The damn Vault of Damnation. It was his only chance.
Annev peeked over the stable walls and saw two horses – a white nag and a brown plough horse – but no sign of the black rouncy, red gelding or grey palfrey. He had beaten Fyn and Kenton here – but probably not by much. Annev had no time to waste. He circled around to the cellar doors and was relieved to find them unlocked. One door slid open on oiled hinges at his pull; he glanced around for a final time, and stepped down into the darkness.
Relying on his senses and his training, Annev crept along the darkened cellar hallway. It connected to the basement of the Academy, and he’d walked it several times before, but never alone in the dark. His fingers slid across the stone wall, keeping him orientated as he visualised where he was in relation to the floor-plan. Though he’d never been to the Vault, he knew it was in the basement, and that it was large enough to accommodate centuries’ worth of artifacts.
His fingers reached open air and he knew that he’d come to the first junction. He felt about with his hand and feet, careful not to get turned round, and found it was a crossroads. With a quick prayer to Odar, he walked on, pushing deeper into the Academy on the assumption that the Vault would be at the heart of the building. He pressed forward, counting his paces, and when he came to another junction in the darkness, he went straight again, guessing he was now beneath the main building itself. At the third junction, though, he had to choose: left or right? With no other way to learn about the options, Annev knelt down and felt the stones beneath his feet: the path to the left was smooth with wear. The path to the right was covered in a thick film of dust.
Do I take the worn path or the one rarely used?
The Vault was the most closely guarded and restricted place in the Academy, which suggested the less travelled path was the correct one. On the other hand, Master Narach visited the Vault every day, so the path could just as easily be the well-trodden one.
On a hunch, Annev chose the dusty corridor and shuffled along in the dark, disturbing the cobwebs stuck to the stones. He moved with a combination of caution and speed, staying alert, until his boot caught on something sticking up from the floor.
Annev jerked his foot back, dancing away on instinct as a loud snap was followed by a clang of metal clapping against metal. The sound echoed through the hallway.
Annev swore and froze against the wall, listening for footsteps over the sound of his pounding heart. With great care, he slid his feet across the stones again until his toe brushed something. A metal trigger, which ran along a groove in the stone floor that stretched the full width of the passage. It was connected to a large spring and a jagged metal-toothed jaw-trap. The vicious half-circle of iron was half Annev’s height and designed to snap a man in two. He shuddered, rethinking his decision to turn right. Correct or not, it was clearly the more dangerous path.
Annev blinked, realising he could almost make out the outline of the trap, then saw a dim light had blossomed at the far end of the hallway, its source brightening.
Someone had heard the trap after all.
Annev bolted for the last intersection and dodged around the corner just as someone carrying a torch entered the corridor where he’d been. He held his breath, back pressed against the stones, and heard the soft scuffle of footsteps as the light grew brighter. He softly thumped his head against the wall behind him, trapped. There was nowhere to run – and if he tried, he might race straight into another jaw-trap. If he was discovered, his options were bad too: with no weapons to hand, he would have to rely on his wits and talk his way out of trouble.
The footsteps stopped as the torchbearer reached the trap. Shadows and firelight flickered along the walls, but the torch did not approach his hiding spot. Annev hesitated, wondering if he should stay hidden or whether he might need to ambush whomever had come to investigate. If he was quick, he might—
‘Annev! What are you doing down here?’
Chapter Sixty-One
Annev jumped, wheeling to face the speaker, and saw Myjun standing barefoot in front of him, her white nightdress held up to her mid-calf; she looked as startled as he was.
‘Myjun!’ he laughed, both pleased and terrified to see her. ‘You scared me.’
‘I scared you?’ She rubbed her eyes. ‘You scared me – triggering the trap and hiding in the dark.’ She shook her head. ‘What are you doing down here?’
‘What are you doing?’ Annev countered, answering her question with another question. ‘Don’t tell me you sleep in the basement?’
Myjun gave a half-smile. ‘Our secret’s out – not that it was so well kept to begin with.’ She gestured at the hall behind her. ‘Our dormitory is down here, tucked away to stop you acolytes trying to slip between our sheets.’ She arched an eyebrow. ‘Is that why you’re here, Master Ainnevog?’
Annev’s face flushed a deep crimson while he fumbled for an excuse. ‘I was sent to find Master Narach. I have an artifact for him to archive.’
Myjun frowned. ‘The Vault is two floors further down. Didn’t they tell you where to go?’
‘Not very clearly. We left so quickly last night, and I’ve never been to the Vault before.’
‘Why must everything be a test with avatars? Didn’t they tell you there are traps down here?’ She gestured at the massive jaw-trap where she’d wedged her torch. ‘Was finding it in the dark part of the test? Why didn’t you take a light?’
Annev rubbed his chin, taking the opening she’d given him. ‘It was part of the challenge.’
‘You could have been killed.’ Myjun sounded disgusted. ‘There’s no way you could have found the Vault in the dark, especially without an escort.’ She tsked, then stopped, her eyes brightening. ‘But that means you got the artifact?’
Annev nodded slowly. ‘We did.’ He patted the only thing he had – the incense lamp, still hidden in his tunic.
Myjun surprised him by stepping in close and kissing his cheek.
Annev froze. ‘What was that for?’
‘For coming back to me.’ She leaned in again, about to kiss him on the lips, then she boxed his ear.
‘Ow! What was that for?’
‘For being too stupid to know how stupid you are! You should never venture down here without a torch, not even on a dare. It’s a maze – and it’s dangerous.’
Annev rubbed his ear. ‘I understand … but I do still have to get to the Vault.’ He patted the lamp again.
‘I can take you there.’ Myjun’s smile was blinding as she held out her right hand to his left.
Annev went cold. If she touched the straw-filled glove it would be over.
He leaned forward, took her right hand in his, and bowed over her fingers, then spun her away, sweeping her to his other side and catching her left hand in his right. He squeezed her palm with genuine affection then kissed the promise ring she was wearing.