“Ah!”

Lane stood in place watching Erin jump and turn. However, when she turned, he saw the Book attached to her gloved right hand and nibbling without pause.

“No!” She cried, shaking her hand up and down with energy. But it soon became clear the Book would not let go, so Erin closed her eyes and started sobbing. She blanched and extended her arm as much as she could trying to put as much distance as possible between her and the Book.

“This, are you okay, Lady Erin?”

“You!” she said without opening her eyes, “you did this to me! This must be a trap!” And she sobbed, “No wonder,” *Sob* “No wonder you were there today!”

“There? There where, if I may ask?”

“Humph,” *Sob* “As if you don’t know.” And she turned away, albeit not very effectively since she still had her eyes closed and she ended up turning just half the way.

“You mean the Broken Wagon,” He stated, “What is so special about that store?”

“You, it was really you!” And she opened one eye to peek at him, “You really don’t know?” *Sniff* “Then I won’t tell you! Humph” *Sniff* She finished making sure to correct her turning before closing her eye again.

“Very well,” Lane said, “Be it as you like. But then, hehe. Then I won’t help you remove that Book.”

“I don’t need your help! Humph.”

So he just stood there, watching her shake her arm, tire, rest, and start over again. How long it was? He thought, I think it should be about…

“Hu?” Erin said, and he saw her freezing in the spot, “T-t-this, what is t-this book doing?”

‘Slurp’

“Ah, no, you… Stop! No!”

‘Sluuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp’

“Ah!” and there, she put true enthusiasm in her shaking. The Book, however, didn’t seem to notice and continued sucking blood with contentment.

‘Slurp, slurp, slurp…’

“H-help me!” She cried

“Will you tell me what that place is?”

“No!”

“Then have fun,” and he sat on the bed making himself comfortable.

“Y-you scoundrel!” she said running to the door, but when she was about to open it, a chuckle from Lane stopped her in place.

“Hehe, if I were you,” He said, “I wouldn’t run away. That Book is something special, you know? Without me, no one in the castle can help you.”

So she turned, her free hand still grabbing the doorknob, and glared at Lane.

“You lie!” She said, “The City Lord will definitely help me!”

“Will he? Good luck then” and he laid down on the bed with a yawn, “but before you go away, there is something you may want to know…” And he stopped.

She bit her lip, waited, looked at him, and when he refused to talk she gritted her teeth and asked.

“What? What do I need to know?”

“It doesn’t only drink blood.” Lane said pointing at the Book, “After it drinks its fill, the Book is going to put something back inside. He he… If you let it go that far… Who knows?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“It’s an ancient artifact after all, and I got it from the most devious old man I know. Not even I know what will happen if you let the Book do as it wants… Perhaps, it would turn you into a husk?”

*Gasp*

“What a pity,” he continued, “If you only cooperated.”

“I- if I tell you about the shop… Y-you will help me?”

“Of course,” he said standing up, “What do you say? It’s a fair deal; the Book doesn’t bite people on its own, so you must have been snooping around.”

“I, I won’t tell you anything about my master!” She said turning away.

“I don’t need that; I only need to know about the Wagon.”

She turned a little, opened one eye, and peeked at him.

“Only about the Wagon?”

“Yes,” he said “But, you may want to hurry… It seems about full.” And he pointed at the Book.

Erin looked at it, and as he said, the Book was not slurping anymore. For a moment, she just stared blankly at the Book, as if deciding what to do next. The moment didn’t last long though, because when Lane realized she was trembling, and her face blanched so much that she took the color of the pages in the Book.

“Ah!” Erin exclaimed, running towards Lane “Help me, help me! Take it off!”

“All right,” Lane said taking the candle from the table, “Just hold still okay? It will be fine, I promise.”

Then, he walked to Erin and grabbed her trapped hand by the wrist before putting the flame on the Book.

“You better let go, Book, I don’t have much more patience today.”

The Book squirmed, but after a couple of seconds, it opened and fell to the floor.

*Thud*

“It worked!” Erin said, taking her glove off and checking her hand. At a glance, Lane saw that unlike the rest of her flawless skin, her hand was marred with scars that reached to her elbow in geometrical patterns that resembled runic carvings. I could swear she didn’t have that in the morning, Lane thought with a frown.

On her hand, besides the old scars, a set of tiny red dots was all the evidence left from the Book’s shenanigans. However, those disappeared so fast he could see it before Erin realized he was watching over her shoulder.

“It closed!” Erin said, and then startled, turned, and saw Lane watching her hand, “Ah!” She said putting back her glove, “Y-you! What did you see?”

“N-nothing, I saw nothing. Is your hand okay? Did the Book hurt you?” Lane asked.

She squinted and looked at his eyes, but he just tilted his head and stared back.

“I’m fine,” Erin said raising her head, “Seeing as you fulfilled your part of the deal, I shall grant you one question. Humph.”

“Uh? One question? Hehe, could it be that you want another round with the Book?” Lane said picking the Book from the floor. Erin looked at it and shuddered.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Erin said as she turned her head. Lane, however, had other plans and started walking towards her with the Book open wide. “W-wait! This, two, I sh-shall grant you three questions!” She said pulling backward and falling on the bed.

Lane looked at her scrambling on the bed and stood silent for a moment.

“Hmmm,” he said tapping the floor with his foot, “You said you’d tell me about the Wagon, and I don’t take kindly on broken promises.”

“J-just about the Wagon.” She said and bit her lip.

“And about what I need to understand anything else you tell me about it.”

“I won’t tell you about my master!”

“Not about your master, I don’t need to know about him, nor will I ask. Is that okay?”

Erin eyed him, pushed herself a little bit further away, and nodded.

“B-but keep t-that away from me. A-and you will tell me what you were doing there first!”

He looked at her, licked his lips, and nodded.

“All right, I have nothing to hide about that. But you better answer my questions.” And he walked to sit beside Erin after dropping the Book, closed, on the table.

“All right,” Lane said, “Ask away, the sooner we get done with this the faster you will answer my questions.”

“Humph!” She said crossing her arms, “Then tell me, why were you there today?”

“I was looking for a tanner, I needed one that could get a pelt ready in a part of the usual time and an acquaintance recommended the place.” He said with a shrug.

“An acquaintance? Who?” She asked raising an eyebrow.

“A guard from the castle,” he said, “his name is Rolf. And this is the last time I follow his advice. The bastard, I had to search the whole market to find that hole!”

“Humph,” she snorted, “You have no idea of what that place is! Tan a hide? For what? If you are going to lie at least pick a name that doesn’t sound that stupid for your friend! What is he supposed to be? A dog?”

“Lie? What do you mean lie? Do I even need to lie to you?” He asked standing up, “Listen here you pocket imp! None of what I said was a lie, I went there for a hide, and the scumbag in the shop threw me out with that stupid Book over there!” He said pointing at the table.

“I-Imp? You!”

“Besides!” Lane cut, “I was about to read what that thing is. I even convinced it and the Book was about to show me something when you…” But he stopped, watching Erin blanch and stare wide-eyed behind him. “What?”

“T-The, the B-Book!”

And from his back came a dull *Thud*

“Oh, not again the trice cursed Book!” He turned, and the Book was open, pages flipping wildly on their own until they stopped in the middle.

Lane jumped at the Book and grabbed its’ covers but when he tried to close it, he found out that he could not even move the Book.

“What are you sitting there for? Come help me!”

“Ah!” Erin said standing and reaching for the Book.

However, at that moment, the Book started shining, and glowing light came from its’ pages. Lane and Erin could only stare wide-eyed as a single, huge word came floating from the Book.

‘SHOW’

And the world flashed white.