The next morning, sunlight spilled through the Blackmoor dining hall as students chattered over pumpkin rolls and blood-orange juice. But at the far corner table, Hope, London, Stephen, Daemon, Raphael, and Trent huddled around a slightly burnt parchment map.
"This was under the brick?" Hope asked.
Trent nodded. "It's old spellwork—coordinates and an awakening chant. It leads to somewhere under the library. Probably the original weapon vault."
Stephen sipped from a juice box with a bent straw. "Nothing good ever starts with 'go under the library'."
Daemon muttered, "Or ends well."
Trent lowered his voice. "I'll go back tonight. Alone."
"No," London said firmly. "You're not sneaking into death tunnels alone. We're in this together."Raphael grinned. "Also, Stephen gets bored easily and might set off a smoke bomb if left out."
Stephen raised his juice box like a toast. "That's true."
---
Meanwhile, Jessa wandered into her father's office, where Richard sat brooding over security reports.
"I know something's going on," she said. "You've increased the guards, and you keep muttering about a prophecy."
Richard looked up, weary. "It's nothing, Jessa."
"I'm not a child," she snapped. "Tell me."
He hesitated. "There's been unusual activity beneath the school. Someone broke a barrier spell two nights ago."Jessa frowned. "And you think it's Hope."
"No," he said slowly. "But she's involved. And so is London."
Her heart skipped. "London? He's… harmless."
Richard shook his head. "He's not what he seems anymore."
Jessa left his office in a swirl of magic and questions. She had to find out the truth.
---
Back in the secret corridor near the kitchens, the team prepared to sneak out again—but were nearly caught by Professor Grimshaw, who was inexplicably chasing a floating carrot.
"Who left the enchanted snack trail?" Grimshaw barked. "Reveal yourselves, lawbreakers!"
Stephen froze mid-spell. "I may or may not have borrowed Celeste's snack-charm to get past the pantry golem…"
Daemon sighed. "Of course you did."
Hope cast a silence bubble just in time as Grimshaw's footsteps passed inches from their hiding spot.
Raphael exhaled. "That was too close."
London grinned at Hope. "Admit it. This is kind of fun."
She rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her.
Elsewhere, Celeste sat on the edge of the greenhouse fountain, muttering to herself. Students were whispering behind her back now. Watching her.
A group of younger witches passed, and one whispered, "She's acting weird."
Another added, "She's always been jealous of Jessa."
Jessa, watching from the shadows, frowned.
Celeste was distant lately. And hiding something. But she couldn't be the enemy… could she?
---
That night, Hope's group slipped beneath the library—Trent leading, London close beside Hope, Stephen joking about mold spirits and "ancient librarian ghosts."
They reached a sealed wall. Trent whispered the phrase:
> "Unlight the flame, undo the chain…"
The wall shimmered—and a tunnel opened.
Daemon stared inside. "This leads deeper than anything on the school map."
Stephen, munching from a hidden snack pouch, muttered, "Ten gold coins say something evil is waiting at the bottom."
Hope glanced at London, who nodded.
They stepped into the darkness.
And far above them, Celeste stood watching from a rooftop, a crystal orb pulsing in her hands.
Someone was framing her.
But why?