Page 155 of Dhampira

The gauntlets dragged at my shoulders, which ached like I’d carried a water yoke from Derryton to Sausberg. I shoved away the pain, too, all of my energy focused on reaching Rasimir’s study. The corridors were empty, and I could only assume the knights had rushed to the battle.

If the werewolves ever stopped trying to kill me, I’d have to thank them.

A wave of despair washed over me. The antechamber outside Rasimir’s study loomed ahead.

Don’t tell him your name.

My scalp prickled, and my stomach clenched around a knot of fear. The antechamber’s doorway was unguarded, the interior pitch-black.

Slowing, I clenched my jaw against another wave of despair. A hollow sound filled my head. It was the absence of noise. The thump of my heart in a long, empty tunnel. The cloying awareness that someone stood just behind me when I thought I was alone. The monster that clawed at my ankles when I let a foot slip over the edge of my bed.

Fear. It was raw, undiluted fear.

“It won’t work,” I said, stepping into the octagon-shaped antechamber. “I’m not scared of you. I’ve already seen enough terrifying shit in this castle to last several lifetimes.”

Despair swirled around me, bringing a tirade of terrible thoughts. Lorcan was probably already dead. Vander was gone. The mournful parade continued, the waves of sorrow growing thicker. Mama was dead. Vander was dead. Lorcan was dead. Everyone I loved was dead. All dead.

And I was alone in the dark.

Maybe I’d never find a way to remove the gauntlets. I’d be stuck forever. Rasimir was going to find me and slap the metal over my mouth again. I’d waste away, and soon I’d be dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

My gasp echoed around the antechamber. Spinning in place, I raised my voice. “Barothrok, I know you’re in here! I’ll make you a deal.”

The despair pulled back. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it seemed to bend, as if it listened.

“Let me pass, and I’ll free you,” I said. “I’m going to kill Rasimir, and I’ll make sure you leave this place. No more squeezing into rooms that are too small for you. No more waiting around for someone to feed you. You’ll see your home again. Isn’t that what you want? To go home?”

The despair waited, as if it weighed my words. I held my breath. If Barothrok ate me—

No. I wasn’t going to think about that.

The despair rolled back. A narrow strip of light ran from the corridor to one of the black doors.

“Thanks,” I said, running forward. “I won’t forget it.”

Bursting through the door, I hurried across Rasimir’s study, only belatedly realizing I probably should have eased my way in. But no one jumped from the shadows or sprinted from the upper story as I rushed to the bookshelf in the back of the room.

Rows of books filled the shelves, the spines gleaming with gold lettering. Some were in the Common Tongue. Others were written in symbols and foreign languages I had no hope of reading. But it didn’t matter, because I had no clue which book opened the bookcase.

My root word was mirror. Aside from that, I possessed no other magic. Also, my hands were covered in metal mittens. How the fuck was I supposed to get downstairs?

Just as I considered swinging one of my gauntlets at the books, a swell of light made me spin.

Hobflies raced toward me. Sucking in a breath, I stumbled against the bookcases as hundreds of tiny, shimmering lights clustered into a bright ball and hovered in front of a book.

“I’ll free your queen,” I told the ball, relief and gratitude tightening my chest. “And I’ll free you just as soon as this is over.” The glowing orb eased back, and I pulled the book’s spine and stepped into the opening behind the bookcase.

The hobflies followed, lighting the way as I raced down the spiral staircase. Should have grabbed a weapon. Rasimir probably kept a few in his study. The next time I undertook a daring rescue, I was going to plan it out ahead of time.

The staircase ended, and I stepped into the stone corridor with its black double doors. Shoulders throbbing, I raced forward and stopped, my gaze falling to the handles. I couldn’t open the door. Throwing my shoulder against it, I pushed hard. The hobflies separated behind me, their lights casting tiny round shadows on the metal.