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I embraced Lily tightly in wordless gratitude. Just knowing another friendly soul still stood stalwartly at my side bolstered my battered spirit immensely. I could not untangle this cruel knot alone. But united with my dearest friend beside me... surely no barrier could withstand us for long.
As despair threatened to swallow me again, I felt Lily’s cool hands grip mine. “Don’t give up hope,” she soothed. “Rhys has survived too much to be defeated so easily.”
I clung to her steadying presence like a lifeline, slowly regaining my calm. Lily had always been my voice of reason in stormy seas. With her help, surely the path ahead would grow clearer.
“You’re right,” I said at last. “But we still have no solid leads. If only we had some way to unravel this dreadful mystery!”
Lily’s eyes took on a faraway look, lips pursed thoughtfully. After a moment, she refocused on me. “Well, thereisone untapped resource we could try. Though I hesitate to suggest it...” she trailed off uncertainly.
I leaned forward, seizing any shred of possibility. “Whatever it is, I’m willing. Name it!”
Lily bit her lip again, eyes shadowed. “The academy archives in the basement. Off-limits to students, but they contain documents going back centuries. There may be something about Rhys’ past that could prove enlightening.”
My brow furrowed as I considered. Sneaking into the forbidden archives was risky indeed. But Lily had a point—those age-old records could hold answers found nowhere else. “I think it’s our best option at this stage,” I determined. “Can we get in unnoticed?”
Relief flickered in Lily’s eyes that I hadn’t rejected her suggestion outright. “Leave that part to me. But we should go at midnight tomorrow—the witching hour will keep most students in their beds.”
I exhaled shakily. “Very well. Let’s meet outside the archives at midnight. With any luck, we’ll finally get some insight into Rhys’ fate.” Impulsively, I hugged her in gratitude.
Lily returned my embrace, though she remained tense. “Of course. The truth will be revealed…one way or another.”
Was it only my overwrought nerves that made her vow sound vaguely ominous? I pushed the thought away. Lily had proven her devotion time and again. Any misgivings were surely born of my own frayed spirit.
I took my leave to prepare for the coming night’s covert operation. Though violating ironclad decrees made my stomach swoop dizzily, the recklessness was a welcome distraction from ceaseless worry for Rhys.
“Patience, my love…” I murmured as I made my way back to my dorm. “Iwillfind you.”
CHAPTER26
Sera
Midnight’shollow chime echoed through the silent halls as I crept towards my rendezvous with Lily. Darkness cloaked my moonlit path up the spiral stairs to the dust-choked archives. The forbidden dungeon loomed closer, a rigid sentinel enforcing the academy’s buried secrets. Tonight, I aimed to plunder those age-old vaults for any scrap of truth about Rhys’ past. But my quickened breaths betrayed the anxiety churning within at defying such engrained decrees.
At last, I reached the arched wooden door barring entry to the archives. Strange runes etched into the stained oak planks hummed with warding energy, an added barrier. Breaking this seal would not be simple. But where was Lily? She alone had the skill of disabling the archaic wards...
Worry gnawed at me as I lingered in the drafty stairwell. Lily should have arrived by now. But just as I began debating whether to turn back, hurried footsteps echoed up the stairs… I sagged in relief. She had come, after all.
But the figure who emerged into the guttering torchlight was not Lily, but an ash-blond boy with fox-sharp features—Cassius. My relief turned swiftly to wariness.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded in a hushed voice.
Cassius looked equally taken aback to see me. “I could ask the same ofyou,” he parried after a beat. “Not up to anything forbidden, are we?” His feline eyes drifted meaningfully to the barred archives door.
I crossed my arms, unwilling to confirm his suspicions. “My reasons are none of your concern. Now, if you’ll excuse me...”
As I turned to leave, Cassius spoke again, uncharacteristically hesitant. “Wait! I don’t want trouble between us,” he said. “Maybe we can... help each other instead?” Hope tinged his words.
I paused, curiosity overcoming my initial defensiveness. Cassius had ever been Drazhan’s wingman, resentfully orbiting the shining star of his charismatic friend. With Drazhan disgraced, could Cassius be looking to realign himself? The insight surprised me. I had not thought him capable of independence.
“How so?” I asked carefully. An ally within Drazhan’s former circle could prove useful if Cassius spoke sincerely.
He shrugged. “You want to get into the archives, right? To find answers?” At my wary nod, he continued, “I know a few runes to disable the wards temporarily. Let me through, and I’ll share what I find about Rhys.”
“How do you know I’m here looking for information on Rhys?” I asked with a quizzical glare.
He gave me a knowing smirk. “The guy missed his own wedding,” he replied in a nonchalant tone. “I don’t know why anyone would be eager to marry you, buthecertainly was.” He shrugged dismissively.
I scowled. Still, I weighed his proposal. Trust did not come naturally where Drazhan’s cohorts were concerned. And yet, I found no menace in Cassius’ open expression now. He seemed a different person, freed from his former master’s shadow.
