Hi, I'm Lovar Burton and this is Lovar Burton Reads.

I'll hand pick a different piece of short fiction and read it to you each episode.

The only thing these stories have in common, I love them and I hope you will too.

Welcome to Part 2 of Empty Places by Richard Parks.

If you didn't catch Part 1 of this story, please check out our previous episode.

And if you're ready to hear Part 2, here's where we left you.

We've got our wizard, Timon, and our thief, Jan.

They're on their quest to infiltrate the Queen's Chambers at Willandia and leave a package

in the Princess Nursery.

And they've made it as far as a musty cave-like Fisher beneath the castle.

A secret passage.

Jane tries to shake Timon down and Timon gives Jane a strong warning.

Stop trying to give me reasons to kill you.

They're irrelevant.

I'll harm you if and only if I want or need to.

That's not much reassurance.

That's the best I can do under the circumstances.

Now, climb or die.

The smell.

Jane had noticed when he first entered the Fisher got stronger as they climbed.

After about 30 feet or so, there was very little doubt.

Is that...

...