Read Online Aster Wood and the Book of Leveling (Volume 2) by J B Cantwell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: J B Cantwell
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mountain.
“Are you ok?” I hoisted myself up onto my elbows and crawled through the thick granite powder that now blanketed the floor over to where she lay. Her forehead wrinkled with surprise. I took her hands and helped her up to sitting. We turned to face Almara.
But he was gone.
My questions and anger about the unwarranted attack hung unspoken on my lips. My head whipped around, searching for him, for the next strike. But the room was empty.
“Hey!” Erod’s voice echoed up from the entrance of the castle. “What’s going on up there?”
I stood up and held out my hand to her.
“What was that about?” I asked. But her face had gone blank, her hopes of a happy reunion dashed. Her temporary lucidity seemed to have evaporated.
“Come on, get up,” I commanded, waving my hand impatiently in front of her face. Slowly, she reached out her hand.
I pulled her up and over to the open doorway and peered out into the deserted hall. I turned to face her.
“Where would he go?”
She looked up at me, her eyes dazed.
“Jade! You’ve got to get it together! It’s Almara! Where would he go?”
Sudden tears began pouring freely down her cheeks as she bobbed between disbelief and pain.
“Why?‘“ she began. “Why would he do that?” Panic now joined her other emotions, and she looked like she might scream.
“I don’t know,” I said. “We’ll figure it out, but right now we need to find him. Where would he go?”
She stared blankly ahead, her face confused and worried.
“Is there anywhere in the house, anywhere where he used to spend a lot of time?” I asked. “I need you to focus. Think.”
She searched around the room as if she hoped that an answer would reveal itself in the empty space to fill her empty mind.
“Maybe the library?”
“Where is it?” I had both hands on her shoulders now, demanding that she keep her attention on me and the task at hand. She raised her arm and pointed to the far end of the hall.
“Come on.”
I dragged her behind me and stepped as quietly as I could over the small pieces of rubble that littered the passage. The doorway at the end stood ajar, Almara’s symbol carved deeply into the surface of the wood. Not a hint of gold adorned it.
The room on the other side was dark, almost pitch black. The mosaic room had been so bright and cheerful, but the library was dim and covered with the dust of centuries. Or maybe not. Maybe this was the place where he frequently set his Torrensai, and the dirt at our feet was the result of the castle crumbling around him, forced to rubble by his magic .
Barely visible in the tiny shafts of light that peeked through the thick window hangings, rows and rows of books were stacked from floor to ceiling.
I took a deep breath and spoke.
“Hello?” I called quietly into the darkness. “Almara? We’re not here to hurt you. We just want to talk to you.”
Silence.
I took another step into the room, but Jade pulled on my arm, alarmed.
“Aster, no!” she whispered. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“It’s ok,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “Come on, it’ll be ok.”
But she planted her feet and refused to take another step into the space, suddenly terrified of the man she had spent two hundred years waiting to see.
I released her hands and turned back to the room.
“Please don’t!” she begged in my ear.
“Sir?” I called again. “Please. We have come a very long way to find you. If you could just give us a minute. We just want to talk.”
“Brendan?”
His voice was scratchy and quiet, and I saw a human form move from the shadows on the other side of the room.
“Brendan, is that you?”
A quiet gasp came from Jade behind me, and she scurried from the room.
“No, I’m—”
Before I had a chance to tell him my name, he was upon me. He thrust himself at me and threw his arms around me in a desperate hug.
“Brendan!” he gasped,
“Are you ok?” I hoisted myself up onto my elbows and crawled through the thick granite powder that now blanketed the floor over to where she lay. Her forehead wrinkled with surprise. I took her hands and helped her up to sitting. We turned to face Almara.
But he was gone.
My questions and anger about the unwarranted attack hung unspoken on my lips. My head whipped around, searching for him, for the next strike. But the room was empty.
“Hey!” Erod’s voice echoed up from the entrance of the castle. “What’s going on up there?”
I stood up and held out my hand to her.
“What was that about?” I asked. But her face had gone blank, her hopes of a happy reunion dashed. Her temporary lucidity seemed to have evaporated.
“Come on, get up,” I commanded, waving my hand impatiently in front of her face. Slowly, she reached out her hand.
I pulled her up and over to the open doorway and peered out into the deserted hall. I turned to face her.
“Where would he go?”
She looked up at me, her eyes dazed.
“Jade! You’ve got to get it together! It’s Almara! Where would he go?”
Sudden tears began pouring freely down her cheeks as she bobbed between disbelief and pain.
“Why?‘“ she began. “Why would he do that?” Panic now joined her other emotions, and she looked like she might scream.
“I don’t know,” I said. “We’ll figure it out, but right now we need to find him. Where would he go?”
She stared blankly ahead, her face confused and worried.
“Is there anywhere in the house, anywhere where he used to spend a lot of time?” I asked. “I need you to focus. Think.”
She searched around the room as if she hoped that an answer would reveal itself in the empty space to fill her empty mind.
“Maybe the library?”
“Where is it?” I had both hands on her shoulders now, demanding that she keep her attention on me and the task at hand. She raised her arm and pointed to the far end of the hall.
“Come on.”
I dragged her behind me and stepped as quietly as I could over the small pieces of rubble that littered the passage. The doorway at the end stood ajar, Almara’s symbol carved deeply into the surface of the wood. Not a hint of gold adorned it.
The room on the other side was dark, almost pitch black. The mosaic room had been so bright and cheerful, but the library was dim and covered with the dust of centuries. Or maybe not. Maybe this was the place where he frequently set his Torrensai, and the dirt at our feet was the result of the castle crumbling around him, forced to rubble by his magic .
Barely visible in the tiny shafts of light that peeked through the thick window hangings, rows and rows of books were stacked from floor to ceiling.
I took a deep breath and spoke.
“Hello?” I called quietly into the darkness. “Almara? We’re not here to hurt you. We just want to talk to you.”
Silence.
I took another step into the room, but Jade pulled on my arm, alarmed.
“Aster, no!” she whispered. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“It’s ok,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “Come on, it’ll be ok.”
But she planted her feet and refused to take another step into the space, suddenly terrified of the man she had spent two hundred years waiting to see.
I released her hands and turned back to the room.
“Please don’t!” she begged in my ear.
“Sir?” I called again. “Please. We have come a very long way to find you. If you could just give us a minute. We just want to talk.”
“Brendan?”
His voice was scratchy and quiet, and I saw a human form move from the shadows on the other side of the room.
“Brendan, is that you?”
A quiet gasp came from Jade behind me, and she scurried from the room.
“No, I’m—”
Before I had a chance to tell him my name, he was upon me. He thrust himself at me and threw his arms around me in a desperate hug.
“Brendan!” he gasped,
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