The Secret War | Dramione

Chapter 24

In the silence of the church, it was like the world outside didn't exist.

Hermione and Nerina searched for traces of a secret passage that led to the catacombs.

They looked at wooden statues, stone pillars, and chancel towers, but nothing opened to reveal an entrance.

"Look over here," Nerina said suddenly, pointing to a marble tomb.

Upon closer inspection Hermione saw that there was a drawing etched onto its side. It was an inverted sky with nine stars, and below it was a line that read: Diīs Mānibus.

"To the spirits of the dead..." Hermione whispered, translating the latin inscription. She traced the letters with her hands.

"Let me look upon the place I love again, with paths that mirror its name, let me look upon the road most traveled...the one you stand on today. Show me what I desire, and I'll show you what you require."

Hermione pressed down on the center star and gasped when it moved across the marble.

"Try moving the others," Nerina suggested.

Some stars moved up and down, while others only moved side to side. Hermione bit her lip. It looked like she had to form a shape with them...

She tried several things, but the stars would lock and return to their original points of origin when she moved them the wrong way.

Finally, she arranged the nine stars into what looked like an oddly shaped rectangle.

"What does it represent?" Nerina asked.

"The borders of old London."

"Why nine stars?"

"London wasn't called London then," said Hermione. "Britain was occupied by the Romans. They called it Londinium."

Hermione repeated the riddle: 'Let me look upon the place I love again...'

"—that's London."

'...with paths that mirror its name.'

"There's nine letters in the city's name, and nine principal Roman roads, including the Devil's Highway."

"The Devil's Highway?" Nerina asked.

Hermione nodded. "The road we're standing on, it leads here, to the church—but more importantly, to the vault buried beneath it."

She pressed down on the last star and something clicked into place.

The tomb shook violently and a line of blue fire ran across the top. When the fire cooled, the marble cover levitated, revealing a narrow set of stone steps.

Nerina held her wand aloft, carefully lowering herself down.

Hermione followed after her.

Above them, the marble cover fell with a resounding thud.

Nerina and Hermione clung to the wall for support, hardly daring to breathe as they made their way down the ancient steps.

***

When they reached the bottom, a labyrinth of tunnels stretched as far as the eye could see.

Hermione felt a rushing wind, then the soft whisper of voices...the voices of the souls interred here for centuries.

She and Nerina moved through the deep subterranean passages, looking out for defensive measures—traps, false doors and narrow tunnels that might drop them into deep wells.

But they saw nothing of interest until they were nineteen meters below the surface.

They discovered a large chamber with ancient runes etched into the walls.