The moon hung low over Blackthorn Academy, casting long shadows across the cobblestone paths that wound through the campus. In the eerie quiet of the night, the weight of the parchment in Maya’s bag felt heavier than it should. Every step she took back to her dorm felt like a gamble, as though at any moment, the Whisper Society might appear from the darkness to stop her.
By the time she reached her room, her nerves were frayed. She locked the door, slid a chair under the handle for good measure, and pulled the folded parchment from her bag. The cryptic poem written in Alexander Greaves’ elegant handwriting stared back at her:
“The shadows guard the truth we keep,
Lest secrets wake where whispers sleep.
But should you seek what lies concealed,
Beware the cost when it’s revealed.”
Maya read it over and over, her mind racing. What did it mean? The clues had led them to the box, but now she had more questions than answers. The Whisper Society had clearly gone to great lengths to hide their secrets. Whatever was concealed beneath the chapel—and beyond—was dangerous enough that they’d killed to protect it.
There was a knock at her window, startling her so badly that she nearly fell out of her chair.
“Maya, it’s me,” came Elliot’s muffled voice.
She opened the window, glaring as he climbed in with his usual lack of grace. “What are you doing? You can’t just—”
“Relax,” Elliot said, brushing dirt off his jeans. “I wasn’t followed. Did you figure anything out?”
Maya sighed, holding up the parchment. “Not really. It’s another riddle.”
Elliot took the parchment and read it, his brow furrowing. “They’re big on poems, huh? You’d think a secret society could afford a straightforward instruction manual.”
“I don’t think they’re trying to help us,” Maya said, pacing the room. “It’s a warning. Alexander must’ve left it knowing the risks, but he also knew someone else might come looking.”
Elliot folded the parchment carefully and set it on the desk. “So, what’s the plan, Detective?”
“We need to figure out where ‘whispers sleep,’” Maya said, her voice firm. “If Alexander thought it was important enough to hide this clue, it’s our next step.”
Elliot nodded. “Do you think it’s another location on campus? The chapel? The well?”
Maya shook her head. “No, we’ve already been to those places. This has to lead somewhere new. Somewhere we haven’t looked yet.”
Elliot frowned, leaning against the desk. “If whispers sleep, that means… silence, right? A quiet place?”
“Or a forgotten one,” Maya said, her mind racing. “Something hidden, like the crypt.”
“Or the attic,” Elliot suggested.
Maya froze. “The restricted section of the library.”
Elliot raised an eyebrow. “That’s… oddly specific.”
“Think about it,” Maya said. “The library is full of knowledge—books, archives, histories. It’s where Blackthorn’s memories are kept. If the Society wanted to hide something, they’d put it somewhere like that. Somewhere no one would think to look.”
Elliot nodded slowly. “You might be onto something. But the restricted section is locked. How are we supposed to get in?”
Maya smirked. “Didn’t you say you never leave home without your lock-picking kit?”
Elliot groaned. “I’m starting to regret telling you that.”
The library was dark and silent when they arrived, the faint hum of the security lights the only sound. The restricted section loomed at the far end of the room, its iron gate casting jagged shadows across the floor.
Maya and Elliot moved quickly but quietly, their flashlights barely cutting through the gloom.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Elliot whispered as they approached the gate.
“No,” Maya admitted. “But we don’t have a choice.”
Elliot knelt in front of the gate’s lock, his tools glinting faintly in the flashlight’s beam. It took longer than either of them expected, the silence stretching uncomfortably as Elliot worked.
Finally, there was a soft click, and the gate swung open.
“After you,” Elliot said, stepping aside.
Maya led the way, her flashlight sweeping over the shelves. The restricted section was smaller than she’d imagined, but the books and artifacts it held were far older—and far more ominous—than anything in the main library.
The shelves were filled with tomes bound in cracked leather, their titles faded or missing entirely. Some were written in languages Maya didn’t recognize, their spines adorned with strange symbols.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Elliot asked, his voice hushed.
“I don’t know,” Maya said honestly. “But I think we’ll know it when we see it.”
They began searching the shelves, their flashlights illuminating dust-covered books and artifacts. Maya’s fingers brushed over the spine of a particularly thick tome, its title barely legible: The Founding of Blackthorn Academy.
She pulled it from the shelf and opened it, coughing as a cloud of dust rose from its pages. The book was filled with accounts of the academy’s early years—its founding in the late 1600s, its first headmaster, and the establishment of its traditions.
But near the back of the book, something caught her eye. A folded piece of parchment was tucked between the pages, its edges frayed with age.
“Elliot,” she called, holding it up.
He hurried over, his flashlight trained on the parchment as Maya unfolded it.
The page was covered in the same elegant handwriting as Alexander’s journal, its ink faded but still legible.
“The room where whispers sleep lies beyond the northern wall. Seek the lantern’s glow, and you will find the way.”
Elliot frowned. “The northern wall? What does that mean?”
Maya thought for a moment, her mind racing. “The northern wall… It’s got to be a hidden room. Something behind the library.”
“You mean like a secret passage?” Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Exactly,” Maya said. “The restricted section is already hidden. Why not hide something even deeper?”
Elliot grinned. “This is starting to feel like a treasure hunt.”
Maya rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a small smile. “Come on. Let’s find that wall.”
They moved cautiously, their flashlights sweeping over the northern side of the restricted section. The wall was lined with shelves, but Maya noticed that one section of books seemed newer than the rest.
She ran her fingers along the edge of the shelf, searching for anything out of place. After a moment, she felt a small indentation—barely noticeable—near the bottom.
“Found something,” she said, crouching to examine it.
Elliot knelt beside her, watching as she pressed the indentation.
With a soft click, the shelf shifted slightly, revealing a narrow gap between the wood and the stone wall behind it.
“Bingo,” Elliot said, grinning.
Maya pushed the shelf aside, revealing a hidden door carved into the stone. It was smaller than she’d expected, barely tall enough to crawl through, but its edges were adorned with the same lantern symbol they’d seen throughout their investigation.
“This is it,” she said, her voice trembling with anticipation.
Elliot pulled a small flashlight from his bag. “After you, Detective.”
Maya climbed through the opening, her flashlight illuminating a narrow tunnel that stretched into darkness. The air was damp and heavy, and the walls were rough stone.
The tunnel twisted and turned, the sound of their footsteps echoing faintly. After what felt like an eternity, they emerged into a small, circular room.
At the center of the room was a pedestal, similar to the one in the chapel crypt, but this one held a single object: an ornate lantern made of brass and glass, its surface etched with intricate designs.
Maya approached it cautiously, her flashlight catching the faint gleam of the metal. “The lantern’s glow,” she murmured.
Elliot stood beside her, his expression a mix of awe and curiosity. “What do you think it means?”
Maya reached out, her fingers brushing the lantern’s surface. As she touched it, the glass began to glow faintly, a soft, golden light emanating from within.
The walls of the room trembled, and a low rumble echoed through the tunnel.
“We need to leave,” Elliot said, grabbing her arm.
Maya hesitated, her eyes locked on the lantern. She felt as though it were calling to her, urging her to uncover the truth it held.
But the rumbling grew louder, and dust began to fall from the ceiling.
“Now, Maya!” Elliot shouted.
Reluctantly, she turned and followed him back through the tunnel, the sound of the rumbling fading as they climbed back into the library.
When they emerged, the hidden door clicked shut behind them, leaving no trace of the passage.
Maya clutched the parchment tightly, her mind racing. The lantern’s glow had revealed something—something she couldn’t yet understand.
But one thing was clear: they were closer than ever to uncovering the Whisper Society’s secrets.
And the Society would do whatever it took to stop them.