I refrained from asking any more questions. I didn’t want to give Seraphina the satisfaction of knowing I cared.
But I did care. I felt uneasy. I had spent weeks exploring this place, mapping every hallway and dead end. I thought I had seen it all, but now I was being led deep beneath the Manor.
The ceilings here were low, the turns narrow, and the stone was cold. The further down we went, the heavier the air became.
My eyes darted to the walls, where carved symbols ran along the stone. They were half-faded, but distinct enough to capture my attention. I slowed down unintentionally as I examined the symbols and the ancient letters.
Just for a moment, a flashback flickered in my mind. The symbols and their shapes, the way the grooves curled and dipped. I had seen this before in the Chamber of bones and marked souls. The symbolism wasn't my imagination, they were real.
I kept walking, continuing to hum. Nervously, my fingers found the necklace at my throat, and I couldn’t help fidget with the gold disc as the memory surfaced.
Where was she leading me to?
Before I had the chance to say anything, we came to a door taller than any I'd seen in the Manor.
It was old, brown, and arched,carved with symbols and words that made it look sacred. A cold, dark energy tingled in my bones as I approached.
Seraphinaplaced her hand against the door and pushed it open with an echoing creak.
***
I breathed in the damp air and followed her, taking one echoing, scruffy bootstep at a time. All I could think about was the room of bones. Why had I seen it? What was it trying to tell me?
"It's real,"came a whisper.
"It wasn't an illusion?"came another voice.
It’s like my brain is split in two, one side spiralling into madness, while the other is building an escape. Route. I scanned the chamber and noticed that the sameancient style of doors surrounded us.I quickly counted them, one, two, all the way up to thirteen. That’s right, unlucky thirteen. Seraphina lingered near the largest door to the leftas if she were waiting forsomethingto arrive behind those doors.
***
This chamber was unlike the grand halls above. There was no elegance or beauty. Instead, it was a vast, ancient room hidden deep below for a reason. My paranoia began to rise, and I couldn't contain it.
My eyes darted to the wallsandthe ceiling. The stone curved in strange, uneven angles. The walls stretched upward, disappearing into shadow.
I stepped forward, but the floor made me pause. At first, I thought it was wear in the stone, but when I moved my boot, the lines continued across the chamber floor in long, intentionalpaths. They were too straight and precise to be cracks. I followed one of them with my eyes.
Only then did the pattern reveal itself.
There was a massive circle, etched deeply into the stone. The outer edge was marked witholdarcane
Symbols. Some I recognised as constellationsand patterns Cillian had shown me within the Orb.
My stomach tightened.
In thecentre of the circle, a triangle had been carved cleanly into stone.The same symbols the brothers wore on their belts, likearmour.It was evident
that this place was made for some type of ritual, and I was standing right inside it.
***
"This is a trap," I said aloud, perhaps to myself, or maybe to the walls.It didn't matter.
I scanned every door and its symbols. I needed to move and figure out how to escape.
As I looked around, I felt like aneedle lost in a vast haystack.I stepped to the side, just enough to feel the stone shift under my boot.That was weird. Somethingelse was here.
I continued to hum, the sound calming my paranoia.
