Page 115 of The Spark that Ignites
She squinted. Faint markings etched the stone and some sort of indent sat in the middle. It had the strangest outline of three interlocking circles like hercavae.
“Vesper.” She grabbed his cloak and hauled him back. “Look! Can you read it?”
His hand speared his hair, dust spilling down the side of his face. “I—no. I can’t read Sellidic.” Brushing away the remaining dirt as if it would spontaneously award him the ability to understand this strange language, he added, “I think that one word is time, but I’m not sure. My father had this globe, and ithad a word like that carved into it, but I don’t remember.” He tugged on his hair with a frustrated groan.
Emmery’s heart stilled as the pocket watch ticked anxiously between her breasts. Her hand rose, thumb instinctively running over the text. The man from Malheim’s voice echoed through her mind. She whispered, “Time is the key to all locks.”
Vesper’s brow scrunched as he turned to her. “What?”
“The inscription on my watch.” Emmery yanked the chain over her head. “It reads: Time is the key to all locks.” Flicking open the two pieces, she unfurled it to match the keyhole. Like they were made for one another. How had she never seen it? The shape—it was acavae.
She held her breath as it slid into place with a satisfying click and the clock face illuminated. The rumble of scraping stone shook the room, the floor trembling, and she gripped Vesper’s arm. They both choked on raining dust as the wall retracted into the ceiling. Winding stairs, leading gods only knew where, forged the new path breathing an ancient, dreaded wind.
A slow, mocking tick remained after the world stilled again. Vesper squinted at the watch face, the glow slivering as the seconds raced. Counting down. And time drained with each moment they hesitated. An hour. A single hour and then—
Oh gods, would the crypt close? Her stomach twisted and the urge to vomit surfaced.
Vesper slung off his pack and plunked it at the door. “Leave it here. Those stairs are incredibly narrow. It’ll be impossible to keep our balance with extra weight.” Emmery’s bag joined his as he fished a battered piece of parchment from his pocket and pointed to a circular amulet, filled with a thick black liquid and a stone skull. It seemed insignificant except as he tilted the paper, the skull gained and lost flesh. “This is what we’re looking for.”
A withered voice howled inside her to turn around. That this amulet and whatever waited in this crypt was unholy.
“There’s something off about this,” she said low.
“Come on,” he urged. “We’re so close, Emmery.Soclose.” Though his eyes were weary, he smiled. Vesper held out his hand as he had countless times. “Do you trust me?”
This time, Emmery took it. “I guess you’ve finally worn me down.” Their eyes met before they descended into the crypt, and Vesper squeezed her hand.
She silently punctuated:always.
Chapter Forty
Emmery’s fingers numbed from Vesper’s firm grip, but she didn’t mind.
Extinguishing her flame in favour of bracing the wall, she begged herself not to peer into the descending darkness. Each time she did a wave of nausea clawed up her throat and it was her turn to hold tighter. The dampness of the crypt infested their bones as the steps and obnoxious ticking endlessly droned on.
If they didn’t reach the bottom soon, she would lose her damn mind.
Her feet barely fit the steps and Vesper ambled sideways, his heavy boots scuffing in the suffocating stairwell. He lost his footing as one crumbled and spat a colourful curse as he caught himself. “These stairs are bloody ridiculous. Were they made for children?” He glanced down at Emmery’s boots. “Or you, I suppose.”
She thwacked him on the shoulder. “Mind your mouth.”
He answered with a rumbling chuckle and no hint of remorse.
Winded and on edge from the relentless ticking, she breathed a sigh of relief as the stairs ended, and her feet met solid ground. But it was short lived as they peered into the dismally dark hallway. Emmery cupped her flame, easing the relentless gnaw in her gut.
Vesper ruffled her hair, taking the lead. “I guess it pays to be a living torch.”
She snorted, smoothing the strands. “How much time do you think we have?” Her legs trembled from the countless stairs. Extending her flame to the wall sconces, they licked to life in a brilliant gold. She sent a silent thank you to Briar.
“No clue.” The gold reflected in Vesper’s moonlit eyes. “And I don’t know about you but getting trapped down here would be the second worst thing to happen.”
Emmery frowned as her heart pounded with each tick. “What’s the first?”
“Not getting that bloody amulet.”
“I think your priorities are a bit skewed, Ves.”
His attention darted behind them. “Let’s hurry the fuck up and get out of this godsforsaken pit. It’s not just giving me the creeps, but inspiring future nightmares.”
