Page 50 of House of Malice
“Yes, I am sure,” Alecto said. “Maybe we need to do this at the same time.”
“Good point,” Jolene said.
She grabbed Blaze’s hand and pierced the tip of his finger before he could even react and then did the same to hers.
They both pressed their bleeding fingers on each side of Alecto’s hand, and then they waited.
A moment later, the owl’s hollow eyes lit up and the sound of hinges turning came from behind the door. Slowly, the door opened.
Alecto entered first, and Blaze followed with Jolene.
In front of them lay a maze of bookcases that didn’t seem to have an end. The air was dry and heavy, weighing on them. Blaze could see his breath in front of him.
From behind one of the shelves, a Crahen in a long brown robe emerged, carrying a stack of books.
“Ah, they have Crahens to take care of the place,” Jolene said. “That is fascinating.”
“At least they won’t tell anyone anything,” Alecto said her voice low.
She glanced at Blaze for a moment, but it was enough for blood to start surging into his groin. He was beyond excited for the hunt today.
“So I think we should divide and conquer,” Alecto said, looking around. “I will need to find at least something on Mistress Venefica for my paper. I can’t return empty-handed. While I do my research, you guys can start reading about the Dean. I will join you as soon as I can, promise.”
“Okay, sounds good,” Jolene said. She pointed at the huge map on the wall behind them. “Look, this should help us find where to go, right?”
“Oh, isn’t that convenient?” Alecto asked and followed Jolene to the map.
Blaze couldn’t agree more. It would make the hunt so much easier for him.
Jolene and Alecto inspected the map, while Blaze’s mind was occupied with images of all the ways he was going to have Alecto once he found her. They would have to be very quiet to not be discovered, but he didn’t intend on going easy on her…
“Right, here it is,” Jolene said, pointing a finger at the map. “I think the information on the Dean should be with the Rats, right?”
Alecto nodded. “That would be my guess.”
“Alright, we’ll see you soon, baby,” Blaze said and kissed Alecto lightly on the forehead. “Let’s go, Frone. It’s been a while since we had some quality time, just you and me.”
“Oh, how lucky am I,” Jolene said teasingly and then waved goodbye to Alecto.
Blaze let Jolene lead the way through the maze of bookcases. In some places, the aisles widened and opened up to a reading area with desks and chairs. There weren’t any places to lounge, as if whoever designed the archives didn’t want anyone visiting to feel comfortable.
They passed a few Crahen, either organizing shelves or carrying stacks of books and rolls of parchments.
After walking for what felt like forever, they finally reached a part of the archives dedicated to storing information on each House.
There were heavy iron signs hanging from the darkness above their heads with the emblems of each House as they walked deeper into the archives. Finally, they reached the House of Rats.
“There are so many shelves,” Blaze murmured, looking to both sides of the aisle. The bookcases stacked with papers and old tomes stretched long and wide to his left and his right. “We’ll be here forever. Do you know a spell?”
“Do I know a spell?” Jolene snorted. “Did you forget who you are talking to?”
Blaze only smirked.
Jolene closed her eyes then and started chanting an incantation. A moment later, a tiny bee materialized out of the thin air, and the space around them filled with the sound of her wings.
“It should lead us to anything that mentions the Dean,” Jolene said, and the bee flew onto the aisle on their left. She followed the bee, and Blaze followed her. “It will still be a lot to go through, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Perfect,” Blaze said. He wanted to find out information about the Dean, but he was much more interested in finding Alecto as soon as possible. “What exactly are we looking for about him?”
