all with a thin gray shadow.
Everything was silent as I stood there, looking at the other doors. It was nearly five in the morning in Dresden and soon the apprentices would be stirring from their tiny cots and uncomfortable pallets to prepare the morning meal for their mentors. I tried to move silently, but I was sure they had already heard my footsteps across the stone floor. The smart ones learned not to sleep too deeply. There was no telling what would sneak up on you when you were at your most vulnerable.
With some reluctance, I finally dragged my gaze off to the left, where Simon’s door stood. The shadows were thicker there, as if whatever malevolent spell he’d set on his rooms was leaking out into the main foyer in search of fresh territory to conquer. Closing my eyes for a second, I took a deep breath and pushed my memories of the bastard to the back of my brain. Simon Thorn was dead. I had killed him and sent him down to the Underworld. He wouldn’t hurt me any longer.
I needed to stay focused on unraveling the spells that lay before me.
Stepping closer to the door, I put out my hand and immediately snatched it back. I was right. The protection spell was starting to leak out. The air wavered slightly and there was a tingling along my skin like little needles digging into my flesh. Apparently if you left whatever he had created running too long, it decided to expand its reach. That or it was affected by all the magic that hung in the air within the Towers because of all the damn magic users. I had heard of incidents where spells went a little wild because of the errant magic, but hadn’t personally encountered it until now.
With a frown, I decided the best course was to start with the easy stuff that I knew he’d still have in effect. Patting down my pockets, I located a piece of white chalk I had started carrying with me at all times. On my knees outside the door, I put the chalk to the bottom of the frame and whispered a cleansing spell. After a couple seconds, writing along the frame shimmered into view. Simon was fond of using invisible chalk to inscribe some of his wards. I just had to go back over them in reverse to undo each of them.
As I completed the last one, there was loud cracking sound as if part of the wooden frame split. I leaned close to inspect the door frame when something large and angry slammed into the back side of the door, causing the heavy barrier to rattle in the frame. I jumped back, my heart launching into my throat as I stared at the door. Claws scratched against the wood, as if the creature was trying to climb through it to get to me. What the fuck had Simon set loose in there?
I crabwalked backward until I was seated in the middle of the dimly lit foyer, waiting for the scratching to cease. There were no other sounds coming from the room besides the claws on the wood and stone floors. No growling or snarling. There were any number of creatures you could summon up that loved nothing more than to snack on weaker creatures, but I should have heard some other noises. None of them were mute. They were also a bitch to control and I didn’t think even the strongest witch or warlock would be insane enough to use one.
When the clawing had ceased, I pushed to my feet, trying to ignore the shaking that had crept into my hands. The attack didn’t resume when I approached the door again, but I didn’t take that as a sign that the creature had curled up in its little bed and gone to sleep. It was waiting for me to enter.
Inspecting the door and the frame again, I was disappointed to find that there weren’t any other spells guarding the entrance. There was no more stalling. Shoving the chalk back into my pocket, I pulled out my wand and carefully erected as many shields and protective wards as I could on myself before uttering the unlocking spell.
Soundlessly, the door swung open. I tried a lighting spell, knowing that there had to be lamps or candles in there to push back the darkness, but nothing happened. Wonderful. I either stepped into the black pit of death or gave up