Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series - Chapter 65

Chapter 65: A Tunnel To the Kitchens Chapter 65: A Tunnel To the Kitchens Sevan crouched down, his sharp eyes scanning the tunnel floor as he picked up a small, smooth rock.

He turned it in his fingers, examining it closely, before bringing it to his nose and sniffing the air.

His expression grew more focused as he turned toward the passageway from where the scent seemed to be strongest.

Adrian, standing with his arms crossed, let out a laugh.

“You look like a dog, sniffing around like that.” Sevan shot him a glare.

“Shut up.

There’s a hidden entrance somewhere.” He dropped the rock and straightened, now running his hands along the walls.

“The scent is coming from here, but it’s not coming from an open passage.

It has to be seeping through a crack or something.” Aiden, standing nearby, flexed his fingers, his firelight flickering in his palm.

The dim glow illuminated the rough walls of the tunnel, casting long shadows.

Sevan glanced back at him.

“Make the light brighter.” Aiden furrowed his brows but complied, his flame growing larger, casting a warm orange glow over the passageway.

With the increased light, the details of the tunnel became clearer- the jagged lines of stone, the way some sections looked smoother than others, almost worn down.

Then, Sevan’s eyes caught something: a small, nearly invisible gap near the base of one of the tunnel walls.

It was narrow, barely a sliver, but from it, the faintest wisp of air escaped.

He crouched again, pressing his hand to the cool stone.

“There,” he said, tapping his fingers lightly against the wall.

“There’s a space here.

Air is moving through it.” Adrian stepped forward, looking over Sevan’s shoulder.

“You think there’s a hidden room or another passage?” Sevan didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he pressed his ear against the wall and knocked lightly, listening carefully.

Aiden and Adrian exchanged glances as Sevan’s focus sharpened.

Finally, he pulled back and ran his hand along the wall’s surface.

“There’s definitely something here,” he murmured.

“We just have to find out how to open it.” Sevan ran his fingers along the rough stone wall, his eyes narrowing as he felt an uneven surface beneath his fingertips.

A small dent, almost unnoticeable in the dim light, was carved into the stone.

He frowned and looked at the rock he had picked up earlier, turning it over in his palm.

“Wait a second,” he muttered, bringing the stone closer to the dent.

Aiden and Adrian watched as he carefully aligned the stone with the indentation.

The shape was nearly identical-too perfect to be a coincidence.

Sevan smirked.

“I knew it.” He turned to the other two.

“Stand back.

If this thing opens, it might hit you.” Adrian immediately took a step back, but Aiden lingered for a second before following.

Sevan took a deep breath, steadied himself, then struck the stone into the dent with a sharp, precise hit.

The effect was immediate.

A low, grinding noise echoed through the tunnel as the section of the wall trembled.

Then, with a sudden lurch, the stone slab shifted, pulling back slightly before swinging open like a concealed door.

A rush of cool air swept through the tunnel, carrying with it the unmistakable scent of food, stronger than before.

The three of them stood still for a moment, staring at the newly revealed passage beyond the hidden door.

Adrian let out a low whistle.

“Now that’s interesting.” Aiden glanced at Sevan.

“Did you know that would happen?” Sevan shrugged.

“I had a good guess.” “Well, thanks nerd.” The three stepped cautiously through the hidden doorway, their footsteps muffled against the stone floor.

As soon as they entered, the smell of freshly cooked food overwhelmed them- warm bread, roasted meat, and something sweet, like honey and fruit.

Aiden narrowed his eyes.

“The kitchen?” Sure enough, as they walked further in, the dim tunnel gave way to a much larger space, illuminated by the golden glow of enchanted lanterns.

Long wooden tables stretched across the room, piled high with bowls of chopped vegetables, loaves of steaming bread, and bubbling pots of stew.

The air was thick with the comforting scent of spices and roasting meat.

Sevan let out a low whistle.

“This explains the smell.” Adrian, looking more amused than surprised, casually leaned against a counter.

“I should’ve figured there’d be secret passages to the kitchen.

How else do people sneak food out?” As the boys stepped further in, the sound of bubbling pots and the clatter of knives filled the air.

At first, they hadn’t noticed, but now they could see them- dozens of small, round-bodied creatures bustling around the enormous kitchen.

They were stocky, knee-high beings covered in soft fur, with big, expressive eyes and long, nimble fingers perfect for chopping, stirring, and kneading dough.

Sevan said they are called Kibbers.

Their ears twitched at every sound, and their fluffy tails swayed as they moved between counters, balancing trays of food with ease.

One of the Kibbers, an older-looking one with grey streaks in his fur and a chef’s hat perched between his large ears, turned at the sound of their footsteps.

He squinted up at them, wiping his paws on a flour-dusted apron.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” His voice was gruff but not unkind.

The other Kibbers quickly turned to look, some balancing pots, others rolling out dough, their ears perking up with curiosity.

“Students?” one of them whispered.

“In the kitchen?” another gasped.

The head Kibber raised a brow.

“Are you boys lost?

Or…” He narrowed his eyes playfully.

“Are you hungry?” Adrian, never one to miss an opportunity, immediately nodded.

“Absolutely starving.” Sevan groaned.

“Adrian-” Before he could finish, a smaller Kibber had already run up with a plate stacked with fresh bread rolls.

“Here!

Eat, eat!

Growing boys need food!” Aiden was still staring, trying to take in the sheer number of Kibbers in the kitchen.

He hadn’t even known this species worked at the school.

“You all run the kitchen?” The head Kibber puffed out his chest proudly.

“Of course!

The finest cooks in all of Soleil!

We feed you lot, and we make sure the food is perfect.” He gestured at a long table where a few Kibbers were taste-testing soups, nodding seriously or shaking their heads before adjusting the seasoning.

“No dish leaves this kitchen unless it’s just right.” Adrian had already started munching on a roll, giving an exaggerated nod of approval.

“Well, you’re doing a brilliant job.” Sevan sighed, but even he took a piece of bread.

“We, uh… didn’t mean to intrude,” he said carefully.

“We just… found this passage and got curious.” The head Kibber snorted.

“Found it, did you?

Hah!

Students always ‘find’ things they shouldn’t.” He waved a paw dismissively.

“No matter.

You’re here now.

Eat something before you go sneaking back out.” The other Kibbers chattered in agreement, some already moving to serve up bowls of stew.

The boys ate heartily, the warm food making them realise just how hungry they actually were.

The Kibbers were more than happy to keep feeding them, offering steaming bowls of stew, freshly baked bread, and even a few sweet pastries for dessert.

By the time they were full, the Kibbers had packed small parcels of food for them to take, wrapped neatly in cloth and tied with string.

“For later,” one of them said with a knowing grin.

“Sneaking around is hungry work.” Just as the boys were about to leave, one of the Kibbers, a small one with fur the colour of burnt sugar, tilted its head and asked, “Do you know the passageway from the man who used to come here most of the time?

The one who could make things float?” The boys exchanged glances.

Aiden frowned.

“No… we don’t.” At his answer, a few of the Kibbers lowered their ears, looking disappointed.

The one who had asked sighed and muttered, “That’s a shame… We haven’t seen him in a while.” Adrian, ever curious, leaned forward.

“Who is he?” The Kibber hesitated.

“A nice man.

He could levitate things- made our work easier sometimes.” Sevan, ever perceptive, noted the way the Kibber glanced at the others, as if unsure whether to say more.

“What happened to him?” he asked carefully.

The Kibbers all looked at each other, and one of the older ones, a taller Kibber with slightly greying fur, shook its head.

“We don’t know.

He just stopped coming.” The boys looked at each other, the unspoken thought hanging between them.

But before they could ask anything further, the Kibbers quickly ushered them towards the hidden door.

“You should go now,” one said kindly.

“It’s late.” Reluctantly, they took their food bundles and stepped back into the passageway.

As the door shut behind them, Adrian let out a low whistle.

“A floating bloke, huh?”