“Try four times that.” Eldric’s natural look of boredom was gone; he was focused on Alissa and the state she had come back in.
“Time does pass by differently in the canyons,” the younger twin explained.
Alissa’s eyes settled on the man, her fury not very successfully contained. “And you didn’t think to mention that, you know, before I walked into a damn death trap?” She grabbed her friend by the hand and stormed out of the cave, desperate to be free of this wicked place. “Let’s get out of here!”
They both walked past Eldric while he stood there for a moment, staring at the twins, trying to grasp everything he had witnessed.
When he turned his back, the elder one said, “I know you didn’t come here for an answer, so take this advice instead. Think well on what your answer will be to the next favor you are asked. It might change your world as you know it.”
Eldric didn’t glance back, but the words stuck in his head all the way out of that terrifying cavern.
The hot rays of sunshine embraced Eldric’s figure, and his eyes landed on the black horse impatiently waiting for his return. He murmured a prayer to the universe to never go back to that place again. The women were already outside, casually chatting as if they hadn’t just been through a somewhat traumatic experience.
“Excuse me!” he yelled, infuriated, waving to call for their attention. The sound startled them.
“Oh, you’re still here,” Alissa said as if his sword wasn’t hanging from her belt.
“Do you mind?” he asked, sarcasm poisoning his words as he nodded toward the sword in her possession.
She took the sword, and he snatched it from her hands. Without glancing back, Eldric hopped onto the carriage, reorganizing his belongings before getting back on the road—by himself this time.
“Well, thank you for this horrible,horribleexperience. Hope to never see you again, ladies.”
“Likewise,” Alissa answered, turning to her friend to continue their conversation, pretending the man wasn’t still there. “What were we saying?”
“You were about to tell me what happened in the canyons,” Freyah replied expectantly.
All the organizing on the carriage suddenly slowed as Eldric tried not to show his interest in the conversation. The truth was, Eldric rarely won the battle against his own innate curiosity. This time was no different; his curiosity got the better of him when he leaned his ears forward to listen closely.
Alissa was speaking and waving her hands in exasperation, “Well, yes! I saw a ghost, it was a girl with a voice stronger than a hundred men combined. She spilled meaningless words at me, then the walls started to close in behind me, and then I found you.”
“What did she say exactly?” Freyah inquired.
Alissa forced her memory to recollect the exact words she had heard, reciting them to her friend in a deep tone to mimic the woman’s voice.
Freyah rubbed her hand on her chin. “What the hell is Golheim?”
“How would I know?”
Eldric froze, looking over his shoulders. He was already sitting on the carriage with the reins in his hands, ready to depart. He knew he would regret this decision but couldn’t stop himself from speaking anyway. “Did you say Golheim?”
Their heads turned to look at him, surprised he hadn’t left the moment he was set free from their “evil” grasp. “Yes, do you know what that is?”
“Of course! How could you not? It’s the capital of our kingdom.”
Alissa’s brows furrowed. “What does she mean by ‘the key is in Golheim’?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged but then remembered one thing. “It’s probably referring to the Library of All Things. People from all over the kingdom travel to Golheim to visit our library.”
Alissa’s lips parted in awe. She had assumed by now that monsters weren’t something she needed to worry about—at least, not in this particular area. But Eldric’s words indicated that beyond the walls of Bryniard, people lived ordinary lives. A whole civilization seemed to thrive in a world where people had the luxury of traveling to other places, simply to read books. The realization shook her. She glanced at her friend and saw that Freyah hadn’t yet reached the same conclusion, so she didn’t say anything.
“What is there in this library?” Freyah asked.
“Thousands of volumes of books on all existing subjects. If you wish to learn about our history, diseases, healing practices for all possible conditions, geography, politics, biology… anything, really, you’ll find it there. That place is a masterpiece.”
Letting her concerns aside, Alissa focused on her goal. The idea of this library did sound promising. If it contained an endless collection of books on healing, Alissa could find the answer to save her daughter; that must have been what the canyons were trying to tell her. Her eyes lit up with hope.
“Great! Let’s go to Golheim, Freyah.”