CHAPTER 26 The Letter Beneath the Dust

The rain had stopped sometime during the night.

Nathaniel stood alone in the west corridor of Breedlove Manor, listening to the silence that had settled over the ancient house.

There was something different about the Manor tonight.

Not quieter.

Waiting.

He had felt it the moment he entered the corridor.

His fingers brushed along the cold stone wall as he walked. Dust covered the old portraits and forgotten pieces of furniture that had remained untouched for generations.

Then he noticed something.

A loose stone.

Nathaniel stopped.

He stared at it for several moments before reaching toward it.

The stone moved beneath his fingers.

Slowly, he pulled it free.

Behind it was a narrow hollow in the wall.

And inside that hollow was a small wooden box.

Nathaniel's heart began to pound.

He carefully removed the box and carried it toward the nearest window.

The wood was dark with age, the brass clasp tarnished almost black.

There was no name on the outside.

Only a single carved symbol.

A raven.

Nathaniel stared at it.

"Not again," he whispered.

He opened the box.

Inside lay several dried flowers, a small silver key, and beneath them, folded carefully inside a piece of faded cloth, was a letter.

The paper had yellowed with age.

Nathaniel unfolded it with trembling hands.

At the top were three words.

Dearest Nathaniel.

He stopped breathing for a moment.

His grandmother's handwriting.

He knew it immediately.

Nathaniel lowered himself into the old chair beside the window and began to read.

My Dearest Nathaniel,

September 1, 18??

If you are reading this letter, then the time has finally come for you to know that there are things about our family that I could never tell you while I was alive.

I pray you will forgive me for keeping these secrets.

You have always been braver than you believed yourself to be. Even as a child, there was something within you that I could see but you could not. You carried the heart of the Breedlove family, but you also carried something older.

Something that has been waiting.

Do not be afraid of what you discover within the walls of Breedlove Manor. The house remembers. The halls remember. And there are places beneath the Manor that were never meant to be forgotten.

When the time comes, you will be faced with a choice.

Do not make it alone.

There is one who will come to you when you need guidance most. You may not recognize her at first, and you may even wonder whether you should trust her.

Trust the raven.

She will not lead you where you are meant to go.

She will help you find the way yourself.

There are truths hidden beneath the stones of this Manor, Nathaniel. Some are beautiful. Some are terrible. And some were buried because those who knew them were too frightened to speak.

You must be stronger than they were.

Listen carefully when the Manor grows quiet.

Watch the shadows when they move against the light.

And when you hear the raven call three times, do not turn away.

Go where it leads you.

But remember this above all else:

The darkness is not always your enemy.

Sometimes it is simply hiding what the light has not yet revealed.

I wish I could be there to see the man you have become. I wish I could place my hand upon your cheek one more time and tell you that everything will be all right.

But I cannot.

So I leave you these words instead.

Whatever happens, never forget who you are.

You are a Breedlove.

You are my grandson.

And you are loved more deeply than you could ever understand.

There will come a day when you must decide whether the secrets of our family should remain buried.

When that day comes, follow your heart.

It will know the truth before your mind does.

And if you find yourself afraid, remember what I told you when you were a little boy:

Courage is not the absence of fear.

Courage is walking forward even when you are afraid.

You are dearly brave, Nathaniel.

You always have been.

May the old house protect you.

May the raven guide you.

And may you find the answers I was never able to give you.

With all my love,

Your Grandmother

Nathaniel slowly lowered the letter.

For several moments, he could do nothing but stare at the faded handwriting.

His grandmother had known.

She had known about the secrets.

She had known about the places beneath the Manor.

And somehow, she had known about the raven.

A sudden sound came from somewhere beyond the window.

Nathaniel turned.

Nothing.

Then he heard it.

Caw.

His blood ran cold.

A second call followed.

Caw.

Nathaniel stood.

His eyes searched the darkness outside.

Then came the third.

Caw.

He looked down at the letter.

His grandmother's final warning echoed through his mind.

When you hear the raven call three times, do not turn away.

Nathaniel folded the letter carefully and placed it inside his coat.

Then he picked up the small silver key from the wooden box.

For the first time, he noticed something engraved upon its tiny surface.

A single word.

Below.

Nathaniel looked toward the floor.

Breedlove Manor seemed to breathe around him.

And somewhere beneath his feet, something answered.