I cut my eyes toward the book. “What is your price?”
“Nothing you would be able to give me,”the serpent hisses.“What I want is freedom. I grow so tired of being in here alone.”
“I understand, but you do such an amazing job at guarding these books,” I say, creating distance between us again. “And I don’t want to interrupt you any longer.”
“Oh, little one, you’ve provided me with such entertainment today. I’ll think of our encounter for centuries to come, but I'm also growing tired of your pestering. I believe our conversation is coming to an end.”Eldursyth opens his wide mouth, revealing thousands of teeth.
“We aren’t the only ones that the Gods may have abandoned, Eldursyth.” I open my palms, letting a bit of light dance on my hands.
The serpent angles its large head.
“You’ve been trapped in this library for centuries, guarding books day in and day out. A creation of the God of Darkness, Raddnoke. The Gods may have abandoned us, but they abandoned you, too.”
“I will wait for him to return for me.”
“And if he doesn’t come?”
“He’s already here.”
Panic surges through me, and I step backward one final time.
I extend my palms forward, allowing a blast of light to fill the dark space with a blinding glow. Eldursyth hisses in pain, turning its enormous frame into a bookshelf. The large shelf tips sideways, barely staying upright from the force of the beast. Ilunge forward, wrapping my hands around the spine of the book, and watch in terror as the creature tries to see from its glowing orange eyes.
The creature’s chest begins to turn the same shade of orange as its eyes, and that’s when I notice it. A spark of fire ignites in its chest, and it’s willing to burn down the library completely rather than let a book leave. I bound around the corner toward the front of the library. Nothing will slow me down in this moment. I propel my body forward, running faster than I ever have.
Hissing screams fill the air.“You foolish thing. You will never leave this library. Fire will rain down upon you. You will die. I will kill you.”
I see the final corner standing between me and the center of the library. Just a few feet beyond that lies the exit. I can do this. I’m going to make it.
“I will burn the world around you.”
I round the corner, and the library opens back up into the vast space. The book stays tucked under my arm, and despite the pain in my arm, I push myself into a dead sprint.
I look toward the exit, the shimmering doorway to my safety, and dread fills my already-pounding heart.
No. No, this can’t be happening,I think to myself.
Silas, Larkin, and Maines stand at the entrance and exit from the library. Their eyes land on me and widen at my state.
Silas steps forward while Larkin steps toward Maines.
“Run!” I scream at them. “Get out.”
“I see you have company, Briar. This must be my lucky day,”the serpent’s raspy voice shouts from behind me. “Let me introduce myself.”
They remain frozen, and that’s when I realize Eldursyth is behind me, ready to breathe fire upon me and the entire Forgotten Archives. I race forward, unwilling to drop the book to move faster across the vast space.
I can’t stop. I have to keep moving.
Silas screams, “Don’t look. Keep your eyes forward.”
The heat of Eldursyth’s breath begins to warm the air around us, but I keep moving, my feet slapping the smooth floor. I look at Silas and know my face reflects the same terror that he feels.
“Eyes on me,” he shouts.
Silas watches in horror as my feet can’t move fast enough, and I fight the thoughts that swirl in my head that we’ve done this before. He pushes Larkin and Maines closer to the exit and starts sprinting in my direction—the opposite way I wish he would go.
Larkin lunges for him, but Maines slaps her hand around his forearm, stopping him from entering further. Silas charges toward me and the serpent.
