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I shrugged. “I’d like to see more of the grounds, too, don’t you agree? I feel like I’ve been going between my quarters, the solarium, and the dining halls over and over.”
“I know my way around,” Adora said. “I think.”
“Love the confidence,” Fina said with a smile.
“Walking will do you good if you’re sore,” Adora said. “And it’s warmer inside the manor than outside.”
Not that I needed any more convincing. Adora led us through the quiet halls of the manor. Though we passed guards and servants, no one seemed to give us a second glance. I had expected there to be more guards, or an increase in surveillance of some kind after yesterday, but it seemed like the duchess and the council would rather pretend it hadn’t happened at all. I supposed Nightfall violence was only acceptable when the Nightfall wolves were the victors.
We made our way to the northern wing of the manor, where the hallways were narrower and the lighting dim.
“This is mostly servants’ quarters and prep rooms in this wing,” Adora explained quietly. “My sisters and I would always come this way to play hide and seek when we were here as children. Anything to avoid the boring trade disputes.” She laughed at the memory. “If I’m remembering right, the archives are part of the larger storage facilities.”
“Look at you,” Fina said, impressed. “Sneaking around like you own the place.”
Adora shrugged. “There wasn’t much else to do.”
“Doesn’t seem like people often come this way, anyway,” I said. Cobwebs draped over the low ceiling of the hallway, and torches weakly lit up as we approached, as if enchanted to spark to life when necessary. Maybe they were. If the Fae had returned to Efra, what other magic might be simmering under the surface?
“What’s down this way?” Fina asked. She tugged Adora’s elbow to lead us both down a narrow hallway, which I’d nearly missed, thinking it was just an alcove.
“What?” Adora asked. “I don’t remember this being here.” She blinked, looking around confusedly. “I may have gotten a little turned around… It’s been a while…”
We descended a narrow staircase, which darkened the hall, lit only by the rectangle of dim yellow light we’d stepped through. Something in the hallway made my hackles rise slightly, as if I were stepping into a dark forest full of potential threats instead of an unknown part of the manor. It didn’t feel like the presence of another wolf, just a general sense of awareness. Potential danger.
“What is that?” I asked.
“What is what?” Fina asked. She moved further down the hallway. At the very end, there was a small door, barely four feet tall. As she approached, she straightened up. “Oh,” she said. “I see what you mean.”
“Feel it?” I asked. The hair on my forearms rose into goosebumps.
Adora shivered and rubbed her upper arms like she was cold.
The door was locked with a huge iron lock, almost comically big on the small entryway. The sensation radiated off the lock, strong enough that it seemed to poke and prod at me, even tickling my nose. It wasn’t pleasant, but it didn’t hurt, either.
“It’s Fae magic,” Fina said. “Wow—it’s old Fae magic.”
“What?” I asked. My eyes widened. “How can you tell?”
Fina knelt down and smoothed her fingertip over the lock. “There’s Fae writing here,” she said. “And the magic…it’s like it’s leaking out of the lock. I’ve never felt it before, but my tutor used to say it felt like walking through a thundercloud.”
It was an apt description. It did feel like lightning could strike at any moment. “Your tutor taught you that?”
“There are a lot of romance novels about Fae,” Fina said with a sheepish grin. “Obviously I got interested in Fae lore, as well.”
“So we should probably go, right?” Adora asked. “We shouldn’t be caught snooping around in private storage.”
“You’re the one who led us here,” Fina teased. She tried the lock, and of course it didn’t budge.
“I’ve been reading a little about Fae history, too,” I said. “What do you think would be leaking Fae magic in the middle of the manor? Why would they keep it locked up like this?”
“I’m sure there’s a good reason,” Adora said. “Come on, we should go.”
“This will just take a second.” Fina pulled two pins from her hair and slipped them into the lock.
“By the gods,” Adora muttered, “this is not ladylike!”
“Come on,” Fina said. “We all know you’re the one who’s going to get picked. I deserve to have a little fun for wasting my time in this competition, don’t I?” She fiddled with the lock, and the tip of her tongue bit between her teeth as she focused.
