The Dare

Edward was the newest page in the castle and was always getting lost, so many buildings and rooms, above ground and below. In an effort to fit in better with his fellow pages he took a dare to enter the wizard’s laboratory and take something.

He found himself slowly walking down a long hallway, his friends whispering behind him and keeping a watch at his back. He slowed down, trying to not make a noise until he found himself facing a huge wooden door, banded with iron straps. Maybe it ws locked and he could honestly go back? He knew he was forbidden to even be here unless ordered to appear.

He reached out, grasped the handle and pulled... it open. Edward pulled just far enough for him to look inside, the room was dimly lit but seemed to be empty, so he took one look back down the hallway and then slipped inside, leaving the door cracked open.

The room wasn’t as large as he had imagined but it was filled with shelves full of books, scrolls and drawers. Diagrams and drawing filled an entire wall over a large desk piled with more things. Edward looked for something to take.

He spied a small bone on the floor beside a huge yard wide cauldron. As he crept closer he noticed the liquid filling the cauldron had a sheen of bright silver. He picked up the bone and wondered what kind of animal it came from, but was distracted as a bubble disturbed the liquid’s surface. It burst with a soft noise and released a puff of smoke.

Edward held his breath, which is difficult when your mouth is hanging open. He didn’t run when the skeletal hand rose from the pool.

He ran when the hand turned toward him.