Page 30 of Darkening Truth
“You said that you were running out of time?” Zev asks.
Ignatius nods, tilting his head to the side slightly and studying us curiously, “Yes, that’s right.”
“How long do you think you’ve got left?” Zev asks.
Ignatius tenses slightly as he looks over his shoulder at the rest of the people in the room.
Most of them have gone back to what they were doing, although they’re all looking over at us curiously every now and then.
Ignatius steps closer to the door, clearly wanting to keep this conversation as private as he possibly can within the circumstances.
“A month, two at maximum,” he says barely above a whisper.
My eyes widen in shock. I did not think that he was going to say such a small amount of time. This changes things. I can’t just leave them here to their fate. Not after they have already been trapped here for thousands of years, and not after their king went to such great lengths to protect them, even sacrificing himself.
“I’m going to try and get you out,” I tell him firmly.
He smiles, “I had a feeling that you were going to say that, but I fear that it’s going to be more complicated than you think it will be.”
Zev shrugs, “Oh, I have no doubt that it will be, everything tends to be.”
“You won’t be able to get us as easily as you have in the dream. In the real realm, there are creatures that have been set upon the realm and stalk the halls of the castle. I don’t even know if Rolo will be there for you,” Ignatius says.
We all look at Rolo, who shrugs.
“I have no idea, they are the first people that we have seen in thousands of years, and they’re a part of a dream. I don’t know if I will still be able to help them if they were actually here,” Rolo tells us, his ghostly form wavering slightly.
Ignatius nods, like Rolo has helped him come to a decision, and looks back at us, “You will need to get the grimoire out of my workroom then. I was the kingdom's head Spellcaster. I helped to create some of the spells that guard the door, although I was not strong enough to cast them. My grimoire has the code that will help you to get down here, the one that I’m sure you watched Rolo do. It has to be performed exactly right, or the place gets locked down, and even more spells are layered on top.
“Those spells would make it absolutely impossible to get through. Not even the Spell Weavers, as rare as they are, would be able to pick them apart, they were designed against them. The grimoire will also have the information in it in order to help you get past the creatures that now roam this realm, and even defeat them if you are strong enough, and I have a feeling that you may be,” he explains.
Chapter Eleven
Farren
“Ihope so,” I reply.
“That’s not even considering the fact that you’re going to have to somehow gain access to the realm, and that wasn’t easy before it was turned into a hunting ground. The realm was closed so that the horrors that roam here could not escape and infect any other realm.”
I nod, “We can handle all of that.”
This feels important, it’s something that I have to do. More than anything else at the moment. Saving these people who have endured for so long is what I need to do.
This needs to become a priority.
That may mean that the Dragon Realm is going to have to wait, and if that’s the case, then so be it. I’ve changed fate before, I’m clearly not good at doing as I’m told, and although I know that the Dragon Realm, the remainingtwo princes, and the key fragment are incredibly important. This is on a time crunch. I have this horrible churning feeling in my gut.
The feeling, and my intuition, prompt me to ask, “There’s more, isn’t there? What happens to the realm if we don’t make it in time and you all die?”
“H-how did you . . .” Ignatius trails off. “It can’t be. She was right.”
“Who was right?” Zev asks.
There’s an urgency in his voice as he clutches the bars and looks at me intently, “Listen to me really closely, this is extremely important. In the throne room, on the second floor of the castle, there is a door that leads to the King's private chambers. If you go through them, find his office, and in his office, there is a secret entrance to his treasury. You must get the Suil Ha Falamh, you must get it before you come and free us.”
I nod, “It will help me free you?”
He nods, “Yes. You will know it when you see it, but before you do that, you are going to need my grimoire to give you the best chances possible. I live on the edge of the forest that surrounds the castle. Only a few miles away. It’s the only house this close to the castle, and it’s called Eolas.”
