Page 113 of The Onyx Covenant

“How did no one discover this before? The Covenant members lived here for years.”

“Maybe they weren’t looking, or maybe they knew?” Theron says. We follow the narrow passage extending about twenty feet before ending at what appears to be another door.

The air is stale but not unpleasant, suggesting the space has remained sealed for some time. Unlike the hidden entrance, the iron door we find makes no attempt to disguise its nature. It’s clearly a barrier meant to keep people out.

“No handle,” I observe, running my hands over the cold metal surface. “And no obvious way to open it.”

Theron examines the door carefully, seeing no engravings or markings.

“Wait,” he says suddenly, pointing to the far left of the door. “Look at this.”

I lean closer to see what he’s found. It’s a circular depression about two inches in diameter, deep enough that the bottom disappears into shadow.

“A keyhole?” I suggest, frowning. “But it’s not like any I’ve seen before.”

“It’s not for a conventional key,” Theron agrees, tracing the opening with his finger.

I touch the medallion hanging from my ceremonial chain—the one that grants us access to the Covenant building. “Do you think it could be this?”

He considers it, then shakes his head while I contemplate if I’ve seen any keys in the building since arriving but come up short.

“We had to use a key in the maze,” he blurts out and glances at me. My eyes widen as it all comes back to me.

A thought strikes me suddenly. “The Bloodstone Key!”

“You still have it, right?” he asks urgently.

“Yes, I brought it with me after the maze. It’s in our bedroom, in the carved box on the shelf.”

“I’ll get it,” he states, already turning back toward the passage. “Stay here and see if you can find anything else.”

While he’s gone, I examine the door more carefully, noting how the hallway has no markings either and how this whole section doesn’t fit the same design as the Onyx Covenant building—as though someone built this secretly.

Theron returns moments later, slightly breathless from hurrying. The Bloodstone Key gleams dully in his palm and is small enough to fit comfortably in the hand, with strange symbols etched into its surface.

“Let’s see if this works,” he says, holding it up to the depression in the door.

The Bloodstone Key fits perfectly into the hole. For a moment, nothing happens. Then Theron gives it a slight turn, and we hear a series of clicks from within the door.

Slowly, silently, the heavy door swings inward, revealing the darkness beyond.

I take his free hand and squeeze it, then we step through the doorway into the unknown.

The chamber is larger than I expected, perhaps twenty square feet, with a vaulted ceiling. Dust motes dance in the beam of our blue light, swirling in the disturbed air. The room is lined with shelves from floor to ceiling, packed with books, scrolls, and what appear to be wooden filing boxes. A large table sits in the center, surrounded by cushioned chairs.

“By the moons,” Theron breathes, stepping inside. “This is it. This must be what my mother was referring to.”

I follow him in, running my fingers along the spines of books whose titles have faded with time. “There’s so much here. Records going back… centuries, by the look of it.”

“We need to read all of it,” Theron says, already pulling volumes from shelves. “Everything. There could be crucial information about both our packs, about the Covenant itself.”

“This will take months,” I observe, opening one of the wooden boxes to find neatly filed parchments.

Theron glances up, a half smile playing on his lips despite the seriousness of the moment. “Good thing we have ten years, then.”

We spend hours examining the contents of the hidden chamber, carefully placing items onto the table for closer inspection. Some documents are so fragile they threaten to crumble at a touch, while others are better preserved.

As daylight fades outside, neither of us suggests stopping. At some point, Theron drags the cushions from the chairs to provide more comfort on the floor.

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