Royal Academy Diaries II

The Missing Crown ⚜ Ch. 8

Teyrn was encouraged by finding the first piece of the spell. He decided to return to the Magic castle's dungeon to search for its hidden clue.

Intending to go down that night, he went to the dining hall to get some lunch. While he was there, he couldn't help but overhear a conversation happening nearby.

"Look, we made these in astronomy. They're to watch the solar eclipse. Everyone's going."

"Yes, we should probably go as soon as we're done so we can get a good seat on the grass."

Teyrn took one more bite and got up. If everyone was occupied with the eclipse, they wouldn't notice him going down to the dungeon.

He went to the door that he'd found, and discovered it was unlocked. Someone else must be hiding something. Going down into the depths, the torches lit his way.

In the light of day, grates near the roofline let in enough light to reveal scratches on the stone beneath a pair of shackles on the wall. He shivered. Werewolves? Here? What else were these academies hiding?

The Magic Academy dungeon was more complicated than the Arts, and he spent a good hour looking for the glowing message. But he found nothing. Having gone over the same places, in every cell, over and over, he knew it was time to go. As he climbed the stairs however, he noticed the letters snaking up the curving staircase.

"Yes!" he cheered quietly.

'Descendant Of The Ancient Celts, Pass This Test Of Will If Ye Would Be King.'

"A test of wi-" He gasped as the staircase began moving, spiraling downward. He walked forward to try to see what was just around the corner, but the staircase sped up. The closer he got, the faster it spun. With a grimace, he started running as fast as he could without falling.

It wasn't long before he started to get dizzy. The movement was almost making him sick. But he was so close! He ran for all he was worth, knowing no spell he cast would stop the staircase. Besides, if he couldn't get back up, he'd be stuck.

Running harder - breathing harder - he tried desperately to get up closer. At last he managed to, catching a glimpse of the spell up ahead in an alcove. But it was out of his reach.

He kept trying, running, almost tripping and falling behind. Catching up again. It was maddening. He tried to keep his noise down, but it was getting harder. His breathing alone was enough to get the guards to come.

He kept sprinting, trying to skip three stairs, anything to get closer. His head was spinning, his lunch almost making a reappearance, and he was at the end of his endurance.

Finally, it seemed like the staircase slowed just a tiny bit, enough to run up, around the bend, and snag the corner of the spell. The stairs suddenly stopped spinning, and he fell forward.

Rolling over, he looked up at the second piece of the spell. He just laid there on the uncomfortable stairs, catching his breath for a long while. He'd feel better about it later. After a nap.