Blood & Honour [Book Four of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

4.4: Home

When the air in the library had stilled and the silence returned to every crevice, I released a solitary breath and clutched my bag to my hip. The moonlight continued to pool in through the arched windows, breaching the large grey clouds the sky boasted, with the promise of snow looming overhead.

I returned to the table and collected a few chosen volumes of the day's collection, before abandoning the serenity of the library. As I entered the hallway, I couldn't help but notice that the scent of old books lingered on my skin, a hint of the hours that had crept away as I read page after page of research - a fact my mother was sure to notice.

I couldn't help but scour the halls for any signs of Ruaidhri or Adrienne - knowing if they wanted to, they easily could have discovered me eavesdropping on their conversation. It wouldn't take much to snatch me from one of the empty corridors and hide me away to drain me of everything I knew.

That was my fear as I stepped into the lobby, but to my surprise, this night was the same as any other and there was no sign of either vampire. The lobby was just as quiet and unassuming as always.

I bid a goodnight to Juna, who was packing up the remainder of her belongings - ready to hand over the desk to the vampire who handled the night shift. My gaze had locked on to the clock sculpture behind her head; a swaying structure made of white rods that only showed the time by looking at the right angle - with a tilt of the head it was either three in the morning or seven at night; but with the passing of the torch, I decided three seemed far more likely.

I considered following my usual routine, escaping the building and hiding away in my apartment until the sun graced me with its unwanted presence once again - to the point I'd taken several steps towards the front entrance of the building. Then I considered Henry's disappointed pout as he waited at home, and then his inevitable tantrum on his next visit and turned sharply.

Rowen was lingering by the tunnel entrance, leaning on the wall and staring up at the chandelier above his head. I couldn't blame his lack of attention - few used the tunnels at this time. He took one glance at me as I shuffled towards the darkness of the unlit shaft before his gaze returned upwards.

I left behind the hushed lobby, venturing into the labyrinth that lies beneath Central; a network of winding tunnels that snake underground. The tunnels were both a means of travel, but also a portal to another side of the Central zone that most of the residents of the other zones didn't get to see. The majority of the passages were open to the public, serving not only as convenient shortcuts to shave off minutes from their commutes but as a means for the members of Eastern to shield themselves from the weather at all hours of the day.

The restricted tunnels were reserved for Central's privileged few; hidden pathways with intricate designs. Each one was built with purpose, serving as a conduit for the supernatural and human alike. Arches of brickwork stretch overhead, a testament to the craftsmanship of a bygone era; moss and ivy creeping along the walls and reclaiming space they'd lost. The walls were etched with graffiti from generations past, whispers of the original rebellion that caused Barewood to crumble and Eternity to form lingering in the air.