The Die of Death by Kenneth B. Andersen

Author:Kenneth B. Andersen [Andersen, Kenneth B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Høst & Søn
Published: 2018-10-07T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 27

A Shocking Discovery

They couldn’t relax after that. Especially Philip. The sensation of the mare on his chest, the sight of its hideous face, and the bad dream—it all kept swirling in his head. For each passing second, he became more awake. Satina felt the same way, he could tell. She didn’t accept his theory that Grum was the one who’d let in the mare. She knew the castle servant didn’t care for Philip, and that he was a mean son of a devil. But he was also dumb as a doornail, and she couldn’t imagine that someone with so little talent was in touch with the accursed. He’d never be able to handle that. The accursed were untamable creatures.

“You can’t sleep?” Philip asked half an hour after they’d gone back to bed. They’d pulled the dresser in front of the door, barricading it. It calmed them a bit. But not enough.

“No,” Satina said, and Philip could tell she’d been waiting for him to ask.

Silence. Darkness. Thoughts.

“Philip?”

“Yes?”

“What were you dreaming? What was the nightmare? If you feel like telling me.”

“I don’t,” he replied. “I just want to forget about it.”

“Okay,” she said.

Silence. Darkness. Thoughts.

“Philip?”

“Yes?”

“Were you dreaming… were you dreaming about me?”

“No,” he said, maybe a little too quickly. At least she sounded a little disappointed when she spoke again. “Okay.”

Philip flung off the blanket and got out of bed. He walked to the dresser and retrieved a cape, wrapped himself in the soft fabric, and pulled the hood over his head. It almost felt like putting on a mask, and he felt a little better.

“Where are you going?” Satina asked, sitting up.

“I’m going to Lucifer’s study. I want to have a peek in the Globe of Evil. To see what it says about the theft of the die.” He lit all the candles the candelabra could still hold. It was crooked from Satina striking the mare with it.

“But Mortimer said it wouldn’t work. That the globe doesn’t work in the other underworlds.”

“Maybe he’s wrong. It’s worth trying either way,” he said and pushed aside the dresser that stood in front of the door. “Besides, I can’t sleep. You coming?”

“Do I want to sneak into Lucifer’s study in the middle of the night?” She jumped out of bed. “You bet!”

The castle was dark. The only movement was the devil girl and the human boy sneaking soundlessly out of their room, and the two shadows that followed them just as soundlessly. They descended the spiral staircase and went down the long corridor before reaching the right door. Philip opened it, and they entered.

Darkness yielded to the candle flames, retreating behind the books on the shelves, under the electric chair, and in the unlit fireplace. Philip shivered when he saw the decapitated heads suspended in fluid inside glass cylinders. Their wide-open eyes stared directly at the two uninvited guests.

In the middle of the room, on a tall ivory pedestal, was the Globe of Evil, black as a demon’s eye. A dark glow flickered in the depths of the globe, making it look as though it was alive.

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