The Honor of Beasts

Rosalia's Journal

July 18th, 1482 E.Y

Dear me,

It's been a nice couple weeks. During the day I study with Master Jonathen and train with Master Maurin. But the fun part starts at night. After dinner, under the cover of the dark night, I sneak up to the roof from my balcony. With the help of the wind of course. I've perfected levitating now, even Master Maurin agrees! Well, he just very subtly agreed the other day, but it still counts.

I meet with Demetri by the big chimney and there we sit and talk and eat the snacks we stole from the kitchen. We can just ask the servants to get the snacks but its more fun stealing. And it messes with the cook and her helpers. The other day she started spewing threats like crazy for the thief of sweets hehe. We also wonder and make up stories about what would happen to us if we get caught. Which mostly all end in imprisonment, exile, or death. But they're only stories, told for fun and laughter. We're not going to get caught.

Apparently Demetri is friends with Narjis, which doesn't surprise me. I'd like to find someone who isn't friends with her. Then maybe we could join forces and form the anti-Narjis league. Am I being mean? Maybe. But she's too nice and it makes my skin crawl. Narjis could read what I wrote and still treat me like her best friend. She's weird.

Until next time... 

July 29th, 1482 E.Y

Dear me,

I found something amazing! I found a way for me and Demetri to meet in secret. I found....a tunnel! So I was laying on my bed, sooo bored, playing with this small ball. When I got to the tip of my boredom, maximum boredom was achieved, and just threw the ball with all my strength at the wall. That's when I heard a click and then brick scraping against brick. I sat up quickly looking around, for a moment I thought someone came to assassinate me. (Demetri has been telling me lots of scary stories about princesses getting assassinated. Ugh he's so very annoying sometimes). Anyway, I just sat there nervous for a couple seconds and when nothing happened I got up and went to the place where the ball hit the wall. I had thrown it on this large tapestry of a courageous Velidian standing alone against armies of enemies. So, I moved it out of the way and..... there was an open door behind it!

It was small, quiet and dark. I entered it both excited and nervous. I walked for a few minutes (there were lots of spiderwebs and other bugs, eww!) and then turned around when it became absolutely dark. I was scared that the door might suddenly close behind me, leaving me all alone in the quiet darkness. There could be monsters waiting at the other side and I wouldn't even know it.

Yesterday, when I had the chance to sneak off to see Demetri, I told him of my great discovery. He was very enthusiastic and curious. So, at night he sneaked into my room very carefully and we entered the secret tunnel together. We lit a torch, which was hanging inside along with some other torches and crept slowly forward. And then (after maybe ten minutes or more) we came to an end, there was nothing just a wall!! We moved our hands across that rough wall searching for a brick or something that might move it. The tunnel couldn't just lead to a dead end, right? But the wall wouldn't budge, we looked around for something, anything. And then we saw it! A small opening in the corner of the wall, as if someone had closed the tunnel but the rocks fell away over time. It was small enough for one of us to squeeze in at a time. We were giggling with excitement and hope the entire time.

But then we came to another wall! Demetri hit the wall frustrated and then...it slid open bit by bit! It opened to the library! All this just to get to the library! We thought we would find something special, but it was just the library. A dark, mostly empty corner of the library where people rarely wander. But it's still better than nothing, I guess. Easier to meet here than the roof.

We closed the door and returned back to my room a bit disappointed.

Until next time...

August 13th, 1482 E.Y

Dear me,

It has been a few weeks since I discovered the secret tunnel. Me and Demetri have been meeting in that gloomy part of the library where the tunnel lets out. I know, it's not the best of places but at least we can meet in secret. Also its safer and easier  to reach than the roof. We talk about our day, training and other things. I tell him more about Master Maurin's terribly annoying son, Caleb, which just makes him laugh at my misery. Ugh, they would be perfect for each other. We joke and laugh about how everyone must be thinking that Demetri is in the library studying and I'm just sitting in my chambers. Hehe.

As I was returning to my room, I noticed something. See, lately I've been learning how to sense energy. Like the energy of different people, sorcerers, animals, and other things that give off energy. So as I was passing by the first wall (the one that wouldn't open when we discovered the tunnel) I sensed something. The energy was mostly coming from the wall on the right, the wall opposite the small opening that leads to the library's door. I'm still new, but it felt as if there was something powerful on the other side. I tried pushing on every rock but nothing happened. It was closed shut. So I tried using my powers. I pushed the wind as hard as I could against the wall, but it did nothing. And the rocks didn't contain energy, so I couldn't move them.

Once more I returned back to my room disappointed. I sat on my bed and practiced some of the spells I took today. Every sorcerer at the castle has to learn the black arts. It's mandatory because if we ever faced a witch we wouldn't be completely ignorant. Black magic uses blood, but being sorcerers we can just infuse our energy with the spells and they still work.

When I was finished, I started flipping through my book to see what I would learn in the following days. That's when I found it! A spell for making the unseen seen, for opening closed doors! What a coincidence! I read it a couple times then jumped up and attempted it on the tunnel's door behind the tapestry. It worked on my third try, and it didn't really open the door. It just made it transparent. I put my hand through and it came out on the other side! So then I walked through it, it felt cool and warm at the same time. I lit a torch and ran to the closed door. I couldn't contain my eagerness and curiosity as I recited the spell and walked through.

Stairs greeted me on the other side, lots of stairs. I was going to return, so Demetri and I could discover whatever strange thing lays down there together. But then I thought that I could surprise him. Besides, I didn't need him for everything. So there I began my descent into the humid darkness. Sensing the energy increasing the deeper I go.

I'll continue the rest tomorrow, it's already way way past my bedtime. And I'm so very very sleepy. Goodnight.

Until next time...