The Quill and the Vial by Bree Moore

Author:Bree Moore [Bree Moore]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Innate Ink Publishing
Published: 2023-08-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-two

Sav breathed loudly in Jayce’s ear as they pressed themselves against the wall and waited for the monk to pass the barred door at the top. She could only see ahead to a wall, where a hallway intersected in two directions.

A dark shadow passed, and fortunately, he did not look their way. Jayce’s shoulders relaxed when the sound of the monk’s footsteps trailed away from them.

Once the monk had gone on, Sav descended the steps quickly, his light steps barely making a shuffling sound on the stone.

Jayce eased her way down, gripping the wall, still worried the monk might hear them and return, but there was no sound of the monk’s steps in the corridor.

Sav grabbed an unlit torch, removing it from its sconce. He fumbled with a flint, and Jayce took the torch from him so he could strike the flint properly to create a spark. The oil-soaked rag on the torch caught, and a small flame sputtered, then lengthened.

He gestured toward the left-hand hall. “If I recall correctly, the books we want lie this way.”

They walked silently in the corridor. It forced them to turn right, then left again, until they came to a row of barred doors lining both sides of the narrow hall.

“This was once all prison cells, before the monks turned this building into a monastery,” Sav explained. “They’re not in use anymore.”

He stopped outside a much larger cell, one that looked like it had once been several smaller cells before the walls had been broken down between them.

Jayce tried the first cell door—it was locked.

Sav pulled several thin instruments out of his pocket. He struggled to juggle both them and the torch, so Jayce took the light from him, her hand brushing his clammy skin.

The torch wavered in her grip. She gripped it with both hands, angling it so the flickering flames cast light on Sav.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice, even at a whisper, seeming to carry through the basement passageways.

“Picking the locks. Something useful I learned at the university.” He grinned cheekily at her, his hands manipulating the skinny sticks of metal in the massive iron lock.

Moments later, Sav gave a grunt, and the lock clunked open into his hand. He unhooked the chain holding the door and pulled the door open slowly.

The metal hinges creaked so loudly Jayce was sure they’d wake the entire monastery. She held her breath, waiting to hear the clatter of footsteps down the stairs.

Sav entered, gesturing for her to join him.

Jayce walked into the barred room. It wasn't wide, but long, with tables and shelves lining the walls and jutting into the room. Stacks of bound and loose-leaf parchment stood in piles on some of the tables, along with rolled documents, maps, and more.

She found a sconce in the wall and slid the torch inside, then faced Sav, who gazed at the heaped documents.

“What is all of this?” Jayce asked, astounded at the volume.

“Banned books. Documents. The stuff on the tables has yet to be sorted into its proper place, I assume.

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