Andor couldn't put the training grounds behind him fast enough. The one place where he had usually felt safe and welcomed, now seemed like a cesspit of brewing violence. He was glad he wasn't a recruit, or else he'd be among those having to run their drill under Gilren.

A shudder went through him as he strode towards the southern gate of Valantes, through which a steady stream of supplies poured towards the training grounds and the grassy surroundings, which had been converted into improvised storage areas. Groups of tents had also been erected to house the increasing amount of elves that were still expected, warriors as well as blacksmiths, cooks, healers, and fletchers. A sticky heaviness coated his stomach when he imagined Meril and Olear being called into service, his brother Tin having to live alongside them in a war camp that was not a place for a little boy.

He squeezed by a cart loaded with large barrels and before he knew it, he found himself inside the city, pulled into the throngs of people heading towards the centre of Valantes. For a moment he considered paying Serande another visit, quickly scrapping the idea when he thought about how she might try to force yet another one of her tactical moves on him. He probably should just follow her advice and lie low for a while, at least until Nebula was back with news from Rose.

If she came back.

Of course she would come back. He wouldn't allow himself to think of any other outcome. Yet doing nothing wasn't something that sounded appealing. He couldn't simply sit back and wait, not when Rose was in danger, and so was his owl, as well as his friends and his family. There had to be something he could do without incurring Serande's wrath or drawing Xanthos's attention to him.

Lost in thoughts, he had drifted through the streets of Valantes until his feet had carried him to the street of the library and now he found himself facing the inscription that marked the entrance to the building in thick golden letters.

While There are Books There is Hope

If he hadn't been so full of worries, he would have laughed out loud at the irony of these words. Wasn't this the most untrue statement ever? Books had only brought insecurity and confusion, first Rose's book and then the one holding Xanthos's dark secret. How could books be a source of hope, if all they did was create problems?

"Why are you staring at the entrance of the library as if you were mad?"

Andor turned his head and there was Elia walking towards him. She was alone, which surprised him at first, but then he remembered that his friends had told him that she had been summoned to the palace.

He shrugged. "Just contemplating the lie behind those words."

She stopped beside him and looked up at the sign. "I don't think there is any lie in those words, just the truth. Maybe it's a truth you don't want to see, but it doesn't make it any less of a truth."

Andor threw Elia a sideways glance. Better to change the topic before she went into one of her smart speeches. "Is there any news from the palace?"

Elia's face tightened considerably. "Not anything relevant. Eldoran doesn't have any lead concerning the so-called traitor, if that's what you are getting at. He's been busy rounding up the usual suspects.The progress is slow."

"I guess that's good news, isn't it?"

"Under the given circumstances, probably yes." She gave him a weary smile and threw a look over her shoulder as if she was afraid they could be overheard. It surely wasn't the wisest thing to be discussing such a dangerous topic right here in the middle of Valantes.

Rubbing a hand over his chest, his finger slid over the tiny bump that was the silver key under his tunic. They key! Yes, that was it. They could go to the Blackthorn vault and hide there, as he was the only one who was able to enter it. Perhaps Elia could even help him gather more information about Xanthos and he could finally fill her in about the dark secret he had unveiled down there, a secret which had been plaguing him ever since. Antelisse had made him promise to keep the vault a secret, but he was done with keeping away things from his friends, especially if it could mean the difference between life and death for all of them.

"We could go to the library and talk. There's a particular vault down there and I'm the only one who has a key to it, so we would definitely be undisturbed."

"You have a key to a vault in the library?" Elia's eyebrows went up to her hairline and she looked at him as if he'd just proclaimed that Gilren was actually his best friend. "Since when is that? I thought you hated books in general and the library in particular?"

"I still don't like either of them, but if we can use them to our advantage, then I guess I can accept their existence." It probably didn't sound convincing, but it was the best he could do without giving away too much information.

Elia only narrowed her eyes at him and rolled her shoulders back. "You haven't told me yet how you got the key. Those are not just freely available."

"You're right. They are not. I promise, I'll tell you everything about it, but not out here." He threw a cautionary glance over his shoulder. One could never be too careful these days. One wrong word, and he might endanger not only himself but also Elia. He couldn't risk that.

Elia nodded slowly and adjusted her bow. "Then let's go. What are we waiting for?"

Before he had a chance to doubt his plan, Elia pushed open the doors and beckoned him to walk through. No more turning back then.

The library hadn't changed a thing since he had been here a few days ago. The narrow foyer tiled in dark wood was illuminated by golden orbs. A few elves with floating baskets were busily moving around. This time he wouldn't need to ask anyone for directions. He might not be good with books, but he was definitely good at remembering places and finding the path to the vault wouldn't be difficult. They moved along quietly, passing the illuminated archways until they reached the large door at the end.

"How exactly are we getting to this vault?" Elia whispered beside him.

"We'll keep going downwards from here on." He pointed towards the end of the foyer. "It's a stairwell behind the office of Antelisse."

The door to Antelisse's office was closed and if they moved on quickly, they would hopefully be able to sneak past it without being detected as he wasn't in the mood of having to make up an excuse why he would be visiting the library with a friend.

"Sounds like you've been coming here on a regular basis." Elia threw him a sideways grin as they passed the office and trod along the ever narrowing hallway.

"I've only been here once recently on Serande's behalf. I just haven't had the time to tell anyone about it. Well, actually I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about it, but I've decided that I'm done with being everyone's secret keeper. There are things I need to know, and I'm going to need help figuring out some ... things. You know that I'm not on friendly terms with books, but I guess I have no other choice than to deal with them if I — or we — are going to make it through all this alive."

Elia sucked in a breath. "Well, I am definitely curious now."

As the incline steepened more and more and the open archways were being replaced by vaults shut behind grates, they had to walk in single file with Elia treading closely behind him. "I didn't even know the library extended so far underground. There must be thousands of old tomes here that have not seen the light in ages."

"Probably," was all he said. Even though he was guiding Elia through the bowels of the library, he wasn't overly interested in the content of the other vaults. He only wanted to get to the one where they could hide safely and be able to talk openly about everything that weighed him down.

Down and down they went until they finally stood in front of the unassuming grate that marked the entrance to the Blackthorn vault.

"So, this is it?" Elia said, running her fingers over the metal bars. "Doesn't look like much."

"I know, but it's like Antelisse said. It's the contents behind it that matter." He almost cringed at his own words. He would have to be careful, or he'd soon be sounding like someone who actually enjoyed books.

Andor tugged at the chain with the key and instantly the keyhole began emitting a silvery glow.

"Impressive," Elia remarked. "And whose vault is this exactly?"

"It's the Blackthorn vault," he said, quickly pulling the chain over his head and placing the key close to the hole, which sprang open even before the key touched it.

"Blackthorn?" The name floated into the space between them like a long forgotten secret.

"You know the name?" He stared at her, open-mouthed. Probably he looked like a fool, but right now he couldn't care less. Any piece of information Elia might have on this mysterious family might be useful.

"I don't know. I have a foggy memory of it, but I can't quite grasp it. I feel I'm supposed to know but I can't put the pieces together."

Andor closed his mouth and nodded thoughtfully. At least she hadn't reacted as shocked as his parents at the mention of the name. But there was definitely some kind of mystery shrouding it and he was determined to find out. Suddenly he found himself almost eager to show Elia the book. Perhaps that might spur on her memory.

Andor stowed away the chain and stepped through into the vault. This time, he did not hesitate, even though there was a lingering sense of dread coiling in his stomach.

Elia followed him through and then the grate fell shut behind her, enveloping them both in near impenetrable darkness. The row of lights along the low-lying ceiling immediately sprung to life, illuminating the vault and its contents. Everything looked exactly the same as last time, including the two rectangular tables, the various chests, the chandelier, the partially veiled mirror and the upturned chairs.

"Someone definitely hasn't cleaned up here in quite a while." Elia wrinkled her nose after she gave a quick glance around. "Or someone found a welcome place to dump all the furniture no one wanted."

"That was my first impression too and I still don't know what to make of most of the things around here, except that there is one book, which is definitely worth a look."

"A book? Are you sure you haven't hit your head, Andor?" She gave him a half-grin.

"It's not like I was searching for it," he said, the thought of the cruel details buried in those pages freezing any onset of a smile on his face. "Well, I was searching for something, after Antelisse told me I would find answers to questions about the past in this vault."

Elia straightened herself beside him and ran a finger across the spines of some books in the shelf beside her. "Digging in the past is dangerous business."

"Yes, I know. That's what we've been told time and again, yet it can't be more dangerous than the present we are facing right now. First we need some answers and then we make a plan on how to best stop Xanthos from unleashing a full-blown war on the humans." His chest tightened at the mere thought of all the violence and bloodshed this would bring, but mostly at the image of Rose being brutally tortured by the king's own hands.

"Show me that book, now that you've got me curious; then we'll see if it can help us along the way."

He led her to the chest that contained the book and when the lock sprang open at the touch of his key, he swore its clicking resonated like a harbinger of doom through the ominous silence.

Elia peered inside and there was a look of awe on her face. "The Family of Blackthorn," she murmured as if to herself, when she glanced at the crest embossed on the cover. "They do exist."

Andor nodded and removed the book from the chest to place it on the table in front of them. "They did exist, to be exact. They don't anymore. At least that's what the book suggests."

"Do I dare ask what happened to them?"

"Check the last page," Andor said, pointing at the book.

Elia quickly leafed through the pages and when she reached the last one, her eyes widened as her gaze flew over the inked lines. "You know what this means?" Her dark eyes lifted to his and something like fear swirled in their depths.

"I think I do, but I want to hear what you make of it."

Her fingers repeatedly traced the letters on the yellowed parchment as if she needed to physically touch each and every one of them for the horrific truth to sink it.

"What do I make of it?" She drew in a laboured breath. "If it is true what it says here, we are talking about regicide of the worst kind. Someone went as far as to eradicate the entire royal family down to their newborn daughter." Whatever fear had been in Elia's eyes had now turned to disgust. She slammed the book shut and drew her eyebrows together. "Someone who now sits on the throne of Elysse, all too sure of himself and his power. Yet he has blood on his hands. Blood of the innocent." A fierce gleam stole itself into her eyes. When it came to harming the helpless, Elia was unforgiving.

"You think what the book claims is true? And that the one responsible for it is Xanthos?" He felt stupid for voicing these questions, for deep in his heart he knew that there was only one possible answer to both of them, even if he had harboured a small shred of hope that all this might have just turned out a hoax and Elia would explain to him with one of those superior smiles of hers how none of it could ever be true.

Yet, there was none of that, no doubt etched into her features, only a grim sense of determination that made it seem as if Elia considered this a personal affront.

"I see no reason to question the truthfulness of those lines scribbled down in obvious distress. What would the point be of inventing something horrible like that? And why would anyone go through such lengths of keeping this sealed away and shielded from the king's eyes? Surely not to protect a lie. Only the truth is dangerous enough that it needs to be warded against unwanted detection." Elia had begun to pace back and forth in the vault, but due to the constricted nature of the chamber she seemed to be merely treading on the spot. "The pressing questions are, why have you been given the key to this vault and how do you fit into all this."

Andor leaned against the edge of the table and shrugged. "That's what I would like to know too. Antelisse wasn't very forthcoming with her explanations and I haven't had a chance to ask Serande. I'm sure she probably knows all about it and enjoys keeping it all to herself, leaving me in the dark for as long as possible." He wouldn't put it past the Seer that she enjoyed her secret-keeping a lot more than what she should.

"Still, Serande might be your best bet to ask, unless you can be sure to trust Antelisse enough to question her about it."

Andor ran a hand through his hair, when his gaze fell on a silvery glow emerging from beside the crumpled sheet draped across the mirror that stood in the faraway corner. He tilted his head to see if he had imagined it, but no, there it was, another blink of silver, like a sliver of liquid moonlight trapped in the darkness.

Turning around, he scanned the vault for a source of light that might be creating the reflection on the mirror, but there was none. The lights on the low-lying ceiling were far too dim, besides, the angle was all off.

He narrowed his eyes, refocusing on the mirror. It even crackled faintly in the air as if it was beckoning to him. Calling him.

He held his breath. A foggy memory about ancient portals between the worlds of humans and elves made its way to the surface. Stories his mother had told him when he had been a small child. He shook his head. It couldn't be. Those artefacts were long gone. Eradicated from Elysse since before his own time.

"Andor? Are you listening to me?" Elia tapped his shoulder. When he didn't answer but only pointed at the partially covered mirror with his chin, she followed his gaze and whispered, "Is this what I think it is?"

Andor shrugged, transfixed by the silvery light. "I'm not sure, because I've never seen one in my whole lifetime."

"I don't think anyone alive has seen one of the Eternal Silvers," Elia said with awe in her voice, as if she couldn't quite believe her own words.

"I thought they'd all been destroyed, leaving only the portal trees, controlled by Xanthos." A kaleidoscope of possibilities unfolded in Andor's mind, loosening the hopelessness that had wrapped around his heart like an iron vice.

"Apparently you're one lucky vault owner." A wide grin split Elia's face.

"Apparently I am." Andor could barely contain his growing excitement. He walked up to the mirror and reached for the sheet. "Do you think it might still work?"

"There is only one way to find out." Elia stood on the other side of the mirror and together they pulled away the sheet.