Stepping into the empty house a silent but heavy dust hung to the air. Cedric crossed the living room into a kitchen and pulled the curtains to the side. Large groups of dust drifted through the beams of light that poured into the kitchen. Cedric came back from the kitchen to open the curtains there. His metal books giving both a clunk and a knock as he did so.

Light filled the house allowing Oliver a better view of the home. Oliver currently stood in the open foyer which allowed him the view of Cedric's movements. A dark blue rug beneath him and a small bench built against the wall to his right. 4 silver hooks were attached slightly above the bench to allow someone to hang their coat or scarf. Behind was the wooden. Peering into the living room was another larger green rug. A green sofa sat atop it facing the hearth that was built into the wall in front of the foyer.

A few paints were placed along the walls of the living room, mostly above the hearth. Behind the couch were two, large, floor to ceiling book shelves. All of which were lined with various colored books. Small gaps were left on the side and in between these book shelves. To Oliver's left he saw a small black arm chair. Beside was a small circular table.

From the foyer he was able to see some of the kitchen, but not all of it. Walls came about half way in and separated the living space from the kitchen. From here he could see pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. A dining table below it and on the same side of the house as the bookshelf he made the assumption of seeing a stove. He could also see the window on the opposite side of the house. The sun made the top of the table simple to see but it was empty.

"All right you lot. Investigate." Cedric ordered.

Oliver raised an eye brow and gave a shrug and then stepping the living room. He scanned the room looking for anything that might be out of place. The hearth was cold and what wood was left inside was partially charred. Looking at the sofa he noticed the left cushion, closest to the front door was indented and a bit squashed compared to the other two seats.

He walked around it to towards the bookshelf. He turned his eyes to the floor behind the couch but didn't see anything of interest. He turned his attention back to the two large bookshelves. However, Oliver wasn't tall enough to peer at anything above the lowest 4 shelves. The 4th shelf itself came to his nose. He peered up the bookshelf saw three more shelves rose above him. He knelt down and took a closer look at each shelf but nothing stood out to him. Until he reached the end of the third shelf. He noticed there was a spot where a book appeared to be missing. Not only that as he looked closer at the shelf itself he noticed most of the shelf was caked in thick dust. With the exception of a disturbed area. Dust had disturbed here. It didn't simply look as if someone removed a book, but instead tore a book from the shelf.

"Hmm." He said aloud as he took in the information.

He then returned to looking. Then he made his way over to the window with the table and arm chair below it. This chair was obviously used frequently and the indents on this chair could prove it too. While the dark wood table laid bare Oliver noticed a lace or woven white piece of fabric on the floor beside the leg of the table. When he bent down to take a closer look he noticed the fabric was laying on top of a black book. He glanced up at Cedric but when he did he saw his stern cold glance meet his eyes. Quickly turning back to his work a chill shivered down his spine.

"Well?" The captain barked ready to hear his thoughts.

"Well, just at a glance I think a couple things are pretty weird."

"Oh?" Cedric raised his eye brows with his question.

"Yeah. Here under this cloth is a black book." He now bent down and picked the items up. He dropped the cloth back onto the table where he assumed it belonged and turned the book over in his hands. The spine had dust on it as did the upper portion of the books edge. The rest of the cover was clean.

"Then I noticed this dust was moved around here on the book shelf." He pointed with his right hand while tucking the black book under his left arm as he moved towards the bookshelf.

"I think this must've been removed and thrown towards that table. Or maybe it hit the wall, then the table, but they ended up on the floor from the force."

"Elaborate." Cedric commanded.

"Look." He removed the book from under his arm and pointed out the dust that had been disturbed. Cedric bent down peering over his shoulder. "See?" He then showed the bottom portion of the book. The edged of it appeared to have a thick layer of dust, as if used to scrap it away. But the rest of that side of the book was clean. Then Oliver slipped it back into the empty spot on the shelf and it glided right into place.

Cedric nodded and grunted in acknowledgement of the boy.

"Wot about you Slime?" Cedric peered over his shoulder towards the couch. Slime gently hopped out from under the couch. As he emerged he looked himself up and down discovering just how much dirt and dust he found himself covered in.

"Well, whoever lived here sure didn't know what a broom was." His body expanded outwards tripling in size and then quickly shooting back to normal. The dirt and dust began to fall back to the floor and Slime hopped closer to Oliver. He offered him a hand and let Slime hop back onto his shoulder.

Cedric nodded at the reply and rose back up.

"Come take a look at 'he kitchen and 'he bedroom next."

The trio stepped into the kitchen. Now with a cleared view Oliver was able to see that the kitchen actually had a cobble stone floor. The doorways leading to other rooms appeared to be framed off and had thick beams in between the wooden floors and the cobblestone of the kitchen. On the shared wall of the living room were small shelves built into it. Each held what appeared to be some sort of ornate decoration. A plate on one. Another a clay painted pitcher. A small painting of a man and young girl. Turning to face the table in the center of the room Oliver then turned to his left. He had guessed right about the stove earlier. Now he could see that a pot was a top it. Inside the copper pot he noticed there was soup. Cold soup but enough to feed a person or two. Inside the stove her found charred burnt objects. He took one out and knocked his knuckles against it. It let out a hollow thud. Cocking his head to the side as he thought for a moment he turned to Cedric and tossed it to him.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Is this bread?"

While the charred orb was medium sized for Oliver, it fit easily in the palm of Cedric's hand. He raised up to his eye, closing his right as he focused with his left. He then brought it to his nose and took a large inhale, eyes closed. Then he crushed it his hand before giving it a small taste. He then nodded in agreement and brushed the remaining crumbs out of his hand. The pair starred at the stove for another moment.

"Hey, come to this bedroom, quick!" Slime's voice sounded rushed and the two quickly turned to exit the opposite side of the room into a short hallway that brought them to the single bedroom in the back. Oliver noticed a sheet appeared to be pulled down from the mattress onto and under the bed. An end table was knocked to the floor and a broken lantern lay beside it.

"Hang on, didn't your investigator say nothing was out of the ordinary in these homes?" Oliver questioned Cedric.

"Aye. 'e did." His low voice replied.

"Well either your investigator doesn't use his eyes or he's a liar."

The captain let out a low 'hmm' as he contemplated the slime's words.

Oliver stepped further into the room taking in the small rooms layout. It was an average bedroom. The bed was made of wood and four thick square posts like you'd find in any home. The floor was wooden like the rest of the home, aside from the kitchen and its cobblestones. A small bedside table standing a little shorter than the bed itself and a window on the far left of the room from where they entered.

"Isn't this sheet kind of weird?" Oliver pointed while cocking his head.

Slime nodded his body in agreement. Promting Cedric to kneel down and take a closer look.

"Boy, 'and me that there lantern would ye?" He kept his eyes fixed on the sheet that was pulled under the bed while pointing behind him to the broken lantern on the floor.

"Yup!" Oliver replied as he quickly hustled passed the Captain and retrieved it.

"Thanks." He replied while pulling a set of fire rocks from his belt pocket. He brought the flame back to life and carefully moved the lantern to the edge of being under the bed. With his left hand he pinched the sheet between his thumb and pointer finger and gave a gentle tug. The sheet pulled tight and didn't move. He then grasped the sheet and gave it a hard tug. It stayed firm and didn't budge.

Laying on his stomach he slid the lantern under the bed while pulling harder on the sheet. This time it gave way and rough scrapping sound came from beneath the bed. As he pulled more a thick block of stone was atop the sheet as Cedric pulled it free. A musty air wafted into the room.

"Curious." Cedric said aloud as he stretched his right hand further under the bed with the lantern.

"What is?" Oliver asked sprawling out on the floor bedside the man trying to see what he did. As he did he saw a hole in the wall the size of the stone that Cedric had just pulled out. Under the bed and along the wall were dense spider webs. Both along the wall, the posts against this wall and in the corners of the underside of the bed frame. Beside the thick webs he also saw moss and weeds growing from in between some of the stones near the hole.

"Cedric, try moving a couple more of these stones."

He grunted in reply and reached towards his belt pouches again. This time he pulled a large piece of cloth which he used to clear away some of the webs.

"Damn, there's more of'em than I thought." He grunted discarding this cloth and retrieving another. After using and filling three cloths worth of webs he decided it wasn't worth the effort. He pushed himself another couple of inches under the bed, the frame now an inch above his shoulders, and grasping the side of a stone with his right hand pulled it free. The draft increased as he removed the second and third stones.

"Does this go under the road?" Oliver asked.

"I think it does lad."

"Want me to slide under there and check it out?"

Cedric thought for a moment.

"No, send the mounst. . .I mean let us send the wee slime first."

"No, I'll perfectly capable." He replied before Slime could reply at Cedric's comment. Under the bed and through the opening he went.

Once on the other side he stood up and found the air to be cool and damp. Aside from the light flickering through the opening he couldn't see much other than the rock and dirt at his feet.

"Are you all right lad?" Cedric's voice called from the other side. It echoed through the space Oliver was standing in.

"Yeah, I just wish I could. . . " and before he could finish the thought his memories of the golbin mine or goblin cave came back to him.

"Eh? Wish you could wot?"

He didn't reply. He was focused trying to remember what he did before.

I just need to use magic again. Closing his eyes, and raising his right hand in front of him he concentrated just like before. His body tingled from his head and down into his arm. A pulse of warmth emerged in his palm and when he opened his eyes once more he found a ball of light floating in his hand.

"Yes! I did it!" The words left his mouth gleefully as he raised his arm overhead. The light illuminating the area around him.

On the other side of the wall a white light spilled from the hole back towards Cedric.

"Bah! Wot are you doing?" Wincing as he barked at the boy. Mostly in surprise at his temporary blindness.

"Ahh he used magic again." Slime stated flatly.

"Eh!? Magic? This boy can use magic?" Cedric blurted out. He attempted to stand in his surprise only to knock his head into the frame above him.

"Confound it!" He growled as he rolled out from under the bed. Grasping the frame he then dragged it to the side revealing the three block entry way in the wall hidden under the bed. Now that the wall was exposed Slime made his way under the wall as well.

"Oy! Wot do you lot see?" He raised a hand near his mouth as he shouted towards the pair.

Oliver smiled as his friend hopped up next him and examined the room.

The ceiling was mostly dirt and pebbles. The entrance they had slide through was small and its ceiling was very low and narrow. To him this area looked as if they had found a secret entrance, or broke through into what was normally a dead end. In front of him the ground slopped downwards. Unlike the ceiling above most of the ground was simply stone. Near the walls rose various sized spires of stone. Since it was all mostly stone it bore a reflective sheen from his light magic. Stepping forward he approached the slop attempting to peer down it.

"I can't see much pass ten feet or so I think."

"But it looks to keep going." Slime added in agreement.

The pair relayed what they were seeing back to Cedric who called them back through. While they were examining the room he had pulled the remaining stone out making a larger opening. Oliver was able to crouch and walk through it this time.

"Well, we'd best report to her majesty I think." And they all nodded in agreement.