Only one?
“Only you can use the magic?” Finley clarified.
“Dagger… book… mine…” it hissed.
But if they were not yours… Finley let that thought hang there.
“Your life… mine,” it chuckled again. “Mine.”
“Yes, but… but if you let me live longer… I can help you,” Finley lied.
“Only one,” the creature repeated.
“Yes, you are the master. I am but the mere student,” Finley continued to lie almost gleefully.
Only so long as you have the dagger and the book, he thought internally.
Unworthy. But you, Finley… The professor chuckled darkly.
The creature fished the book out of its rotten trousers. Finley swallowed shallowly as he saw that bits of dried flesh from the creature’s waist adhered to the black cover. The creature slowly opened the yellowed pages, lowering the book so that he could see what was written upon them. Finley’s heart tumbled into his feet. The book wasn’t in Katyr. Not that he expected it to be exactly. But he thought it might be in an elvish dialect that he might be able to decipher. But the letters were not the elvish alphabet let alone any human one. They might as well have been squiggles on the page.
I thought I was lying when I told it I wouldn’t be able to read it, but I can’t! Why did I think I could? It doesn’t make sense that it would be in elvish if I’m right that this magic isn’t the kind that elves can use so…
The creature wasn’t done yet. It took the dagger and pricked its thumb. It then started digging inside the thumb. Searching for something. It grunted. Dug more. It let out a low whine of fear. Finley almost felt bad for it until it started looking at him again. With that hungry, speculative look. But why?
Then it occurred to him.
“Blood?” Finley asked, realizing what it was hoping to find.
The creature wheezed softly.
“You need blood?” Finley articulated more fully.
A nod.
“Give,” it demanded and thrust out a hand towards him.
“Give what?”
“Blood,” it hissed.
“How–how much?” Finley asked.
It growled. “Little. Drop. Drop. Little. Now. Give.”
The creature adjusted the dagger in its hand and looked at Finley’s hands. Finley slowly lifted his right one up and extended it towards the creature.. The creature grabbed it. Finley nearly jumped back, but the thing was too strong. And then it pricked his thumb with the dagger. The cut was tiny, but still it should have hurt. But it didn’t. There was a bloom of cold followed by fiery heat. Then the creature was squeezing his thumb for all it was worth.
“Hey! Do you have enough? You have enough!” Finley cried.
It grunted. Then it took its own now blood-smeared fingers and drew a line of blood between its eyes. The blue-white glow inside the eye sockets grew and grew and grew. It looked down at the book and started to mouth words.
That’s how it is translating it. The dagger and the blood… together they make magic.
Finley looked down at his still bleeding finger. With a moment’s hesitation, he drew the same line between his own eyes. He looked down at the book’s open pages. At first, they appeared as incomprehensible as before, but then his vision blurred. He blinked rapidly. The words suddenly were quite clear and in English! There were even diagrams! Step by step instructions on how to control dead creatures!
That’s how you get past this trap! You stop the skeletons by controlling them. It’s so simple. And it only needs a few drops of blood. But this creature cut itself to pieces!
Unworthy, the professor murmured.
