Chapter 15

The heavy bookshelf door to the passage groaned shut behind us, the sound of stone grinding on stone ending in a final, definitive thump. Darkness, absolute and suffocating, swallowed us whole. It felt like a physical weight, pressing in from all sides. The air, thick with the scent of petrified time—of damp earth and forgotten secrets—clogged my throat. My fingers became my eyes, tracing the weeping stone of the wall as we felt our way forward. The only sounds were the soft scuff of our boots on the floor and the ragged echo of our own breathing. "How did you find this place?" Cassius asked.

A dry, humorless chuckle escaped my lips. "I spent my childhood in the royal library, trying to earn the affection of people who only valued knowledge. I thought if I just knew more, they would finally see me." I shook my head, though he couldn't see it. "It never worked. But the library gave me other things. My mother found me hiding in this section one day. She told me she had a better secret to share."

My fingers brushed against the stone, the memory suddenly sharp. "She pushed on a loose stone in the bookshelf, and... this. It became our space, a place just for us. I haven't been here since she passed."

"I am sorry about your mother." He paused for a moment. "A place like this isn't stumbled upon," Cassius mused, his voice closer now. "It's found. There's a difference."

"Maybe," I whispered. "I never came down here. I was always too afraid—"

"Shhh."

The command was so sharp it felt like a blade. We froze. The silence that rushed in was predatory, listening. I strained my ears, hearing nothing but the frantic drum of my own heart.

"Does anyone else know this passage exists?" he breathed, his voice a ghost of a whisper. I could feel the warmth of him as he shifted, a stark contrast to the tomb-like chill.

"No," I whispered back. "No one."

"Unfortunate," he murmured, his tone hardening into something sharp and dangerous. "He's behind us. I can feel his core." My blood went cold. He continued, his voice urgent and low. "We can't hear him, which means he's skilled. An enemy. You've been practicing. You're going to need your mana."

He moved, his shoulder brushing mine as he positioned himself slightly behind me. "When I give the word, don't just call your power—command it. Envision its purpose. Make it obey."

My heart hammered against my ribs. I turned, facing back into the black maw of the passage. My hand rose, trembling in the air as I waited, my senses screaming into the void.

"Almost here," Cassius breathed.

A moment of pure, terrifying silence stretched, thin and taut.

"Now!"

The familiar warmth coiled in my core, but this time it leaped at my command, a live thing eager to be wielded. As the lavender-pink light flared from my skin, my eyes adjusted just in time to see a figure emerge from the oppressive gloom. The silhouette flinched at the sudden light, a sword drawn with a faint, deadly shing as he charged.

"Thalia, attack!" Cassius's voice was iron from behind me.

But the assassin was a blur of black cloth and focused intent. His sword arced down. I threw up a hand, not in a plea but a command. A shimmering pane of fractured lavender light flared into existence. Metal met mana with a sharp crack. The shield held for a bare second before shattering like glass.

"Again!"

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I stumbled back, desperate for space. The assassin pressed, a relentless shadow. His blade crashed against a second shield, the impact jarring my bones. He wore a simple black mask, but I could see his eyes—deep brown, narrowed in furious concentration. After the last impact, he leaped back, a predator assessing his wounded prey.

He feinted, a subtle shift of weight. I instinctively raised a third shield, the mana answering my call with practiced ease. But his attack never came. It was a trick. The moment my shield flickered and died, he lunged.

There was no time for another barrier. There was only instinct.

I thrust my hand out, palm flat. A raw, untamed blast of violet-pink energy erupted with a guttural shriek, striking the attacker square in the chest. His body folded around the impact, the sword slipping from his grasp to clatter against the stone. The force hurled him backward into the darkness.

He was already stirring, a pained groan echoing in the passage. I wouldn't give him the chance. I sent tendrils of light slithering across the floor like serpents. They coiled around the assassin's ankles and yanked. A sharp gasp, and his back slammed hard against the unforgiving stone.

Not letting up, I gathered the energy in my palm, concentrating it into a contained star, bright and humming with lethal power. With a forward thrust, I released it. The second blast sent the downed figure skidding across the rough-hewn floor until he lay still.

"Is he...?" I whispered, taking a hesitant step forward.

"Thalia, wait!"

His warning was too late. The assassin exploded upward in a final, desperate surge. His recovered sword was aimed straight for my heart. My mind was blank, but my magic knew what to do. I didn't think of a barrier; I imagined a weapon.

A blade of pure, shimmering lavender energy materialized in my hand and met his charge. With a discordant scream of rending metal, my mana sword sliced through his steel blade, cleaving it in two.

The assassin staggered back, his eyes wide with disbelief above the mask, staring at the useless hilt. That single moment of shock was the only opening I needed. I thrust my arm forward. The blade of light shot from my grasp, piercing clean through his chest.

He crumpled to his knees, a horrible gurgling sound escaping his lips before he collapsed face-first onto the stone floor. Silent. Still.

The acrid tang of ozone and the metallic, cloying scent of blood filled my lungs, a physical weight. "I... I killed him," the words a numb, detached whisper. A violent tremor seized me, my teeth chattering uncontrollably as the cold, brutal reality slammed into me. The strength evaporated from my legs and I lunged for the wall, my palm slapping against the cool, damp stone for support. A bitter acid surged up my throat. I choked, my body convulsing, and couldn't hold it back.

A wretched heave tore from me as I vomited fiercely onto the passage floor. My fingers clawed at the stone, nails scraping desperately for purchase as my body emptied itself. Each ragged breath was a raw, painful gasp.

It was only then I felt him. Cassius was suddenly at my side, his presence a steady shadow in the gloom. The lavender light of my own mana still flickered weakly between my trembling fingers, making the shadows writhe. "I'm... I'm sorry," I stuttered out, using the back of a shaking hand to wipe my mouth.

"Thalia," he said, his voice soft but firm, ignoring the mess. He placed his hands on my shoulders, his grip grounding. "Breathe."

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath. It escaped in a long, shuddering sob that wracked my entire frame.

"You did what you had to do," he repeated, his grip tightening just enough to keep me from collapsing. "Look at me. You did what you had to."

"I know," I whispered, the words a fragile shield. I repeated it, for myself. "I'm okay. I have to be."

He studied my face, then gave a curt nod. "Turn around. And brighten the light for me."

I obeyed, turning my back on the body. I heard the soft scuff of his boots, the rustle of cloth, and then a heavy silence. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice tight.

"Someone sent him," he replied, his voice grim. "I intend to find out who."

The silence stretched, thick and unnerving. Finally, he spoke, his voice dangerously quiet. "Done. Let's go." He fell into step beside me, and we continued deeper into the passage.

"Did you find anything?" I asked, unable to bear the quiet.

"A tattoo," he said, his voice low and cold. "Inside the wrist. A black crescent moon."

The air left my lungs. My knees weakened, and my fingers twisted into the fabric of my dress. The Crescent Moon Guild. The guild my father and Blair run.

The thoughts crashed together, a maelstrom of fear that made my head spin. Was this a test for me? A trap for Cassius?

The question tumbled out of me, a desperate plea for sense in a world that had just tilted out of place. "But how could he have found this passage?"

Cassius didn't slow his pace. "You spent years in the library, Thalia," he stated, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Secrets are a currency." His words hung in the air, a final, chilling verdict: no place was ever truly safe.