Tales Of Lola The Black by A.J. Martinez Page A

my permission.” Harris answered his lips quivering as he spoke. A strong stench of urine rose from beneath. Lola stared down and noticed that the man was leaking on himself.
    “Oh good. Since you don’t know of any way to get out of here I guess I will make you drink your own piss or perhaps I should just kill you.” Lola threatened the man confident that there was another way out of the chamber. The knights outside had open a large hole in the door, enough for an arm to reach in. Lola became desperate. Dougal growled and blue smoke left his nostrils. “You hear that Harris. The clock is ticking. There must be a secret passage in this castle I know it.”
    “If you promise not to kill me I will take you to a secret passage.” Harris said.
    “You have my word.” Lola promised. She released the cowardly man and Harris ran to a book shelve all the way in the back of the chamber. He pulled on a thick book and something thudded behind the wall. The book shelve then opened much a like a door would to the side. There was a passage with a trail of torches hanging from the wall. Lola gave a long smirk and jumped with her fist in the air. “I just knew it.” She said and ran inside the secret passage. Dougal ran behind her and Harris closed passage pulling the book shelve to the wall and a thud echoed through the passage. Lola and Dougal no longer had to worry about being chased by knights and mages of the castle. Or so they thought.
    Lola spun her rod and it lit up with fire illuminating the passage way. It was narrow as if it were made for only two people to walk through. “Harris, where does this passage lead to?” Lola asked the bald man.
    “It leads to another chamber that belongs to the prince.” Harris answered. “Now let me ask you a question. Why are you here bringing catastrophe to the castle? I heard the explosion from the chamber. I assume it was you since you were running away from the knights and mages.”
    “Sorry but you must not know.” Dougal replied. “Just do as we say and you will live. That is the only promise we can make.”
    “Even if you kill me. Don’t think it will be so easy to escape this castle.” Harris said. He seemed to have lost his fear somewhat. “The only reason you are still alive is because I showed you to this passage. Had it not been for me then the knights and mages would had slay you and brought you heads to the king.”
    Lola grimaced and pointed her rod at the bald man. “You have a smart mouth. Thanks for the warning but we are aware of the danger we put ourselves in. All you need to do is shut up and get us to a safe place. You don’t need to know why we are here.”
    Harris decided to remain silent and help Lola and Dougal through the secret passage. There was silence as they walked with only Lola’s rod to brighten the way. It was a long walk and Lola began to get inpatient already. “So this chamber where we are heading to. Is it safe?” Lola asked annoyed by the silence.
    “Of course it is. I am there every day. The prince is away right now so you do not have to worry.” Harris said.
    “The prince better not be there or else you will die.” Lola continues to threaten Harris. He seemed easily frightened and Lola took advantage of that.
    Finally after minutes of walking a light shines at the end of the passage. Once they reached the light, Harris pulled a lever and the walls open as a door would. They exit the passage and Lola’s eyes bloomed at the sight of the chamber. The ceiling was high enough for her to take flight and the perimeter was round. There were bookshelves on the walls with thick tomes and scrolls. Lola looked under her feet and realized that there was an illustration of the pentacle on the floor.
    There were two mage statues standing between what appeared to be a hearth with a high ceiling. A hearth with crackling gray fire. Lola gazed at the fire in awe. She had never seen such colorless flames. The fire seems to have come from the