that led along the north balcony. It was a classic long gallery with artwork hanging on both walls, interspersed with windows and french doors leading to the balcony. Doors leading to what were probably bedrooms came at regular intervals.
Ben turned right and followed Tenzin. She was out of sight, already turning the corner to the west gallery, which overlooked the front facade and grand entrance of the house.
He didn’t hear a pin drop. There were no humans in the house, no pets either if he had to guess.
Maybe a turtle. Turtles didn’t make much noise.
“Tenzin?”
She paused in front of a giant painting and looked up. “Do you think I could take this one?”
Ben glanced up. “No.”
“It would match Chloe’s room. He probably stole it in the first place.”
“Tenzin, it’s like six feet tall.”
“Midnight Labyrinth was bigger.”
He pulled on her sleeve. “Let’s just go.”
“Fine.” She started walking again. “No one is home, but something feels off.”
“I feel the same way.” He rushed through the gallery, scanning all the walls. “You see anything?”
“I don’t even see anything stylistically similar to the icon. These are all modern.”
“Agreed.” He reached the landing that led to the grand staircase and halted. “Oh, I get it.”
“Organized by era.” Tenzin ran her hand along the edge of a rural landscape. Romantic-era paintings lined the staircase, leading down to a neoclassical nude sculpture.
“Icons are going to be on the second floor maybe?”
“Depends. We’ll start there.” She was looking around the massive entryway. “Something isn’t right.”
Ben froze and whispered, “What?”
“Something about the house.”
“There’s no one here.”
“I know.” She floated to the center of the room, turning in place. “Come here.”
“Tenzin, we should really look at the second floor.”
“Just come here. There’s something, and I can’t quite tell…”
Ben floated out from the gallery landing to the center of the room. He had a distinct sense of discomfort. “Okay, I feel it now.”
“It’s too… small?”
It was a ridiculous statement on the surface—the house was enormous—but that was exactly the same feeling Ben had. The proportions of the rooms were off. “Let’s keep going. I think we’re going to find something on the second floor.”
“Okay.”
Tenzin and Ben floated down to the second-floor landing where, instead of a gallery leading around the house, a massive ballroom took up the east half of the residence. Rococo and baroque-era canvases covered the walls of the ballroom, and the ceiling was painted in brilliant Easter egg colors. Decadent gold plasterwork dominated the space.
“I have the same feeling here,” Ben said. “This room is massive, but it should be bigger.”
“I may know what’s going on.” Tenzin walked to the marble fireplace at the north side of the room and put her hands on the wall next to it.
“What are you doing?”
“Come here.” She was a black shadow against the pale blue wall. “Feel here.”
Ben put his hands on the plaster. It was smooth and cool, the paint was perfect, and gold sconces lined the walls at eye level.
“Do you feel it?” she asked.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking for.”
“The space.” She put a hand over his. “Feel the space, Benjamin. The air will talk to you now if you know how to listen. Don’t listen to what is there. Feel for what is not there. Feel for the void.”
Voids were everywhere, but as soon as she said it, the disquieting feeling settled and he understood. “There’s a passageway.”
“More than that.” Tenzin smiled. “From the expanse I’m sensing, there are entire hidden rooms.”
Ben turned around in the ballroom, then raced out to the entry hall. “That’s it. That’s why it feels off. It’s too small on the inside.”
“Now we just have to find an entrance.” Tenzin started to search for the seams around the molding. “There will be multiple entrances.”
“So clever.”
“And safe.” She pressed in and a panel pushed out. “Jampot.”
“Wh-what?” He pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. “Jampot?”
Tenzin looked confused. “Eureka? What’s the thing you say when you find something? I forgot.”
“Jackpot.”
“Right.” She pushed the panel in and pushed it to the side. It moved silently on hidden tracks. “Jackpot. Let’s look for the real treasure, shall we?”
“Let’s.” Ben ducked his head to enter the passageway.
Tenzin was right. It was far more than a narrow hallway. This was a comfortable, though by no means grand, room meant for the same purpose as the ballroom. Sconces lined the walls, and comfortable sofas were arranged along the walls. There was plenty of room for dancing or walking.
Unlike the formal ballroom though, the art here