Chapter 29
Willems came to see them after they finished breakfast the next morning. He was already waiting in the private parlour when Evander entered the room ahead of the others, his rotund figure ensconced in the same armchair he’d occupied the previous day.
Evander slowed.
Something was different about the inspector today.
The bumbling affability he’d projected at their first meeting had all but vanished. In its place sat someone with sharp eyes and a stillness that spoke of coiled tension. Even his spectacles seemed to sit straighter on his nose.
“Duke Ravenwood.” Willems rose and shook his hand, his voice stripped of the previous day’s theatrical zeal. “I trust you had a productive evening.”
Evander studied him warily as he took the seat opposite him, not quite certain what to make of the man’s metamorphosis. “Inspector Willems. You seem rather subdued this morning.”
“Do I?” Willems’s mouth curved in a smile that barely reached his eyes. “Perhaps I’ve simply decided that we’ve wasted enough time on pleasantries.” He sat down and scanned the room with shrewd eyes. “I’m aware you met with Princess Elo?se last night.”
Viggo tensed beside Evander. Fairbridge’s expression went carefully blank.
The others exchanged wary looks.
Evander narrowed his eyes. “How do you know that?”
“Because I’ve been assisting her in her investigation for the past two months.
” Willems leaned back in his chair, all pretence of foolishness abandoned.
“The princess is young and passionate, but she lacks the experience to navigate the treacherous waters she’s been swimming in.
Someone needed to ensure her enquiries didn’t get her silenced. Permanently.”
Shaw drew a sharp breath. Rufus and Solomon frowned. Ginny’s face grew calculating.
Cold fingers danced down Evander’s spine.
He knew Willems meant every word he’d just said.
“You’ve been helping her,” Fairbridge said flatly.
“Yes. And keeping her safe.” Willems’s gaze was steady as he met their stares.
“There are powerful people who would very much like to stop anyone asking questions about Les Prophètes Illuminés and the Crimson Codex. People within our own government. Getting rid of a royal is not something they would flinch at.” He shrugged.
“After all, accidents happen all the time.”
Evander’s pulse quickened. “Who in your government?”
“I don’t know. Not yet, anyway.” Frustration flickered across Willems’s features.
“I have my suspicions but every time I get close to identifying them, evidence disappears. Witnesses recant. Investigations are quietly shut down.” He fisted his hands in his lap.
“Someone at the very top of Belgian intelligence is protecting whoever is behind these disappearances. My superiors have made it abundantly clear that pursuing this matter further would be unwise for my career.”
“But you’re pursuing it anyway,” Ginny observed.
“Some things are more important than careers, Lady Hartley.” Willems’s voice grew stony.
“People are dying. Good people. Researchers, scholars, thralls. Anyone who gets too close to the truth.” He met Evander’s gaze.
“I may play the fool, but I am not one. And I will not stand by whilst monsters operate with impunity in my country.”
A heavy silence settled over the room.
“You’re the one the princess told us about,” Evander stated quietly. “The contact who can get us into the Prague Library.”
Willems nodded slowly. “Yes. My cousin is an archivist there. He’s been aware of the secret archive for years, though accessing it is rather more complicated.” He withdrew an envelope from his coat pocket. “I’ve already sent him a telegram. He’s expecting you.”
Evander took the envelope. Inside was a brief message confirming that Johan Pavel would meet them at their hotel in Prague the afternoon of their arrival, in three days.
Evander looked up and met Willems’s gaze. “It seems the princess and you were confident we would assist you in the end.”
Willems’s smile was hard. “We have the same goals, do we not? We just needed to know if we could trust you.”
Evander weighed this for a moment. He should have been irritated that Elo?se and Willems felt the need to test him and his team. But he could also not blame them for their distrust. The stakes were too high.
“Thank you.” Evander indicated the envelope. “For this.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” Willems rose, his expression grim.
“Prague is dangerous. The authorities there guard the library jealously and for good reasons. If you’re caught trying to access the secret archives, well—” He paused, his jaw setting in a steely line.
“Just be careful, Duke Ravenwood. Whatever you’re looking for, others are looking for it too.
And they’ve proven they’re willing to kill to keep it hidden.
” He paused. “May I confirm that you can indeed wield fire magic, your Grace?”
Evander stared, non-plussed. “Yes, I can. Why do you ask?”
“It will come in handy in Prague,” Willems said enigmatically.
He departed shortly after, leaving a lingering tension in his wake.
“Well,” Rufus said in the silence. “That was unexpected.”
“Was it?” Fairbridge’s voice was thoughtful. “We suspected he was more than he appeared.”
“At least now we know whose side he’s on.” Evander tucked the envelope into his coat. “It’s time to leave for Prague.”
The journey to the Austrian border passed in a blur of countryside.
Princess Victoria’s entourage travelled in considerable style, their private train cars furnished with all the luxuries afforded to royalty.
Evander spent most of the journey reviewing what little he knew about the Prague Library and trying to piece together their findings so far.
The others meanwhile occupied themselves in various ways: Shaw read a book on Central European magical practices she’d obtained from the court mage she’d befriended at the reception, Fairbridge browsed his tome on European law, Rufus pored over maps, and Ginny and Solomon engaged in low conversation that seemed more personal than professional.
Viggo sat beside Evander, a solid, reassuring presence even as he read Homer in silence.
They parted ways with Victoria at the border, the Crown Princess clasping Evander’s hands firmly as they said their farewells in private.
“Be careful, cousin,” she murmured. “And send word when you can. You know I’ll worry otherwise.”
“I will,” Evander promised.
From there, they continued to Prague by regular rail, arriving in the city as the afternoon sun painted the spires and rooftops in shades of amber and rose on the third day.
The Vltava River gleamed like molten copper beneath the ancient Charles Bridge as their carriages crossed the water.
Everywhere Evander looked, he saw evidence of the city’s long magical heritage—subtle ward-stones embedded in doorways, protective runes carved into bridge supports, the distant shimmer of defensive enchantments around the castle complex on the hill.
Their hotel was a modest establishment in Malá Strana, chosen specifically for its discretion. The proprietor asked no questions as he handed over their keys and the rooms, whilst small, were clean and private.
Evander had just finished unpacking when a knock came at his door.
“A gentleman is here to see you and your group, sir,” the proprietor announced. “He says his name is Pavel.”
Johan Pavel proved to be a leaner, sharper version of his cousin. He had the same ginger colouring, but without the excess weight or theatrical manner. His eyes were keen and he moved with the quiet efficiency of someone accustomed to navigating spaces where silence was paramount.
“Duke Ravenwood.” He shook Evander’s hand firmly. “My cousin’s telegram was as unexpected as it was… illuminating.” He surveyed their group guardedly where they’d crowded inside a private dining room. “Boele tells me you wish to access the restricted archives for a matter of international urgency?”
“We do,” Evander confirmed. “What can you tell us?”
Pavel’s face tightened. “Before I do that, can you promise me that you will not remove any of the texts or papers you find in the library?”
Evander exchanged a cautious look with his team. “We promise.”
“I mean, my fingers might accidentally slip, but we probably shouldn’t tell him that, right?” Shaw whispered to Rufus.
The inspector scowled at her. Ginny sighed.
Pavel pretended not to hear the forensic mage.
“The archive you’re interested in exists in a magically hidden space beneath the main library. It was originally sealed centuries ago by order of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and access has been severely restricted ever since.”
Surprise quickened Evander’s pulse. “A hidden space?”
“Yes.” Pavel produced a pouch from his coat. From it he extracted a brass key engraved with intricate runic symbols and a small roll of parchment. “These will help you find it.”
“Cor,” Shaw mumbled, her eyes sparkling.
Pavel unfolded the parchment on the table. “This is a map to the archive.”
Evander stared. The paper was blank.
“It’s empty,” Solomon said, confused.
Evander’s scalp prickled at what he sensed from the paper and the key. A faint magical residue. One that was familiar to him as breathing.
“Fire magic,” he murmured.
The others looked at him, puzzled. Fairbridge grasped his meaning first. His eyes widened slightly before he directed an admiring stare at the map.
Pavel nodded briskly. “You have keen senses, your Grace. This map is enchanted to reveal what it contains when fire magic is applied to it. It will track your position and guide you to the secret archive. The same principle applies to the key. It will only unlock the door when the runes engraved upon it are activated by fire magic.” He frowned faintly.
“Considering how rare fire mages are and how zealously guarded this map and key have been, you can understand why few people have ever gotten inside the place.” He pinned Evander with a penetrating stare.
“Boele tells me you can wield that magic, among others.”
Evander nodded, his heart racing.
“Good.” Pavel hesitated. “One more thing. There have been others asking about the archives recently. They came to the library four days ago, demanding access. They left when they were refused by the guards and the chief archivist.” His jaw tightened.
“But I fear they may have been watching the building ever since. Several of my associates have seen them skulking around.”
Evander exchanged a loaded glance with Viggo.
They had to be “I”’s agents.
“I don’t know what you’re looking for in those archives, Duke Ravenwood, nor do I wish to know,” Pavel said grimly. “But whatever it is, you’re not the only ones hunting for it.”