Monsieur Jay pushed past Mrs. Ostrich and Mr. Cardinal and lifted the halberd off the ground. He examined it closely, running his gloved fingers over the steel weapon.

“There are engravings in the metal,” he said, showing it to the others so they could get a closer look.

“What language are they in? It doesn’t look like English,” Mrs. Ostrich said.

“She’s right,” Mr. Cardinal piped up. “It looks like Latin or French.”

“French, ‘oui,’” M. Jay said, nodding. “It makes sense, considering Alouette’s name is of French origin. The engravings speak of a passage that snakes through the mansion, and the entrances to the passages are bookshelves.”

“There’s a bookshelf in here … I wonder if it’s one of the entrances.” Mr. Cardinal wandered over to the mahogany bookcase and examined it, looking for any triggers or hidden mechanisms that could open up the passage.

Mrs. Ostrich looked at the bookcase with him, and she soon noticed something out of place. One of the books was facing the wrong way; all of the others had their spines facing outward, while this book did not. She took it, a red book with gold lettering and detailing, from the shelf, and Mr. Cardinal stood beside her as she leafed through it.

“Empty…” she murmured. “There’s nothing in here.”

The floor then gave way under their feet. M. Jay grabbed Mr. Cardinal’s hand and pulled him up as he began to fall, but it was too late for Mrs. Ostrich. She screamed as she fell a good ten feet or so onto a dirt trail beneath the floor. Mr. Cardinal and M. Jay soon followed, their fingers still intertwined.

“Are you all right, ‘madame?’” M. Jay asked, using his free hand to help her up.

“Quite all right,” she muttered.

“There’s something stuck to the back of your gown,” Mr. Cardinal said, slipping his fingers out of M. Jay’s to reach out and get a closer look. 

“A handkerchief,” M. Jay said. “Covered in blood … the killer must have used this passage.”

“We’re one step closer then,” Mr. Cardinal said, cracking a small grin. “Let’s keep going.”

Edited by Abby Stetina | astetina@themaneater.com