Page 87 of Unseen Eye
My old room is just around the corner, but we don’t stop. We’re heading toward an old, tucked-away storage room Leigh mentioned once—hidden at the end of a narrow side hall.
Just as we near the door, voices echo from the main hall. My breath catches. Guards.
We dart into a small alcove, pressing against the cool stone. The muffled banter of the guards draws closer, their boots clicking against the polished floor.
As I wait, pressed against the wall, I can’t help but think of Leigh—wondering how she’s doing and if she’s all right. A tightness pulls at my chest, my heart aching with a strange mix of worry and regret. If only things were different, if there was time to see her while I’m still here.
But there’s no time. Not now.
The guards’ voices grow clearer, and I hold my breath, willing the shadows to keep us hidden.
“Yeah, got my new station orders this morning. They’re moving us all around again,” one mutters.
“Same here. Heard they’re pulling half the night watch to different posts. Something about tightening security,” the other replies.
“Strange timing, though. No one’s saying why.”
They pass by, their footsteps fading, leaving me and Cal exchanging a quick glance, eyebrows raised. Something’s definitely up.
We quickly reach the unmarked door, and Cal gently pushes it open. The creak of the old hinges sets my teeth on edge, but we slip inside. The room is dimly lit by a narrow window high up, casting faint beams of light across the dust-coated floor. The air smells of age, thick with the scent of stale wood and forgotten things. “Spread out and search for anything unusual,” Cal says, and we get to work.
I approach a dusty bookshelf, pulling out books and checking behind them for hidden compartments. The weight of the old tomes in my hands is oddly comforting. Theo pries open each crate, the sound of wood scraping sharply in the stillness, while Izzy taps along the stone walls, her fingers pausing when the pitch changes—listening for hollow spots. Cal rifles through thedesk in the corner, the drawers creaking like they haven’t been touched in years.
“Find anything?” Theo asks after a few minutes of searching, his voice tinged with frustration.
“Nothing yet,” I reply, feeling my own frustration bubbling up. “Keep looking. There has to be something here.” I bite down on my lip, fighting the urge to rush the search. We can’t afford to miss anything.
Just as I’m about to give up, I spot a small, nearly invisible seam in the wall behind the bookshelf. “Guys, I think I found something,” I whisper.
Cal rushes over, examining the seam closely, his eyes narrowing in concentration. “Good catch,” he says, tracing the outline with his fingers. There’s a flicker of pride in his voice. “Help me move the bookshelf.”
Together, we push the heavy bookshelf aside, the wood groaning under the strain, revealing a hidden door. My pulse quickens as Cal carefully opens it, revealing a narrow, dark passageway. “This is it,” he says, looking back at us, his expression serious. “Stay close and be quiet.”
We step into the passageway, the air cooling and the light dimming with each step. The walls are coated in a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs hang like tattered curtains from every direction—a sure sign this passage hasn’t been used in a long time. The only light comes from the entrance, fading quickly as we move deeper. After twisting around a few corners, we find ourselves in a room not much bigger than the one we just left. It’s filled with several small bookcases and a desk. The air is musty with the scent of old paper and damp stone. My heart beats a little faster as I immediately head for the bookshelves while Cal moves toward the desk.
Most of the books are written in a language I can’t understand, the strange symbols dancing before my eyes. Even Izzy seemsstumped, her usual confidence faltering. Eventually, I find a book where I recognize a few words—barely enough to make sense of it—but it seems important, so I stuff it in my backpack, just in case.
“Any luck?” Izzy shouts over to Cal, who’s still rifling through drawers, her voice carrying a hint of anxiety now.
“I’m not sure,” he replies, gathering a pile of papers and adding them to his pack.
“How much time do we have left?” Izzy asks Theo, who’s been guarding the door since we got here, her eyes darting nervously between us and the entrance.
“Thirty minutes at most, but I’d highly suggest we don’t push it,” Theo replies, his tone firm. I can see the tension in his stance, the way he’s gripping his weapon just a little too tightly.
“Are we going to try Baron’s private chambers?” Izzy asks, motioning for Cal to hurry up. The urgency in her voice is unmistakable. “I have no idea where the queen is; it could be too risky.”
I’m heading toward Theo when something catches my eye—a book, its spine worn much more than the others. It’s clearly older, much older. Ignoring the cloud of dust that comes with it, I reach up and pull it off the shelf. Flicking through the pages, I find they’re filled with symbols—runes, maybe?
Cal comes up behind me, peering over my shoulder. “Fuck,” he whispers, taking the book from my hands, his eyes narrowing as he studies the symbols.
“What is it?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.
“I’m pretty sure these are some of the runes on the gate, but we’ll have to look more later. We’ve got to go.” He leans down and plants a quick kiss on my lips. “You’re amazing, you know that, right?” he whispers, his voice warm with admiration, before taking my hand and leading me back toward the others, who are already starting to retrace their steps through thetunnel.
As we make our way back, the sense of urgency cranks up a notch. Every creak of the floorboards and distant noise puts us on edge. The passageway feels longer on the return trip, each corner we turn heightening the tension. Finally, we reach the entrance. Theo glances outside, checking for any sign of trouble.
I stop and glance up the staircase to my right—the one that leads to the private residences. After coming this far, it feels like a waste not to at least try.
