Chapter 6 - The Vault's Secret
Jonathan lay pooling blood on the white marble, his vision blurring rapidly, but he grabbed Clara’s hand with surprising grip strength before she could turn and run to get medical help. "The ledger he took... it's a decoy, Clara," he coughed out, his chest rattling violently with inhaled smoke. "The real records of our bloodline... the real power over the council... it's locked in the subterranean archive beneath the primary library." He reached up with a trembling, bloody hand, pulling a heavy silver signet ring from his ring finger and pressing it firmly into Clara's palm.
Eleanor rushed back through the thickening smoke, hauling the weakened lord up by his armpits. "I'll get him out through the secret wine cellar passage!" Eleanor shouted over the roaring crackle of the spreading fire. "Clara, save yourself! Run for the main gate! Leave the house!" But Clara looked down at the heavy signet ring in her hand, feeling the burning wrath of a lifetime of manipulation finally taking over her fear. She didn't run for the exit. Instead, she turned around and sprinted directly into the burning hallway toward the library, determined to confront the monster who had shattered her life.
