Page 53 of Living Legend

“Wait, is this tunnel a myth?” Elise asked.

“For the most part. Reese and I heard about it years ago, but it wasn’t really something in the curriculum. It was just a rumor passed around.”

“And no one has been able to find it,” Reese added. “Until now.”

“How did you find it, Nicholas?” I saw the way his back tensed. He tried to casually keep walking, but I knew the answer was something he wasn’t prepared to give. I wanted to press further, push his limits, but I was halted when he stopped walking. Reese ran into his back, causing them to topple forward into the door in front of us. They collected themselves, muttering a few curse words, before brushing off their clothes.

Nicholas opened the door with his free hand and our eyes were met with a staircase made of glossy gray stones. Dim light sprouted out, and Nicholas closed his hand. Two wall torches of angelic light, soft and soothing, adorned both sides of the staircase. The first step inside was about an inch above the ground, so he stepped into the open space and ascended the stairs. We followed closely behind, Reese closing the door behind us. It wasn’t long before I was met with a warm feeling, like a roaring fire caressing my chilly bones, that smelled like pine.

I heard hands against wood as Nicholas pushed against two wood doors above his head. The doors tented open, slowly, eventually coming apart completely, revealing an open space above us. That pinewood smell completely overwhelmed my senses and relaxed every part of me. Four more wall torches were fastened into the stone, and a tall wooden door lay before us. I knew by the way Nicholas sighed with relief that we had arrived. He pulled on the winged handle and opened the door, letting the warmth rain over us. Thick curtains lay in front of the doors, but when they were pushed apart, a stunning space was revealed.

The first thing I noticed were the lights hanging from the ceiling, orbs that set a comforting tone , bobbing back and forth. I looked around, a shelf of books catching my eye at every turn and angle. All the darkness that settled itself in my soul relaxed and lay dormant.

“I didn’t think the secret passage was real,” Reese admitted, spinning in a slow circle as he looked around. “I haven’t been here in years.”Nicholas raised an eyebrow at him expectedly. “I’m not much of a reader,” he shrugged.

“I had no idea youcouldread,” Elise taunted, patting his shoulder as she passed him.

“What exactly do you think this place will do for us? There’s no way we’ll have time to go through all these books just to find some small piece of information,” I said, moving closer.

“The library is divided into floors and sections within those floors. The first floor, where we’re at now, has all the books on training, architecture, and maps of the land over the years.”

Elise laughed. “You guys have this many fucking books dedicated to training? You all take this shitwaytoo seriously.”

“Sentries and guardians have the bulk of it,” he explained, plucking a book off a shelf.

I grabbed it from his hand, reading the title out loud. “Arsenals of the Guard: A History of Weapons Used Throughout the Years. Wow, sounds like a fun read.”

“What does this have to do with anything? I did not trek through an underground tunnel for this,” Elise complained, leaning on a table.

Nicholas tilted his chin towards the metal railing above us. “The second floor. It holds books on the history of Heaven’s Gate, The Skies, and anything else in this realm.”

“Why would knowing the history of your land help us? We aren’t trying to learn more about your realm’s historical properties,” I question.

“True, but there’s a tapestry up there of an Enchanter and an angel. Their past is intertwined with ours, so there must besomethinghere.”

“Fair enough. Second floor, here we come.” I made my way over to the staircase winding up to the second level. The orbs were dim but brightened a bit as we got closer. Decorative rugs were placed under the tables and desks, tapestries littering the walls.I stood in front of the one Nicholas had mentioned, no doubt an Enchanter and an angel, their magic clashing. The stars above the Enchanter’s head reminded me of Natalia’s marking. Her story of the way the fallout erupted had me pondering on how Lilith could have brought the two together.

“Luckily, this floor doesn’t have as many bookshelves as below, but I say we split up and look for a book, any book, related to what we’re searching for. Reese, don’t get distracted,” Nicholas delegated, breaking from the group towards one of the further bookshelves.

I tried to keep my attention on the task in front of me, but it was hard to move at a decent pace when I had to climb up each bookshelf to truly see the spines. My short stature frustrated me profusely. I heard Elise huff loudly, clearly not finding her mark. I hadn’t heard a peep out of Reese, which meant Elise had finally killed him, or he was being serious about this for once.

“Fuck!” a male voice exclaimed in a low shout. Books crashing onto the floor had me whipping my head around as I hung from one of the wooden shelves.I saw Reese’s mop of blonde hair peek out from behind a shelf and lift one of his hands. “My bad, guys.”

I shook my head with a snort. I jumped down, my calves tight from all the climbing. I retreated to the floor, scooting back so my spine was against the railing. I stared at the last bookcase and blew out a breath. I ran my hand through my long hair, brushing off the dust that had settled on it. If something was here, I highly doubted it would be on these shelves. This library already had a secret entrance; why not have a few more secrets as well?

I moved towards my last shelf when something made me turn to the wall in the middle of the room where the tapestry with the Enchanter and angel hung. I tilted my head from side to side, wondering why I felt so drawn to it. I had no magic, especially not the kind this place welcomed or that would unlock anything. I let out another sigh of exhaustion and frustration.

The sun would be up in a few hours, and we’d have nothing to show for it. I touched the pointed end of the tapestry and bit my bottom lip. I casually lifted it up, hoping I would find a hidden door or something behind it, only to be greeted by uneven, multicolored stone. Light bobbled back and forth over my shoulder, illuminating a crack on the side of a stone. It made my eyes narrow in curiosity. I slid a finger into the crack, biting into my lip harder with concentration. I removed my hand and moved it to the opposite side of the stone, pressing my fingers into where I hoped would be another crack.

I heard the grinding sound of stone against stone as it moved slightly when I pushed. I knew my face was flushed with excitement at my discovery. I pulled the tapestry up and around the pole it hung from, wrapping it around until it wasn’t in my way. I reached out and tucked my fingers into the sides of the stone, shimmying it out of its slot. The ear-piercing slide of stone was awful and my fingers burned from my tight grip, but with each motion, the stone loosened.

“What the hell are you doing?” Nicholas called from behind me. I didn’t let him stop me from my extraction.

“One second,” I answered, watching as the stone released from its spot, a rectangular hole left in its place. I placed the stone on a table behind me as Nicholas caught my arm.

“I’d like an explanation,” he demanded, not releasing his hold.

“I think I might have found what we’re looking for, so you can thank me later,” I teased, using my free hand to caress his cheek with the back of my hand.He grabbed my hand and pulled it away, letting his fingers linger a moment on mine. I yanked my arm out of his hold and watched him walk over to the wall.

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