Page 53 of Demon Hunger
“Ican’t. Don’t worry, you’ll soon see what I mean.”
We climbed the stairs to the third floor and found the library doors closed. Sage knocked lightly, and a four-year student peaked her head out.
“Hello, Sloane.” Sage offered her a smile.
She let us in and quickly closed the door behind us. There was a second four-year student who started walking down one of the book aisles.
“Follow me.”
I gave my friends a knowing smile, enjoying their confused frowns way too much. At the end of the long aisle, we reached the far wall, where a third student waited. It was Battula, whom I’d met before while she manned the front door. The student who delivered us there left without a word, disappearing down the dim, book-flanked corridor.
My friends looked confused as hell. I smirked and exchanged a complicit smile with Battula. She reached for a staff leaning against the wall and tapped it on the floor in a distinct pattern. The sound echoed through the library and deepened my friends’ frowns.
A long platform rose up a couple of inches from the floor.
“Hop on,” Battula instructed.
Wasting no time, I stepped on it and gave my friends a knowing smile. The base could hold five or six people comfortably.
“What the…?” Sage scratched his head. “Where does that lead?”
“Just you wait,” Battula said, also enjoying herself.
“You two are enjoying this way too much,” Jenna pointed out.
“It’s inevitable,” I said.
“Like a rite of passage,” Battula added.
“C’mon, guys,” I enthused.
Hesitantly, they joined me, and the platform began lowering itself. Jenna took hold of Benjamin’s hand for support. Despite his nerves, he looked sideways at her, a fond smile stretching his lips.
“Where is this going? Back to the second floor?” Sage asked.
“You’ll see.” I snickered.
“All right, that’s more than two stories,” Benjamin pointed out after we’d been descending for about a minute under the gentle glow of a magical blue light.
“The league has a basement?” Jenna muttered.
I blew air through my nose. “Does it ever?”
“It sure must,” Sage put it. “This has gone past even the boiler room. Where are they sending us? Hell?”
I chuckled.
When the platform stopped moving, we all stared at a narrow hall with a polished stone floor and a ragged rock wall. I stepped off the platform and gestured for my friends to follow. We rounded the corner, and I let my eyes rove over everyone’s faces as they took in the view and their mouths fell open.
A large cavernous area the width and length of four football fields stretched before us. There seemed to be no ceiling, only darkness. Everything was hewn from the underground rock: winding staircases, columns, balconies, statues.
“Where do those go?” Jenna asked, pointing at the many mole holes carved into the stone walls.
“No idea,” I said, my curiosity matching hers.
The first time I came, third and fourth years meandered throughout the space, but at this hour, the place was eerily empty. The wind whistled through the space, seeming to speak.
“C’mon guys, Preston’s this way.”
