Page 90 of Heart of the Cursed
Chapter 36
What the hell was she thinking going after the book on her own? She knew what the Ogres would do if they caught her. They had made it abundantly clear the last time she’d been caught by them. Yet, she’d ignored everything she’d learned and walked straight into their cave without a second thought.
Yeah, that was really going to end well,she thought sarcastically.
It had taken the Ogres a matter of minutes to capture her and throw her in a cage. On the upside, she’d been able to grab the book before they grabbed her. The downside, she was now locked in a cage while they argued over what to do with her.
One of them wanted to eat her whole. Another wanted to throw her in the cooking pot. Two of them hadn’t stopped fighting over something that happened before she arrived. And while all of that was going on, the last one sat staring at her as if she’d grown a second head.
She would’ve blasted him with magic, but it wouldn’t have done a damn thing. As with Agnarr, her magic had no effect on the Ogres. The only difference between the Ogres and Agnarr, was that they didn’t have to use anything to prevent her from using magic on them. Whereas, Agnarr did.
Arun had told her about the metal handcuffs and the symbols carved into them. She hadn’t known at the time, otherwise she wouldn’t have bothered trying to blast him with her magic, or trying to figure out why it didn’t work. She would have been too busy trying to pick the lock instead.
At least she understood now why Agnarr had made sure that once the cuffs were in place, they were never taken off, even when he tied her down on his bed.
God, how she wished Arun was there with her. He would know what to do about the Ogres.
If he was here, you won’t have been caught in the first place,her mind sneered.I told you to shut the fuck up already!
With nothing better to do than argue with herself, Selene opened the book and started flipping through the pages. She didn’t bother to read every single page. Instead, she quickly scanned them for any mention of the spell.
The book had a mountain of information held within its pages. From spells to potion, incantations to astral projection. It covered a wide variety of different subjects. Selene could learn a hell of a lot from the book. If she survived long enough, that is.
She was about halfway through the book when she found what she was looking for. She almost shouted in triumph when she realised that it didn’t only mention the spell, it also contained it. Her search was finally over.
She should be happy that it was nearly over, but instead, she felt hollow and empty inside. A small part of her had hoped to return to Arun so they could search for the spell together, but now there was no need, since it was in her hands. Would she even get a chance to say goodbye to him? She hoped so.
Selene mentally shook her head. She couldn’t let herself think about Arun because if she did, she was likely to change her mind about doing the spell, which she couldn’t do. Not only because it would mean the end of the Human race, but also because she didn’t think her mind and body would let her. After all, it had been pretty insistent so far.
Turning her attention back to the book, she read the pages containing the spell several times, committing it to memory. That way, it wouldn’t matter if she was separated from the book again. She would know exactly what to do. All she had to do now was get out of the cage and away from the Ogres.
She looked up to see the one Ogre still staring at her. His head tilted to the side as he watched her intently.
“Seen her ‘fore,” he suddenly said. His deep voice garnered the attention of the other ogres. When they turned to him, he nodded at her. “She gots ‘way. Not ‘tis time. ‘Tis time we eats her.”
Great! An Ogre with a long memory!
“No ones gets ‘way from us,” another Ogre said.
“Shes did,” the first one said, nodding adamantly.
“We shoulds eats her now, before shes try ‘gain,” said another Ogre as he picked up the cage she was in.
Selene wrapped an arm around one of the bars so she didn’t go sliding around the cage. She held on tightly to the book with her other hand. Even though she had it committed to memory, she still didn’t want to lose the book.
“Yes! Sticks her in the pot,” shouted one of them.
“I don’t think so,” came a familiar voice.
The Ogres all spun around to see who the intruder was.
“Release her, now!” Arun demanded.
Her heart leapt when she spotted him standing in the entrance to the cave. Taredd and Dain stood on either side of him, and she could just about make out Natalia and Amberly outside as they peeked around the corner.
She would have jumped for joy if she hadn’t been holding on to the cage for dear life as the Ogre swung it around in the air.
“More foods,” one of the Ogres said.
