The compartment was exactly where Seraphine had described.
Third stone from the window sill on the south wall. Press the left corner and the right corner at the same time. Hold for three seconds. The mechanism was the kind her father built, which was simple and concealed and required knowing it was there to find it.
He had never trusted complicated hiding places because complicated things broke. He trusted things that looked like nothing.
The stone moved inward with a sound like nothing so much as a breath being let out, smooth and final, the sound of something that had been closed for a long time opening.
Inside was a sealed box.
On top of the box was a letter. Mira's handwriting. Addressed to: whoever my daughter becomes.
