that once she located the
area that the books were hidden that they’d be literally buried.
She’d imagined that they would more appear out of thin air when she
stepped in the right spot, or that she’d just waltz into a manor
and demand it. Perhaps she would have been better off choosing one
of them that was contained in a library or manor to start, people
were much easier to deal with than, than, nature .
When she had finally filed her nail into a
more respectable shape, though woefully shorter than the others,
she checked on Devon’s progress. He was sweating through his shirt,
and though she wrinkled her nose in disgust at the smell, she did
have to admit that he looked rather strapping with his muscles
bulging and - stop that! She ordered herself. “Well?” she
asked him as he paused in his labor to look up at her.
“I think I’ve managed to uncover it enough to
slip through. I’m not sure what it looks like below though, so you
might want to wait for me to check it out first.”
Jezebel bristled, was he trying to get the
book for himself? “No, I don’t think that will be necessary,” she
told him sharply, pushing him aside to look into the opening.
Indeed, it did seem to be a tight squeeze and from above she
couldn’t see more than the steps descending into the earth. She
took a deep breath and picked up her skirts, stepping into the
black abyss. They needed to hurry this along to make it back to the
inn in time for her to take a long -a very long - bath to
rid her of the grime of the day. She lit a ball of fire in front of
her to see by and tried to avoid touching the sides of the walls.
Why someone had felt the need to hide the book in such a disgusting
place was beyond her.
At the bottom of the steps a long hallway
went for about fifty feet and abruptly turned to the left. She
followed it and heard Devon behind her. That was fine as long as he
remembered his place. The dark seemed to close in around her and
she slowed her pace, allowing him to catch up. Not that she needed
him…
The second hallway ended in a large arced
wooden door which Jezebel unlocked with a spell. She touched the
handle and was immediately shocked with the remnants of an age-old
pain spell. She sucked in her breath and flexed her hand a few
times to rid it of the tingles as the spell dispersed. As if
that little show is going to stop ME. She put her hand back on
the handle and opened it roughly.
A loud snarling met them and Jezebel shrank
back in fear, the sound bringing forth memories of her near-death
experience with the hellhounds. Her back hit the wall and she froze
in panic. Devon stepped forward, drawing his sword and barked at
her, “Put the light in there so I can see what I’m fighting.”
Jezebel just stared straight ahead until something lashed out at
them, grazing Devon’s shoulder and he cursed. “Jezebel!” he shouted
at her, and she jumped, shoving the fire into the room. It
illuminated a hideous creature with three snarling dog-like heads
spitting and snapping at them. Jezebel shrank back farther into the
wall, pressing her body up against it as though she could will
herself to melt into it.
Devon stepped forward and slashed at one of
the heads, neatly cleaving it off of the body. The head bounced and
rolled across the ground, but the creature hardly batted an eye,
instead growing two more in its place. “Um…” Devon said, backing up
a pace, “Jezebel, we could really use some of that angry magic
right about now.”
Jezebel continued to stare straight ahead,
locked in her terror and beginning to hyperventilate. Devon picked
up a bone
She turned and stalked off calling back over her shoulder, “Just
uncover that opening!” She snatched a cloth out of their saddlebags
and meticulously scrubbed at her hands, lamenting over the broken
nail while behind her she heard Devon’s grunting and was satisfied
that he was at least doing as he was told.
She hadn’t imagined that once she located the
area that the books were hidden that they’d be literally buried.
She’d imagined that they would more appear out of thin air when she
stepped in the right spot, or that she’d just waltz into a manor
and demand it. Perhaps she would have been better off choosing one
of them that was contained in a library or manor to start, people
were much easier to deal with than, than, nature .
When she had finally filed her nail into a
more respectable shape, though woefully shorter than the others,
she checked on Devon’s progress. He was sweating through his shirt,
and though she wrinkled her nose in disgust at the smell, she did
have to admit that he looked rather strapping with his muscles
bulging and - stop that! She ordered herself. “Well?” she
asked him as he paused in his labor to look up at her.
“I think I’ve managed to uncover it enough to
slip through. I’m not sure what it looks like below though, so you
might want to wait for me to check it out first.”
Jezebel bristled, was he trying to get the
book for himself? “No, I don’t think that will be necessary,” she
told him sharply, pushing him aside to look into the opening.
Indeed, it did seem to be a tight squeeze and from above she
couldn’t see more than the steps descending into the earth. She
took a deep breath and picked up her skirts, stepping into the
black abyss. They needed to hurry this along to make it back to the
inn in time for her to take a long -a very long - bath to
rid her of the grime of the day. She lit a ball of fire in front of
her to see by and tried to avoid touching the sides of the walls.
Why someone had felt the need to hide the book in such a disgusting
place was beyond her.
At the bottom of the steps a long hallway
went for about fifty feet and abruptly turned to the left. She
followed it and heard Devon behind her. That was fine as long as he
remembered his place. The dark seemed to close in around her and
she slowed her pace, allowing him to catch up. Not that she needed
him…
The second hallway ended in a large arced
wooden door which Jezebel unlocked with a spell. She touched the
handle and was immediately shocked with the remnants of an age-old
pain spell. She sucked in her breath and flexed her hand a few
times to rid it of the tingles as the spell dispersed. As if
that little show is going to stop ME. She put her hand back on
the handle and opened it roughly.
A loud snarling met them and Jezebel shrank
back in fear, the sound bringing forth memories of her near-death
experience with the hellhounds. Her back hit the wall and she froze
in panic. Devon stepped forward, drawing his sword and barked at
her, “Put the light in there so I can see what I’m fighting.”
Jezebel just stared straight ahead until something lashed out at
them, grazing Devon’s shoulder and he cursed. “Jezebel!” he shouted
at her, and she jumped, shoving the fire into the room. It
illuminated a hideous creature with three snarling dog-like heads
spitting and snapping at them. Jezebel shrank back farther into the
wall, pressing her body up against it as though she could will
herself to melt into it.
Devon stepped forward and slashed at one of
the heads, neatly cleaving it off of the body. The head bounced and
rolled across the ground, but the creature hardly batted an eye,
instead growing two more in its place. “Um…” Devon said, backing up
a pace, “Jezebel, we could really use some of that angry magic
right about now.”
Jezebel continued to stare straight ahead,
locked in her terror and beginning to hyperventilate. Devon picked
up a bone
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