The Silver Knife

Chapter 14

The next day Lilith was standing in front of Mr. Sinclair asking for a pass into the Restricted Section. Mr. Sinclair complied to her request and soon the four of them headed to the library. Professor Swan let them in.

"Now do not disturb Professor Finwe here, he's busy. I am locking the door." Professor Swan said and left. Professor Finwe glanced at them as they went and sat at the desk he was flipping a book on. 

"Let's get started, shall we?" He asked and the students nodded in affirmation.

Professor Finwe rolled up the long sleeves of his silver cloak and walked up to a wall, close to the place where the map had been hidden. The students followed him and looked at the wall. 

"Lilith, come closer." He said.

Lilith walked closer to the wall and stood still. She breathed quietly and only a distant clicking of the hands of a clock could be heard. She reached out to the wall and touched it gently with her finger.

SNAP.

 A loud crackling sound followed by a low sizzle sounded as she pulled her hand away from the previously cold stone which was now slightly warm. All of a sudden the wall began to shudder slowly. The shuddering became slightly more violent and a grumbling sounded as the stones began to move. A dark staircase presented itself that went deep down into the depths of the building.

Aiden checked the map. A golden tassel had weaved itself into place in the library and it travelled down. It was rather long and led to a small box indicated by a woven silver. 

"It's so dark down there...." Eden said as he squinted in the darkness in hope of seeing something. Professor Finwe looked at the map and raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Now that is strange....most passageways lead to a different corridor in the building but this seems to be leading us into a room that probably no one had heard of." He mused. "Well, there's only one way to find out...."

Aiden walked in and soon a flame appeared in his hand. He lifted it and saw torches lining the wall. He placed his flaming hand inside one and instantly all the torches lit up on both sides, illuminating the passage in an ominous red light.

Professor Finwe followed the students in, leaving the wall ajar. They walking down the rather rickety, narrow stairway that led them into the depths of the building. Surprisingly, as old as the building maybe, there was no trace of moss or mirk on the stone walls even at that depth. Nor was there any damp. 

They stepped into a room which had thick velvet carpet laid on the floor. Candlesticks on the table held half melted stubs of candles. The walls were lined with books bound by black leather and the table had a single, thick book which had yellowing parchment sticking out of it. The book on the table had runes marked on the cover and Professor Finwe picked it up to examine them.

"This is strange....this place is filled with dark magic....It's almost like all the dark books and artifacts in the building have been stashed down in one place. This is a necromancer's dream place." He said turning the book over in his hands.

Melea pulled out a book from the shelf and looked at the title. The silver engravings of 'The History of High Vales' peeked from behind the years of wear and tear. "I wonder why this book is down here...." Melea said handing the book to the professor for scrutiny.

"When I was in school I had seen this book in perfect shape and in the accessible part of the library." Professor Finwe stated, causing the others to look at him. The only source of light was the flame in Aiden's palm and it illuminated only a small part of his face. "I wonder what happened afterwards....I remember looking for it after I heard of their death but never found it... But the question is, who in the Academy brought it down here, that too in such a tattered condition?" He mused. He turned the book over in his hand and opened the cover.