Mesu stayed in her room or in the library most of the time. It had been two days since they arrived, and the search had continued for whatever Liam was looking for. Em was gone, and Mesu hoped she could avoid him in the future. He had “big plans” that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with. Liam had let her know that the weapons Em had taken weren’t what he thought at all. There were magical elements that would be completely wasted on Em. This saddened Liam a bit, but he was also quick to point out that the man would get what he deserved.
Meanwhile, she was stuck and took her time to examine them a little, exploring up and down the floors. It was one of the most complicated locations she had ever seen. The levels could have housed the town of Eberdeen and more. Liam talked of how they didn’t reach a top or bottom floor yet. He was quick to chat with Mesu as well. The goblins, he stated, weren’t much company. The talk was all related to their current situation and how he wished he had employed more intelligent creatures. Still, the parties would report to him, and he would disappear from time to time.
The books are interesting, she thought. Mesu hadn’t made a dent in them and mostly jumped from one to another. The stories and history blended into both tales mundane and fantastic. Large armies were described as they warred over entire continents. There were tales of knights who would battle one-on-one for land. Mesu wondered if any of these referred to the land she had known her whole life. There were stories of beast slayers. These reminded her of the tales of Enya. She had searched for a book that would describe her relative more, but came up empty.
“Mesu, we found it.” Liam interrupted her reading in the library. “Come quick, we don’t have much time.” He was panicked. There was a time when she questioned if he even was capable of sweating. Her answer was yes as she rose to meet him, and they departed the library for the unknown location. She had expected them to go up, but they started down the staircases. They passed through the entry and down a couple of floors that Mesu recognized. They kept going. Two more floors down, and each one looked more glamorous than the last. The last one was decorated with items of gold and with jewels inlaid throughout the design. There was case after case of ornate gems and jewelry. Mesu could sense that this was not what they were looking for.
“Through here. We didn’t see it at first. Pretty hidden, and I’m lucky that these goblins are as clumsy as they are, or we wouldn’t have found it.” Liam pressed on one of the more dull-looking gems on the wall. Mesu thought it might be this way to deter any thieves. The wall to their right popped and swung free. Liam pushed it open wider and took a step in. Mesu looked behind her as she saw more of the creatures filling the room behind her. She knew she was still trapped. The thought depressed her and made her hope she could make it out of here. If she were to be stuck in this tower with no one else around, that was another fate she would accept. Liam and his minions would have to be gone through.
“It took us some time to navigate this as well.” The hallway was well-lit behind with torches that seemed to glow with no fuel. It was an oddity she noted on her previous trips down, and she wondered if the secrets would be uncovered in one of the books. Most of the doors were closed as they continued down a stretch that Mesu couldn’t see the end of. “I could see how it would take a single person or even a small group forever to look through here. It was almost as if you would have to randomly pick areas to explore, as a methodical search would take quite a while. Lucky for me, I have an army behind me.”
“Even then, there are so many rooms that would detract any serious treasure hunter. The trick is that you need to know what you are looking for.” Liam stopped them at a door that looked like the rest of them. It was the only one that was slightly ajar. “And now it’s time for you to complete part of my mission with me.”
The room looked to be another sleeping area. There was a bed and a dresser in the room. A single torch was there and filled the entire room with light. It was very contradictory to what Mesu had expected. Liam’s grin was wide as he went to the dresser and opened up the bottom cabinet.
“Almost there.” He reached in and pressed on something that was hidden from Mesu. The dresser started sliding to the right as Liam pulled his arm out. It revealed a passageway that Liam and Mesu would have to duck to enter. He moved forward, and Mesu followed. The room was plain and barely lit. In the middle of the room was a pedestal. A single, faintly glowing red rock sat atop it.