The Lost Library of Cormanthy - Mel Odom [133]
Scoontiphp leaned forward and touched a fingertip to the crystal ball. "Now, employ your spell," he invited.
Krystarn focused on Lloth, willing that the dark goddess grant her success. Then she chanted the spell. In moments, the dimensional door spread, becoming more and more solid.
Then it locked into place with a hissing snap. Krystarn maintained it almost effortlessly. She peered through the opening, thinking the baelnorn might have tried to trick her in some manner into jumping somewhere she wasn't supposed to be.
Instead, she saw the library.
"Chomack," she said in a hoarse, strained voice.
"Aye, sorceress."
"Follow me." Krystarn tightened her grip on her morning star and strode through.
27
Stacks of books swarmed into Baylee's view at the other end of the dimensional door. For a moment, he couldn't do anything but turn slowly around and try to take it in. Shelves extended up into the shadows that clung to the ceiling far overhead, until they finally vanished. But he knew the books didn't end there.
Half a dozen stairs ran up in spirals twisting along the walls. From the way they were laid out, he felt certain that all of them lead to other areas, not simply higher up. He sheathed the sword, walking over to the nearest shelves. He could barely make out a title in one of the written languages known to him: The Creation of Dragons. Other books on the same shelf seemed to deal with dragons as their topic as well. So did the books above and below.
He reached for a book bound in maple, the red and white striped wood as polished and finished as any piece of furniture he'd ever seen. An ornate mist dragon, more noticeable because of the small ears and wedge-shaped head outfitted with a trailing mustache, glowed silver-blue on the book cover. Beside it was a book that looked like it had been bound in plates carved from running water. He could even hear the sound of water rushing by.
"Don't," Scoontiphp warned in a harsh voice.
Hold, Xuxa echoed.
Baylee stayed his hand with difficulty.
"If you touch any of those books," the baelnorn went on, "you'll bring Shallowsoul down on us immediately. Once you have the phylactery and have defeated him, if possible, then you can search through these books to your heart's content."
Reluctantly, Baylee took his hand back. He noticed Calebaan standing next to him, the same hungry look in his eyes that Baylee was certain was in his own.
"You're wasting time we don't have," the baelnorn called from the bottom of a flight of stairs.
Darkness filled the library, beaten back only by the lanterns the party carried. Baylee thought he spotted things crawling and twisting in the shadows. Using both hands, he secured the lantern to his chest with straps from the gnomish leather.
"How far to the phylactery?" the ranger asked. Ahead of him, Xuxa flew around the curve of the spiral staircase and disappeared.
"I don't know," Scoontiphp answered. "But we're getting closer. I can sense it."
Baylee let his free hand trail along the edge of the stairway. He glanced down, seeing the floor they'd just left disappear into the darkness again. Reaching into one of his pockets, he took out a piece of chalk that glowed yellow in the darkness. He sketched a quick arrow pointing back the way they'd come. The library was huge by any account, and he didn't want to get lost in case they had to hurry back.
"Will the dimensional door be there when we get back?" the ranger asked.
"It should be," the baelnorn answered.
Long minutes later, they reached the top of the stairs. Baylee's heart beat rapidly, and he breathed hard from the exertion. The drow blood had dried on him, making the skin across his face pull tight.
Two stone columns occupied space to either side of the stairwell. Scoontiphp seemed to scent the air like a hound, though Baylee