Page 477

Finally, I rolled onto my back, ignoring the pressure of the two babies on my organs, and stared up at the ceiling relief carved into the sandstone.

It resembled a veritable work of art, composed of detailed carvings that came together to form a large picture. A gigantic tree with round fruits – which I had never seen before – whose roots began in the library section of the secret room, stretched across the entire surface. An ivy-covered trunk around which a snake wound its way up, and branches on which birds sat.

Three ravens. One looked down at the snake, another stared into the distance, and the third fixed its eyes on the constellation of stars in the sky.

Beneath the tree was a meadow where different flowers seemed to grow. There were lilies, hydrangeas, dahlias, other flowers I couldn't identify because I had never delved deeply into botany, and definitely roses, because sharp thorny vines wrapped around the roots of the tree as if they were seeking to become one with it, cutting into its wood, holding it to the ground. Just as they entwined the wolf beneath the tree, which had its mouth stretched toward the moon and seemed undaunted by the hungry plants.

It appeared as if something had become ingrown in the trunk of the tree. A massive round lump, from which flowers and further branches sprouted. A... heart?

My tears had subsided. A cool dryness lay on my cheeks.

The artwork above me had managed to calm me down, even though the question of who had built this room was now burning in my mind. Which artist had carved this enigmatic relief out of this sandstone surface?

My gaze inevitably lingered on the snake, and there it was again. That prickling sensation in my fingers. Not the one I always felt when I was about to unwillingly lose control, but the one I had felt for the first time in Alarik's office when Bayla had touched the snake.

Click.

Before I even knew what had caused the noise, I jumped up.

I heard the shelf downstairs – which I had, for once, closed again – slide aside and footsteps on the stone spiral staircase.

Probably one of the others.

Oh no. Not now, not when I looked so exhausted. They'd seen enough chaos on my face.

Cautiously, I got up and tiptoed across the room into the lower part of the library, and there, I crept along the wide aisle to the very back, where I entered the last small aisle on the left and hid directly behind one of the ceiling-high bookshelves.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one drawn here. Bayla had been here several times, probably more often than any of us. Certainly because of the books.

I listened to the footsteps as they came up the stairs and eventually stopped.

The lights came back on, every single magical candle illuminating the room, and my fear of someone seeing my shadow took over.

I carefully wiped away the last of my tears and moved deeper into the aisle.

How awkward it would be if one of the other four found me here. Desperate and lost.

The footsteps brought me back to the present, and I listened as they moved through the front part of the secret room.

Cautiously, I peeked around the shelf and spotted a tall figure. And then I realized who it was.

Alarik.

My eyes widened and I moved further back behind the shelf.

What was he doing here? Did he know someone was up here?

Shit.

What if I had jeopardized our entire plan? What if he had also decided against the secret society in the end? What if one of the others had left something there and he was about to find it?

My backpack... No… wait… It was still in Harlow's office.

My stomach churned.

Not only did I not want to go back there, but Gloria was probably still in the building, and I had been up here for so long that Alarik's lecture was already over.

I was expected to join the entire Blair family for dinner, which meant Amara wanted to discuss important matters with us. Matters I shouldn't miss, even though I would have preferred to stay in bed for the rest of the week. But now I was stuck in a secret room, and a Senseque was lurking around here.