Page 56 of Unseen Eye (Aetherian Chronicles #1)

Cal gives me a quick, reassuring look, and I nod before he leads us to the side entrance.

My grip tightens around my pack, nerves simmering just beneath the surface.

The guard on duty is passed out, slumped against the wall, a faint snore escaping his lips.

“Good job,” Cal says, patting Theo on the back, a rare note of approval in his voice.

He steps closer to the guard, placing the rune-infused stone beside him.

My chest loosens just a bit—we’ll know the second he stirs.

We move quickly, slipping through the gates and past the entrance.

With both Garet and Baron in Coire, the guards seem less on edge.

I catch snippets of their conversation as they pass, murmuring about the latest scandal—a missing shipment of silver for the gates or someone trying to bribe their way into the castle kitchens.

We keep to the shadows, holding our breath until they’re gone.

The air smells faintly of wood polish and damp stone, the sounds of muffled footsteps echoing down the corridor.

We reach the library without a hitch. The moment we step inside, the space awakens.

Lanterns suspended in the air flicker to life one by one, their light spilling across the room like ripples on a still pond.

The way they brighten feels deliberate, as though the library itself is acknowledging our presence.

“Guess that answers whether anyone’s here,” Theo quips, glancing around with a grin. “Unless people in Astermiri have figured out how to read in the dark, I think we’re good.”

“Split up,” Cal orders, his voice low but commanding as he strides toward a corner. “We don’t have long before we need to hit the next location.”

I can’t help but smile faintly at their reactions. Even Izzy, who rarely shows wonder, seems transfixed. Theo, of course, is less subtle, craning his neck to take in the vaulted ceiling. “You think we could move one of these to Coire?”

Izzy rolls her eyes, brushing her fingers over a row of ancient tomes. “We’d need to move half the kingdom just to fit it.” She picks up a book from a nearby shelf, its cover adorned with runes that shimmer faintly.

“Focus, both of you,” Cal calls out from across the room, though even he can’t entirely mask his wonder.

I move quickly, scanning the shelves for anything I might have missed last time.

The library looks exactly as I remember, down to the books Leigh must have been reading, still piled in the plush armchair in the corner.

I feel a pang of nostalgia, a fleeting memory of her voice echoing in my mind.

But there’s no time for that now. As I pass the shelves, the books shift slightly, their bindings rustling softly, as if whispering secrets to one another.

“Let’s see if this works,” I mutter, stepping into the center of the room. Clearing my throat, I call out, “Hello, library?” My voice echoes faintly, blending with the gentle hum of magic in the air. “I don’t suppose you could point me toward any books about the creation of the gates?”

The library freezes. Shelves that swayed gently just moments ago go rigid, the faint whispers of books falling silent. The lanterns overhead drift higher, their lights dimming as if retreating from me. It’s not just quiet—it’s as if the entire room has decided to turn its back.

Izzy’s laugh breaks the spell. “Did you seriously just try to talk to it?” She raises an eyebrow as she snaps a thick tome shut. “What, did you think it was going to sprout a sign that says, ‘This Way to The Gate’s Secrets’?”

“Worth a shot,” I mutter, turning back to the shelves. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way.”

Theo hums thoughtfully from a corner, a pile of ledgers at his feet. “These are interesting,” he says, flipping through pages so ancient they look like they might disintegrate. “Apparently, the gods had a very complicated trade system. Who knew they were into tariffs?”

“Fascinating,” Izzy replies, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She taps her foot against the polished floor, her impatience practically vibrating through the room. “But unless you find a ledger labeled ‘How to Unlock Mysterious Gates,’ I don’t think it’s going to help us.”

With no luck on the main floor, we head upstairs, the creaky steps groaning under our weight.

The hum of the library’s magic grows fainter as we ascend, replaced by the eerie quiet of the upper level.

Shadows stretch and ripple across the walls, forming fleeting shapes that vanish when I try to focus on them.

My old room is just around the corner, but we don’t stop. We’re heading toward an old, tucked-away storage room Leigh mentioned once—hidden at the end of a narrow side hall.

Just as we near the door, voices echo from the main hall. My breath catches. Guards.

We dart into a small alcove, pressing against the cool stone. The muffled banter of the guards draws closer, their boots clicking against the polished floor.

As I wait, pressed against the wall, I can’t help but think of Leigh—wondering how she’s doing and if she’s all right. A tightness pulls at my chest, my heart aching with a strange mix of worry and regret. If only things were different, if there was time to see her while I’m still here.

But there’s no time. Not now.

The guards’ voices grow clearer, and I hold my breath, willing the shadows to keep us hidden.

“Yeah, got my new station orders this morning. They’re moving us all around again,” one mutters.

“Same here. Heard they’re pulling half the night watch to different posts. Something about tightening security,” the other replies.

“Strange timing, though. No one’s saying why.”

They pass by, their footsteps fading, leaving me and Cal exchanging a quick glance, eyebrows raised. Something’s definitely up.

We quickly reach the unmarked door, and Cal gently pushes it open.

The creak of the old hinges sets my teeth on edge, but we slip inside.

The room is dimly lit by a narrow window high up, casting faint beams of light across the dust-coated floor.

The air smells of age, thick with the scent of stale wood and forgotten things.

“Spread out and search for anything unusual,” Cal says, and we get to work.

I approach a dusty bookshelf, pulling out books and checking behind them for hidden compartments.

The weight of the old tomes in my hands is oddly comforting.

Theo pries open each crate, the sound of wood scraping sharply in the stillness, while Izzy taps along the stone walls, her fingers pausing when the pitch changes—listening for hollow spots.

Cal rifles through the desk in the corner, the drawers creaking like they haven’t been touched in years.

“Find anything?” Theo asks after a few minutes of searching, his voice tinged with frustration.

“Nothing yet,” I reply, feeling my own frustration bubbling up. “Keep looking. There has to be something here.” I bite down on my lip, fighting the urge to rush the search. We can’t afford to miss anything.

Just as I’m about to give up, I spot a small, nearly invisible seam in the wall behind the bookshelf. “Guys, I think I found something,” I whisper.

Cal rushes over, examining the seam closely, his eyes narrowing in concentration. “Good catch,” he says, tracing the outline with his fingers. There’s a flicker of pride in his voice. “Help me move the bookshelf.”

Together, we push the heavy bookshelf aside, the wood groaning under the strain, revealing a hidden door. My pulse quickens as Cal carefully opens it, revealing a narrow, dark passageway. “This is it,” he says, looking back at us, his expression serious. “Stay close and be quiet.”

We step into the passageway, the air cooling and the light dimming with each step.

The walls are coated in a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs hang like tattered curtains from every direction—a sure sign this passage hasn’t been used in a long time.

The only light comes from the entrance, fading quickly as we move deeper.

After twisting around a few corners, we find ourselves in a room not much bigger than the one we just left.

It’s filled with several small bookcases and a desk.

The air is musty with the scent of old paper and damp stone.

My heart beats a little faster as I immediately head for the bookshelves while Cal moves toward the desk.

Most of the books are written in a language I can’t understand, the strange symbols dancing before my eyes.

Even Izzy seems stumped, her usual confidence faltering.

Eventually, I find a book where I recognize a few words—barely enough to make sense of it—but it seems important, so I stuff it in my backpack, just in case.

“Any luck?” Izzy shouts over to Cal, who’s still rifling through drawers, her voice carrying a hint of anxiety now.

“I’m not sure,” he replies, gathering a pile of papers and adding them to his pack.

“How much time do we have left?” Izzy asks Theo, who’s been guarding the door since we got here, her eyes darting nervously between us and the entrance.

“Thirty minutes at most, but I’d highly suggest we don’t push it,” Theo replies, his tone firm. I can see the tension in his stance, the way he’s gripping his weapon just a little too tightly.

“Are we going to try Baron’s private chambers?” Izzy asks, motioning for Cal to hurry up. The urgency in her voice is unmistakable. “I have no idea where the queen is; it could be too risky.”

I’m heading toward Theo when something catches my eye—a book, its spine worn much more than the others. It’s clearly older, much older. Ignoring the cloud of dust that comes with it, I reach up and pull it off the shelf. Flicking through the pages, I find they’re filled with symbols—runes, maybe?

Cal comes up behind me, peering over my shoulder. “Fuck,” he whispers, taking the book from my hands, his eyes narrowing as he studies the symbols.

“What is it?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.