Page 44 of A Fate Unwoven
She glanced toward the entrance hall, checking she wasn’t about to be interrupted, and headed for the fireplace. She could make out the symbol a little better now, but still not enough to recognize its meaning. It didn’t matter. This close, Lena could see the slight rise of the stone, the gap at its edges. Holding her breath, Lena pressed her hand against the stone.
And pushed.
There was a singleclick,followed by a too-long moment of silence.
And then the fireplace moved inward, revealing a dark tunnel beyond.
Yes.
Hope flared to life in Lena’s chest. She shoved it down, locking it away beside the constant fear threatening to consume her if she let it loose. Venysa hadn’t been lying about the tunnels, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t lying about anything else.
She had to stay focused. Take things one step at a time, just like her mother had taught her when the reality of her visions had become too much to take.
Releasing a sharp breath, Lena peered into the tunnel, her eyes straining from the darkness. By the look of the sky outside the window, dawn was still several hours away. It was unlikely Lena would have enough time now to search the tunnels and find the chamber Venysa had spoken of—let alone the ancient ritual it was alleged to contain. But she could make a start. Scout out the tunnels. Mark a path for when she had time to return.
She plumped a few pillows beneath the blankets on her bed, until they vaguely resembled a sleeping figure, before pulling on her boots and grabbing a lantern from the entrance chamber. All she needed now was something to mark her path with.
Lena searched the room as quickly and as quietly as she could, looking for anything sharp enough to scrape stone, and eventually found an ornate letter opener in the back of a drawer.
Perfect.
She returned to the tunnel entrance in the hearth, her movements cautious as she stepped inside. It was cooler in here, the air tinged with the scent of damp earth, and a slight breeze ruffled the strands of her hair, growing stronger the farther she went. A breeze was good. A breeze meant an exit to outside the palace, another potential escape route for when she’d broken the bond.
After running into a few dead ends, Lenafinallycame across a set of stone steps. Lena peered down as far as she could see, the light of her lantern too weak to illuminate more than the immediate space around her. There was no way to tell how steep the staircase was. No way to estimate how long it would take her to descend. It had taken her at least a full bell to find the staircase, meaning she still had at least a few hours to explore farther and get back to the Fateweaver’s chambers before the full break of dawn.
Lena stepped onto the stairs, the dim glow of her torch forcing her to take them slower than she’d have liked. The walls narrowed as she descended, and by the time she reached the bottom, her back drenched in sweat despite the cool breeze, damp stone brushed her arms on either side. Her breath caught in her throat at the sensation. She’d always hated small spaces. Had always preferred an open sky above her head and a forest floor beneath her feet.
The urge to turn around tugged at her, slowing her steps further. But she couldn’t turn back yet. Not until she found some kind of evidence that the hiddenZværnachamber existed.
Taking a deep breath, Lena pushed on, her boots steadily thudding against the stone. The breeze was stronger now, the cool kiss of it against her skin calming her racing heart. It would be easy to lose trackof time down here. To lose herself in the darkness and the silence. But Lena counted the minutes in her head, marking every twist and turn that followed the breeze with the sharp edge of the ornate letter opener. She’d been searching for what felt like hours, and so far she’d found nothing but stone and shadow.
This was stupid.
These tunnels were centuries-old and Sisters knew how deep. It would take hours, maybe evendays,for someone who didn’t know the layout to fully explore them.
She was slowing her steps, readying herself to turn around, when she stumbled across a new fork in the tunnel.
Lena stopped, her gaze drifting in each direction. They were likely more dead ends, and it’d be foolish to pursue them now. She should turn back, get some rest and nourishment, and return another time. But the thought of giving up without finding something,anything,pushed her forward.
She could exploreoneof the tunnels. Just one. And even if it didn’t lead her to the chamber, she could at least rule out that path for when she returned.
Lena weighed her options. Both tunnels looked exactly the same; damp and narrow and impossibly dark. The breeze coming from the left tunnel was slightly stronger, the air slightly cooler, meaning it would likely lead to the escape route from the palace itself. The idea of beingoutside,of having the stars above her head and fresh air in her lungs, made it a tempting choice. But if the oldZværnachamberdidexist, it would be buried deep underground, hidden away from the rest of the city.
Lena hesitated, remembering Venysa’s parting words.It will be difficult for me to contact you. I will try, but in the meantime, your magic will guide you—if you let it.Her power had led her to the tunnel entrance itself. Perhaps it could help her figure out which way to go now.
Lena closed her eyes, searching for the steady hum of magic inside of her. It was the first time she’d actively sought it out, and her lungsimmediately constricted as she felt it answer her call. Every instinct was telling her to push it back down, but … she couldn’t. Not if she wanted to be free. Breathing deeply through her nose, Lena forced herself to relax until she felt a now-familiar sensation of magic in the air. It was coming from the tunnel on the right, flowing through the darkness like a gentle breeze.
Lena opened her eyes and, with one last longing glance at the tunnel that likely led to an exit, took the path to the tunnel to the right.
She’d barely taken a few steps when the mark on her wrist began to burn. The tunnel was slightly wider here, the stone darker and covered in moss. Somewhere nearby, the steadytap, tap, tapof water hitting the ground echoed against the stone. The magic inside of her seemed to grow stronger, as if it recognized something down here. Something raw and ancient andpowerful.Was it just her paranoia, or was there a shape in the darkness? The faint outline of an almost beast-like silhouette?
Lena froze, the cool metal of the letter opener in her hand nowhere near as reassuring as the familiar hilt of her dagger would have been. Slowly, she pushed her torch forward, bracing herself for the sight of whatever awaited her in the dark—
Nothing.
Lena let out a shaky sigh, her eyes searching the empty space before her.Just your imagination, Lena,she told herself.
Still, her death grip on the letter opener didn’t loosen as she continued walking, cautiously taking bend after bend until a familiar pain sliced through her head. As it had in her dream in Deyecia, the air began to hum with energy, the sound vibrating through her skin and into her bones. She gritted her teeth against the sensation. Against the flow of power in her veins.
