Of Caverns and Casters ✓ [TLRQ #1]

Chapter 39 - Leavi

Smoke filters into my nose. I press my muffler to my face and hurry along the corridors, back the way we came.

There it is. I draw short. The black door. The one I watched, frozen, waiting for its occupants to come out and catch me eavesdropping. The one that was slightly ajar and is now shut tight. I step forward to twist the handle.

Locked. Of course. I press the copied key in, but it won't turn. My heart sinks. Veradeaux must keep a different key for this door. I cast around for some way to open it, but just as before, the hall is empty.

Wait. "The bar," I mutter. But that's halls away.

Far off, a guard calls out. Sean's distraction won't keep them busy forever. I dash through the corridors.

There, lying discarded, is the iron bar that held the boy's cell closed. Hefting it over my shoulder, I hurry back to the black door, and before I can talk myself out of it, bring the rod down on the handle.

A metallic clang echoes down the hallway. The handle's still solid. In the distance, a fire crackles.

What did you do, Sean?

Adjusting my angle, I try again.

Loud noise, no result. "Come on!" I'm running out of time.

Another swing, and—

This time the ring is accompanied by a satisfying crack. The door swings open.

The room inside is dark, lit only by the torches in the hall. It's a study, bookshelves lining the walls, a small sitting area surrounding a cold fireplace. The back of the room hosts a large, raised worktable, reminiscent of the lab tables in Erreliah. I hurry toward it.

There. A finely woven but plain black cloak. It's laid flat, items partially pulled out of dozens of pockets. Each item wears a little white tag labeled in tiny, neat handwriting, like someone was cataloging it all. Fingers fumbling, I shove everything back in and scoop the cloth up.

The smoke grows thicker as I run back toward the main hallway. I cough and tie the muffler around my mouth and nose. Holding my breath, I peer around the corner.

My jaw drops.

Fire rages through the main hallway, crawling its way up toward me. Guards scurry through the smoke and flames, shouting orders to each other and throwing buckets of water on the blaze. The water evaporates to steam, fire never quenched. I tear my eyes away, sprinting to cross the hall before the flames reach me.

I slide to a stop.

On the other side of the hall, in an area yet untouched by the fire, stands a figure in midnight robes. His head swivels as I round the corner, and chills march through me. Without warning, the flames flicker up all around him, consuming the wood of the entire hall. I blink, stumbling back. Still, he stands there, in the midst of the blaze. The deep hood swallows his face in darkness, but I can feel his eyes on me. The flames around don't touch him, clear in a circle as though afraid to draw near.

The Man from the East.

He raises his left arm, and behind him, a section of the sudden fire dies. The right arm rises; a portion of new inferno goes cold. He extends his hands out toward me. The flames flare up, licking closer with a dark, hungry intensity.

I turn and run.

When I skid into the hall, Sean's waiting with the boy. He looks up. "Leavi?"

"Pick him up!" I throw the cloak over the boy's shoulder and grab his arm. "Let's go!"