Emry descended down the stairs first. Ezekiel followed her close behind. If there were traps down here, she’d set them off first. If she was lucky, she’d be mostly intact. Otherwise, she’d just be a dead body. Ezekiel kept his eyes peeled. The torches couldn’t have come to life like that. It wasn’t right. It didn’t make sense. There had to be some sort of contraption, some secret to uncover. He needed to understand how this place worked. Magic had been gone for centuries. Alchemy was outlawed, but it didn’t prevent people from reading about the practice. So how did these torches work? There were no alchemical symbols on the wall or the stick. No matter how long they burned, the wood didn’t get shorter. It was an unnatural wonder that needed to be understood.

Ezekiel hated to admit it, but Emry was right. She was true to her promise. He didn’t just like this; he loved it. The only reason he avoided the basement is because he didn’t know what to find. To think the human read a book in the fantasy section, saw connections, and acted on it was insanity. She once again proved how dangerous she was. She wasn’t like the others though. Emry witnessed the forest, struggled to enter the library, read fantasy and saw truth. She was more than dangerous; she was a fool. Ezekiel could think of nothing worse than those two combined. Something needed to be done about her, but what was there to do? She didn’t frighten at the forest’s true nature. She wasn’t afraid of this dreary hall lit by torches.

Ezekiel’s stomach grumbled in hunger. He pulled the bread of his pocket. He tore a piece off of it. The chewy, yet firm bread was heaven. He appreciated eating the food, even if it would be the last of it for awhile. He could bring up the money now. Force her to pay him before she likely loses her life. Not a terrible idea if he thought so himself. With the right amount, he could buy some cheese or spreads to go with the bread. His mouth watered at the thought. As hungry as he was for knowledge, his stomach was equally as hungry for a good meal. And after eating that chicken with Azuriel, he was starved.

“Emry,” he started. “I expect payment for taking you here and through the forest.” Ezekiel walked one step past her after she stopped.

“Very well,” Emry responded. She pulled her cloak to the side, revealing an ample sized purse filled with coin. The coins clinked against each other as she pulled it from her belt. “Surely this bag will be enough.” She tossed the bag to Ezekiel and continued down the stairs.

A smile covered his face. He didn’t need to count it to know he had better meals coming his way. Ezekiel pictured his cabinets filled with cheese and bread and wine. Nothing better than those three items, save for a nice hot chicken cooked to perfection.

The sound of a click filled the air. Stone slid underneath Emry’s feet. Arrows whizzed towards her. With inhuman speed, she slashed them away with her dagger. Their split bodies fell to the ground. She sheathed her dagger. It was an inhuman speed. There was no way she moved that fast. It wasn’t right. Yet, she moved like that. And she walked on like nothing was wrong, like she almost lost her life. Who is she?

Ezekiel avoided the pressure plate. He was glad to have kept her in front, even if the trap didn’t kill her. How did humans look when they died? Would she plead to him for help? Would he help her if she called out to him? It would be interesting to see a sapient being fall to their mortality. Would it be different from the fawn this morning?

They reached the bottom of the stairs. There were no more traps, which was disappointing. Ezekiel would have expected valuable information to be protected better than it was. So what was waiting Emry and him beyond this door? Was it more traps?

“It doesn’t have a handle, but it has a key hole,” Emry said, breaking Ezekiel’s concentration.

Ezekiel nodded. There’s the trick. One trap to dodge, but a puzzle to solve. “Well, what else did you read in that book?” He ran his fingers along the stone. It was smooth. His fingers found the keyhole.

“It said it needs the blood of its own, whatever that means.” Emry stepped closer to Ezekiel. Her teeth chattered against each other.

There were a few more annoying sounds Ezekiel could think of coming from her mouth at the moment. He was cold himself, but he didn’t make a sound to express it. Humans and their foolish sounds. Frustration filled him. Why did he take her through the forest and into the library? Why did he follow her down here? She was strange. It had to do with that. Emry was a strange human that followed him into a forest that others feared. She followed the one person in the forest that didn’t fear it. She answered his questions, knowing he would use the information against her for more opportunities to gather information. There was nothing he wanted more than the information she could give to him.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

A sharp object sliced his finger. Ezekiel hissed in pain. Droplets of blood rolled over the tip of his finger. It flew in the air as he jerked his hand back. He watched as the blood spilled from his finger. Then a sound clicked in the confines of the wall. The marble scraped against the floor as it slid into the wall. Behind the door was darkness.

Ezekiel’s brows furrowed. The door stole his blood only to show him darkness. What was the point of taking his blood if it didn’t show him what he desired? A low frustrated growl escaped his lips. Emry dragged him down here for nothing. He could have continued reading the one myth he enjoyed.

Emry’s boots clicked against the floor as she took a step forward. Her confidence was unwavering. Ezekiel couldn’t help but follow her into the room. When both of them entered, more torches flickered to life. Their light revealed the mass amount of bookshelves that were tucked into this cavern. Candelabras sat on each round table. They were in pristine condition. Everything in here was exactly what Ezekiel wanted.

“I told you so.” Emry smiled back at him. She ran into the new section of the library.

Yes, you did. Ezekiel walked over to the nearest bookcase. His hand hovered away from the books. Their titles were clear on the spine. He felt giddy thinking about all the information he could read. He didn’t have to pull each book from the shelf and open it to find if it had what he was looking for. His heart thumped in his chest loud enough he could hear it echo in his ears. Every part of him felt alive standing here.

Ezekiel pulled out a book titled “The Last God.” It was clearly a fantasy, but Ezekiel didn’t care. It was down here for a reason. He needed to know the reason. He walked over to the closest table and set it down. Dust flew into the air as the book hit the table. He positioned himself comfortably into the chair. It felt surreal to be able to read a book at a table when the floors above were destroyed. Any tables that remained were rotted, and vines took over them. His hand brushed over the cover, feeling the small bumps. He opened the book to the first page. The title flashed for a moment in gold lettering. The candelabra lit up. Its flames illuminated the cream coloured pages of the book. He flipped to the next page.

There were no words on it. He turned to the next page. Still blank. His brows furrowed. Over and over, the process repeated. He slammed the book shut. Why are there no words in it? He looked around for the human, wondering if she had the same problem. She was against the bookshelf on the other side. Her eyes ran over the page, as if she was reading. What was there to read when there was nothing in the blasted books?

Conveniently, Emry looked up from the book. She must have seen him staring at her. She smiled and walked over, bringing the book with her.

“What are you reading?” Emry asked as she reached the table.

“Nothing,” Ezekiel grumbled.

She cocked her head to the side. She set her open book down to the table. For a moment, the words flashed across the page in their golden beauty. When he laid his eyes on them, they vanished. Emry opened the book he had set in front of him to the centre.

“The God? Why do you want to know about him?” Emry brushed her finger along the right page.

“What are you looking at?”

“The words in the book. Can’t you see them?” Emry asked.

Of course she could see them. A frustrated chuckle escaped his lips. “If I could, would I ask you what you’re looking at?” Ezekiel rose to his feet. He grabbed the book from Emry’s hands. “There are no words on this page. I don’t know what you’re looking at but if you’ve come here to make up information, I want no part of it.” He turned on his heels and walked towards the shelf where he grabbed the book from.

“I will have you know some things, Ezekiel!” Emry called out to him. He turned to face her. His eyebrow arched. He awaited what she had to say. She marched right up to him. “I am no liar. I do not gloat. I will not be treated like I am lesser than you because your ego can’t handle it.” She slammed her hand into the shelf next to his head. “Do you understand me?”

Ezekiel swallowed. He should have allowed the human to enter the forest herself. That way she would never have found this library. Without her though, he wouldn’t have found this library.

“Then, I propose a deal. You read the book to me. I bring you to the library every day. You can’t access this section without me.” Ezekiel smirked.

Emry removed her hand from the shelf, bringing it down to her side. She smiled. “Dawn tomorrow then? We should head back before the monsters come out at night.” She left Ezekiel against the shelf and left the room.

Blasted human, Ezekiel thought. He dreaded the idea of having to work with her, but he couldn’t trust other humans. He definitely didn’t trust her. As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. And a useful enemy was better than an enemy that had no purpose.