Chapter 15
The Library
I approached the building from the back, where the waterwheel was, turning around just once to check on Harry.
But I could barely see the outline of his body.
The only sound I could hear was of the rain falling on the gravel.
This time I walked on the grass so that my footsteps were silent.
When preparing me for the quest, Lisa had mentioned there might be security cameras, which was the reason she thought pretending to be a customer was the best idea to get into the inn.
She’d actually shown me what a security camera looked like and demonstrated how one worked.
I scanned that side of the building, but didn’t see any cameras there and decided Quinn either hadn’t installed them or hadn’t thought of putting any on the back of the building.
Looking up at the inn from the back, I checked out the window where I would climb in. It was at the very top, high above waterwheel. To reach it, I would need to climb up on the wheel, then position myself on my tiptoes.
Without hesitation, I easily scaled the wheel. It creaked just once under my weight, but the sound of the rain drowned out the noise. Then, I pulled myself up and stood on top of it so I could reach the bottom of the window.
As I did this, I tried not to look down, because the window was very high above the ground, probably over sixty feet.
If I fell, I would definitely die. Standing at the very top of the wheel, I reached and tried to nudge the window open.
To my surprise, the frame was loose and offered no resistance.
I was about to slide into the room when the light flicked on.
It happened so fast, I barely had time to pull back.
I’d almost lost my balance and would have fallen to the ground had it not been for a ledge I’d accidentally found with my right foot.
I managed to stabilize myself, positioning my right foot on it, while my left remained on the very top of the wheel.
I peeked into the room from the side of the window and observed as Quinn Alastair walked in.
He was dressed in the same clothes from the morning, the only difference was the shirt he was wearing.
The room appeared to be a library, its walls stacked with books.
I thanked my lucky stars for the timing.
Had I been just a few minutes earlier, Quinn would have found me in the room with no escape, and, I was sure, I would have already been dead.
Lisa’s ex-husband walked over to one of the shelves and paused, examining the many volumes.
He picked one up from the top shelf, flipped through its pages, then slammed it shut.
As he selected another tome, I noticed, to my great discomfort, a plush brown leather armchair in the back of the room and wondered if he would settle there to read.
But he put both books back and reached for the middle shelf.
I watched as he pressed on one of the tomes and the shelf parted, revealing a bright-blue metal box.
It was long and stood almost as tall as Quinn, so about six feet tall.
Quinn punched a code into the box. From where I stood, I could see the numbers he’d entered, and they were easy to remember—370370.
With the code engraved in my memory, I continued observing as the door of the box opened, revealing two rifles and a sword on the left side, and on the right, I saw a trunk.
Something told me, it must contain the Fabergé egg with Lisa’s deed.
I was right.
Quinn opened the trunk and took out a bright, glowing object.
The egg was larger than I’d expected, about the size of the palm of his hand.
It was pink and much more beautiful than I could ever imagine.
The gentle rose quartz reflected the light.
The diamonds had been encrusted in three rows, with a diamond bow tie on top.
Quinn held it up to the light. As he did so, he turned to face the window.
I froze in place, sure he would see me, but he was too engrossed in the beautiful object to notice anything else.
After a few minutes, Quinn, seemingly satisfied, placed the Fabergé egg back into the trunk, then put the trunk into the blue box and locked it.
Then, he returned the shelves to their original position, rubbed his hands and turned off the lights.
A few moments later, I heard the sound of the door slamming shut and knew this was my moment to act.
I positioned my feet so I could spring into action, pulled myself up, and nudged the frame.
It offered no resistance. There was a latch, which I pulled up, and the window opened.
I crawled into the library. It was musty and had a faint smell of mold.
I almost sneezed, which would have been disastrous, but luck was on my side.
I moved quietly, my footsteps completely silent.
Not one floorboard creaked under my feet.
I moved to the bookshelves and, trying my best to remember exactly what Quinn had done just minutes prior, pressed the book in. Nothing happened. I pressed the book in again, harder this time. Nothing. Beads of sweat had formed on my forehead. I couldn’t stop now, not when I was so close.
I drew a sharp breath. And then I remembered Lisa’s instructions during yoga class, when she reminded her students to breathe.
I could hear her melodious voice in my head and could just picture her beautiful face.
I took a deep breath, looked at the tomes, and realized I’d been standing in front of the wrong shelf.
I moved over to the middle shelf, just as Quinn had done, pushed the spine of another book to its immediate right, and the shelf shifted, revealing the blue box.
Hands trembling, I reached for the keypad and typed in the code, 370370, just like I’d seen Quinn do through the window. At first, there was nothing, and then I heard a click, turned the dial, and opened the door. I saw the rifles, the sword, and, on the top shelf, the trunk.
Hesitating for only a second, I grabbed it and flipped it open. A warm pink glow spread through the room. The beautiful Fabergé Easter egg lay on a pink silk cushion. Its beauty took my breath away. It felt warm, almost as warm as the Firebird’s feather.
I was about to take out the feather so I could compare the two when I heard approaching footsteps.
Quinn!
There was no time to waste. I stuffed the egg into my left pocket, then slammed the trunk shut and placed it on the top shelf of the blue box. Resisting the urge to run, I quietly closed the box and pushed the book back into its spot. The shelf slid back, and I leaped to the window.
The footsteps were getting louder. Quinn was climbing the stairs.
I wasn’t sure whether he’d heard me and had suspected something or whether he’d forgotten something in the library, but I knew that if I placed everything in its original position and escaped through the window, it would take him at least a few minutes to realize the Fabergé egg was missing.
And that was just enough time for me to make it back to Harry and then to safety.
I had just closed the window behind myself and reset the latch when I heard the door lock turn.
The light flicked back on and Quinn entered the room.
I didn’t wait to see what happened next, but jumped on top of the waterwheel.
Holding the egg in place with my left hand so it didn’t slide out of my pocket, I maneuvered with my right and moments later jumped off the wheel onto the ground.
Rain was still falling, and its sound concealed any noise I was making.
I bolted for the wooded area, running toward the large oak where Harry waited for me.
It was completely dark, but having spent years tending horses, I could sense his presence.
And I was right. I reached Harry, who gave me a quick, reassuring neigh.
Just as Harry and I took off into the air, I heard a bloodcurdling scream. Quinn Alastair had just realized he’d been robbed.
I reached into my pocket and ran my fingers over the smooth surface of the Fabergé egg.
“Did you get it?” Harry asked as we flew over the Seminole Mill.
“I did,” I said, elated. “I can’t believe it worked, Harry! I did it—we did it. This is incredible.” I was now holding onto the precious cargo with both hands, suddenly afraid it would slip out of my grasp. “I have it, Harry, I got it. The egg, just like Lisa told me. Just like she said.”
“I was worried about you,” Harry said, moving his legs to get up higher. “I was almost sure I’d never see you again.” The pony turned back, his ears pressed close to his head.
“I think it was good I never got to stay at the bed-and-breakfast. I’m not sure I would have been able to get into the inside.”
“So, what’s next?” Harry asked. As soon as we’d cleared the mountainous area around the Seminole Mill, the clouds cleared. The moon was a narrow sliver in the sky, but Harry knew the way and navigated expertly to Fernwood.
I didn’t remember flying to Seminole Mill, but the way back I remembered well. We flew over cornfields and forests, then followed the path of a river until I heard Harry’s triumphant neigh and, following his gaze, I saw the familiar outlines of Fernwood. My heart leaped as we approached.
Lisa! Vasilisa.
I couldn’t wait to see her and give her the good news. Maybe, just maybe, she would let me kiss her. I blushed, picturing her soft lips and imagining her mouth on mine, and was grateful Harry couldn’t see me.
Was Harry right? Was there something between the two of us?
I immediately pushed the thought out of my mind. Nothing could ever happen between us. I was just a dimwit who needed to capture the Firebird and bring it to Baba Yaga, whereas Lisa had been named after the fairy-tale Vasilisa and could very well be a magical princess.
“So, Ivan, I would suggest you make sure Lisa doesn’t trick you.” I heard Harry’s voice and understood he must have been speaking for some time. “As far as we know, once you give her the goods, she’ll kick you and me out, and then, forget it.”
“Lisa isn’t like that, Harry. Please don’t worry. I’m sure she’s an honorable woman.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Harry grumbled. “We’re almost here, regardless.”
We didn’t speak for the rest of the journey, which, fortunately, was almost over. Harry landed on the ground right outside the resort, and I dismounted.
The rain had ended. The sun was rising on the horizon, and the sky turned a soft, light purple hue, reminiscent of Zorya. I thought of the gray skies outside the Seminole Mill and shuddered, remembering Quinn and his face, contorted in anger.