Darkness blanketed London, and the city gradually fell asleep. The Athelward Manor joined in the slumber, but inside, one person inside was still awake.
An hour after she was supposed to go to sleep, Lily left the bed and pulled out a box out from under it. She unlocked it and opened it, revealing simply two books. She laid the books on the bed and slid the box back into place.
Lily sat up on her bed and looked at the books. Before she had escaped the fire, she was able to take two books: one of her uncle's diaries and a book of what she thought was filled with spells. She opened the diary first and began to read.
4 February, 1887
The bitter cold makes it difficult to write. I am down in the cellar so I can pen my thoughts in private.
Helen is becoming more and more distant. She is no longer the woman I married. She resists my touch and barely speaks to me except when we have company or when we are out in public.
Henry, Mary, and Lillith are arriving tomorrow for a visit. It is a joy to see them. My brother has always had a serious disposition but has a kind soul. He changed a bit after he married Mary. She is cheerful and empathetic. I believe Lillith has inherited both of her parents' traits.
I envy my brother. His wife is warm and gentle. Mine is harsh and cold. I do not know why she has changed.
I must stop for the night.
Lily read the rest of the diary. The more she read, the more uneasy she became. Her uncle's handwriting had gradually become bigger and almost illegible, and his sentences made less and less sense. Finally, she came to the last entry.
15 September, 1887
It's after me. I made mistakes. No help. Too late.
A chill ran down Lily's spine. It was obvious that something had happened to her uncle, but what? What had he done?
She looked at the other book and closed the diary. A feeling of dread took over her as she stared at the cover of the only book she hadn't read. It didn't matter how she was feeling at that moment; she had to find out as much information as she could.
Lily opened the purple book and began to read. Unfortunately, it was written in another language that she did not recognize, and she was fluent in many languages.
There were many illustrations in the book; plants, symbols, bottles of liquids, creatures that she had never even seen before…
And every word and drawing was made with blood. They were brown, so she knew that the book was very old.
Most people would have been terrified to see these things, but Lily was not. Since she had a clear head, she was able to look through all of the pages without any emotion. However, she was filled with confusion. From what she could tell, this was a book of black magic. Why would it be among diaries her uncle had written? Were they connected? Did he practice black magic? Perhaps he had performed a spell that had gone horribly wrong.
"My lady, you should not be awake at this hour."
Lily looked up and saw Sebastian standing in the doorway.
"I am reading important documents."
The butler frowned. "Be that as it may, you need to rest. Your aunt's funeral is tomorrow."
Lily closed the book and put both of them on her nightstand. She blew out the candle she had been using.