The Black Book Durrell Novel Novels & Stories

The mare had no training for what he was about to ask of her and he prayed for help from above while he fought back panic and he buried his face in her strong neck. The mare impatiently worked the ground and tossed her head, as if to say, ‘get on with it’. Dennis took a deep breath and slowly felt his way down into the depths of the well. The jagged edges made an easy grip for him as he inched his way deeper into the bowels of black. It was dark, foul smelling, and full of decay. A soft warm breeze floated past him, carrying with it the sweet scent of honeysuckle. The refreshing difference provided a boost of energy and optimism as he preceded downward, calling for Tara as he did.

They'd read 9 Lives, 10 Circles, and been tested on it. He wished he had a copy right now. It was a fiction book about one tom's attempt to gain an audience with the Black Devil. It read like a tour guide of the Underworld, down to the minutest detail, when it didn't go into the scratchings of the main character's slowly twisting mind.

He was simply stating facts, and that made them hurt more. “I want to prove myself,” I said quietly. “I need to. For Adele. For the crown that was taken from me.” Tyson flicked ash from the cigarette. “Good. Because I need you to prove it too.” He looked at me directly. “Do you know about the Black Book?” I shook my head. “No.” He took one last drag and dropped the cigarette into the water. It hissed and disappeared. “It’s a book that holds the darkest secrets of the royal family. It will deliver the royal family straight to my hands.”

In such weather, people hid at home, afraid to suffocate from the asphyxiating fumes, get lost and fall off the hill into the depths of the sea. The water seemed to calm. No sound of waves. No cries of seagulls. The Black Cliff sank into sleep, disturbed only by the quiet footsteps of Nocté. The current brought warmth from the south. For a while, the sea ceased to resemble icy tentacles and now warmed the girl's bare feet. There was a faint whistle in the silence, and a light came on in the fog.