Chapter 3

"He's here," Kael said, his voice barely above a whisper. He moved to stand between Quen and the corridor they'd come from, his body tense. "He doesn't know which door is which. That's the only advantage we have."

Quen looked at the two doors again. The left one still pulled at her, a warmth spreading from her chest toward it, like a compass needle finding north. The right door felt like nothing empty, hollow, a void where something should be. She knew, with a certainty that made her knees weak, that the left door was safe.

"It's the left one," she said. "I'm sure."

Kael glanced at her, his gray eyes searching her face. "You're certain?"

"Yes." She held up the locket, the hidden compartment still open. "She said I'd know. I know."

The footsteps stopped. A voice echoed through the corridor, smooth and unhurried. "Kael. I know you're there. And I know the girl is with you."

Kael's jaw clenched. "Don't answer."

"I've been waiting a long time for this," the voice continued. "Your mother hid the Archive's true purpose from everyone, including me. But I've pieced it together. Those doors are the key to everything she built. And you, Quen, are the only one who can open them."

Quen's blood ran cold. He knew her name. He'd known she was coming.

"He's been watching the Archive longer than I thought," Kael muttered. "He must have seen us enter."

"What does he want?"

"The Archive's secrets. Your mother discovered something a way to see the threads of fate, to change them. He wants that power."

"And if I don't give it to him?"

Kael's expression was grim. "He'll kill us both and figure out the doors himself."

The voice came again, closer now. "I can hear you whispering. There's no point in hiding. I know the chamber. I know there are two doors, and I know only one leads to your mother. But I don't know which one. That's where you come in, Quen. You'll choose for me."

Kael turned to her, his face inches from hers. "We have one chance. When he comes through that archway, I'll hold him off. You take the left door and lock it behind you."

"And leave you here?"

"I've been guarding this Archive for twenty years. I know every shadow, every loose board. I can delay him long enough for you to find your mother and figure out what she's hidden."

"No." Quen shook her head. "I'm not running. If this is my mother's test, then I'm taking it with both keys." She held up her key, then looked at his. "Give me yours."

Kael hesitated. "If I give you my key and you choose wrong, we both die."

"I won't choose wrong."

He studied her for a long moment, then pulled the key from his pocket and pressed it into her palm. His fingers lingered, warm against hers. "Your mother believed in you. I'm starting to understand why."

Quen shoved the second key into her pocket alongside the first. She turned to the left door, her hand reaching for the keyhole. The footsteps were almost at the archway now. She could see a shadow stretching across the floor, long and thin.

She slid the key into the lock. It fit perfectly, turning with a soft click. The door swung open, revealing a narrow stone staircase spiraling downward, lit by a faint blue glow.

"Go," Kael hissed. "I'll hold the door."

But before Quen could step through, a hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked her back. She stumbled, crashing into the wall. The key fell from her hand, skittering across the floor.

A man stood in the archway. He was tall, with silver-streaked hair and cold gray eyes that matched the photograph. He held a gun, pointed at Kael's chest.

"Hello, Quen," he said, his voice soft and almost kind. "I've been looking for you."

Kael moved to block him, but the man fired once. The shot cracked through the chamber, and Kael crumpled to the ground, clutching his shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers.

"Kael!" Quen screamed.

"He'll live," the man said, his tone dismissive. "I need him alive to tell me what he knows. But you, Quen, you're the one I've been waiting for." He stepped over Kael's body, his eyes fixed on the open door. "You chose correctly. I knew you would. Your mother always said you were special."

Quen's hands were shaking. The second key was still in her pocket, but the first was on the floor, near the man's feet. She couldn't reach it without getting shot.

"I'm not going to help you," she said, her voice steady despite her fear.

"You already have." The man smiled, bending down to pick up the key. "You opened the door. Now I just need to follow the path to your mother. And you're going to come with me."

He grabbed her arm, his grip iron-tight, and dragged her toward the staircase. Quen looked back at Kael, who was struggling to rise, his face pale with pain.

"Don't worry about him," the man said. "He's served his purpose. You and I have a reunion to attend."

He pulled her through the doorway, and the door swung shut behind them with a heavy thud, plunging them into darkness.