Theo went and asked the butler to procure him as many beetles as he could by the next morning, which the man obliged right away.
Before leaving, however, he showed Theo the way to the library.
Theo followed him down a corridor he had walked for as long as he could remember since coming into this world.
Yet this time, the butler stopped and turned to face a room he knew existed but had never entered. There was no one around. When the room's door opened, Theo couldn't help but instinctively step forward and peer inside.
A dim staircase stretched downward, barely touched by any light. The only light that fell on the stairs was the one that came from the opened doorway behind them.
The butler moved ahead, lighting the candle fixed along the side of the staircase. One by one, he ignited them, then took a candle holder out of the wall and started moving down while lighting the rest as he descended.
Theo followed behind closely, his eyes fixed on the steps so as to not fall.
