Chapter 3:
"So what're you two doing here anyway?" asked Erika flopping down on the bed. The cottage was small and appeared to have only one room and a bathroom. There was a wooden table in the center with five matching chairs surrounding it. There was a tall wooden wardrobe, a book case over flowing with books, some cabinets, and a stove.
"We don't know," said Fakir sitting down in one of the chairs, "Uzura led us here, she said something about you having something to help us."
"Help you with what? Erika asked sitting up.
Fakir explained the current situation to her and, to his surprise she seemed to understand him.
"Ok then," she said casually, as if this happens every day, "I do have something that can help you. Follow me." She went over to a place on the floor that wasn't covered by anything and kicked it. There was a snap and then the floor dropped out from under her foot and revealed a rope latter. She then proceeded to jump down ignoring the latter. Fakir went down using the latter, knowing his cousin was much more durable then he was. He was surprise at how short a drop it was when he reached the bottom. He noticed the latter had strange marks on the step s and was examining one when he heard a snap and felt something heavy land on him. Fakir felt the wind get knocked out of him on impact.
"That was a softer landing then I thought," Ahiru had expected a painful landing on rocks.
"Maybe because you landed on Fakir!" called Erika, her laughs echoing in the cave. She light a lamp and filled the small cave with a warm yellow light that revealed a door.
"Get off me!" Fakir said struggling into a sitting position.
"Huh… I just noticed she's in just a shirt, please tell me you have under wear on," Erika said shaking the door that was obviously stuck.
Both Ahiru and Fakir's faces went red and she scrambled off him.
"I'll take that as a 'no'" she said throwing her weight against the door, opening it, "don't worry you can borrow some of my clothes when we're done with this." She picked up the lantern and walked inside. Ahiru followed closely behind pulling down on the front and back of the shirt. Fakir got up and dusted himself off before following after them.
"That's-!" Fakir stuttered surprised by what he saw.
"Drosselmeyer's old writing machine- thingy" Erika said with confidence dusting it off. "I brought it down from the tower and fixed it up. Don't worry I put a charm on it so that only I can use it. And this," she pulled off a black sheet from a table revealing an hourglass, much like the one Drosselmeyer had. "Is a story counter." She shook it and a fifth of the sand from the bottom half rose up into the top half and began to steadily drip down. "Oh you don't have much time…"
"What happens if that runs out?" fakir asked examining it.
Erika ignored him and picked up a dagger. The dagger had a black blade with a golden hilt encrusted with star shaped rubies. "Take this and cut your hand with it, both of you." She handed the knife to fakir and proceeded to the end of the writing machine where the paper goes. She moved the stack of papers revealing a dark stain.
"Why do we have to cut our hands?" Ahiru asked taking the bloody dagger from Fakir with a trembling hand.
Erika ignored her and took fakir hand with he cut and out it on the dark stain. "You willingly give the rights to your story to me with no intention of taking them back?" she asked fakir.
"Why?" he asked wincing at the pain in his hand.
"So that I can write the story for you. Please Fakir we don't have time to waste I'll explain it late."
"Ok. I give the rights to my story, Ahiru, to my cousin Erika Sabine" fakir had a dumfounded look on his face.
"How did you know to say that?" Ahiru asked, the dagger in her hand, which had yet to draw her blood.
"I didn't" he turned angrily to Erika, "what did you do?"
She ignored him and took the dagger and sliced it across her hand. She placed the bloody hand on the dark stain, which has still wet with fakir blood and muttered two words, "I accept."