“There’s a tunnel through here,” Elle whispered, and slipped between two large slabs of stone at the back of the chamber.
Crossing the room in quick strides, I caught up with her and tucked in behind her, holding my hand out as a light.
“Whoa,” I breathed.
We’d stepped into a beautiful hallway lined with rich mahogany trim and black satin wallpaper. The flooring was a sleek gray stone, covered in a thick layer of dust.
“Are we underground?” Elle asked, walking down the hallway, throwing knives at the ready.
I nodded. “Under ice, anyway. I think the castle is half-buried.”
There didn’t seem to be any black stuff in here, which was a miracle. Activating my Seeker power, I could feel Liam was close, and that brought me comfort. He’d found his way down here, too.
“Let’s check this room.” Elle reached out and opened a door.
We both stepped inside, and I grinned. “Jackpot.”
Books lined the room on large shelves, and the space was full of relics affixed to the walls. One of the relics looked like an old war helmet. Another was a crystal ball of some kind, sitting in a glass case. I didn’t see a sword, though.
“I’ll bet this place has a secret room,” Elle announced, and started pulling books down from the shelves. “They all did back then.”
“Secret room? That’s fantasy.” I rolled my eyes and glanced at one of the glass cases, which held some kind of dagger.
“She’s right.” Liam’s voice came from the doorway, and I nearly chucked my sword at him.
He stepped into the room, and I noticed he seemed different. He had a faraway look in his eyes, like he was lost in memory. Being here probably brought back a lot. His mother had lived here with his dad for at least a few months when his brother had died, if the stories were true. Obviously, he hadn’t been born yet, but they must have told him things.
“My father said there was a secret room in the castle where he hid his most treasured items.” Liam started to pull books down from the shelves as well.
Secret room.
Okay. If I were a castle builder, where would I put the button to a secret door? My eyes ran over the bookcases and along the floor, looking for a gap in the baseboard or anything to tell me something wasn’t as it should be.
When I got to the bookcase on the far wall in the corner, I noticed a slight gap between the one next to it. Walking over, I examined the books, which all seemed real, with pages stuffed between covers—none of those false books you see in movies. But the wall sconce to the left of the book had a tiny jewel imbedded in the bottom that looked…off. It was set in gold, but there was a gap around the setting, giving it the appearance of a button.
Reaching out, I pushed the stone, and a clicking sound followed by a creaking rushed out from the bookcase.
“Got it!” I yelled.
Liam grinned, running over with Elle, and slipped his hand into mine. We waited as it took forever for the bookcase to fully open. When it did, it was stuck about halfway, and we had to slip in behind it.
“More light, Lil!” Liam called out as he slipped in first. I was right behind him, holding my hand up like a lamp.
It smelled like an animal had died in there. I sheathed my sword and used my other hand to cover my nose and mouth. “Gross.”
Raising my lit hand, I let the light flow in a wide arc over the room and found Liam standing over a table. His head was bowed in reverence, his shoulders sagged. Elle and I scurried over to see what held his attention, and I gulped at the small child’s onesie that lay on the table next to a lock of hair.
“My eldest brother…their firstborn. My mother said that losing him drove my father mad. He was never the same after that.”
Liam reached out and stroked the blue wool. Emotion tightened my throat as sorrow built inside my chest. I couldn’t imagine the loss of a child.
I placed one hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “You should take it back,” I suggested. “For your mom.”
He nodded. “Good idea.”
“I’ll get it. You guys search the rest.” Elle reached out and carefully started to roll up the onesie with the hair, placing it into her backpack. Liam and I walked the rest of the room, and I quickly learned where the smell came from.
Rats.
Earth, Faerie—didn’t matter, those bastards were in every world.
I was just examining a display box that held some kind of necklace set with blue gems when Liam gasped. Turning my attention to him, I let my gaze fall on what could only be the Sword of Night.
It was nearly four feet tall, matte black, and encrusted with black gems at the hilt. One edge was serrated, and a cloud of energy danced around it. Lying next to it was a thick leather scabbard. Just being near it—even with it inside the case—turned my stomach into a pit of despair.
“Liam, this is dark,” I said with a shiver.
He nodded, eyeing the sword as he unclipped the lock to open the case. “So is my father. It’s time we fought fire with fire.”
That sounded like horrible advice, now that I was staring at this thing, but I knew we needed something big if we were going to get the last crystal back from his dad and live to tell the tale.
“Just tell me if you’re going dark.” I chewed at my lip. “We need a code word or something.”
Liam chuckled. “How about dark?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m serious. If you feel like it’s too much to handle or taking you over or something, tell me.”
He looked up at me with such adoration, it took me off guard. Reaching out, he caressed
