Chapter 51: Other Matters
>>Aelin
I was sitting on the bed, the cosmic book open in my lap as I worked my way through its dense script. Draegon had given me an old demonic dictionary, and though I wasn’t fluent in the language, it made translating these passages easier.
I ran my finger along a line of text, sounding out the words softly. The book spoke of creatures of darkness.
’When the world corrupted it was always because there were two types of darknesses.’
"There are those born from the darkness," the book read, "and those who crave it."
’And those who crave it bring it forth.’
The latter seemed far more ominous. The text described them as creatures whose hunger for darkness drove them to unparalleled violence and chaos. Their minds were corrupted, their actions unpredictable.
"And there is a different spell to defeat them," I murmured, my curiosity piqued.
Flipping the page, I found an intricate spell, one that seemed more complex than any I had seen before. Its structure was daunting, but there was something oddly familiar about it, as though I’d instinctively know how to wield it if the time came.
I was just about to start deciphering its incantations when a soft knock interrupted me. I glanced toward the door, reluctant to leave my reading, but then called out, "Come in."
The door creaked open, and a maid stepped in, her hands clasped in front of her. She was young, with a neatly pressed uniform and a nervous look on her face. I could see the droopy brown dog ears and her round eyes were adorable. She had short brown hair, reaching up to her shoulders and she was about my height.