Juliana left her apartment at dusk, the tailor's shop below was closed and the lights were dim, she locked her door twice and took the back stairs to the street. The air was cool, the stone of the buildings still held the day's heat, street lamps glowed slowly to life one after the other. She carried no bag tonight, only a slim leather notebook and a fountain pen in her coat pocket, the university gates stood open, two watchmen leaned on their halberds speaking quietly, they nodded as she passed but didn't stop her. The west wing rose above the courtyard, its tall windows caught the last of the light, most of the wing was unused after nightfall. Old lecture rooms, archives, and storage filled the upper floors. Her footsteps echoed on the marble stairs, the hall had a faint smell of dust and varnish, she reached the third floor, the corridor stretched ahead, lined with closed doors and a few lamps leaving long gaps of shadow. Juliana stopped at the fourth door on the left, a brass plaque read "Archive 3B". She pressed her palm against the wood, the door cold, she opened the door, inside, rows of shelves stood in dim light. The air was colder here, she shut the door behind her and crossed the room.
The far window was left slightly opened, letting in the faint chatter of the city outside.
She took her notebook from her pocket and flipped to a blank page, she wrote down the time 19:14 and waited, at 19:23, the light changed, a blue-white flash lit the shelves, quick and sharp but it was gone before her eyes adjusted.
She jotted the time, 19:31, it happened again, this time it was longer, pulsing three times in quick succession.
Juliana crossed to the far wall, tracing her fingers along the wood paneling until she found a narrow seam, she pressed it and the panel shifted inward with a faint click.
A thin strip of light showed a passage beyond, she pushed the panel open and stepped inside, revealing a narrow space with old stone walls. The light came from a set of faint runes marked into the floor about ten meters ahead so she knelt beside the first rune and examined it, the lines were sharp, cut deep into the stone, then the blue-white light pulsed again, running from one rune to the next in sequence.
Something shifted in the corner that had her turning her head sharply, there was a man standing there, half-hidden in shadow with his coat plain, his hands were empty. "You shouldn't be in here," he said, Juliana responded, "neither should you." He took one step closer, the light from the runes caught his face. Human, pale, his eyes had the flat look of someone measuring distance. "You don't know what this is," he said, "No," she replied, "and you do?" His gaze moved past her to the runes, "old work, before the treaties, dangerous if left active." "Then why is it here?" she asked, "because the university owns more than books," he said, "Who are you?", she said, keeping her voice steady. He didn't answer, instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small metal disc which he tossed onto the floor near the first rune.
The light in the runes got dim and the hum in the air faded, Juliana took a step back, "What did you do?" "turned it off," he said. "For now." "And why should I believe you?" He shrugged, "you shouldn't, but you'll know I'm telling the truth when the lights stop". They stood in silence but no flash came. She kept her eyes on him, "you have a name?" "Ravel," he said, "Is that first or last?", "It's enough". He stepped past her toward the panel and she followed after him. When they reached the archive, he stopped in the doorway, "You're being watched by someone who thinks you'll lead them to this place. Don't." He stepped into the corridor and was gone before she moved, she then shut the panel, slid the bolt on the archive door, and leaned against it with a sigh of relief.
The notes she took filled half the page she was looking at, brief flashes of light, uncertain patterns, she then drew a line under them indicating a conclusion, she wrote one word: "Ravel." She left the west wing by the side stair, avoiding the courtyard, the night was quieter now. In the square outside the gates, a small group of students passed, laughing. Avoiding them, she stayed in the shadows until they were gone. Halfway home, she heard footsteps behind her and when she turned, she saw Jason Saint standing under a street lamp, with his coat buttoned high. "You're out late again," he said, "and I could say the same for you," she replied, he smiled, "I heard the west wing lights stopped tonight, I have to say it is strange, isn't it?" Her chest tightened, "how would you know that?", "I hear things," he said, "and, I keep an eye on people who wander where they shouldn't". "Then keep your eye somewhere else", she said, Jason took a slow step toward her, "You think I mean you harm?", "I think you mean yourself good", she said.
For a moment, he held her gaze then laughed quietly, "You're sharper than you look", He stepped past her and continued down the street. Juliana stayed where she was until he was gone. Then she took the long way home, avoiding every street where the lamps were out. When she reached her apartment, she locked the door and sat by her reading table at the corner of the room, opening the notebook, and reading her notes again. The word "Ravel" stood out on the page, she had it circled twice. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she checked the Job application status on her phone which still showed pending. She tried to comfort herself saying "well it's not a no", "yet…", she sighed in frustration looking back at the ceiling, and before she knew it she was asleep.