They found the old Valencian Castle with no issue. It was so beautiful but empty. Lord Red thought it was indeed a waste. As they passed through the beautiful overgrown courtyards and wall mosaics, they quickly realized they missed something.

“I think we need to retrace our steps,” Deneve said thoughtfully, taking a drink from her canteen. It was also almost unbearably hot today.
Lord Red nodded. “Yes, I think I saw some steps descending toward the entrance. We checked all this and found nothing but a few scribbles from Igor Bartoli.”

Deneve grinned, “The chief of Olvia must have traveled everywhere before he settled down.”

“It would have been nice if he didn’t deface things. Just stating Igor Bartoli was here – Igor Bartoli, the great adventurer, is a bit boring.” He grumbles.

Deneve snickers, “Well, he did add the part about the black spirit. What was it? Oh! Igor Bartoli –The illusion of the black spirit makes me stronger, but could it also be dangerous?”

Lord Red chuckled. “That is true, but still, he could have been a bit more mindful.”

They quickly found steps descending into the castle’s lower levels that initially looked like any basement corridor. Then the steps were gone. After four steps, there were none, but the cavern was massive. Deneve and Lord Red had no problem dropping down into the cavern. The area seemed to harbor no life of any kind, so they decided to split up to explore.

There were a few interesting pieces that seem to be ancient machines. They took some sketches of these, and Lord Red got a few tracings of runes. However, the focal point of the cavern was a structure in the middle that covered a now broken staircase. Walking over to the second broken staircase, they saw this drop was much further. So far, they couldn’t see the bottom.

Deneve shook her head. “I think we may need more rope. That’s too steep and too far to attempt teleporting down.”

“Wait,” Lord Red said thoughtfully. “We can float down.”

“That might work for you, but I don’t levitate,” She countered.

He smirked, “I can take both of us.”

“And we can get back the same way if there is no other way out?” She asked curiously.

“Yes, we can,” He affirmed.

Deneve looked at him nervously for a moment. “Okay, but if you drop me. I swear I will send a lightning storm up your ass.”

She was afraid. The thought amused Lord Red, but she didn’t know his power much more than he knew of hers. Lord Red schooled his face to ensure he didn’t look amused. “It will be fine, I promise.”

Deneve nodded and stepped toward him. “How do we….”

Before she could finish the question, Lord Red bent down to pick her bridal style. “This would be easiest.”

She naturally wrapped her hands around his neck. “But don’t you need your hands for the spell?”

“Nope, I only do that because it looks cool.” He admitted with a wry grin.
She gave him a small smile looking worriedly at where the steps disappeared into the darkness. “I’m…not too heavy?”

“Normally, when a woman says that she is looking for a compliment,” he replied teasingly. “I know better than that, though. It’s fine. Stop worrying.”

She gave a small huff of amusement and relaxed slightly, but he could understand her reservations. They stepped into the air, and she let out a sharp gasp trying to compose herself. “Look at me or close your eyes, but… “

Before he could finish, she looked down. The effect was instantaneous. She closed her eyes immediately and started to tremble. “That was a terrible idea,” Deneve managed to squeak out.

Usually, the thought of having a trembling Deneve in his arms would delight Lord Red, but not quite like this. Not now. He scolded himself. “It’s okay. You’re safe. I’m here.” He realized those were the exact words he used when he helped her during the night terrors. She seemed to calm down quite a bit immediately. “We’re almost there.”

Lord Red had purposefully set them down beside it, a block that could be used as a seat because Deneve was still pretty shaky. He swiftly sat, settling her on his lap.

She lifted her head, looking at him red-faced. “You must think I’m ridiculous.” She whispered sheepishly.

“No,” He replied honestly, “You had no control over what was going on, and in a situation like that, it can be scary. I would probably be nervous too. It was a long drop. I hope that perhaps I can teach you that spell at some point.”

Deneve gave him a small smile. “I would like that.”

He nodded stoically, realizing that perhaps she should move soon. Her proximity in the relatively thin fabric of the harem-type outfit she wore that day was beginning to affect him. Thankfully she shifted forward to stand, only barely brushing against him as she did so.

Damned if she couldn’t be a menace without having a clue. Lord Red had to wonder how Barhan had managed to live with her without having a heart attack. He grinned inwardly at the thought. Although, He had to admit the idea made him a bit jealous too.