The house was quiet for the rest of the day. It was a heavy, sad quiet. Thalen did not come out of his study. Elara moved around the kitchen, but she made no sound.
Caelum left his small stones on the floor. He walked to the library. The room was cold and smelled of dust and old paper. He did not look at the maps this time. He looked at the walls.
The library was at the back of the manor. He knew from walking the grounds that the outer wall was thick. But the inside wall, the one with the fireplace, felt different.
He walked to the fireplace. It was made of large, grey stones. It had not been used in years. A thick layer of soot coated the inside. Caelum looked at the stones around it. They were old and fitted together unevenly.
He started at the bottom. He pushed on each stone with his small hands. He felt the cold, rough surface under his palms. Nothing moved.
He dragged the heavy wooden stool over to the fireplace. He climbed up. He was now high enough to reach the stones above the mantelpiece.
He pushed on a stone to the left of the chimney. It was solid. He pushed on one to the right. It was also solid.
He moved to the stone directly above the center of the fireplace. It was a little smaller than the others. He placed both of his hands on it and pushed.
The stone moved.
It only moved a little, sinking back into the wall with a soft click.
Caelum felt a puff of cold, musty air on his face. He looked down. To the right of the fireplace, low on the ground, a section of the stone wall had opened. It was a dark, square hole, just big enough for him to crawl through.
He climbed down from the stool. He walked to the dark opening. He peered inside. It was a small, hidden space, completely black. He could smell dust and dry, rotting wood.
He got on his hands and knees and crawled inside. The space was tight. The floor was made of rough stone. His hands felt something in the back of the space. It was wood. It was smooth and cold.
He grabbed it and pulled it toward him. It was a box. It was small, made of dark wood, and bound with iron straps. A heavy iron lock was on the front.
He pushed the box out of the hole and into the library. He crawled out after it.
He sat on the floor, looking at his discovery. The box was heavy. He shook it. He heard a dull thudding sound from inside. It was not the sound of coins. It was something else. Something heavy and wrapped in cloth.