Infinitesimal: A Tale of Dragons and Daring Deeds

Chapter 12: Wicked

Cookie was unhooked off of the stables and mounted by Lou as quick as she could. Finally, she would be done with this ridiculous quest and could go home. Cael's knuckles turned white from how hard his grip was on Cookie's saddle.

The horse shot through the forest at an unnatural speed. Lou didn't even know where she was going. She was just going. The energy that had built up after a whole week of trying to find this stupid dragon came out in her energy.

"Louanne," Cael screamed over the rushing wind. "Where are you going?"

"To the dragon!" Lou announced. She felt a pull towards the base of a mountain. Her heart told her that the mountain was exactly where she needed to go. .

"Why are you going to that stupid mountain?" Cael huffed. They were going far too fast for his comfort, and he'd just started riding horses to boot.

Lou pulled back on Cookie's reigns. "Sorry, Cael. I know it's weird, but I just feel like the mountain is the right place to go."

"You know," Cael said. He pulled leaves off trees as they passed them. "I'm going to trust you on this. You mostly trusted me on the Sixth being here."

"Mostly?" Lou said.

"You had to double check with the innkeeper." Cael deadpanned.

"Fair." Lou agreed. The mountain moved closer and closer into view. Trees huddled closely together and underbrush clumped around Cookie's hooves. The leaves Cael had painstakingly ripped off trees multiplied in his hands. He scattered them behind the two, marking a makeshift pathway.

"Before you ask, it's for memory, not for actually marking the path." Cael explained.

"I wasn't going to ask," Lou said. She was going to ask.

"Yeah." Cael hummed. He tore a leaf up and scattered it behind him. He grabbed another and handed it to Lou. "Rip it up. It eases nerves."

Lou ripped it in half, then again into fourths, and then eighths. With each tear of the leaf, some of her pent up energy disappeared. She took in a deep breath and refocused her thoughts.

"So. Cael." Lou said. Cookie was left to go at her own pace, Lou only slightly adjusted her direction with her legs. "The Sixth. You don't seriously expect me to kill the Sixth."

Cael rolled his eyes. "Of course not. You can do what you did with the elves, you never really completed that, did you?" He snickered.

Lou resisted the urge to push him off Cookie. "That was upon your own request, you little thief."

"You didn't have to listen to me," Cael coddled. "But I do take that into account."

Cookie tripped. The knight toppled forward into the brush and landed on her back. The horse spun in circles around her with Cael still atop her. She was about to scream at the horse when she saw what was in front of her.

A massive cave. The brush she landed in flattened and displayed a small cavern. Lou crawled into it, her face alit with curiosity. Cael hopped off Cookie, spouting of nonsense about how dangerous caves were.

Lou ignored him.

Water droplets fell down from the high ceiling like rain. One landed on Lou's forehead. The stone floor collected puddles to reflect the ceiling like mirrors. Lining the walls of the strangely large cavern were hundreds of bookshelves filled to the brim with thousands of books. Lou sucked in a breath.

Who would even live here?

Cael rushed in behind her and knocked her over. They fell down into a puddle and made a huge splash.