The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey Read Free Book Online Page A

door. In his other hand, he held a large block of wax. His face had gone red as he tried pressing the key into the wax.
    â€œIt won’t budge,” he grunted. “I can’t make the impression.”
    â€œLemme see,” I said, taking the key and holding it up to the light. No protective sigils were engraved on it. Good. My blue paste couldn’t beat those. It was probably a low-level, no-clone spell. And that was beatable.
    I consulted the Formulary and found an easy solution. Palming the key, I reached into my back hip pouch and grabbed a handful of ground roxpepper seeds. I sprinkled the dust liberally on both sides of the key and handed it back to Da.
    â€œTry it now,” I said.
    This time, when he pressed the key into the wax, it sank in deep, making a perfect impression. He wiped the key clean, slid it back on the ring, and handed the wax block to me. I had to get the block to Ma, stationed just around the corner from the Promenade, where she was waiting to take the wax imprint so she could forge a perfect copy of the key later.
    Separately, Da and I each crawled out from behind the counter and melted back into the crowd. The smoke had all but vanished now. Nanni was thanking everyone loudly for their help. I hid the wax block in my backpack and moved toward the water tower, aiming for the opposite corner of the Promenade.
    A low rumble sounded. Everyone stopped. Vengekeep was no stranger to tremors. It had been centuries since the town had felt a full-on earthquake, but still, everyone stopped when they heard that familiar rumble and felt the pavement below their feet shift.
    Just as business was about to resume, a louder roar sounded; and this time, the cobblestoned paving buckled, sending dozens of people sprawling to the ground. More than a mere tremor, the ground continued to shake. I staggered to the base of the water tower and grabbed its leg to steady myself. People around me murmured that it would pass.
    It didn’t. The shaking grew worse. Some of the booths began to collapse. Nanni’s stand fell apart, sending breadbowls rolling everywhere. Small children cried out and I suddenly thought of Aubrin. Looking around, I picked her out near the blade merchant’s stand. Her eyes were on Nanni, who wiggled her thumb. Aubrin obeyed, running as fast as she could to Nanni. Together, Nanni and Aubrin fled the Promenade.
    A thunderous crack filled the air. I turned in the direction of the noise and found a lightning-shaped fissure splitting the cobblestones near Lek’s shop. People gasped and staggered to get away from the opening maw. Da, just about to leave the Promenade himself, stopped to watch the crack grow.
    As quickly as it had come, the rumbling and shaking stopped. Everyone in the Promenade paused. Just then, a burbling sound spat from the fissure. I caught Da’s eye and we both stared at the newly formed crack, where an eerie red glow rose from below. A moment later, thick molten rock oozed up and out of the crack, moving slowly across the upheaved stones. As the lava spread, bubbles began to rise across its surface. The bubbles expanded, refusing to pop. Instead, the lava began climbing straight up into the air and branching out … taking form.
    The first of the lava flows, inching toward a small flower stand, reared up, sprouting legs, arms, and a head. The glowing crimson goo burst into flames as the living fire creature stepped forward, igniting the flowers with a wave of its misshapen hand. I searched for Maloch and his pal from the stateguard, hoping they would take action or sound an alarm. But they had disappeared with the fleeing mob. I looked to Da, whose eyes had fixed on another finger of lava spewing from the crack, crawling toward Lek’s shop, sprouting limbs as it moved.
    By now, people were screaming and tearing away from the Promenade in any direction that would take them far from the approaching lava beasts. The fiery creatures shambled