Page 118 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

Before your eyes.

“Spellbound isn’t just a game to me, my son. It’s my legacy, and it’s your destiny,” he said, looking from the game up to us. “That’s what my grandfather always told me when I was a kid. And it took me so long, so damn long to connect the dots.” He cursed, pulling at his hair in frustration.

He knelt on the floor, pointing at the centre of the maze. “The—There is a dagger. An artefact that decides who’s meant to rule, who’s meant to be on the winning side of the war.”

The realisation hit me hard, and my eyes moved from the board outside the window, where in dim light a replica of the game's board lay. “The maze and the board of Spellbound are identical when it’s in its original formation,” I said out loud, looking back at Jesse, who straightened with the biggest grin growing on his face. “We just discovered our artefact. The Book of Shadows is in the centre of the maze. That’s crazy, the answer was in front of my nose the entire time and at the last moment, the bottom suddenly came off. I should have thought about this sooner,” Jesse started to curse himself, but I quickly shook my head, embracing him.

“That’s all we needed. Thank you, Jesse, for being the smartest person I know.”

Jesse hugged me back. “You really think so?”

“Of course I do, you brilliant mastermind,” I laughed, pulling back to look at the others.

We had two options right now.

Either, we go into that maze right now to find the book and keep it hidden somewhere, but possibly risk anyone catching us like the last time we sneaked out. Or we leave it there, and keep an eye on Kane for the entirety of tomorrow until it’s over, and we’re out of risk.

Everyone was silent as we shared looks.

No one was making an attempt to leave.

Option two it is, I see.

Archer stepped forward. “We won’t talk about what we just discovered, ever. This secret stays in this room and between us six. It’s a dangerous artefact, and I don’t want to know it near me or any of us tomorrow. And if it stays hidden, with only us knowing the path to it, thanks to Antony, then we’re the safest we can be. All of us will keep an eye on Kane the entire day and night tomorrow. We won’t let him leave the building. We’ll end this torture tomorrow.”

We moved into a circle, and it was Maisie who held out her hand first into the heart of our group. “Dum spiro spero,” she breathed, and one after another, we joined our hands with hers until we formed a perfect wheel of hope.

“Dum spiro spero,” we all spoke together.

While I breathe, I hope.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

ARCHER

“Are your families coming?”Jesse asked as we made our way to pick up the girls from Doe and Mai’s room to walk them to the ballroom.

The opening wouldn’t be for another half hour, but Mrs Fanning insisted on our arrival at least fifteen minutes early.

The opening dance tonight was the most important. As tradition dictates, the first to walk onto the dance floor would be the graduating class, followed by our grade to form a presentable number for the dance.

The families would stand on the sides, enjoying the welcoming ceremony, and later on, they would join their children on the dance floor with their siblings.

I nodded at my friend’s question. “Elsie called to let me know she and our parents would attend the ball this year.”

“As will mine, but this time my dear mother said she had a surprise for tonight,” Nathaniel answered, sounding more unpleasant than excited. He straightened his suit jacket.

He looked astonishing. We all did. Naomi started making our clothes for tonight as soon as she got the information sheet with the dress code.

I saw several of our male classmates wearing simple black or dark blue suits with little moon or star ornaments on their breast pockets and neckties. They suited the celestial theme, but they were nothing compared to what Naomi had designed for us.

She hadn’t even shown us her sketches before sending them off to her family’s seamstress. All she did was take our measurements.

Nathaniel wore an indigo-blue suit that seemed rather plain at first glance, but the waistcoat he wore on top of a white shirt was coloured in the swirls of mercury’s tinctures. The texture of the planet’s surface was embroidered in gold on the cuffs and down the back of his suit, fading subtly to make it difficult to tell where the pattern started and ended. On the blue tie he wore was a beautiful golden clip with Mercury’s caduceus symbol.

“Oh, what might dear mummy’s surprise be for her golden boy?” Jesse mocked as we climbed the stairs. I gave him a warning glance.

He held his hands up in defence, signalling that he was just curious. Of course, he was. He’s Jesse, after all.

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