«Camelot…»
A chill passed through the room.
Several of the servants retreated.
The adviser with the red hat instantly raised his hand.
«No one is approaching the painting.»
Camelot didn’t even notice him.
He only looked at the girl, she had a real face now.
Her long hair fell to her shoulders, and her eyes seemed too vivid for the usual image.
«Did you…
call me earlier?»
The girl blinked slowly.
«Yes.»
«Why?»
She didn’t answer.
Instead, her gaze shifted to the transparent brush in Camelot’s hand.
The golden glow became brighter.
«Bring me home.»
Camelot frowned.
«Home?»
The girl looked somewhere behind him, towards the old windows where the greenhouse could be seen.
«Take me back to where I belong.»
Arthur looked up sharply.
«To the greenhouse?»
The girl nodded.
«Yes.»
Camelot looked at his father.
«She wants to go back to the greenhouse.»
Arthur was silent for a few seconds.
For the first time, he looked really confused.
«Then move it.»
The Council counselor immediately objected,
«Arthur, we don’t know what’s going to happen.»
«Neither do I.»
Arthur looked at the painting.
«But for the first time in decades, she said what she wanted.»
Camelot approached the frame.
The transparent brush in his hand reached for the painting.
It was as if she recognized the order.
«Wait!.» said one of the Council members.
«Don’t touch the canvas.»
Camelot turned his head.
«Why?»
«Because we don’t know what kind of magic it is.»
Camelot chuckled.
«And five minutes ago you were laughing and saying that the brush is just picky.»
The adviser fell silent.
«Now she’s chosen me.»
Camelot carefully placed his palm on the frame.
The golden light instantly spread across the entire canvas.
The painting trembled with magic, then the frame itself lifted off the wall.
Camelot barely managed to grab her with both hands.
«Heavy…»
«Careful!» shouted Eleanor.
Camelot gritted his teeth.
«I’m fine.»
He looked at the girl.
She wasn’t smiling anymore.
«On the floor…»
Camelot blinked.
«What?» Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
«As soon as you transfer me to the Greenhouse.
Put me on the floor.»
He frowned.
«No.» the girl’s voice became more serious.
«Put me down.»
Camelot looked at Arthur.
He clearly didn’t understand what was going on.
«Why the floor?» asked Camelot.
The girl looked him straight in the eye.
«Because whatever’s under the greenhouse is no longer sleeping.»
Camelot caught his breath.
The silver grimoire suddenly opened.
The pages began to flip wildly.
[A change in the main task has been detected.
]
[ Object: unknown.
]
[Connection to the Canham family: confirmed.
]
[ Magical activity under the greenhouse: detected.
]
Camelot slowly looked at the painting.
«What’s under the greenhouse?»
The girl closed her eyes.
«What your family has forgotten.»
The golden lines on her body flashed.
«And what the Black Sun never wanted you to find.»
Camelot froze.
Arthur turned pale abruptly.
And one of the Council members whispered:
«Impossible…»
Camelot tightened his grip on the frame and carried it into the greenhouse.
As soon as the bottom edge of the painting touched the floor, something strange happened.
A line of light ran across the floor under his feet, drawn directly on top of the stone slabs.
The line passed under the painting, then split into dozens of branches and formed a huge circle.
Boom…
The stone trembled under his feet.
Eleanor stepped back.
«Arthur!
Everyone back up!»
But it was too late, the golden lines abruptly hit the floor.
The stone slabs began to move one by one, they moved to the sides, as if an invisible hand was erasing them from the surface.
Darkness appeared below them.
The servants screamed.
One of the Council members automatically took out a small magical artifact.
«Is there an underground room here?»
Arthur looked down with an expression Camelot had never seen on his face before.
«No way.»
«Did you know about this?» asked Camelot.
«No, I’m not.»
Arthur came closer.
A staircase gradually opened up in front of them, going deep down.
The steps were covered with dust, there were traces of ancient magic on the walls.
Some of the symbols had long since faded, but the golden light from Camelot’s brush made them light up again.
Camelot looked down.
«And you’re saying that there’s been nothing under the greenhouse all this time?»
Arthur slowly shook his head.
The advisers exchanged glances.
No one was laughing now, even the same girl, who until recently claimed that the brush simply does not accept anyone, looked at the stairs with tension.
«I’ll go first.» said Camelot.
«We need to check where it leads.»
«No.» said Arthur and Eleanor at the same time.
Camelot looked at them.
«Why?»
Arthur frowned.
«Because we don’t know what’s underneath.»
Camelot held up a transparent brush.
«And she seems to know.»
The brush lit up slightly, as if confirming his words.
Arthur sighed heavily.
«Then let’s go together.»
They started to descend.
One of the Council representatives went first, then Arthur,
behind him is Camelot.
Eleanor and the rest of the Council members moved behind and the servants were ordered to stay upstairs.
The deeper they descended, the colder the air became.
Drawings began to appear on the walls.
Camelot stopped by one.
It depicted a man with a brush in his hand.
In front of him was a huge black mass resembling a shapeless shadow.
A man was drawing something on top of it.
«So old and dusty…»
Camelot approached and his grimoire opened again.
[Historical image.
]
[Author: unknown.
]
[ Event: classified.
]
[ Magical nature: unknown.
]
Camelot frowned.
Even you don’t know?
The pages turned over.
[Information is missing.
]
They continued on their way.
After a few minutes, the stairs ended, there was a massive wooden door in front of them.
It bore the coat of arms of the Canham family.
But the coat of arms looked different from the one Camelot saw above.
There was an eye in the center, and a brush was painted around it.
Camelot touched the door.
Click.
The lock opened by itself and the door slowly swung open.
Behind it was a workshop covered in dust.
Dozens of empty frames lined the walls dried brushes lay on the floor.
There were dried jars of paints on the tables.
Some of them were so ancient that they turned into stone.
And there was a large easel in the center of the room.
And on it… Picture.
Camelot stopped.
«It’s unfinished.»
It was obvious, a huge landscape was depicted on the canvas mountains, forest, sky.
The city is far away.
But the central part of the painting was empty.
There was only a white section of the canvas, as if the artist had stopped right before the most important moment.