The Immortal of Degoskirke by Michael Green

Author:Michael Green [Green, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781950593064
Publisher: Michael Green
Published: 2019-11-06T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Friend of my Friend

Letty, Staza, and Quill pushed against the massive stone door. It swung open with less resistance than they expected, particularly considering its size.

“Be careful,” Letty said, making her fist glow as they stepped inside.

“This is a stupid plan,” Blue whispered. “Coming into a ryle palace.”

“The place is abandoned. There was no one outside and no one guarding the door. Did you just want to sit in a shrub and stare at the doors?” Quill asked.

“Of course not, but we should at least wear disguises, or sneak around the back, or something! This is too brash!”

“I don’t want to waste the time, and how would we disguise ourselves as ryle anyway?” Letty trailed off as they entered the main hall.

A long dark pool of water ran down the center of the yawning, resonant hall. The roughhewn walls and low benches made the place feel like it was coming down on them.

“I don’t like it,” Staza said. “Living here would make me go insane.”

“Ryle did this, and that was probably their intention,” Quill added.

“It’s to keep the servants subliminally awestruck,” Blue replied.

“But why the indoor pool?” Letty asked. “Do they have parties?”

No one answered.

They walked down the lengthy hall, leaning into empty and ransacked rooms.

“They left in a hurry,” Staza whispered, standing in an empty dining hall.

“But where did they go?” Letty asked. “If we can figure that out, we know where they’ve taken Andy.”

Blue nodded. “I’d like to agree, but it looks like Ziesqe was on the run. Why would he abandon a place like this?”

Letty was about to speak but heard a tapping noise coming from the main hall.

They leaned out the door and saw a pair of flapping skulls and a few dozen slithers.

“What are those?” Letty whispered.

The flapping skulls looked like small ryle heads with large bat wings for ears.

The two heads snapped and chattered at each other before glancing at the door Letty was hiding behind.

“They see me.”

A moment later, the flapping heads and their attendant slithers charged off down a side passage.

“What were those things?” Staza asked.

Everyone looked at Blue, who simply shrugged. “I’ve heard stories of ryle spawn,” he said, unsure.

They listened for a moment longer, before moving on. They went from room to room, eying the dark water as ripples on the surface hinted at something beneath.

“More flapping heads?” Quill asked.

No one ventured a guess, but they avoided the water nonetheless.

They took stairs down, and then up, and then down again, but they always found new rooms to search.

“This place is massive and like a maze,” Letty complained, kicking over another empty footlocker.

Minutes later, they found themselves staring at a dead end. Preparing to turn back and find another way, Staza gasped and grabbed Letty, pulling her away from a narrow pool. A tentacle floated from the water, holding a small leather pouch.

“Our money!” Letty cried, producing the blade and swiping for the tentacle.

She split the tentacle from its stump and, in so doing, cut the pouch, spilling the coins into the water.

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