Chapter 5: The Frozen Flame?

The thought of us being betrayed by the Mirror of Whispers stuck with me as we made our way back up the stairs and to the second floor. I half-expected Lynx to jump out of the shadows and attack us on the spot. The trip was uneventful, however, and we made it to the library safely.

Once inside we started our search for the large purple book that the mirror said would be near the rear of the library. "Damn, mirror," muttered Kid. "There's dozens of purple books back here."

Kid was right. Still, the mirror had narrowed down our search by quite a bit. I started out by grabbing the largest purple volume I could see and opening it. It was so big I had to support its weight on one of my arms. Inside page after page was scribbled with arcane symbols that danced and squirmed. Looking at them made my eyes hurt. I knew they were magic. In fact I if hadn't known at least a little magic myself I wouldn't have been able to read them at all, even still I wasn't near the level where I could make sense out of any of it.

The book began emitting a low mournful moan. It wasn't very loud, but in the dead silence it sure seemed like it. I slammed the book shut at once, cutting the noise off. Magil had been watching the whole time, and came over to inspect it. He took it from my hands and looked at the time worn book at various angles. "This is an ancient tome from a far away land. It was once known as the Book of the Dead. I never expected to find it here, in Lord Lynx's possession."

Part of me wanted to ask him to see if he could read it, but another part of me just wanted him to put the thing away. 'Book of the Dead' was an ill sounding omen if there ever was one. Before I had a chance to say anything he put the volume back himself. "Perhaps it's best to leave such ancient knowledge alone."

I smiled slightly. "Sometimes you sound like an old hermit, you know that Magil?" He probably wouldn't have responded even if he had had time, but footsteps cut any interaction we might have had short. In the silence of the night the foot falls sounded like thunder, giving us ample warning to hide.

Magil simply vanished into the shadows. At that moment I wished that I had spent more time on my magic studies. That trick would have been crazy useful. Instead, Kid and I jumped underneath the desk. The space was small, so we had to cling onto each other tightly as we rolled into a ball. I thought of the whispered warning I had heard, and wondered if we really had been betrayed.

The door slowly opened, and the low light of a candlestick flooded into the room. I nervously tried to hold my breath. Fearing that any noise I made would alert them to our presence. Then I noticed how close Kid's lips were to my own. My heart began racing from something other than fear. So full, and pink, and glossy. I had to force my eyes shut to keep myself from doing anything stupid.

Whoever was at the door didn't seem to have any intention on coming through it. He grunted and said, "Thought I heard something. No reason for anybody to be in here though, since the Master is away. Still, with those Porre southerners on the move, it's better safe than sorry." Someone else grunted in response. Slowly the door closed, and the footsteps echoed away.

The whole time I listened to them depart, I couldn't help but noticing how good she smelled. "Hey, how long are you gonna stick to me like that?" Kid asked, pushing my jaw up from her face. At first my only reaction was to marvel at how her breath felt against the nape of my neck.

Then I suddenly realized the situation and was shocked with embarrassment. "Huh, uh, I mean, sorry!" I stammered my apology then sat straight up as fast as I could, bashing my head against the desk. I crawled out rubbing my head. "Dammit, that stings."

"Ya goof, you arrite?" Kid asked, looking at me with concern in her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I hoped that she'd mistake my embarrassment for the whole head banging thing and not realize what it was really from, but more importantly was the fact that she didn't seem too angry with me. I still felt like crap about the mirror though.

"So, Porre is up to something," Magil muttered, emerging from the shadows in front of us. I found it odd that Porre would be interested with anything in the outlands. It's the largest country on the southern continent and has boasted for quite some time to being the most powerful and prosperous country in the world. I couldn't think of any reason they'd be after the Frozen Flame, yeah it's a valuable jewel, but just how valuable could it possibly be? If I had known then what I do now, I might have been quite a bit more nervous.

But what struck me as the most important part of their conversation was that Lynx was out. That would explain his absence in his room, and would mean that he wasn't waiting for us somewhere in the mansion. I knew it might all be a ruse, but it was nice to have a little hope for a break.

"Okay, time to find that key!" Kid said as she leaped back to work. Magil and I followed suit. Within ten minutes a large brass key fell from a book Kid was flipping through. With the key in hand we raced out of the library, eager to see what was in the locked treasure vault.

Kid acted as if the incident with the mirror had never even happened as she stood in front of the large vault doors. She could barely contain her excitement as she shoved the key into its hole and gave a twist. Multi-colored lights radiated from the keyhole as the magical enchantment was disabled. Then as if they were propelled by an invisible force the two doors slowly swung open.

Kid gasped as she walked into the vault, and I couldn't blame her, not one bit. There was more treasure in there than I had ever seen in my life. Probably more than I ever will see again. Mounds of golden coins were stacked higher than our heads. Rare golden statues encrusted with all types of precious stones were thrown into the mix.

Who could blame Kid for drooling at the sight? I couldn't that's for sure. Magil was another story. "Remember our goal is the Flame. Do not waste time on frivolities," he said flatly.

Kid gave him an irritated look. "Jeez, I told ya. I know."

"Kid, Magil. Look at that," I said, pointing to the far end of the room. There on a silver pedestal behind the rest of the treasure sat a palm sized jewel. From within the jewel a pale crimson light was radiating.

"The Frozen Flame," Kid said in awe. "Finally."