Tiv's Tale
“As I walk through these shadows in this valley of old death,” Tivery said as she held the flickering lantern before her, “I shall fear not these evils.”
A laugh sounded beyond the range of her trembling light. “Liar,” it chuckled.
She moved slowly forward, old bones crunching beneath her worn boots. A sudden noise from beside her made her jump, and she stumbled, tripping over a skull. Wincing, she tested her twisted ankle and found that she could still use it, if she didn't mind the sharp pains. The lantern began to sputter, its oil running low. She held the light behind her head and squinted forward, trying to judge how far the faint outline of the exit was. She tried putting more weight on her ankle and decided there was no other options. She would have to run for the door and hope to make it through before her body or the light gave up.
Tiv woke in a panic, clawing frantically at the blankets she was convinced were trying to smother her. She felt them pulled away and sat up, breathing heavily.
“Hey, calm down, it's alright!”
Tiv blinked and waited for her mind to catch up. “Malec,” she said with a sigh of relief, “What happened?”
“Well,” he began, running a hand through his short brown hair, “You made it out, obviously, but judging from the look of your armour, it was pretty close.” He held up her leather jerkin, showing her the deep claw marks in the back. Tiv reached out and ran her fingers along them and shivered. She had been mere threads away from having her spine shorn in two. “I hope this book was worth it.”
Tiv took it, opening it to the front page. It was a spell book. A very old, very valuable spell book. “Oh, it was . . .”