But his hands were still on the creature’s side. They were frozen where he’d clasped the dagger and book. He hadn’t let them go. He hadn’t even realized that he’d kept hold of them. These were what he’d come here for. Now this monstrous thing had them and wanted to use him to extend its already unnatural life span. Finley went to step back, to withdraw, but the creature’s free hand clamped down on his left wrist.
“Can’t leave. Need you,” the creature said thickly.
“No!” Finley wrenched at his arm, the horror of being touched by this thing overcoming his rigid control. “Let me go!”
“Can’t. Only chance to get out. Only… life,” the creature’s guttural, moist voice went on.
“What are you…” The words died in Finley’s throat as the creature started to move that beautiful, glowing, terrible dagger towards his wrist.
“Life. Life. Life,” the creature repeated.
“No!” Finley pulled with all his might, the entirety of his body. “NO!”
Despite this thing being mostly dried flesh and bones, it was surprisingly strong. It resisted Finley’s full on yanks. It shifted only slightly forward towards the edge of the ancient blood circle that had protected it from the skeletons for who knew how long. In contrast to his frantic tugs, the creature moved with slowness, but inevitability. Finley imagined that cold blade slicing through his skin, opening up his veins, spilling his blood everywhere.
That’s how it works. Blood. Life. That is what fuels this power. I’m right! But this creature is crude. It will take all of my life for something so simple as to get away from these skeletons.
Not worthy, his professor murmured sadly again. But you, Finley? You…
The blade was an inch away.
“Wait! Wait!” Finley cried.
The creature paused.
“I can help you. I want to help you. We’re both… we’ve both been without magic. We both know what it’s like to be powerless,” Finley babbled out.
He wasn’t sure where he was going with this. But he needed time. Time to think. Time to figure out this thing’s weaknesses. Time to exploit them.
“Power… is mine,” the creature growled.
That was a mistake. If it thought he wanted the book and the dagger then it would end him right away. He had to convince it that he didn’t. Or… no, it wouldn’t believe that. But it might believe that it was the master and he was the student. A willing, pathetic student. Who would worship this creature. Who believed it had the secrets that he wanted, needed, desired.
Unworthy. But you, Finley… The professor continued to whisper.
“Of course, it is! You earned it! You came here and snuck in and stole the book and dagger and… you’ve lived. So long. So long. Extended your mortal life,” Finley agreed. “It’s amazing! All you’ve accomplished. I’m so envious of you. I–I wish I could learn at your feet. Could I? Just to be near you…”
It’s pathetic. You’re trapped here. You don’t deserve that book or dagger. You aren’t going to take my life, Finley thought even as he said the exact opposite outloud.
“Need you,” the creature repeated, but there was confusion in those blue-white orbs. It liked the idea of being worshipped. Of being looked up to. Of being the master this time. Not the weak mortal. He had to keep on in that vein. It was working.
“Yes! Yes! And I need you! But what if… if this doesn’t work? My life is so… weak. I’m weak,” Finley told him. His stomach clenched as he said it. This part was true. He was weak. So damned weak. “How can you be sure I’ll be enough to get you out? You might need more lives and I–I could bring you those. But if you kill me then I can’t. You’ll still be stuck here. And no one is coming.”
He would never bring anyone to this thing even if it were possible for him to leave. Other than Vex, he wasn’t even sure if there was anyone else nearby. His friends might make it here, but he definitely would never expose them to this. He never wanted them to see this.
“The book… I know… will work,” the creature said, but there was a trace of doubt.
“It’s not the book that’s the problem. It’s… me. Humans barely live a century. Only if we’re lucky. And the last decades or so are filled with disease, pain and worse. So you see, my life is not worth much. Maybe it will only get you to the stairs,” Finley suggested. “But to the top? Surely, there are more traps up there?”
He looked up, his eyes following the winding staircase that wrapped around the outside of the circular pit. Though he was lying to the thing, this part might actually be true. He doubted that the skeletons were the only things between them and freedom. The thing was looking up there too. He could see exhaustion written in its dessicated features.
“Book… shows… way to stop them,” it said.
“Oh, show me?” Finley asked. It stared at him. Had he put too much eagerness in his voice? “If you want to! I doubt I’ll be able to read let alone understand what it says! I just want to see… please?”
The creature still stared at him suspiciously, but it released him. He thought about backing away right then. But he didn’t.
“Only one can wield,” the creature said and chuckled darkly.
