Page 46 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“I told you, a switch. It’ll be a hidden keyhole that only this can open.” He holds up the bronze key before tracing the bottom of the dresser with his fingers whilst talking. “During the war, our ancestors dug a bunch of tunnels that run beneath the entire court, and to get to them, they created secret entrances. This is one of them.”

Tori’s face crinkles in surprise, and I feel the same emotion cross my own.

“I don’t understand, surely that’s not possible,” I say.

“Oh, it’s very possible.” He pauses to open the doors to a wonky closet leaning against the back wall, tapping against the back of it to check for only gods’ knows what. “It’s how many humans got away. We came close to winning, too, but I’m not going to give you a history lesson.”

Very smart. Perhaps I underestimated your species after all.

Perhaps you should help look for this damned switch.

Perhaps.

I wait for the help, but I’m met with silence.

Thanks!

An answering chuckle fills my head, and I just roll my eyes.

“So why do you not know where it is?” I ask as I stoop down on the floor, checking beneath the bed. Tori does the same, searching inside an old ottoman on the other side of the room. The room is small, surely there can’t be that many places it could be.

“I’ve never been to this entrance before.”

I sit back on my heels, scanning the room. My gaze catches on the bedpost, its thick circular tip drawing my attention. I jumpto my feet and twist it as if it were a doorknob. To my surprise, after a few tries, it starts to move. I keep turning it until the ball is sitting in the palm of my hand. I peer at the space where it was and gasp when my eyes land on a keyhole.

“Finn.”

The excitement in my voice brings him to my side quickly. He stands beside me, smiling.

“I could kiss you, Barron.” He beams.

“Try it and I’ll stab you.”

He grabs the keys, pushing the bronze one into the keyhole. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

I ignore him as he turns the key, and a click sounds in the silence of the room.

“You should probably hold on to something,” he tells us both. “It feels weird the first time.”

Before I can ask what he means, the floor starts to move downwards. A small squeak leaves Tori’s mouth, and I find myself grabbing onto the bedpost for support.

“What’s happening?” I ask as I watch the walls remain still as the floor sinks us further into the unknown darkness.

“It’s called a hoist. It will lower us to the tunnel floor.”

I look around in awe. Humans built this, and the vampires didn’t know. Fear and pride mix in my chest as I take it all in.

“This is incredible,” I whisper.

“Yes, it is,” he says from beside me.

The floor creaks and trembles beneath us, and though fear prickles at me, excitement swells in my chest all the same. After what feels like forever, we hit the ground. I stare out into complete darkness, my eyes searching the mass. Cold air slaps against my skin, and a distant whistle fills the air.

Finn makes quick work of putting the bedpost back together before flinging the keys in the center of the bed just like the man asked.

“We have less than a minute before this thing starts going back up,” he tells us.

“You want us to go in there?” Tori asks, pointing to the darkness.