My arm fell straight through, and I stumbled into the hallway.
A laugh of surprise burst from my chest. He’dactuallydone it. Nox had gotten that Alchemist to lift the barrier.
“Jaggy, look—” I whirled back to my nighttime visitor, but she was gone.
I grabbed my glasses off the bedside table and barreled out the door, not even caring that I was still in my nightgown and slippers. The floorboards creaked beneath my feet as I ventured further, the single sconce on the wall casting shadows across the ground. A shiver of anticipation went through me.
At the end of the hall was a set of narrow stairs. They groaned as Ihurried down them, spiraling for at least five floors before they finally leveled out onto solid ground.
Several silver chandeliers lit the space, much warmer and cheerier than my isolated floor. This must be where Nox allowed hisrealguests.
A long navy-and-green rug stretched across the polished floor. Decorating the walls were enormous mirrors and oil paintings of the sea and mountains. I took a few tentative steps forward, taking in the tall, arched doorways running down the length of the hall, and tugged on the handle of the nearest one. I was surprised to find it give way beneath my touch.
When it opened, my jaw dropped in delight.
It was a library. But not just any library. I worked for nobles of Mysthelm—I’d been in plenty of thoserichpeople’s libraries, with mountains of leather-bound books resting on gilded shelves, so delicate that if you so much as sneezed on them, you could be arrested.
Thiswas not like that.
This library was well-loved, bursting with personality. Piles of books with broken spines were haphazardly stacked on shelves that reached to the ceiling. Potted plants that had grown unruly in their dwellings crept along the floor, with vines twining their way up the shelves. But what was most intriguing were the tables at the center of it all.
My brow furrowed at the pieces of paper strewn on top of one of them. Colorful paints swirled along the parchment, everything from small handprints to little flower doodles.
As I glanced around the room, I saw more and more signs that made me wonder where in theworldI’d ended up.
The books here weren’t the kind of history texts I’d been stuck with. Sure, there were plenty of those, but there was a whole wealth of other genres. Shelves full of adventure novels, children’s books, guides on reading and arithmetic, coloring books, cookbooks, and even a small section of romance novels way up at the very top.
I climbed up a rolling ladder resting against the wall. Squinting, I read the spines and snagged one that looked interesting. The front featured a shirtless man with a short-cropped beard and abs that made my eyebrows hitch. I tucked it under my arm and carefully jumped off the ladder, continuing down the rows of books. My finger glided over creased spines and weathered covers.
I’d spent the last three months in the near silence of my room, but for some reason, I didn’t mind the quiet as much out here. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I felt a small amount of comfort. I could pretend I was a normal girl in a normal house, perusing books I’d seen a million times in a home full of people that welcomed me with open arms.
I found a clock that showed it was ten minutes past eleven. With a sigh, I made my way back to the entrance and shut the door as quietly as I could, surprised I hadn’t run into anybody yet.
I looked down the empty hallway and bit my lip. Well, if there wasn’t anyone to stop me…
For the next half hour, I explored the lower floors. The one right beneath the library was some sort of guest wing. One of the doors was cracked, and when I peeked my head in, I saw a wall lined with bunk beds. Before I could investigate further, a female voice called out, “Get back to bed, Tilly!”
I yanked my head away and rushed back down the hall. Who in the Fates was Tilly?
The next set of stairs took me to the ground floor. These corridors were just as ornate, but mixed among the paintings and detailed moldings were strange drawings, leaves and sticks glued to paper, flowers made out of cloth, and a whole host of other…unconventionalhome decor.
Whatwasthis place?
I stumbled upon a narrow hallway in one of the back wings with a ceiling made entirely of glass. The scent of dirt and florals wrapped around me as I walked further down the path until it opened up into a beautiful greenhouse.
Rows and rows of pots filled with herbs and flowers lined thespace, with vines crisscrossed at the ceiling and snaking down the walls. I remembered from books I read in my tower that Alchemists relied on the power of nature to source their spells and potions. Herbs, stones, plants, bones…anything derived from the world around them. I wondered if this was an Alchemist’s greenhouse.
Nox had mentioned having an Alchemistandan apprentice. What kinds of people worked here? Why would Nox need an Alchemist?
Retracing my steps, I reentered the main floor of the mansion, wondering what other hidden treasures I could find. But as I neared the stairwell, voices caught my attention.
I scanned the hall but didn’t see an open room, or even a door. Curiosity piqued, I followed the sound of voices, growing more and more intense by the second. Turning a corner, I saw a small iron door, so similar in color to the stone walls that I almost glanced right over it.
Hiding in plain sight.
Idefinitelyshouldn’t be here.
I turned the knob, waiting a moment to make sure nobody charged out to stab me, then pushed it open.
