Chapter 340: Stone Sarcophagus

The study was impressive. Tall shelves lined the walls with neatly stacked leather-bound books. A massive oak table with a blue leather top was sitting in the center. A tall cushioned armchair rested in front of it. The floor was covered with thick rugs and a chaise sprawled in front of a now dead hearth.

Iona tightened the fur shawl around her shoulders, wondering if anyone was around. She halted in her steps to listen to any familiar sound of footsteps shuffling or even a rat, but there was nothing—just silence that stretched beyond the study, onto the world outside. Inhaling the scent of leather and old wood, she craned her neck to look at the books on the top of the shelf. She was looking for the one that she had found long back and it was very interesting—history of the fae. She didn't why she felt compelled but she was almost desperately seeking the book. It was a thick book with a brown leather bound case, which was present at the top of the bookshelf. She picked up the candle from the table and scanned the entire top shelf and there it was, stashed in between a number of other books, which were perhaps all about magic for on their spines were words she didn't recognize. 

There was no ladder which she could use to reach the book, so she picked up a small footstool kept in front of the couch and placed it before the shelf. Climbing it, she stretched her hands to reach the top shelf but unfortunately, she was still a meter short even though she was on her toes. She had never felt this short in height and wanted to use her magic to get the book out of the shelf. But surprisingly, the book didn't move. She scowled at the height and then grabbed the wood of the shelf below to push herself up. Accidently she pulled out two books and before she knew it, something creaked. Iona froze in her place, fear skittering down her spine that someone had caught her spying. 

She focused her attention on the noise but it had stopped. Slowly, she came down on her feet to scan the room to see if there was anyone out there. Still nothing. Was it a figment of her imagination? The silence of the study returned. 

She shook her head and then got down the footstool to grab a cylindrical ornate statue from the table to shove the books back into their place and the creaking noise came again. Her eyes flared wide open. Was the movement associated with the books? She pulled the books out slightly and something creaked again. It was as if a heavy door with old hinges was trying to groan in protest. Convinced that there was a secret door somewhere in the study, Iona pulled the books further out and with a loud, agonizing creak a door opened somewhere. 

She should have been surprised, but palaces had many secret chambers and it wasn't anything new, but instead of surprise, she was excited. She stepped down from the footstool and placed it back. She started walking in front of the shelves to see which one had shifted from its place because even though she heard the door creaking open, it didn't show. 

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Aed Ruad awakened at the sound of the bell that the sentries rang every hour. His room was fiercely cold and he was surprised that a window was left open. Cold breeze flapped the curtains. The fire in the hearth was dimming as the last log splintered and fell with embers rising to the ceiling of the hearth. He realized that it was a blizzard on the outside. Flurry of snow was pouring inside and agitated as hell, he got up to close the window. However, his attention was caught by a flicker of light in the south wing. 

His brows furrowed and he leaned over the ledge of the window when he heard something hissing on the walls near the window. He looked down as to who dared to get out in the cold when suddenly a head appeared right in front of him. Aed Ruad jumped back as he stifled a shriek. 

Diumbe. 

"Fuck!" he said as he watched the head with pointy fangs and red eyes, black skin stretched over his gaunt face. Muttering more curses, he closed the window immediately. Diumbe were notorious for eating flesh and blood. He found himself sweating despite the cold of the room. He hated the fact that the dark witch was in the palace. She must be practicing dark magic and the Diumbe must have escaped from there. With a resolution that he would ask his mother to throw her out of the kingdom, he went back to his bed, but sleep was nowhere near. The sight of Diumbe was more than enough to keep him awake for the rest of the night and in his room. 

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Iona heard the bell that the sentry had rung. It must be past midnight. She came to the far end of the room and that's where she found that a shelf had moved a little. It was projecting out an inch more than the rest. With care, she pulled the shelf out and a musty, thick, smell wafted past her. It wasn't the musty smell that shocked her, it was the smell of fog mixed with some chemical that sent her bile rushing up and she suppressed an urge to retch. Darkness was all she could see in front of her. 

Iona grabbed the candle from the table and went back to the door. She lifted the candle and the faint light lit only a few feet inside, illuminating a stairwell carved out of red stones. She stepped down the stairs. Wondering if anyone would ever come to look inside this desolate, abandoned study, she debated whether she should close the door behind her or not. In the end she just left it open. She started descending the stairs and as she went down, she came across spider webs that hung from its low ceiling. The smell of the foul air only became denser. 

The long winding stairwell ended into a dark narrow path. The smell was so strong that she had to press the shawl to her nose and mouth. Her candle began flickering and she knew that it would be soon that the light would go off. She had to depend on her werewolf senses. However, at the end of the narrow path, she found a sconce, which she immediately lit with her candle. It burned all the dirt settled on it and roared to life. 

The path had ended into a domed hall. Her eyes went to the arched ceiling from which hung more cobwebs. Obviously, no one cared for what was in the room because it was absolutely left untouched for years. Right in the center of the room was a raised platform over which was a stone sarcophagus. And it was covered in dense fog. It was as if the fog was being generated from inside it and spread all around it. And the smell! "Ugh!" she muttered. "What the hell is it?" 

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