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Chapter 42
‘Putrid and rancid, it devours the weak.
Living in all of us until it finds what it seeks.
Consume and decay, devour and feast.
To uncover the truth, you must tangle with the beast.
Kind and pure, its compassion knows no bounds.
Fierce and strong, you quake when it sounds.
Given a choice, one you must choose.
One you will gain, the other you lose.
Choose wisely, dear friend, for there is a cost.
To dance with the beasts is to recover what was lost.’
I analyzed the words over and over again, stuck in this room with nothing better to do. I was hyper aware of the scratching against the thick doors that separated me from whatever had a hold of Abel. As I glanced back at those doors, I finally noticed the design painted and etched into the stone.
The two bulls that adorned the wall, they were also on the doors. Instead of glaring at one another with hatred so profound, I shuddered; they were locked i
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“It’s you.” I groaned weakly, the stickiness of my own blood coating my lips and cheeks.Through my quickly fading vision, I could see the numerous gashes that marred my skin. A few sliced open the shirt I was wearing, making it look as though I had been attacked by a weed wacker. Some were worse than others, showing puckered skin and muscle.My stomach rolled at the sight and I forced my gaze back to those navy-blue eyes. The man who had those eyes was unassuming, as normal as anyone else. He had to have been in his fifties, with a slight spattering of salt and pepper hair. His trimmed beard matched the color of his hair, but it was his eyes that stood out. Now that I knew who those eyes belonged to, I knew I’d never miss them again.This close, I could see the depth of color in those eyes. It wasn’t just a single shade. That navy blue held clouds of plum, with a black ring around the outside. They reminded me of a night sky,
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You know how you stay up studying for a test, only to forget everything you learned while actually taking the test? That was how I felt talking to the Game Master. Once he vanished from the room with a strange shimmer, I could think of a million and one questions better suited than the ones I had asked.Great, so I knew I needed a replica of my own necklace, at the estate in this reality. I could’ve asked where it was, but I didn’t. Instead, I received a half-assed answer about the ‘ancient ones’.‘We’re still breaking into the library’s restricted section with Helena. Who knows what we might find?’ My wolf reminded me, which did help curb some of my frustration.I left the hospital nearly an hour later. I had to say, Dr. Nathanial was very thorough, checking me over nearly a dozen times to make sure I didn’t have any adverse reaction to the magical ointment. While I’m sure the emotional trauma will lin
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“Well, this is terrifying.” I hissed quietly, flinching when my voice bounced off the walls anyway.“If I had known it was like this—” Helena whispered, but her words fizzled out.“That would only make me want to go more.” I countered, trying and failing to lighten the mood.We were walking down the stairs, towards the basement of the library. It seemed basement in the Iridescence Pack meant tunnels hundreds of feet beneath the earth.I stayed at the front, whilst Helena watched our backs. Helena had fished one of those jumbo glow-sticks out of her book bag, the crisp snap echoing down the stairs.I’m not sure what was more terrifying; becoming a part of the never-ending darkness, or becoming the only source of light within that darkness. My stomach twisted into knots, forming faces and glowing eyes within the darkness. As hard as I strained my ears, I could hear nothing more than our feet scuffing ag
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Medieval looking sconces lined the shelved walls of the restricted section, casting orange light over the endless stacks that went on as far as the eye could see. It was poor lighting, but would be sufficient enough to read some words on a page. We stood at the beginning of the room, facing one of the many aisles down the endless book shelves. I peered to my left and right, seeing no notable end to the room. It must be similar to the magic at Castle Mist. The kind of magic that makes a castle span worlds and realms. My eyes scanned the bookshelves closest to us when Helena tapped on my shoulder. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and she pointed at the towering bookshelf to our left. On a golden plaque, the number ‘1’ was etched. It was a good sign, some promise that we could find our way out of this place. Helena and I locked eyes, and she spoke in a voice so low that I nearly missed the words. “Let the library take control.” She was quoting the poem Ad
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Helena clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes horrified with what she had done. A pair of milky eyes turned on us, right where we were standing. The woman stocking the shelves had paused. A thin hand with gnarled fingers hovered inches away from the shelves, a tattered book in her claws.I wrapped my hand around Helena’s, ensuring she wouldn’t be able to make any sound. This wasn’t about trusting my friend, it was about surviving. I hadn’t come this far to die in an underground library, and I certainly wasn’t leaving Helena behind.I knew the wheezing had stopped, which meant that librarian heard Helena’s gasp. Fear clawed at me, grating against my skin until I felt horribly itchy. I wanted to look around, to scan my surroundings for the decaying creature.As much as my instincts roared at me, I kept my gaze on the woman. She had to have been one of the contestants from the previous years—one of the few who never made i
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Before I had time to process what I had just seen, everything shifted. I could feel the phantom touch of pages turning against my fingertips, making silent arcs in the stagnant air of the library.I was underground, but somewhere different. Don’t ask me how I can discern one darkness from another, but it was the truth. This place—the darkness seemed alive, like a sentient being that lingered within every nook and cranny of this cavern.We were in the dark, Sasha and I. The faint light of a crappy flash light was our only sight, the one thing keeping us afoot in this rocky place. Our hair glowed under this harsh, artificial light, like flickering flames smothered beneath the earth. She huffed out a breath, and I noticed something off about her. Something had changed. She was covered in dirt and mud, and she wore some kind of hiking outfit, but that wasn’t the thing that felt off. Her eyes were wide, pupils blown as she peered into the darkness. T
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I had gone completely still, so still that the slightest influx of air felt like shards of glass in my throat. My muscles were firm and taut, my eyes wide as I sighted the approaching librarians.Carrying the musty smell of dust and old leather, they emerged from the darkness, their milky sockets pinpointed on where I stood.I remained where I was, flush against the shelf I had been viewing. The book on my life was gripped in my hand. The last thing I wanted was to take it with me, but I couldn’t risk putting it back. Or worse, dropping it. The magic that came from my book…it made me want to read more, and that was just a tad frightening. As enticing as it sounded, nothing good would come from learning my future.The librarians crept closer, and I couldn’t help but notice the sickly details between the four of them. They all had dead strands of silver hair on their misshapen heads, but it was human appearance that made them most…creepy.
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His fingers were velvety soft, and after a moment longer, I realized it was because he had gloves on. Though I couldn’t see them, they were smooth to the touch.“You’re wearing gloves?” I couldn’t help but ask, a bit exasperated. My heart was thundering, and I knew my face was already turning a horrible shade of scarlet. My dad had often toyed with my mom over how red she turned, making a game of it with whispered compliments and flirty smiles. I wasn’t feeling particularly flirty at the moment, but I was blushing down to my toes.“Would you rather I not wore them the next time I touch you? I knew you’d make an interesting player, but I never could have anticipated this.” He mused softly, in a way that made my brain flash danger. My thoughts wandered for a moment, and a part of me desperately wondered what he looked like. I wanted to see the expression on his face. Were his eyes hard and cold? Were they bright and m
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