Thirteen Rings

Chapter Thirteen

"I've missed this place." Zoelle breathed, inhaling deeply. "Do you have any idea how boring it was to not have anything to read?"

"I can imagine." Darius smiled, thinking of his study back home. "What do you even tend to read anyway?"

"A bit of everything." She reminisced, a happy look spreading across her face. "Mainly biographies of people long dead, the occasional tall tale." Pausing for a moment. "I assume you read too? You have the look of someone that does."

"When I get the time."

"So how about you? What tickles your fancy?"

"Fantasy." He answered. "Anything with dragons, legendary creatures, widespread magic, not this stupid Ring magic we actually have."

"I can't really get into stories like that." She replied, leaving a brief silence while she thought. "I guess it's because they're all pretty similar to reality. My absolute favourite is science fiction, all the technology, I read this one book, there were these things people used to travel, made of metal and didn't rely on horses at all. It was really far fetched but amazing, I lost myself in it for a few days."

"That just sounds too far fetched to me."

"Maybe, you know when this is all over we'll have to recommend books to each other, I'll show you which ones I think would be best for you."

"You'll be waiting a long time for that." He murmured. "Once this is done, we have to move on to the next one."

"Next one?" She questioned, brow arching in interest.

"We've got to get all of them."

"Seriously?" Blinking in surprise. "Why?"

"Lord Mathias decreed it. Incase you didn't realise, when someone like him, like you, asks for something, you're not really in a position to decline."

"So he's holding your life for ransom?"

"Pretty much, there's a whole load of blackmail thrown in with it."

"Bastard."

"It's my own fault." He sighed. "If I wasn't so good at what I do, he would have never even considered roping me into this. It would be on some other chumps head."

"Well, as selfish as this may sound, I'm glad it was you, otherwise I may still be locked in that accursed cell."

"Silver linings." He mused, leaning onto the bannister with his elbows. "Where are they? I'm pretty sure they were supposed to be here by now."

"Patience, things like this take time."

"I'm not so good at waiting." The sound of the heavy doors opening signalled someone entering the library. "Think that's them?"

"Only time will tell." Giving him a playful shove, she motioned with her head in the direction they'd last seen Ael go. Following her line of site, he watched the Bearer float into view, a line of books following her through the air. "Last time I saw her do that, she could only make three books levitate."

"She's obviously been practicing." He murmured under his breath as two figures stepped into view below. Lyria and Morsho strode into the room, looking around in awe at the five story building filled to the roof with books. Their gaze met with Darius and they exchanged curt nods as they began to set their plan into motion. Splitting up, the pair on the ground floor began to make their way to either side of Ael as she floated around above them.

Sharing a look between them, Darius and Zoelle followed the banister overlooking the ground floor, stopping just above where the woman was floating, staring intently at the bookshelf, her finger tracing the books as the looked for a specific volume. Without hesitation, Darius vaulted over the obstacle.