Raging Storm {book 2 in SOSfanfic series} [ON HOLD]

Memories Of Old

Reyna slowly shook her head as she inspected every page. Her mouth popped open in disbelief.

"What is it?"

"These paintings. They don't show the recent history. They start from the beginning. Like, the very beginning. Look at this. It's a painting of a dragon. This painting might not be more than a few thousand years old but this dragon... Do you see the butterfly next to it? Scrolls from the library of Alexandria say that this butterfly went extinct long before men came."

Mr. Ambrose held up a hand, "First of all: dragons? Really? Do you honestly expect me to believe such lunacy? And second, the library of Alexandria was burned down in a fire before the new world was even erected."

Reyna scoffed, "Of course dragons exist! They are adept in hiding, especially deep in jungles. That is why Africa is called the Dark Nation, not because the light doesn't reach the ground due to the canopies of trees but because whoever enters goes missing! Even herds of elephants! Dragons explain everything!"

Mr. Ambrose arched a brow but ignoring that Reyna went on, "And do you really think that few of the most powerful people on earth would let a treasure as great as the library of Alexandria to be destroyed? It was a con! The scrolls are all safe in the Valley of the Kings, hidden under the tombs of the dead Pharaohs."

Reyna went back to studying the book. If she had looked at Mr. Ambrose's face she would've seen the usual stony facade. Little would she have known that he was truly impressed.

"Are dragons immortal?" He coldly sneered, not ready to drop the argument.

"No, but they live for many thousands of years." She mumbled, her nose buried in the book, eyes flitting across the lines.

"Then some dragons must've died."

"Many died. They lived a long life but weren't unkillable. Dragon duels resulted in the death of more than one dragons in one place."

"Then why haven't we found the remains!" Mr. Ambrose pounced, eyes glinting up in approaching victory. But Reyna didn't even look ruffled. Instead, she smugly retorted, "You have, darling. You just call them dinosaurs."

She went back to the book, leaving Mr. Ambrose to stare open mouthed at her. Remembering something she said, he taunted, "You said that the painting is only a few thousand years old. Then why haven't the pages disintegrated under your touch?"

"Well, first, this is not paper. These paintings are made in hide. It hardens with age and needs to be renewed once every few hundred years. I doubt the original painting, inspired by stories and folklore, even exists by now.

"Look at this. This shows that the era when dragons and humans coexisted. These drawings are so precise, Allah!"

Mr. Ambrose leaned closer. So they were. But he didn't have much time or art.

"This is of no importance to our situation. Hurry up." He snapped. Reyna looked heartbroken that she could not look at every detail of the book, but he was right. But after a while, she shook her head.

"It's impossible. If I have to find out about any exceptions to the curse then I have to start from the very beginning of ifrits. This is the right book, I just need time for a thorough search so I don't miss anything. Otherwise, it's a moot point."

Mr. Ambrose released a breath which almost sounded like a sigh of frustration.

"Then proceed."

Reyna shot him a quick smile, "Thank you. And I promise you I won't try to take long or bother you in any way."

And she sat down under the torch and read. Leaving Mr. Ambrose nothing to do save stare at the only living thing inside the abysmally small room.

Mr. Ambrose cleared his throat and turned around to expect the scrolls. He found a few maps and started studying them in detail, just for something to do. After all, knowledge is power is time is money.

"You won't get anything from them." Reyna mumbled.

"And why is that?"

"These maps are ancient. Much has changed since then."

Mr. Ambrose was frustrated. By Jove, what was he supposed to do!

Instinctively he turned towards Reyna. Her grey tunic was soaked though its neckline with sweat. She appeared to be breathing heavily. As he watched, her hands shook slightly.

Instantly, he was by her side, "Did you find anything?"

"No." She started panting, "Uh- I -I can't r-read."

"What's wrong?" He knelt down, face to face.

She appeared to be gasping for breath.

"I'm an idiot."

Mr. Ambrose didn't even twitch a muscle, "Well, I see no reason for you to say that under the circumstances. Moreover, it's not that I disagree, it's just that I do not allow my employees to go and saying things like that."

Reyna managed a weak smile. Her face glistened with sweat and it did nothing to wipe it away.

"I may have killed us."

"And how did you manage that now?"

Reyna should've smiled. But she didn't.

"I said it takes one hour for the air to turn poison."

"Yes?"

"I did not consider the torch and how much air it would burn."

Mr. Ambrose's face still remained a granite slab. Getting up, he spoke without emotion, "We can remedy that."

And he snuffed the torch out.

He didn't expect Reyna to gasp and start hyperventilating.

"Reyna?"

"Can't breathe!" She gasped.

Mr. Ambrose managed to find her in the pitch darkness.
Knowing she was using up all the air in the room and killing them faster, he wrapped his arms around her and spoke softly, "It's alright. You can breathe. Just call down and breathe with me. Inhale and exhale. Slowly now. There you go."

Reyna's trauma from her childhood suffocation causing ailment subsided as she wheezed in Mr. Ambrose's arms.

"There. It's not the dark. You like that, don't you? And it's not the lack of air as well. You can survive that through a genius foolhardy plan. It's the combination of both which gets you, no? Well, it's different this time. I'm here. Just breathe Reyna."

Reyna slowly just gasped in and out while Mr. Ambrose rubbed her arms with his thumbs as he grasped her to sanity.

Through the gasps, she managed out a weak choke, "Genius?"

"Out of all of that..." He muttered. Then in his cold demanding tone ordered, "Well, don't let it get to your head. Or I'll have to fire you."

Reyna chuckled hoarsely, "I won't, sir."

His grip on her slackened. And with that Reyna fell limp in his arms.