Chapter 2 - ECHOES IN THE DUSTThe air inside the East Wing tasted of old copper, withered rose petals, and absolute neglect. Thick layers of dust blanketed the antique mahogany furniture, and heavy velvet drapes blocked out even the moonlight. Victor pulled a small silver lighter from his pocket, snapping the cap open to cast a flickering, amber circle of illumination across the abandoned hallway.
Every floorboard groaned beneath his boots as he moved deeper into the labyrinth of forgotten rooms. Portraits of past Hale patriarchs stared down from the walls, their painted eyes seeming to follow his every move in the dancing shadows.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Victor stopped dead in his tracks. The sound was distinct—a pair of heels clicking against the hardwood floor directly above him, in Clara’s old master bedroom.
"Who's there?" Victor demanded, his voice echoing up the spiraling staircase. "Show yourself!"
No answer came, but the temperature in the hallway plummeted instantly, his breath pluming in the air like ghostly smoke. Gripping the gold key tightly in his left hand, Victor bounded up the stairs two at a time. The iron balustrade felt slick with a damp, oily residue.
He reached the landing and pushed open the double doors to Clara’s bedchamber. The room was preserved in amber time: the vanity mirror was covered in a pristine layer of dust, except for a single word traced into the grime with a finger:
LIAR.
Victor’s breath caught in his throat. He stepped closer to the vanity, noticing a small leather-bound journal resting on the stool. Its pages were partially open, fluttering slightly as if disturbed by a breeze that wasn't there. He reached out and picked it up, reading the handwriting scrawled across the open page in frantic ink:
May you like
“If you are reading this, Victor, it means the gold key has found its way home. Serena didn't push me. She watched them push me. And Ethan is not the only heir they stole from the nursery that night…”
Before Victor could process the devastating words, the heavy oak door behind him slammed shut with a deafening crash, and a heavy iron bolt slid into place from the outside, locking him in the dark.
