The Compass Key (Book 5) (16 page)

“I’m so glad I created you,” she mutters, practically melting into the soft chair. Her head slides to the side until she jolts herself awake. “I can’t relax. I need to find something about the
Compass Key. This is only something that I can do.”

Nyx hops to her feet, her bare toes wiggling on the warm floor. She moves to the center of the room and cracks her knuckles. Clapping her hands sends a wave of energy through the library. Within seconds, she is surrounded by hazy, human-like distortions. Nyx points in front of her to get the invisible librarians to line up.

“I need information on the Compass Key,” Nyx loudly announces. She sees a distortion start to move and snaps her fingers. “I’m not finished. What I want is every book that mentions a compass and a key within five pages of each other.”

A solitary distortion rises into the air and grabs a single book off a high shelf. The book is very old, which gives Nyx some hope that it has the information she seeks. Taking the book from the librarian, she
whispers a spell to turn to the page that mentions a compass. She frowns when she sees that the book is talking about a large compass found in an abandoned temple to the Holy One of the dwarves. Nyx half-heartedly searches for the mention of a key and finds it under a bright picture of a hand putting a key into a door lock.

“What book is this?” Nyx asks, turning the book to look at the cover. Her eyes go wide with fury, which she quickly pushes
away to avoid another shot of foam. “This is a children’s book about a pirate rescuing a princess from a locked tower. I guess this is my own fault. You can only follow my orders, so I have to think of good ones. Let’s try this. What I want is every book with a picture that is lacking a caption. These pictures have no clear description, so one of them could be the Compass Key. Please bring them here for me to look through.”

The distortions silently race into the stacks while Nyx stands with a proud smile on her face. The fades when she sees every book rise off the shelves and
get piled around her. Out of habit, she creates a fire shield and is immediately covered in foam. By the time she frees herself from the mound, there are towers of books running up to the ceiling. Nyx realizes that she is trapped, so she flops to the foam-covered ground.

“Put the books back!”
the caster yells, her voice echoing throughout the library. She waits for the sound of the librarians returning the books to the shelves, but all she hears is silence. “Great, I broke the library. Thought I would’ve learned my lesson when I did this at the age of five. I just had to be an idiot.” Nyx takes a deep breath and arches her back. “Anybody out there! I’m trapped and need help!”

“You’re definitely trapped,” says an amused voice from the other side of the wall of books. Nyx can hear Delvin experimentally tap at the book
s with his fist. “These won’t budge at all. What happened?”

“I made a req
uest of the spectral librarians, which caused them gather all the books,” Nyx explains, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her knees. “They piled them around me and went to sleep because there are no books on the shelf. Cyril set it up to teach apprentices a lesson about thinking clearly and being precise. The books have been enchanted to make an immovable cage around the idiot. They’re like steel walls and not even magic can harm them.”

She can hear the warrior sit down on the other side of the wall, his armor clinking against the ground.
“If Cyril set this up then I can’t do anything, Nyx. Would this be a bad time to try and talk?”

The half-elf
gently bangs her forehead against her knees and she notices Delvin is rhythmically tapping his feet against the floor. Minutes of silence pass before she feels her magic return. Getting to her feet, Nyx prepares to turn herself into mist and pass through gaps in the books. Her body gradually dissipates until it is nothing more than an amorphous mass of fog. She moves along the books in search of a crack, but a magical barrier prevents her from passing through any of them. Panicking, the fog beats against the books, turning a brighter red with every passing second. Nyx loses her temper and the fog erupts in flames, which are engulfed by another torrent of foam. Her body materializes in mid-air and the force of the foam knocks her butt-first into the stone floor.

“Ask your questions, Delvin,” Nyx mutters from the inch-high puddle that covers the floor. “I’m at your mercy, so be nice.”

“I didn’t really have a question. I thought we could talk about the spark we feel for each other. Well, at least the fact that I obviously like you and you haven’t tried to kill me like everyone expects.”

“I put you through a wall once
. You recovered from that pretty easily. Not even a scratch on you.”

“My body heals b
ruises and scratches rather quickly.”

Nyx can feel him smiling through the books and she blushes like a teenage girl. She pinches the side of her neck to break her thoughts. Slowly, she gets to her feet and
paces through the foam.

“I don’t understand you,” she declares, throwing her hands up in the air. “Why do you insist on coming onto me? We barely know each other.”

“Relationships have to start somewhere, Nyx, and we’re going to get to know each other over time. More importantly, I didn’t want to pretend that I wasn’t attracted to you,” Delvin claims, feeling safe behind the wall of books. “It’s strange hearing you talk like this. I know we haven’t been around each other for long, but you’re usually acting with confidence and a strong will. Yet it always crumbles around me.”

Nyx bites her lower lip and rubs at her amethyst necklace. “I don’t have an explanation, Delvin. Nobody has ever talked to me like you do. It’s a new experience and I don’t know how to handle it. Besides, I don’t know how I feel about you because I’ve more important things on my mind. For example, I need to get out of here and figure out where that damn
Compass Key is hiding.”

“I think you’re beautiful.”

“That’s your opinion.”

“You’re very smart and brave.”

“That goes without saying.”

“I’ve never met a woman like you.”

“Neither have I.”

Delvin chuckles and gets to his feet, his chainmail emitting faint
jingles. Nyx listens carefully to the sounds of moving metal until a curious thud makes her jump. The sound of booted feet pounding on the floor lasts for a few seconds. Nyx pounds on the books again to see if the barrier has weakened.

“Are you stripping out there?” she asks after her fists are bruised.

“Just removing my chainmail and gauntlets. I guess we’re at an impasse until I can cook that meal for you. I know I keep promising and delaying, but I swear on my honor that I will make you dinner before we leave Gaia.”

“I promise to not make it easy,” Nyx declares with a mischievous smile. She physically wipes the smile off her face and clears her throat. “Now, can you get Cyril and ask him to get me out of here?”

“No need for that,” the dark-clothed master of Rainbow Tower announces as he appears behind Delvin. “There is a visitor in the lower level lounge, Mr. Cunningham. He wishes to discuss the situation with the champions. The others are already there, but they refuse to start until you arrive. Luke claimed that you’re the strategist of the group.”

“I guess I am,” Delvin says as he gathers his armor. “I will leave Nyx in your hands, Master Cyril.”

Delvin calmly makes his way to the door while putting his armor back on. Nyx cringes when the door slams shut and the only sound is the tapping of Cyril’s foot. The melted foam ripples with every tap, causing some of it to slosh up Nyx’s leg. A small bed with a single pillow and a winter blanket slowly rises from the muck. Once the bed is fully formed, the remaining foam sinks into the floor.

“You’ll see me in the morning?” Nyx timidly asks. She waves her hand over her clothes, transforming them into crimson pajamas.

“Sleep well, my troublesome apprentice.”

*****

Luke glances at the opening doors as Delvin enters the lounge. The half-elf chuckles as his friend pauses at the sight of the nobleman standing before the roaring fireplace. Delvin bows to the bald man, who stares at him with steel blue eyes. The man’s gray cape dangles dangerous close to the fire until he approaches the quiet warrior. With a tight grip, the man takes Delvin’s forearm and shakes his arm.

“It is a pleasure to see you again, young man,” Daniel Skyblade says with a warm smile. He puts an arm around
Delvin’s shoulders and leads him to a chair. “I haven’t seen you since you were one of Selenia’s pet projects. Imagine my surprise when I heard that a man like you is going on adventures with this troublemaker.”

“Delvin can cause some trouble,” Luke states in an attempt to save face.

“I’d be surprised if he can spell the word,” the nobleman contends, slapping Delvin on the shoulder. He notices that the young warrior is sitting silently and staring at the floor. “Is there a problem, Mr. Cunningham?”

“Selenia wanted me to tell you that she has settled her problem and would like some time to speak with the Grand Counselors about an agreement,” Delvin reports, sitting up straight like a well-trained soldier. He is about to stand up when a strong hand pushes him down. He looks up to see Timoran behind his chair.

“I think you should answer Lord Skyblade’s question,” the barbarian whispers.

“Sorry, but
Lord Skyblade and I have a slight history. We were sparring at the academy and . . . I made a mistake. I should have blocked instead of stepping forward into his strike. The hilt of my weapon hit him in the head and he was unconscious for twenty-four hours. I never got a chance to apologize for the accident.”

Daniel laughs until tears roll down his face. He picks up a glass of wine from the mantle and takes a sip that he nearly spits back up. By the time he is ready to speak again, the seasoned warrior is red in the face. He places the glass on a table and sits in a large, black leather chair across from Delvin.

“I barely remember that fight, but I guess that is to be expected,” Daniel admits as he reaches over to gently slap the young man on the leg. “Accidents happen and you don’t always have a chance to apologize. If anything, I should apologize for being sloppy while fighting a student. Knowing me, I’m sure I was playing with you and you gave me exactly what I deserved.”

“Thank you for your understanding,”
the young warrior says, exhaling a long breath. He can see Luke and Timoran grinning in amusement. “Like you two never accidentally knocked out an instructor.”

“My teachers were very tough and tended to knock me out,” Timoran claims. He takes a seat on a stool between Luke and Delvin, his massive frame making the
polished wood creak. “I did knock out a high-ranking warrior when I joined the hunting parties. He gave me a free strike and I took it with a metal mug in my hand. The man fell like a wingless dragon.”

Delvin looks at Luke, who shrugs before muttering, “Don’t look at me. I spent a lot of time in the infirmary during my semester.”

“Well, I believe that handles the opening friendliness and jokes. It’s time we get down to serious business,” Daniel announces, clapping and rubbing his hands together. “Luke has told me your theory that they are looking for this Compass Key. The idea has merit since they are spending more time in the sewers than on the surface. Do you know where this item is?”

“Nyx is researching that now with mini
mal success,” Delvin reports. An ownerless platter moves across the room to offer him a glass of wine, which he gladly accepts. “Unfortunately, that is in her area of expertise and the rest of us have to find other ways to help. Can you tell me what defenses you are implementing? Maybe we can find a place to help you.”

“Wouldn’t that reveal our presence to Trinity?” Luke asks before
Lord Skyblade can speak.

Delvin frowns and drinks half of his wine before he curses under his breath. “That does put us in a bad position. I don’t want to lose the element of surprise. I could feasibly move around the city without getting attention. Only the Lich, who
has been destroyed, and Stephen know about me. The others wouldn’t recognize me by sight even if they were given a description, so I can operate rather easily.”

“I am in the same position as Delvin,” Timoran points out.

“Great, so I’m the only one here who has to stay behind,” Luke complains. He drapes a leg over the arm of his chair, but the furniture shakes him back into a normal sitting position. “I hate animated furniture some times.”

“I believe you three are missing a small point,” Daniel interjects
before steepling his fingers and leaning on his knees. “If your enemies are searching for an item that you need, then it is safer to assume they are prepared for you. Your element of surprise stems from them not knowing when you will arrive, but they are expecting you. It’s probably best to take actions that will hinder them without a full confrontation. At least until Lady Nyx uncovers the Compass Key’s location.”

“Fizzle can search,” the drite chimes in as he appears on the floor with an apple in his mouth. “Fizzle not be seen.”

“I’d rather you help Nyx in her research,” Delvin admits with a smile. He nudges Fizzle with his foot when the drite pouts. “It isn’t that I don’t think you’re a great scout. It’s that you have more magical knowledge than all of us combined. She will need your help more than we do.”