to do any more and needs to sleep.”
Joran nodded and tenderly picked the bat from his shoulder, setting the tiny creature on the topmost shelf of a nearby bookcase.
Julissa’s heart softened as she watched him feed the bat one last time.
“You can pick him up on the way out; this is probably the safest route back.”
The tiny bat flipped upside down to hang from the beam above the bookcase and wrapped its wings around itself.
Joran smiled at Julissa.
“Shall we continue in your quest, m’lady?”
They moved quickly along the library corridor to the crossroads where Virrinel waited.
“There is a lot of noise coming from that way.” The autochthon gestured up the north passage. “I haven’t seen anything else, not even a gremlin since those demon spawn and hell hounds went past.”
“Then we move as fast as possible.” Julissa darted out in front of him and was on the opposite side in seconds.
Virrinel cursed under his breath before motioning to Qin-Dar.
“You next, Lady Cleric.”
The Were-Unicorn nipped across to join Julissa, with Joran and Virrinel following closely behind.
Qin-Dar looked up the passageway. “It would appear that there are many traps along this route. Are you sure that you don’t want to go east to the Kitchen the way that Tavia had suggested?”
“No. I want to get the harp as quickly as possible.” Julissa said. “Going through the Training room is the fastest route.”
Virrinel grumbled. “The kitchen route would be safer.”
“Through a Guard post, past a Vampire infested Graveyard and a torture chamber?” Julissa shook her head. “This place has clearly not been cleansed the way it was represented to us. I want to take the shortest route to the harp and get out of here quickly, preferably before the creatures have finished dealing with the turncoat.”
“The lady is right.” Joran said.
Virrinel shot his blood brother a disgusted look. Joran shrugged.
“Shall we get on with this?” Qin-Dar sighed. She moved off ahead of the group, neutralising an alarm trap before Julissa was aware it existed. “Put those masks on that we packed, please.”
The rest of the party did as they were told, fastening the red cloth across the lower half of their faces.
“Gas trap?” Joran asked, his voice muffled by the fabric.
Qin-Dar nodded. “My horn purifies the air around me, but you three wouldn’t survive longer than a few seconds. Wait here; it’s easier to disarm the mechanism of this type.” The light from the torches glinted off her horn as it grew larger.
She moved out into the centre of the hallway, deliberately treading heavily onto the trigger slab. There was a click. Just in front of her the floor opened and a huge canister rose into the air, spinning and ejecting a green, glowing gas so that it filled the area around Qin-Dar.
The cleric slipped her holy blade out from its sheath again, paused for a moment, counting in elvish then plunged the dagger into a red nodule on the top of the canister. The gas died away as the canister stopped spinning.
“Is it safe now?” Julissa said as she strode forward.
Qin-Dar turned toward her. “This trap is neutralised, but… wait, don’t go any further forward!”
Julissa frowned and shook her head. “I haven’t got time for this.” She stepped past the gas trap and another click echoed through the corridor.
“Lady Julissa!” Joran lunged forward, his hand outstretched toward her as the floor behind the gas trap disappeared out from under the bard’s boots.
Virrinel scrambled past the mage and by throwing himself down on the ground amidst the dissipating green gas he managed to grab Julissa’s hand. “Now why are you being so reckless?” he snapped, looking down past her at the gleaming spikes that populated the trap’s floor. “You could have ended up as a pincushion.”
Julissa looked down at the tall thin barbs just below her feet and gasped, throwing her other hand up and grasping hold of
Joran nodded and tenderly picked the bat from his shoulder, setting the tiny creature on the topmost shelf of a nearby bookcase.
Julissa’s heart softened as she watched him feed the bat one last time.
“You can pick him up on the way out; this is probably the safest route back.”
The tiny bat flipped upside down to hang from the beam above the bookcase and wrapped its wings around itself.
Joran smiled at Julissa.
“Shall we continue in your quest, m’lady?”
They moved quickly along the library corridor to the crossroads where Virrinel waited.
“There is a lot of noise coming from that way.” The autochthon gestured up the north passage. “I haven’t seen anything else, not even a gremlin since those demon spawn and hell hounds went past.”
“Then we move as fast as possible.” Julissa darted out in front of him and was on the opposite side in seconds.
Virrinel cursed under his breath before motioning to Qin-Dar.
“You next, Lady Cleric.”
The Were-Unicorn nipped across to join Julissa, with Joran and Virrinel following closely behind.
Qin-Dar looked up the passageway. “It would appear that there are many traps along this route. Are you sure that you don’t want to go east to the Kitchen the way that Tavia had suggested?”
“No. I want to get the harp as quickly as possible.” Julissa said. “Going through the Training room is the fastest route.”
Virrinel grumbled. “The kitchen route would be safer.”
“Through a Guard post, past a Vampire infested Graveyard and a torture chamber?” Julissa shook her head. “This place has clearly not been cleansed the way it was represented to us. I want to take the shortest route to the harp and get out of here quickly, preferably before the creatures have finished dealing with the turncoat.”
“The lady is right.” Joran said.
Virrinel shot his blood brother a disgusted look. Joran shrugged.
“Shall we get on with this?” Qin-Dar sighed. She moved off ahead of the group, neutralising an alarm trap before Julissa was aware it existed. “Put those masks on that we packed, please.”
The rest of the party did as they were told, fastening the red cloth across the lower half of their faces.
“Gas trap?” Joran asked, his voice muffled by the fabric.
Qin-Dar nodded. “My horn purifies the air around me, but you three wouldn’t survive longer than a few seconds. Wait here; it’s easier to disarm the mechanism of this type.” The light from the torches glinted off her horn as it grew larger.
She moved out into the centre of the hallway, deliberately treading heavily onto the trigger slab. There was a click. Just in front of her the floor opened and a huge canister rose into the air, spinning and ejecting a green, glowing gas so that it filled the area around Qin-Dar.
The cleric slipped her holy blade out from its sheath again, paused for a moment, counting in elvish then plunged the dagger into a red nodule on the top of the canister. The gas died away as the canister stopped spinning.
“Is it safe now?” Julissa said as she strode forward.
Qin-Dar turned toward her. “This trap is neutralised, but… wait, don’t go any further forward!”
Julissa frowned and shook her head. “I haven’t got time for this.” She stepped past the gas trap and another click echoed through the corridor.
“Lady Julissa!” Joran lunged forward, his hand outstretched toward her as the floor behind the gas trap disappeared out from under the bard’s boots.
Virrinel scrambled past the mage and by throwing himself down on the ground amidst the dissipating green gas he managed to grab Julissa’s hand. “Now why are you being so reckless?” he snapped, looking down past her at the gleaming spikes that populated the trap’s floor. “You could have ended up as a pincushion.”
Julissa looked down at the tall thin barbs just below her feet and gasped, throwing her other hand up and grasping hold of
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