Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23 — BENEATH THE MANOR
The staircase beneath Breedlove Manor has opened, and Beatrice, Nathaniel, and Elias descend together into a place none of them remembers seeing before.
The deeper they go, the older the Manor seems to become. The walls change from carefully constructed stone to ancient foundations, and strange markings appear along the passage. The three siblings discover that the underground chambers may have existed long before Breedlove Manor was built above them.
At the bottom of the staircase, they find an ancient chamber containing three stone pedestals and a circular pool of perfectly still water. Each pedestal bears a symbol connected to one of the three Guardians.
But the chamber holds another secret.
A wall of black stone contains carvings depicting three figures standing before a rose.
Beatrice recognizes something unexpected in the carving—one of the figures appears to be holding the same rose-shaped key that disappeared from her hand.
Before they can understand what it means, the water in the chamber begins to move.
A reflection appears.
It is not their reflection.
Someone is standing behind them.
And the figure seems to know their names.
