“This one,” he pointed at the curved tracery above the cavern and then rotated the book to the side: Grotto of Spells and Relics.
Violette bolted her gaze to the pages, closely scrutinizing it. Indeed, the pattern whichlooked like senseless hundreds of twirls turned out to be stretched letters.
“Do you think it's what we're looking for?” She patted her lashes.
“Possibly. But I am not sure I know where it is,” Dante said wistfully and sat on the bed, continuing to study the pages.
Violette started measuring the room with steps. She spun back and her thoughts were dispelled as her gaze fell onto the paper bag on the table. The pleasant delicious smell reached her nostrils only now.
Dante, as if reading her mind, stood up and handed her the bag.
“In case you are hungry.” Violette looked at the bag agazed as if he was offering her poison. Well, it was more likely.
She took the package and squashed it in her hands, while Dante settled over the desk.
The smell of the baking and braise released in the air as she opened the little bag and her eyes fluttered shut in satisfaction. Her hand reached to one of the buns with chicken and mushrooms, still warm. One delightful bite and happiness spread throughout her body. In two minutes the bag rustled again.
Dante raised his eyes to Violette and noticing it, she immediately stopped halfway through the second bun. He turned his gaze back to the paper. Was she too loud? Or was he hungry as well? Thinking about it, she'd never seen him eating. She wasn't sure if he was able to eat with this thing onhis mouth but then it leads to the question: how was he fed? She also doubted she wanted to know, it's unlikely that the answer would please her. Still, she saw him drinking, it wasn't hard, the lattice was wide enough for it, but she believed it took time for him to adjust and not spill it everywhere.
“How are you able to eat?” she asked directly.
The answer followed immediately like he wasn't actually that deep in his thinking, his eyes remained on the pages of the book. “You'd already asked me this question.”
“And I didn't get an answer.”
“Some people it stops,” he said coldly.
“I am persistent.”
“I'd say stubborn and nosy.”
“It's a part of the equation,” she waved. “So how?”
He just leaned back in the chair, not taking his attention off the book. Violette rolled her eyes and savored another bun.
Hours of searching only led them to nowhere. It seems Dante had never seen this place and had no idea where it was. There must be something else they were missing out on. The picture was not clear.
Violette was sitting in the chair for too long, trying to connect all of the details together. By the end of the night she felt bored and tired.
“How can we find a place which you, neither me, know where is?”
Dante was standing by the window with the book, she didn't know how long he was staringat these pages. They were sharing theories for a few hours already and it didn’t bring them anything.
“I think that Adrogans family has something that we need,” he enunciated, finally raising his eyes to her face.
“What for example? Another riddle?” She fetched an irritated sigh.
“No. I actually think that what we are looking for is a map for the place on these pages. I guess this cavern is our final point.”
“How can you be sure about it?”
“I didn't say I am sure. I need to check some information first.” His eyes trailed to the clock on the wall as Violette yawned. The hand stopped at four in the morning. “Enough for today,” he let out and the dull sound of the book hitting the table’s surface disturbed the settled atmosphere of serenity.
Violette took a deep breath, it seemed as if her back was already glued to the back of the chair as it was hard to stand up. She pulled forward trying to get up, however her legs hardly listened to her.
“You are not going to sleep, are you?” she asked at last as her hand pulled the doorknob.
Dante's eyes twinkled in the dim light, already speaking for themselves. Maybe she didn't know him long enough, but she'd already realized one thing: when Dante needed to find something he was very determined, they were similar in this.
