Chapter 21 Chapter Twenty

Ivan and Pikel quickly set the rope so that Danica's body could be lowered gently.The two usually tough dwarves carried on with tears in their eyes, Ivan reverently taking off his antler helmet, and Pikel doing the same with his saucepan. When the ropes were ready, Cadderly could barely bring himself to move Danica to get into position.His anger couldn't resist the wave of grief, the sense that nothing could be undone as he gently wrapped the elf rope around Danica's stiff arms.He wanted to enter the spirit world again to find her, and he was about to do that, but Xuelin beside him seemed to read his mind and put her hand on his shoulder.

As the young priest looked at the bruised elf, her entire body shaking violently trying to keep her balance, he knew that he could not expend energy to re-enter the spirit world to find Danica, and the price might be too high.He looked at Xuelin, then nodded, and she backed away, seemingly reassured. It was decided that Belag should go down first, and Danica should be supported underneath to land.This alchemist seemed to be more determined than anyone had ever seen. He picked up the rope with both hands and jumped onto the windowsill.He stopped, however, and then motioned Ivan to come closer.

"You have to do this," the dwarf said, approaching him. "We need you..." Ivan stopped in the middle of speaking, and the alchemist was stretching his arms when he understood Belag's intentions. "Take it," Bellag said, pushing the shock oil bottle towards Ivan. "You'll need every weapon." As soon as the dwarf took the bottle, Belag slipped across the ledge without hesitation and dropped swiftly to the ground.Danica's body went next, and then Shaylin, the wounded elf who needed almost as much assistance as Danica. Cadderly watched mournfully from the window as the men slipped away towards the back of the library and towards the mausoleum.Belag carried Danica's body on one shoulder, and although the weight was already the limit for the alchemist, he still had to slow down so that the injured Xuelin could keep up.

When Cadderly looked back from the window and turned toward the room, he found both Ivan and Pikel with their helmets tucked under their arms, their heads bowed, their cheeks wet with tears.Ivan looked up first, grief turning to rage. "I have to fix the axe," the dwarf said through clenched teeth. Cadderly looked at the weapon suspiciously—it seemed all right to him. "Got to put some silver on the damn thing!" Ivan yelled. "We don't have time for that," Cadderly replied. "I have a forge near the kitchen," Ivan retorted, and Cadderly nodded, because he'd seen that device a lot before, and it was also used as a furnace.

Cadderly looked out the window.The morning light has completely illuminated the earth, forming long shadows to the west. "We have only one way to go," Cadderly explained. "It has to be done before night falls. If Rufo finds out we're in the library, he'll know when he finds Bajior destroyed, and he'll go after us with all his might. I'd rather face that now Only vampires, though only my staff and Pikel's club—” "Like a rolling tree!" said the dwarf with determination, plopping the saucepan on top of his green hair. Cadderly nodded, even managed a small smile. "We're going to take out Rufo today!" he said again.

"But you'll have to kill him quickly," Ivan protested, raising his ax again. "Kill him to death. Be quick, or he'll turn into that green smoke again and slip away from us. I have a forge..." Ivan paused in the middle of his speech, revealing a scheming expression to Pikel. expression. "A forge," he said again, slyly. "Huh?" Pikel replied as expected. "Make the fire hot," Ivan explained. "To sear Rufo, you're going to need a very hot fire," Cadderly interjected, thinking he understood what the dwarf was thinking. "A magical fire that no forge can match."

"Got it, and if we hurt him, it'll turn into a cloud again," Ivan said, addressing Pikel. Pikel considered the message, trying to connect the forge to Rufo.His face lit up suddenly, and his smile spread wide from ear to ear, looking back at his brother's hopeful stare. "Hee hee hee," said the two dwarves in unison. Cadderly didn't understand, and wasn't sure he really wanted to.The two stone-shouldered brothers seemed so confident in their secret plan that the young priest let them go.He led them along the corridor on the second floor, and the surrounding library was safe and quiet.They tore the coverings from every window they passed, but even so, the low, broad stone building was a gloomy place.

Cadderly took out his wand again.Whenever he noticed a particularly gloomy area, he would point his wand at it and say the command "Domin Illu," and with a flash of light the area would light up like an open field in the midday sun. . "If we don't find Rufo today," explained the young priest, "let it come out to find its darkness stolen!" Ivan and Pikel exchanged expressions of understanding.Rufo would probably counter the young priest's luminous spell—after all, Rufo had been a priest, and all priests knew this kind of magic.Cadderly hadn't lit the library for any real reason, though, but to provoke the vampire.The young priest was calling the shots, trying to give Rufo a head-to-head as best he could.Neither Evan nor Pikel looked forward to facing that mighty vampire again, but when they followed their companions through the library, Cadderly's anger was merciless, and Bagiou's defeat was still vivid in his mind. , the brothers came to a conclusion: they would rather be enemies with Rufo than Cadderly.

The three arrived on the first floor without encountering any resistance.Not half a zombie, or a vampire, or anything else, undead or not, and no monster rose up against them.No response came to Cadderly's blatant challenge.If he had stopped to think about it, Cadderly would have understood that it was a good thing, a good omen, that Rufo might not have realized they had entered its territory.But the young priest was thinking only of Danica, his lost love, and he wanted to do something, some of Rufo's associates, or Rufo himself in particular, to stand in his way.He wanted to attack with all his strength against the darkness that had robbed him of his love.

They reached the hallway leading to the foyer.Cadderly headed that way at once, to the main door and the south wing of the building behind, where the fire had started.It was there that the main chapel of the Moezhi Library was located, and that was the place Rufo had to desecrate with all his might.Perhaps the young priest could find shelter there, a base from which he and the dwarves could attack in different directions.Maybe in that area, Cadderly could find clues that would lead him to the man who had taken Danica from him. His steps were bold and quick, but Ivan and Pikel grabbed his arms, and no amount of determination from the young priest could keep him going under that strong grip.

"We have to go to the kitchen," Ivan explained. "You don't have time to silver an axe," Cadderly snapped back. "Forget about my axe," Ivan agreed. "My brother and I still have to go to the kitchen." Cadderly frowned, not pleased that anything would slow down the hunt.However, he knew that he couldn't change Yiwen's decision, so he nodded. "Hurry up," he told them. "I'll meet you in the foyer, or in the charred chapel nearby." Ivan and Pikel leaned behind Cadderly, looking at each other worriedly.None of them wanted to break up the already small group, but Evan was determined to go to his forge, and he knew Cadderly would not be stopped. "Only the hall," said the dwarf sternly. "Don't pry around, you end up in places you shouldn't be!" Cadderly nodded, wrenching himself free from the dwarf's grip, returning to his brisk pace. "Only the hall!" Ivan called after him, but Cadderly didn't answer. "Let's move fast!" Ivan said to his brother, both of them watching the young priest's back. "He's not going to stop in the hall." "Ooh," Pikel agreed, and the two of them bounded toward the kitchen and forge. Cadderly wasn't afraid at all.Rage burned him, and the only other emotion gnawing at its edges, wearing down the walls of rage, was grief.He didn't care that Ivan and Pikel were separated from him, or that he was alone.He wanted Zirkan Rufo and all his dark minions to rise up and stand before him, so that he could deal with them once and for all, so that he could smash their undead corpses into dust and be blown away by a gust of wind. He reached the hall without hindrance, having no intention of stopping there to await his companion.He kept pushing into the charred chapel, the room where the fire had apparently started, looking for clues.He tore off the rug that blocked his way, and kicked open the scorched door. Smoke hung heavily over the place, as did the stench of burnt flesh, which had nowhere to go in the stagnant dead air of the library.From the stench alone, Cadderly knew at once that at least one person had died here.The way of death is terrible.Thick soot covered the walls, part of the ceiling had caved in, and of the many beautiful tapestries that lined the walls, only one was partially untouched, though it was too blackened to be recognized.Cadderly stared intently at the charred cloth for a long time, trying to remember what had been there once, trying to remember the library once bathed in Denir's light. He was so absorbed in concentration that he didn't see the scorched black corpse getting up from behind him, approaching step by step. He heard a crackle from dry skin, felt a touch on his shoulder, and bounced into the air, turning so hard that he lost his balance and almost fell to the ground.His eyes were wide open, and anger gave way to horror as he saw a shriveled, blackened mass of human remains, a small form of cracked skin, blackened bones, and pale teeth—the most terrifying of all the horrors. part! Cadderly fumbled frantically for his staff and wand, finally holding his wand up in front of his eyes.He learned that the monster was not a vampire, and probably not as powerful as a vampire at all.He remembered his ring, which had been drained of magic, and realized that the same could happen to the wand.Suddenly, Cadderly felt that he had been foolishly wasting his wand energy on the upper floor agitatedly chasing shadows away.He tucked his wand under his arm and grabbed his hat instead.He could alternately reach for the staff and frisbee with his free hand, not sure which would be most effective, not sure if only magic weapons could wound the animate monster's body, whatever it might be. Finally, Cadderly calmed down, and raised his hat and holy emblem even more forcefully. "I am the messenger of God Denir!" he said aloud, with complete confidence. "Come and purify the dwelling place of my god. There is no place for you here!" The charred monster moved on, reaching toward Cadderly. "Disappear!" Cadderly ordered. The monster didn't hesitate, and its speed didn't slow down at all.Cadderly struck with his staff up, reaching behind his other hand, dropping his hat, and clutching his wand.He growled in chagrin at his failure to drive the monster away, wondering if the library was now too far away from the god Denir for him to call for protection in his name. He got a very different answer, one that Cadderly hadn't expected. "Cadderly," the charred corpse said gruffly, and although the voice was barely audible, the air flow being squeezed from lungs that were no longer sucking air, Cadderly recognized the way his name was pronounced. . Dorigen! "Cadderly," the dead magician said again, and the young priest was too startled to resist her coming closer, brushing his charred hand across his face. The burnt stench was almost unbearable, but he was tenaciously nailed in place.Instinct told him to strike with the stick, but he resolutely controlled himself and lowered the weapon to his side.If Dorigen was still a thinking thing, which she clearly was, then she must not have surrendered to Rufo, and could not have joined Cadderly in opposition. "I knew you would come," said the dead Dorigen. "Now you must fight Zirkan Rufo and destroy it. I fought it here." "You destroyed yourself with a ball of fire," Cadderly reasoned. "That's the only way I can get Danica to escape," Dorigen replied, and Cadderly didn't doubt the claim. The look that flitted across the young priest's face at the mention of Danica told Dorigen much. "Danica failed to escape," she whispered. "Lie down, Dorigen," the young priest replied softly, as gently as he could. "You are dead. You have earned your rightful rest." Dorigen's tormented features twisted into a sickly smile, her face creaking. "Rufo doesn't allow me this rest," she explained. "It kept me here as a gift to you, no doubt about that." "Do you know where it is?" Dorigen shrugged, the movement causing mottled skin to fall from her shrunken shoulders. Cadderly stared intensely at the disgusting monster Dorigen had transformed into.Yet, even with her outward appearance, she wasn't disgusting at all, he realized, not judging from her heart.Dorigen had made her choice, and in Cadderly's mind she had atoned for herself.He could have kept her here, questioned her carefully about Zirkan Rufo, and perhaps even gleaned some useful information.But he knew it wasn't fair, not to Dorigen, who had earned her rightful rest. The young priest bent to retrieve his hat, then raised the holy symbol and placed it on the corpse's forehead.Dorigen neither flinched from it nor ached from it.As far as Cadderly was concerned, it seemed as if the luminous holy symbol brought her peace, and that, confirmed his hope that Dorigen had been redeemed.Cadderly raised his voice in prayer.Dorigen relaxed. She would have closed her eyes, but she had no eyelids.She watched the young priest, the man who had told her what mercy was, offering her a chance to atone for her sins.She stared at the man who was about to free her from Zirkan Rufo's torment. "I love you," Dorigen said softly, so that the prayers would not be interrupted. "I had hoped to be at the wedding, your wedding to Danica, as it was supposed to be." Cadderly choked up, but forced himself to finish the prayer.Light seemed to emanate from his holy symbol, depicting the corpse, tugging at Dorigen's soul. That's how things should have gone!Cadderly couldn't help thinking.And Dorigen would have actually stood behind Danica at the wedding, perhaps with Sheryn, while Ivan and Pikel, and Abereth, the Elven King of Simista, stood behind Cade After standing up. That's how it should be!And Alfred Shere and Pertelope should not have died, but should have been there with Cadderly, to witness his wedding. Cadderly channeled the anger in his heart.He didn't want poor Dorigen to see him like this at the end. "Farewell," he whispered to the corpse. "Go to your well-deserved rest." Dorigen nodded, barely noticeable, and the charred figure collapsed at Cadderly's feet. Cadderly thought for a moment, glad that Dorigen was out of Rufo's grasp.After a while, he screamed, screaming at the loudest volume he'd ever used, a primal roar ripping from his heart with the pain of knowing that fact. "That's how it should be!" he yelled. "Damn you, Zirkan Rufo! Damn you, Druzil, and your Chaos curse!" The young priest started running towards the exit of the chapel, almost tripping in his haste. "Damn you too, Aballister," he whispered, cursing his father, the man who had abandoned him, betrayed all the goodness in life, all that gave life joy and meaning. Ivan and Pikel slammed into the chapel, weapons raised.When they realized that Cadderly was not in danger, they staggered to a stop, tripping over each other. "What the hell are you screaming so loudly?" Ivan demanded. "Dorigen," Cadderly explained, looking at the charred corpse. "Oh." Pikel moaned. Cadderly continued to push toward the exit, but then he noticed the large box-like object strapped to Ivan's back, and stopped, his face full of curiosity. Ivan noticed the look and smiled broadly and happily. "Don't worry!" the dwarf assured Cadderly. "We can defeat it this time!" Despite all the pain, all the despair, all the memories of Danica, and thinking about how things might have been, Cadderly couldn't keep a small, disbelieving chuckle from his lips. Pikel jumped over and hooked his arms around his brother's shoulders, and they both nodded confidently. That was impossible, Cadderly understood, but after all, these were Stoneshoulders brothers.It was impossible, but Cadderly couldn't deny it, maybe it would work. "My brother and I were thinking," Ivan began. "Those vampires don't like sunlight very much, and there's no sunlight in many places here, with or without windows." Cadderly understood exactly what he was going to say - it startled him to think that he could understand Ivan's and Pikel's logic so easily! —and this thought led him to the same conclusions that his dwarf brother had reached. "The cellar," Cadderly and Ivan said in unison. "Hee hee hee," added a hopeful Pikel. Cadderly led the charge across the kitchen to the wooden door.The door was closed and locked, the latch jammed from the inside, which confirmed their suspicions. Ivan began to heave his heavy axe, but Cadderly got ahead of him, taking the paddles with him in a short, tight spin, and hurling them toward the door with all his might.The solid diamond smashed through the door panel and slammed into the metal latch on the other side of the door with such force that it bent and fell off. The door creaked open, revealing a dark staircase. Cadderly didn't hesitate. "I'm coming for you, Rufo!" he yelled, taking the first step down. "What are you warning it for?" Ivan grumbled, but Cadderly didn't care. "That doesn't matter," he said, and walked down.