Heart of a Hunter

27. Secrets in the Shadows

Blair's POV:

The air in the catacombs was cold and damp, clinging to my skin like an icy veil as I stood there, staring at the rows of ancient books and scrolls laid out before us. My heart was pounding, my breath shallow, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. This was it—the answers we'd come for. Somewhere in these dusty pages was the truth about my family, the Arcani, and why I'd been pulled into all of this.

But standing here now, with the weight of centuries pressing down on me, I wasn't sure if I was ready for the truth.

Sam's flashlight swept over the shelves, illuminating the faded symbols carved into the spines of the books. His face was tense, focused, as he scanned the room, but his presence made me feel a little steadier. He always did. No matter how terrifying things got, Sam had a way of grounding me, making me feel like we could face whatever was waiting for us on the other side.

Dean, on the other hand, was pacing near the doorway, his eyes flicking from the shelves to the shadows in the corners of the room like he was expecting something to jump out at us any second. I couldn't blame him. This place felt wrong—like it had been forgotten by time, abandoned to rot, but still somehow alive with secrets that shouldn't be disturbed.

"Okay," Dean muttered, his voice cutting through the tense silence. "Let's find what we need and get the hell out of here."

I nodded, swallowing hard as I stepped closer to Sam. My fingers brushed his arm, and he glanced down at me, his expression softening for just a second. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

I forced a smile, even though I wasn't sure I could manage one right now. "I think so. Just... overwhelmed."

Sam gave me a small nod, his hand resting on my back for a moment, a silent gesture of comfort. "We'll find the answers, Blair. I promise."

His words helped, but there was still that gnawing fear at the back of my mind—fear of what those answers would be. What if I wasn't ready for them? What if knowing the truth only made everything worse?

Dean pulled a book off one of the shelves, flipping it open and scanning the pages. "These look like old prophecies," he said, his voice low. "Definitely tied to the Arcani."

I stepped closer, peering over his shoulder at the book in his hands. The text was in some ancient language I didn't recognize, the letters winding across the page in strange, intricate patterns. My stomach twisted. Whatever this was, it was old—really old.

"What do they say?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Dean's brow furrowed as he flipped through the pages, his finger tracing the symbols. "Hard to tell. This language is ancient. Might be Latin, maybe something older."

Sam moved next to him, his eyes scanning the text. "It's a mix. I can make out some Latin roots, but the rest... I don't know."

He sounded frustrated, like he was used to having all the answers but was coming up empty this time. I could feel the tension building in the room, like the walls were closing in on us, pressing us to find something, anything, that would give us a clue.

As the guys kept searching, I wandered to the far end of the room, drawn to a smaller shelf tucked away in the corner. The air felt heavier over here, colder, and a chill crawled up my spine. But something pulled me forward. I ran my fingers along the spines of the books, the old leather cracked and brittle under my touch.

And then I saw it—a book, smaller than the others, bound in dark, almost black leather. There was no title, no markings, nothing to indicate what it was. But as I reached out and touched it, a strange sensation washed over me, like I'd been here before, like this book was meant for me.

"Sam," I called out softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

He looked up, his brow furrowing when he saw me standing by the shelf. He moved quickly to my side, his hand brushing mine as he glanced at the book. "What is it?"

"I don't know," I whispered, my fingers trembling slightly as I pulled the book from the shelf. "But it feels... important."

Dean joined us, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the old, worn book in my hands. "That's gotta be it," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "Whatever that is, it's got the Arcani written all over it."

My heart raced as I carefully opened the book, the pages brittle and yellowed with age. The text inside was written in the same strange language as the other books, but there were drawings too—symbols, diagrams, and something that looked like a map.

Sam leaned in closer, his face tense with concentration. "These symbols... they're the same ones from the letter. The same ones tied to the Arcani."

I stared down at the pages, trying to make sense of the symbols, but my mind was spinning. The drawings, the cryptic text—it was all too much. But then, as I turned another page, my breath caught in my throat.

There, in the center of the page, was a drawing of a seal. It was old, cracked in places, but I recognized it instantly. It was the same seal from my family's photos—the one that had been passed down for generations. The one my parents had kept hidden.

"This is it," I whispered, my hands trembling as I held the book. "This is what they've been looking for. The seal."

Sam's eyes widened as he studied the drawing. "It's the key," he said softly, his voice full of realization. "This seal... it's tied to the prophecy."

Dean frowned, glancing between us. "So what does it do? Why the hell would the Arcani want it so badly?"

I shook my head, my mind racing. "I don't know. But whatever it is, they think it's powerful enough to kill for."

The weight of that truth hit me hard, and I suddenly felt dizzy, like the ground was shifting beneath me. My family had died because of this. Because of a seal I didn't even know existed until now. My parents, my life—they'd all been destroyed for something I barely understood.

Sam reached out, his hand resting on my arm, his touch grounding me. "We'll figure it out," he said softly, his voice full of quiet strength. "We'll stop them."

I nodded, swallowing hard as I tried to steady myself. But the fear was still there, gnawing at the edges of my mind, making it hard to breathe. "What if we're too late? What if they find the seal before we do?"

Dean's jaw clenched, his eyes hard. "Then we make sure they don't. We find this seal before they do, and we make damn sure they can't use it."

His words were full of confidence, but I could see the worry in his eyes. We were in over our heads, and we all knew it. The Arcani weren't just a threat—they were ancient, powerful, and ruthless. And now they were coming for me.

I stared down at the book in my hands, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. This was it. This was what the Arcani had been after all along. And now it was up to us to stop them.

But as I looked at the seal on the page, a cold, sinking feeling settled in my stomach.

I wasn't sure we could.

And if we couldn't... I wasn't sure we'd survive what came next.