The rest of the room was in equal disarray. There were stray garments tossed haphazardly about, and there were deep claw marks torn in the bed curtains. When she squinted, she could discern frantic writings on the walls, decorated with incomplete sigils, and haunting, abstract faces. The sight sent a chill down her spine.
Thankfully, there was no one within, and she backed out and closed the door behind her. The bedroom gave her the creeps, and she was now certain she hadn’t come to the right place—and may have in fact come to the verywrongplace.
She decided to try the second set of doors just in case.
She pushed one open with care, exhaling in relief when the hinges didn’t squeak. That relief died when she peered into the dark room.
Bookshelves lined the walls to the pointed ceiling, so high there were ladders placed throughout to reach the upper levels. Any remaining wall space was covered in sigils. Dried herbs, unidentifiable organs, and all manner of grisly things hung by strings or were stored in jars on shelves.
A table next to the window was riddled with crumpled parchment, all covered in illegible scribbling. Beside it, a hellgate was drawn on the floor, the outer line clearly disrupted to render it inactive.
In the center of the floor was the strangest sigil Sunshine had ever seen. The patterns within were so unfamiliar, she couldn’t recognize a single one.
But that wasn’t what caught her eye. In fact, she barely spared the room a glance.
Facing that strange sigil, positioned off to one side, was another table. Seated at it, slumped forward with his head resting on folded arms…was the Necromancer himself. Sound asleep.
His skin was a ghastly pale gray, and the shadows around his closed eyes were so dark they looked like black bruises. Even his lips were whitish with only the faintest hint of color. She might have assumed him dead if not for the steady rise and fall of his ribcage.
His hair was silvery white and wound into a loose braid that had slipped over one shoulder to lay over his arms. Black horns swept back along his skull, curving up to sharp points above his head. His brow was furrowed, and the look on his face indicated his sleep was not restful.
Even sitting, it was obvious he was lean and tall, and the curve of his spine where he leaned over was strangely graceful. A long, barbed tail curled around the base of the chair he sat on, the end twitching slightly.
Sunshine had inadvertently wandered straight into Murmur’s personal chambers and caught him napping in this room of… What was this place? A workshop? Perhaps this was where he practiced the necromancy he was so masterful at.
That was when she noticed the book.
Thebook.
She hadn’t known what it looked like. She had never seen it before and had nothing to go on beyond a brief description given by Adriel. Yet somehow she knew with certainty that she was looking right at it.
It was there—right there—on the desk where Murmur slept. One of his arms lay half over it, as if he’d slumped forward in the midst of reading.
She could take it right now. She could creep forward and slip it out from beneath his grasp. There was even a hellgate, not ten feet away. All she’d need to do was complete the broken line, activate it, and she’d be gone in seconds.
Her mission would be complete. She would reascend. Her penance would finally be paid after all these centuries.
But she would have left Raum behind.
In the end, there was no question. She was fully aware she might never get such a chance again, but she simply couldn’t do it.
She was just beginning to back out of the room when, as if to illustrate the permanence of her choice, Murmur suddenly awoke.
He mumbled something incoherent and then jerked upright, head snapping in her direction.
She froze as he stared right at her, unsure if her heart was pounding or if it had stopped altogether.
His eyes were horribly bloodshot, his irises a blue so pale it was almost white, and the tiny prick of his black pupils looked unearthly against the unusual color. The dark shadows around his eyes, the sickly paleness of his skin… He was uncanny to behold.
“I specifically stated I was not to be disturbed,” he growled, but it came out slurred as if he wasn’t yet fully conscious. He flexed his claws, digging the long black tips into the desk. “And you dare to walk into my private chambers?”
He thinks I’m one of his servants.But of course he did. She was hidden by her cloak, and because of the amulet, he wasn’t aware his territory had been breached. And he was likely still half asleep.
“Get out!” he roared, so she turned and fled.
* * *
After fleeing the tower,Sunshine snuck around the shadowy corners of the castle for another hour until she finally struck gold.
