Page 62 of House of Ydril

“That’s of no consequence whatsoever,” the coals reply, the sound carrying a note of impatience. “What have you come to ask of me?”

“I need information on a certain stone,” I say, realizing that the rest of the conversation will sound even more stupid.

“Whichstone?”

“That’s the thing,” I start, not without hesitation. “I don’t know.”

“Is this some kind of jest?” the coals ask in a voice that doesn’t try to conceal the irritation.

“No, of course not,” I rush to say. “I can’t tell youwhichstone, but there are other things I can… divulge,” I choose to say, feeling a strange need to sound more formal.

“Divulgethem then,” is the response I get.

I hesitate a bit. “I can tell you it’s a powerful stone…” As I talk, I straighten up and I start using a more determined tone of voice. “A stone someone is planning on stealing during the Third Round of the Grimm Academy Trials. And I can also tell you it happened once before, in 2005, and almost ended in a bloodbath.”

There’s a moment of silence as the coals in the hearth burn a little brighter.

I hear a quiet chuckle. “Not almost,” Dame Gothel finally says.

I frown, sensing my two companions shifting on their feet. I open my mouth to speak, but the witch or fae or whatever she is cuts in. “If you want me to tell you more, you need to pay first.”

I draw in a breath, my heart throbbing from the excitement. “Tell me your price,” I say.

“You,” Dame Gothel replies, the coals letting out a little sigh as she does. “Stay here, bond with my home and I’ll help you prevent the bloodshed.”

“So there will be a bloodshed,” I say at the same time as Moswen takes a step closer and asks, her voice shaking a little, “Why would you wanther?”

The coals flicker and the light in them dies down so quickly, it makes me look around with bated breath. And sure enough, the ashes get swept into the air and before I even realize what’s happening, she’s towering over the three of us, a huge woman seemed to made up of clay and twigs and moss, shooting Moswen an angry look.

“You dare to inquire about my reasons?” her voice thunders, making me all but pee my fucking pants. “A price is a price. If the girl doesn’t wish to pay, she may take her leave.”

“I want to pay,” I blurt out, my mind buzzing as it rushes to grasp everything that’s going on. With the corner of my eye, I see that Moswen is throwing me a nervous look. I breathe a sigh of relief when I notice Dame Gothel returning to the form in which we found her. “I’d just like to know exactly what I’m committing to. What does bonding with your home mean and what would you expect me to do here?”

“I don’t expect you to do anything,” she says. “Your blood is powerful and you will be one with my home, making it easier for me to protect it from the hordes that keep coming, trying to steal my powers.”

“I see,” I reply, hesitant about negotiating with such a powerful being.

“Take her blood then,” Moswen cuts in, her voice rushed and shaky.

I almost snap at her when I see that she’s made the coal burn brighter in fury once again. But I decide it’s worth a shot.

“Dame Gothel,” I say, forcing myself to straighten and push my chest out, “I understand that a being such as yourself could be unjust with no consequence whatsoever. Yet you make sure that the deals you strike with those lesser of you are always fair.”

I pay attention to the way the coals are reacting to my words. And they seem to be listening. “However, in this particular case, considering I’m only asking for a single piece of information, the name of the stone, I think giving you my blood would be a fair trade.”

There’s a moment of silence, during which I hear my heart pounding so loudly, I’m afraid everyone can hear it.

But then there’s that low chuckle again and I hear Dame Gothel say, “Fair enough. Give me your blood and I will tell you the name of the stone. And nothing else,” she warns.

At that, I hear a rattle coming from my right. I look in its direction and see a knife writhing against the wooden surface of the table.

Holy hell, what am I doing, I think to myself as I approach the table and take the knife in my hand. I force myself not to hesitate. The quicker I am, the less painful it will be and the sooner this will all be over, I tell myself.

So I slice the skin of my palm, wincing at the pain that shoots through my hand. It’s only when dark-red liquid comes rushing out do I realize I’ve no idea what to do with it.

I turn back to the hearth, a drop of my blood falling on the beaten earth under my feet. As soon as it makes contact, my mind goes into overdrive. I feel being pulled in by another consciousness, my mind exploding with images of births and deaths of entire civilizations.

My heart throbbing, I snap out of it to see the coals glimmer with satisfaction.

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