Page 111 of A Legacy of the Light

Finneus rests his palm on the smooth rock. When his hand connects with the stone of the mountain, it begins to crack, forming the shape of two doors that open automatically when Finneus pulls his hand away. I watch, my mouth slightly slack.

He quickly steps inside, the lights from the low-hanging black chandeliers flicking on as we enter.

The wooden floor of the library turns to stone as I step into a large cavern shaped in a semicircle. Two chairs sit in the center of the space. They clearly haven’t been used in a long time, since their blue fabric is covered in a layer of dust.

Carved into the mountain, are eight half-moon doors spread evenly around the chamber. Each one is made of dark metal. Each one has the same symbol welded into them that I have inked onto my skin. My heart kicks up a beat in my chest.

Finneus strides to the one directly in front of us and waits for me to join him. He looks over the doors thoughtfully.

“These chambers haven’t been opened in at least one hundred and fifty years,” he says to himself.

“How do they open?” I ask.

“It will open to the Darrow bloodline. One would simply rest their palm on the door.”

I take the last few steps and stand next to Finneus and tentatively raise my palm. Before I touch the metal, Finneus gently grabs my wrist. Concern is etched into his face. “Elsie, if this door opens, we must not speak of it, okay?”

I swallow. “Why?”

“There’s a reason the Dorche wiped out Murdoch and Màiri. They were light wielders, and incredibly powerful. If it got out that you are somehow descended from that line, you would be hunted. You wouldn’t be safe.”

His words send fear slicing through me and I swallow again.

“If this door opens, I will not say a word. I will protect you with my own life if need be,” he promises.

I look at the open stone doors behind us. We are at the very back of the library but if someone walks past, they will see us.

Finneus follows my gaze and waves his hand. The stone groans as the doors close. “Only my magic and Darrow magic can get in here. We’ll be safe.’ He gives my wrist a soft squeeze before letting go and stepping back.

I release a long breath and raise my hand again, my body feeling like it’s moving in slow motion. The first touch of the ice-cold metal against my fingertips sends a wave of shivers over me.

The Craobh pulses against my chest as more of my hand comes into contact with the door. I rest my palm fully on it, right in the center of the overlapping circles.

Nothing happens.

The shivers disappear, and the Craobh settles against my chest. Disappointment flows through me. I turn my head to look at Finneus and the look on his face mirrors what I’m feeling.

“I really thought this was more than a coincidence,” I whisper to myself, turning back to the door and slumping my shoulders. I thought that Granny was somehow connected to Elfayne and the Darrows. I guess she could still be descended from other Seelie, but this proves that it’s not the former rulers.

I sigh and start to pull away from the door.

A surge of energy runs from the metal into my hand and up my arm, sealing me to it.

A gasp leaves me, and the Craobh pulses a soft green light, barely visible through my thick sweater. A wave of energy rolls between me and the door, back and forth, like waves on the shore. My breathing turns choppy and I stand watching nothing, but feeling everything.

After a few more seconds, the magic releases me and I stumble back, cradling my hand to my chest.

The noise of metal on stone echoes around the chamber. The doors start to slide, straight down the middle of the symbol. Finneus’s sharp intake of breath is barely audible next to me and we stand in silence as the chamber opens fully.

I turn to look at him, my hand still cradled to my chest. Finneus takes me in, scanning every inch of my face, and his eyes start to line with tears.

“Elsie,” he whispers and drops to one knee.

“W-what are you doing?” I stammer.

“You are the last Darrow.”

I stumble back from him, my eyes widening in shock.