Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 18
Ethan kept searching the library for more books.
But aside from the one he’d just seen, none others had any illustrations.
He considered checking every book there, but that would take too long and wasn’t practical.
Plus, with the text incomprehensible, even finding a key book might yield no clues.
After thinking it over, he decided to take the races compendium; it could prove useful later.
Ethan returned to the shelf where he’d found it, reached out, but then froze.
He distinctly remembered leaving it half-stuck out for easy retrieval, since it seemed valuable.
Now the shelf was neat, with no sign of the book.
The situation felt eerie, and his heart raced. He looked around the library; no one else was there.
He didn’t believe the book had slipped back on its own; the shelf was level, ruling out gravity.
Was there some invisible presence in the room?
Goosebumps rose all over him.
Relying on memory, he searched but couldn’t find that book anywhere. It was as if it had never existed.
After a pause, he pulled out another book, memorized the cover and shapes of text on certain pages, then slid it back.
Waiting about a minute, he drew it out again. The cover was still red, but checking the specified pages revealed a trick.
The text shapes differed.
This wasn’t the same book; its contents had changed.
Ethan couldn’t tell if the issue was with the shelf or the books themselves, but one thing was clear.
The books he viewed might be one-time only. At least, he doubted he could pull the same one twice.
He lacked the time and energy for more.
At dinner time, hosts and guests gathered in the dining room.
The food was as lavish as ever. Besides the host’s pleasantries to the guests, some guests mustered courage to ask questions.
“Where exactly is Blackwood Castle located?”
“What do you do for work? Do you ever leave the castle?”
“Do you know anything about the previous owner?”
With the guests’ engagement, the banquet felt lively and enjoyable for all.
In essence, it was a case of guests asking away while the host just smiled.
By the end of the meal, they hadn’t pried a single bit of information from the host.
Perhaps because no guests had drunk the red wine the day before, the host didn’t offer it this time, reserving it for the family.
The aroma wafted temptingly, stirring anyone who caught a whiff. Albert, an old drinker, struggled with the lure but knew it was poison, so he turned away to avoid temptation.
Soon, it was time for the host to assign orders to the guests.
“This time, you’ll draw lots to select your tasks.”
Everyone was surprised. Yesterday, they had all been told to clean their rooms, so they assumed today’s would be a group activity too.
But the host’s approach shattered that idea, confirming Ethan’s guess about the orders.
They changed daily, and some might even threaten their lives.
The group eyed the box silently, none wanting to go first.
Delaying wouldn’t help, though. If Rosie deemed them refusing an order, it would waste a chance.
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