4. Laurence
Darkness filled the passageways, broken only by the occasional drip of water that echoed into the puddles below. A draft swept through the corridors, adding to the eeriness that filled the air. Laurence wandered through the dark, straining to hear the voice that called out to him. Whilst his focus was finding Cora and Avni, he was drawn to the voice, beckoning him and tugging at his essence, drawing him in like a curious cat.
In the silence, the voice continued to echo, calling him time and time again. It whispered his name, as it was carried like an illusion upon the drafts of the passage.
His boots scraped softly against the stone floors, crunching upon dead leaves and vines as he continued to follow the sound. He flicked his fingers and summoned his essence, brightening the candle like flame that danced over his right hand. It cast shadows through the corridor, and provided just enough light to see where he was going. The further he ventured the more familiar the vine-covered walls became, like something was telling him that he'd been here before.
Dim moonlight shone around one of the corners and with it a tattered strand of royal blue silk from Coras cloak dangled from a thorn in the opening. He walked over to examine the fabric only to find a hidden garden, bathed in the ethereal glow of the moonlight as it filtered in through the collapsed ceiling. Above it the crisp but cloudy night sky and a dense canopy of foliage above. The air was thick with the scent of damp almost mildew scented earth and as his gaze shifted, he found himself observing a garden filled with an array of exotic flora. The delicate petals of one flower in particular were closed tightly as if guarding its secrets from prying eyes. It was a particularly large flower, and its bulk suggested it held something within, though he couldn't discern what. Ignoring the unsettling feeling that washed over him, and stepping over the pools of sticky sap, he pressed forward, determined to find the source of the voice as it called to him once more.
He passed through the garden and into the adjacent dark passageway, holding his hand up in order to re-ignite the flame with his essence. He wondered into the darkness, only to stumble as his foot caught something. Almost losing his footing, he held the flame back down to the object he tripped over, only to find a single book, its pages fluttering in the faint breeze. With a shiver running down his spine, Laurence looked back into the darkness. Without warning a powerful gust swept through the passage, but there was a liveliness to it, as if it carried the essence of something unseen. It reached out, and grasped at the flickering flame above his hand, then carried it effortlessly like a leaf on the wind.
Candles around the passage began to ignite one by one. As the flame danced the walls opened up into a chamber. It spiralled inward toward four large lanterns in the rooms centre. Then just as quickly as it had appeared, the essence that carried the flame vanished. Laurence stood in awe, taking in the vast library that stood before him, untouched by the ages. Books stretched from floor to ceiling. The walls were lined with books written in old elvish and with each step he took, his steps echoed through the room, much like the drops of water that had resonated in the passages before.
He approached the centre of the room, eyeing a pedestal, the focus point of the whole room. He walked up a nearby gantry, his gaze locking onto an ancient book on the pedestal. Oddly unlike the other books around, this appeared clean, as if it had never spent a day amongst the walls. It was out of place, but at the same time it wasn't. He leaped the guard rail onto the platform and approached the book, drawn by its allure and the indistinguishable ancient text upon its cover. As his fingertips neared the book he felt a faint pulse of essence emanating from its pages, adding to the mystical aura the book held.
He traced the embossed old elvish text with his fingertips, but with ever second that passed a growing sense of unease creeped over him. Something about the symbols made him pause. He retracted his hand, reconsidering his actions. Scrutinising the book's cover, he looked over the marking as moon light began to trickle in through holes in the roof. His eyes fixated upon the intricate emblems and rings upon the books cover that danced in the moonlight, and yet, it was the large circle at the centre of the cover that held his attention. It pulsated with an otherworldly energy as a beam of moonlight lit the cover. And out of the circle leaped the depiction of a wolf. Its form twisting and turning as if caught in a perpetual motion. The longer Laurence stared, the more disconcerting, the image became the wolfs movements growing increasingly erratic and unnatural.
As he pondered his surroundings and the significance of the book, doubts nagged at him. If this was truly the forbidden book that the dark Elf spoke of, why was it seemingly left unguarded, ready for the taking? The thought of the traps and hidden dangers of this place crossed his mind, let alone the place looked like it had been abandoned long ago. "Laurence," the voice whispered, seemingly emanating from the very air around him. His gaze remained fixed on the books cover, where the image of the wolf seemed to come to life before him. Blinking in disbelief, he rubbed his eyes, only to find the image returned to its original state. "I must be seeing things," he muttered to himself, brushing his hand over the drawing before turning to the first page.
His eyes scanned the text, recognising the symbols and representations of various animals. Deer, foxes, rabbits, horses, and wolves. It was the image of the wolves that captivated him, seeming to pulse with a godly energy. He flicked to the next page, and immediately felt a primal presence, as if something wild and untamed lurked just beyond his sensed. He reached out with his essence, seeking any sign of life in the darkness, but found nothing in response.
Returning his attention to the book, Laurence continued to turn the pages, this time stopping on an image of the moon and a mysterious call to the werewolf. Before he could react, a piercing scream shattered the silence, drawing his thoughts back to Cora and Avni.
With a sense of urgency, he slammed the book shut, but to his horror, felt himself unable to tear away. His gaze was now fixed, and a panic arose within himself, he felt as he was now struggling against an invisible force. His hand locked in place at the centre of the books cover.
The moonlight vanished from around the library in all places but the book, and as if filtered through the hole in the roof a faint glow began to emanate from the ancient work. Laurence was now stuck in the mystical allure of the books cover. The sounds of tiles crashing to the floor echoed through the chamber, mingling with the eerie silence that surrounded him.
He was desperate and needed to break free, he attempted to pull away, but the light intensified, enveloping him and locking him in place. The binding of the book seemed unyielding, its grasp tightening around his hand as if it had a will of its own.
With a sinking feeling of horror in the pit of his stomach, Laurence watched as the image on the cover transformed into a writhing mass of leeches, their slimy bodies attaching themselves to his skin with a searing pain that shot through his arm. He gritted his teeth in agony, as his muscles tensed, he struggled to remain upright.
The moonlight immediately faded, spreading a darkness that engulfed him in its suffocating embrace, He felt as if he was being consumed within, His hand finally released from the book, and he collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
The only light that remained was the dim flicker from the candles. Laurence surveyed his arm, half-expecting to find it crawling with the grotesque creatures that had invaded his flesh, yet to his relief, there was nothing there. There was no sign of the leeches that had tormented him moments before.
Still shaken from the ordeal, Laurence rose to his feet, his mind reeling with unanswered questions. The essence of the book lingered in the air, a tangible presence that sent a chill down his spine, but despite the lingering sense of unease, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed, and that he was no longer the same person he had been before.
He couldn't delay any longer, rising to the pedestal and stashing the book away in his bag before leaping over the railing onto a pile of books below the platform. The stack collapsed beneath him, sending him stumbling forward. Another cry pierced the air, unmistakably Avni's voice, echoing through the chamber. Laurence clenched his jaw and focused, drawing upon his essence to command the flames dancing upon the candles to sore forward and blaze ahead, illuminating the darkness toward Avni's screams.
His mind filled with worry for Cora, why hadn't he heard anything from her?
Was she grappling with Avni,
Shaking the thought off, he dismissed the noting that Cora would act recklessly, after all she was more than twice his age.
