Chapter 9: The Hidden Archive
1017 Words
Evelyn stared at the silver key resting in her palm.
The lantern’s flame flickered, casting long shadows across the Moon Tower.
She rushed to the edge of the room and looked down the spiral staircase.
“Hello?”
Only silence answered.
The hooded stranger had vanished without a trace.
She hurried down the stairs, taking them two at a time, but by the time she reached the gardens, there was no one there.
The moonflowers swayed gently in the breeze.
It was as if the stranger had never existed.
⸻
“Evelyn?”
She spun around.
Lucas stood at the entrance to the garden.
His hands were tucked into the pockets of his jacket, concern written across his face.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
Her heart skipped.
“I… couldn’t sleep.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
“You usually take walks in abandoned towers?”
She hesitated.
“I guess not.”
He looked toward the tower.
“Did something happen?”
For a moment, she considered telling him everything.
The message.
The hooded figure.
The key.
Instead, she closed her hand around the key inside her pocket.
“No.”
He studied her face.
“You know you’re a terrible liar.”
“I’ve only known you for two days.”
“And I’ve already figured that out.”
She laughed softly.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll walk you back.”
⸻
The castle corridors were nearly empty.
Their footsteps echoed against the stone floors.
Lucas glanced at her.
“Tomorrow’s your first real day of classes.”
“I’m nervous.”
“You should be.”
She frowned.
“Thanks.”
“I’m kidding.”
He smiled.
“You’ll do fine.”
She looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“Because every time something impossible happens, you somehow manage to keep going.”
She smiled.
“Is that supposed to be encouraging?”
“It is.”
⸻
When they reached Moon Hall, Lucas stopped outside the entrance.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks… for walking me back.”
“Anytime.”
He started to leave before turning around.
“Oh, and Evelyn?”
“Yeah?”
“If anyone asks where you were…”
He shrugged.
“Tell them you were with me.”
Her eyes widened.
“You’d lie for me?”
“I prefer to think of it as… selective honesty.”
She laughed as he disappeared down the hallway.
⸻
The next morning…
Evelyn woke before her alarm.
The silver key lay on her bedside table.
She frowned.
She distinctly remembered putting it in her jacket pocket.
“Okay…”
She picked it up.
The metal felt warm.
Almost alive.
As soon as her fingers wrapped around it, a tiny symbol appeared on the key’s handle.
A crescent moon.
Then it faded.
⸻
By breakfast, the dining hall buzzed with excitement.
Students whispered excitedly about the Blood Hound attack.
“…I heard there were dozens.”
“…No, hundreds.”
“…They bowed to someone.”
“…That’s impossible.”
Maya dropped into the seat beside Evelyn.
“I swear everyone has forgotten classes exist.”
Finn carried an overfilled tray to the table.
“They’re serving cinnamon rolls.”
Celeste looked up from her tea.
“I can see that.”
“No, I mean they’re magical cinnamon rolls.”
“…Meaning?”
“They refill.”
Maya immediately grabbed one.
“Best academy ever.”
⸻
Their morning classes passed quickly.
In Magical Theory, students practiced sensing magical energy.
Professor Lyra walked slowly between the desks.
“Magic surrounds everything.”
She stopped beside Evelyn.
“Close your eyes.”
Evelyn obeyed.
“What do you feel?”
“…Warmth.”
“Good.”
“What else?”
She frowned.
“The trees.”
Several students looked up.
Professor Lyra remained calm.
“What about them?”
“They’re…”
Evelyn’s eyebrows pulled together.
“They’re talking.”
Silence filled the classroom.
Professor Lyra smiled.
“Excellent.”
Maya whispered from the next desk.
“The trees talk?”
Professor Lyra nodded.
“To those willing to listen.”
⸻
After class, Professor Lyra quietly approached Evelyn.
“Miss Carter.”
“Yes?”
She lowered her voice.
“Be careful who you trust.”
Before Evelyn could respond, the professor walked away.
⸻
That afternoon, Evelyn couldn’t stop thinking about the key.
She skipped the library and wandered through the quieter halls of the academy instead.
Without really deciding to, her feet carried her toward the oldest wing of the castle.
She hadn’t been there before.
The halls were darker.
Dust covered the windows.
Few students ever came this way.
The silver key suddenly grew warm.
Very warm.
She stopped.
An old wooden door stood at the end of the corridor.
Unlike every other door in the academy, it had no handle.
Only a small keyhole shaped like…
A crescent moon.
Evelyn’s pulse quickened.
“No way…”
She looked around.
The hallway was empty.
Slowly, she removed the silver key from her pocket.
It fit perfectly.
The lock clicked.
The heavy door creaked open.
Cool air drifted out.
Beyond it lay a vast underground chamber lined with towering shelves filled with ancient scrolls, glowing crystals, and books older than the academy itself.
At the center of the room stood a stone pedestal.
Resting on it…
Was a leather-bound journal.
Its cover bore the same moon-and-wings crest.
Evelyn stepped closer.
The journal opened by itself.
Written across the first page in elegant handwriting were the words:
For my daughter, Evelyn…
Her breath caught.
“My mother’s journal…”
Just as she reached for it—
A floorboard creaked behind her.
She turned sharply.
Someone else was in the archive.
A tall figure stood in the doorway, face hidden beneath a dark hood.
Unlike the stranger in the Moon Tower…
This person’s voice was cold.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
They took one step into the room.
“And now…”
“…I can’t let you leave.”
- Writer
