To his surprise and consternation, Nobos had lagged up to Iris, and caught her in the most inappropriate moment, while she was peeing. Failing to see the comical side of the situation, Ian greeted Nobos with a deadly glare the moment he stepped through the portal. Alas, he had to put his conflicting feelings aside, for the sake of the purpose he was pursuing, to regain his soul, and once again walk among the living. With that thought in mind, Ian stood up from his throne, descending with an already stretched hand, to receive the solution to his problem - the heavily cryptic Book of Life. Hoping that the blasted book would live up to its name, and provide him with the much-needed answers.
Nobos cleared his throat " Just get on with it" he mumbled, as he pulled out the vile out of his cloak, expecting punishment for the earlier mishap.
Ian snatched the vial out of his hand, and sighed " I have better things to do" he shook the vial in front of him " I'll deal with you later" Ian paused and walked to the table " If I still feel rattled" Ian added and opened the book.
" Oh" Nobos sighed, followed him to the table, and plopped himself on the nearest chair. For someone who didn't need to eat or sleep, he sat down a lot, Ian found that rather peculiar.
Inhaling, hopeful, and a little sceptical Ian took the cap off the vial and poured a drop of blood on the first page. The blood vanished into the page, and just like before the unreadable words began to alter before his eyes, glowing, and some shifted on the page, from one line to another. Bastos had gone through much trouble to protect whatever was written in it, so perhaps there was a good likelihood that it would also possess the key to his salvation. Faith was his only ally, it was all he had.
When the transformation was complete, Ian began perusing the very same page with one objective in mind, to uncover the secret to his reprieve.
To his dismay, the page was nothing more than a fanciful story about how it all began, the demise of A' khina. His bitterness grew even further, and he was grateful that for once that Nobos was keeping his mouth shut. Moving on to the next page, Ian repeated the same cycle, a drop of blood, and waiting in the dead silence that surrounded them. The wait was unnerving and frankly dreadful, but there was no other way around it.
Wanting to speed things up, as his patience was running thin, Ian placed another drop on the other page, and then the next, and he continued until he reached the last page until there was no more blood left. Ian grunted, frustrated as he shook the vial trying to wring the last drop out of the vial. Exasperated with the painfully slow pace, Ian slipped his finger inside the vial and smudged the page with what was stuck on his finger, hoping that it would do the trick. For some reason, it didn't. Or maybe it needs more than just a smidge, definitely, it needed more.
Ian sighed, exasperated and slumped in his chair, for now, it would have to do. In the meantime, he could take his time, and read through the thick book. Curiosity was getting the best of him, mostly because Bastos had gone through a tremendous amount of trouble to conceal its content.
Nobos cleared his throat " What does it say?" he asked while he leafed the book, with only one thought in mind. The key to ending his unwanted stay in Hollow.
" Nothing that interests me" Ian replied as he thumbed line after line, engrossed with what he was reading.
" Oh" Nobos sighed " What if, what are you looking for, isn't there?" Nobos posed a very pertinent question and rightfully so. He'd never thought that far, he was focused on revealing the secrets that the book held.
Ian slumped in his chair " I don't know, Nobos" he rubbed his chin, troubled " I know what you're thinking, and the answer is, no" Ian calmly stated with a pointed look.
" I didn't say anything " Nobos went on the defensive and raised his hands. It seemed that he had been able finally to instil some fear into him. Good.
" If the book is nothing more than a collection of useless facts about Ellora, and their kind, then I will have to find another way. But you are not to touch her," Ian reiterated his initial demand pointing his finger at Nobos. Hoping that it would be more than enough to keep Nobos and the other Lords in their place, tightly tucked under his foot. He liked it that way.
" I heard it, the first half dozen times. Hold your horses" Nobos chuckled rubbing his forehead, a little exasperated. It seemed Nobos was on edge just as much as he was.
" Good" Ian pushed himself off the chair and reprised perusing the contents of the book.
For the first half of the book, it was nothing that piqued his interest, mostly because it only contained reviving spells meant for those that we're yet to cross into perpetuity. Healing, conjuring up creatures of the darkness, malevolent spirits, binding spells, bloody ones. Ian sighed when he realised what the witch was using and how she had succeeded in getting to Ettrick, she used that book. Ian slammed his fist on the table, the very same book that he was looking for redemption. It was the very same book that sparked all of the destruction that ravaged two realms, and because of it, he lost Iris.
Ian closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his restless mind. Not all is lost, not yet. He wasn't ready to give up just yet.