Chapter 96 Iron door, magical books

Chapter 96 Iron door, magical books

Eloise

I thought the half turned dragon at Feylen were terrifying. The ones with only the head turned, or the ones that possess dragon lower body but humanoid. On that battlefield, I had concluded they were the most terrifying thing I've ever seen in my life.

They were nothing compared to the fully turned dragon mere feet away from where I stood.

It was still very dark, but somehow, the darkness seems to have done nothing to downplay how large it is. If anything, the darkness made it look more terrifying.

I wanted to scream or run and call for help, but somehow, I found myself rooted at the spot. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't move.

A ball of faelight appeared above my head suddenly brightening the whole place. That seem to snap me out of my shock because I didn't conjure the light.

I lifted my eyes to search for the source of the light when I felt something suddenly pushed me… and then I was falling down, and down, and down.. I was falling so hard and fast that I genuinely thought I wasn't going to hit the bottom of whatever this place was, my skull split open.

A scream tore out of me. But just as the bottom drew closer, I landed on something soft and bounced up a little. An air bubble.

I glanced around to see Aeron standing there with a terrified expression on his face with one hand stretched towards me, and the other clutching a tiny orb.

The faelight from about still shone a little bit down here so I could see him clearly. He didn't seem hurt. That reduced my anxiety a bit.

“I only have little of Tina's magic left so you should get off that bubble.” He muttered, his hand still pointed at me.

“Thank you.” I said. He nodded and dropped his hand. I jumped up before the air bubble popped.

The two of us lifted our heads up. We could still hear the dragon’s grunts, not roar. For some reasons, that's what the dragon had been doing. I had a feeling that whoever pushed me was still standing there and fighting that thing.

“Who else was up there with you?” Aeron asked.

“I don't know. The person shoved me out of the way and took on the dragon alone.” I said, still looking at the silver of light.

I didn't know who that person was, I didn't even get to see their face or anything that could make me recognize them, but somehow, the person still felt familiar. It felt that I knew them my whole life.

“We should go up their and help.” I said when I heard more grunts.

“Uhm… no. What we should do is start running and find a way out of here.”

I pinned him with a glare.

“I know you probably don't want to hear this, but first, I'm out of air magic so there's no way we're getting back up there. Second, whoever pushed you wouldn't have done so if they couldn't the dragon alone. They might even be the one who put it there.”

I knew he was speaking logically, but I couldn't just leave the person like that. Especially when it seems they had risked their lives to save mine.

“Besides, it's not like the dragon can do any harm anyway. Let's just keep going.” He conjured a small ball of faelight and started walking forward.

I immediately caught up with him. “What do you mean the dragon can't do any harm?”

Aeron sighed and glanced around. I wasn't sure what he was looking for but there was nothing around us except stone walls. It seems like we were walking underground the Keep.

After all the challenges I have been though in the dragon world, being underground again is one of my least favourite things. But surprisingly, I always find myself in situations I hate.

Like this one. One minute, I was surrounded by books, the next I was underground threading a path that seems to have been abandoned for millennials.

“The dragon's tongue is cut. That's why it can only grunt and not roar or breath fire. Otherwise we wouldn't be alive. It's pretty much defense less with just it claws and spikes.” Aeron said, quickening his steps.

I was still trying to process what he just told me. “Why would anyone do that to the creature?”

“I don't know. It's a form of punishment before The Burn. It's called the living death. I don't know much about it, really. Or what it's doing in the archives. I'm actually wondering if it's been here the whole time.” Aeron glanced back as if the dragon was following us.

Everything Aeron just said seem to confirm what I was already thinking. It seems there were multiple secrets in the Keep than anyone might think.

Why keep a dragon that can't shift or breath fire in a library?

“Are you sure we're not lost? Where even are we headed?” I asked when it looked like we've been walking for a while.

“I actually have no idea. Up until today, I didn't even know this placw existed. But you're right tho, I do have a gut feeling. That's what I'm following.”

My mouth fell opened and I was about to ask why we're going purely on instinct when my eyes caught something that might look like a door. It seems to really merge well with the wall. If Aeron's faelight wasn't on, I would have missed it.

Aeron and I glanced at each other briefly before moving to the door. Aeron tried to open it but he wasn't successful.

“It's pure iron.” Aeron said in disbelief. “Why would there be a door in the Dragon Keep made solely to keep dragons out?”

I started at the door, puzzled. Aeron wasn't entirely wrong, but he was a bit off the rail. An iron door is not just supposed to keep something from getting in, it also stops what's inside from getting out.

Now what could be so important in there that they needed an iron door with magic to keep it in?

“I guess we have to go in to find out.”

Aeron glanced at me. “How are we going to open it?”

“Fortunately, you're with someone whose sister made her spend every waking hour learning spells. I'm going to try a simple unlocking spell.” I crouched in front of the door and took a deep breath. Then I began to cast the spell.

I got the door unlocked after a few trials and…

“Holy Hearth!” Aeron gasped.

I rose from my kneeling position and my mouth fell open as well. Because this wasn't just a library, the books weren't arranged in shelves.

They were floating in the air.

And they were plenty of them. It was clear that these aren't regular history books you read and put back.

“What in Hearth's holy name is this place?” Aeron gasped.

“The place we get our answers.” I muttered.

Aeron tore his gaze from the floating books. “Yeah, but how? The books are literally floating. There's obviously magic in them, or they are magic. These books will obviously get us executed if we were ever caught with them.”

To be honest, I didn't really have an answer for him. I was about to voice my agreement when I saw something coming towards me.

A book was flying towards me. Literally. It was as if someone had threw it from far across the room.

The book stopped in front us and then dropped to the floor. Aeron and I glanced at each other in surprise. And just like that, books began flying from every corner of the room and dropping in front of us.

“Okay, what's happening right now?” Aeron whispered.

“I think the books know we're here.” I whispered back.

“That doesn't even sound right.” Aeron scoffed. One book flew over so hard and slapped Aeron right across the face before dropping on the pile.

I gave Aeron a look and he rolled his eyes. This wasn't like any magic I had seen before. I was starting to understand the need for the iron door now.

“Okay, we should pack this and leave—”

“What, in Hearth's Holy name, are you doing here?!”

My heart literally stopped dead in my chest as I heard the voice.