Read Online (Skeleton Key) Into Elurien by Kate Sparkes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kate Sparkes
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He’s not a king or a mayor. We don’t have that yet. Right now we’re to be free, to do as we see fit, and to get rid of the human things. That is an order.”
“This is a mistake,” I said, more to myself than Auphel. Even though I didn’t adore all books, even though I knew Auphel might be right that these weren’t all valuable, I felt a deep and instinctive revulsion at the thought of them being destroyed without question. And maybe the books weren’t mine to save, but there was a good chance that the information in them could be my only hope of ever getting home.
“Even if you’re right, no one will listen if you try to stop them.” Auphel nodded toward the giants, then at a small group of gaublings that stood in the shadows of a nearby building who watched us with sharp and mistrustful eyes. “Maybe where you come from, these things are important. Maybe people listen to you there. Here, you’re a human. If you try to save these books, it’s only going to get them burned faster. And maybe you with them.”
I clutched the botany book to my chest and backed away. The gaublings stepped closer. I couldn’t help but notice their sharp teeth as they raised their lips to snarl at me.
“Hazel, put it down,” Auphel said. “Let’s just go to the palace and rest. You can look at the books there. You can’t stop this.”
Something Zinian had said the day before came back to me.
“I know I can’t,” I said. “But I might know someone who can.”
I turned and ran.
Chapter Seven
A uphel’s heavy footsteps ran close behind me, the uneven silences between filled with the pitter patter of the gaublings’ smaller, quicker feet. One of them shrieked right behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Auphel grab a gaubling by the scruff of his neck. She held him until we passed a soft-looking pile of discarded human clothes outside of a cottage, then tossed him into it.
She reached for me. I darted around the corner, and she missed. The palace came into sight, all white spires and shining gold, and I ran harder. A stitch formed in my side. I hadn’t been a runner since I’d quit track and field in sixth grade. Still, I kept ahead of the lumbering ogress and the short-legged gaublings, racing to find Zinian.
The wrong turns we’d made earlier fouled me up, but I found the corridor to the meeting room. The door opened as I approached, and Jaid stepped out.
I slid to a halt before I ran into her. She closed the door tight.
“What’s all this racket?”
“I need to speak with Zinian,” I gasped, pressing a hand to my side. “Please.”
“He’s busy. As are we all.” One feline ear twitched, and her tail cut sharp arcs through the air behind her. She glared upward as Auphel approached, breathing hard and limping worse than she had before. “You were supposed to keep an eye on her.”
“Sorry, Lieutenant.” Auphel looked at me, appearing more hurt than angry. “I don’t know what got into her.”
“I have information that Zinian will be interested in,” I said.
She folded her arms across her chest. “Tell me. I’ll pass it along.”
Something told me that no matter how I phrased it, Jaid would see no point in preserving the books. And maybe she would be right. This was stupid. I had no connection to the people of this city, no reason to care if their knowledge burned. Except that I did. Libraries and bookstores were safe places. Rich places. Dusty and quiet and predictable places. At least, they always had been for me. Havens full of knowledge.
It wasn’t my city. It wasn’t my library. I didn’t care. I couldn’t watch it burn, and I couldn’t let what might be my only chance of ending this nightmare go up with it.
This is too risky, objected the part of my brain that usually controlled my emotions and my actions. Back down now.
Not this time.
I clutched the book to my chest and straightened my shoulders. “I need to speak to him myself.”
“No. In fact—”
The door
“This is a mistake,” I said, more to myself than Auphel. Even though I didn’t adore all books, even though I knew Auphel might be right that these weren’t all valuable, I felt a deep and instinctive revulsion at the thought of them being destroyed without question. And maybe the books weren’t mine to save, but there was a good chance that the information in them could be my only hope of ever getting home.
“Even if you’re right, no one will listen if you try to stop them.” Auphel nodded toward the giants, then at a small group of gaublings that stood in the shadows of a nearby building who watched us with sharp and mistrustful eyes. “Maybe where you come from, these things are important. Maybe people listen to you there. Here, you’re a human. If you try to save these books, it’s only going to get them burned faster. And maybe you with them.”
I clutched the botany book to my chest and backed away. The gaublings stepped closer. I couldn’t help but notice their sharp teeth as they raised their lips to snarl at me.
“Hazel, put it down,” Auphel said. “Let’s just go to the palace and rest. You can look at the books there. You can’t stop this.”
Something Zinian had said the day before came back to me.
“I know I can’t,” I said. “But I might know someone who can.”
I turned and ran.
Chapter Seven
A uphel’s heavy footsteps ran close behind me, the uneven silences between filled with the pitter patter of the gaublings’ smaller, quicker feet. One of them shrieked right behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Auphel grab a gaubling by the scruff of his neck. She held him until we passed a soft-looking pile of discarded human clothes outside of a cottage, then tossed him into it.
She reached for me. I darted around the corner, and she missed. The palace came into sight, all white spires and shining gold, and I ran harder. A stitch formed in my side. I hadn’t been a runner since I’d quit track and field in sixth grade. Still, I kept ahead of the lumbering ogress and the short-legged gaublings, racing to find Zinian.
The wrong turns we’d made earlier fouled me up, but I found the corridor to the meeting room. The door opened as I approached, and Jaid stepped out.
I slid to a halt before I ran into her. She closed the door tight.
“What’s all this racket?”
“I need to speak with Zinian,” I gasped, pressing a hand to my side. “Please.”
“He’s busy. As are we all.” One feline ear twitched, and her tail cut sharp arcs through the air behind her. She glared upward as Auphel approached, breathing hard and limping worse than she had before. “You were supposed to keep an eye on her.”
“Sorry, Lieutenant.” Auphel looked at me, appearing more hurt than angry. “I don’t know what got into her.”
“I have information that Zinian will be interested in,” I said.
She folded her arms across her chest. “Tell me. I’ll pass it along.”
Something told me that no matter how I phrased it, Jaid would see no point in preserving the books. And maybe she would be right. This was stupid. I had no connection to the people of this city, no reason to care if their knowledge burned. Except that I did. Libraries and bookstores were safe places. Rich places. Dusty and quiet and predictable places. At least, they always had been for me. Havens full of knowledge.
It wasn’t my city. It wasn’t my library. I didn’t care. I couldn’t watch it burn, and I couldn’t let what might be my only chance of ending this nightmare go up with it.
This is too risky, objected the part of my brain that usually controlled my emotions and my actions. Back down now.
Not this time.
I clutched the book to my chest and straightened my shoulders. “I need to speak to him myself.”
“No. In fact—”
The door
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