In the light of Marie-Bell’s hammer Jen gaped at the massive space under the mansion, under the city really. The cavern clearly covered far more than a single acre. At the bottom of the hidden staircase they’d followed a short tunnel that emerged on a level area above the floor of the main cavern. Steep stairs had been carved into the cavern wall, allowing easy access to the rest of the chamber. Though they hadn’t taken time to confirm it Jen wouldn’t have been the least surprised to discover the tunnels they found earlier connected to this space. It was a maze filled with rats. She devoutly hoped that the rats showed themselves. Her anger needed an outlet.

After the butler showed them to the stairs they had left him unconscious in a closet near the hidden door. He appeared to have given up all resistance, but Jen had no intention of risking him running off or attempting to kill himself again.

“Where do we start?” Jen asked.

“This way.” Marie-Bell led the way down the steps and at the bottom turned left.

As they walked the paladin’s gaze constantly darted left and right, like a hound on a weak scent. Jen had no idea how long they walked in the dark, but eventually they scrambled up a steep slope. When they reached the ledge a ruined city spread out before them. Jen stared, marveling at her ignorance. There was so much in the kingdom that she simply had no idea about.

Marie-Bell paused only a moment before skidding down to the ruins and resuming her hunt. Jen drew her sword and followed. There were too many places in the ruins for ambushers to hide. They made it to an open plaza before Marie-Bell stopped.

“It happened here. Powerful demonic energy was unleashed not that long ago.”

Jen looked around for some clue as to what happened, but the bare stone gave away nothing. She closed her eyes to better hear, but there was nothing beyond their heartbeats. Damien was gone and at least for now she could do nothing about it.

“Can you tell which way they went?” Jen asked.

Marie-Bell pointed the opposite way from where they’d come. “The trail is weak. Not much energy was spent after the battle.”

“Then we’d better hurry.”

Jen ran in the direction indicated at warlord speed, the ruins little more than a blur around her. Marie-Bell followed a little behind and to her right. She assumed the paladin would correct her if she got off course.

After half a mile or so the ruins ended and it became natural stone again. The cavern narrowed down to a tunnel, still wide enough for the two of them to run side by side with no trouble. The floor was smooth and free of obstructions. Someone had worked the stone, no way was the tunnel naturally this perfect.

Five minutes later they emerged from a hidden shaft sunk into the ground at an angle. Jen spun. Behind them Port Valcane’s lights glimmered in the dark. This explained how the cultists moved people and supplies into the city without anyone noticing. How many more surprises were waiting out in the night?”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“I can’t sense them anymore,” Marie-Bell said. “The tunnel concentrated their energy, but out here it’s already dissipated. I’m sorry, Jen.”

Jen clenched her fist for a moment before forcing herself to relax. Getting angry wouldn’t do her brother any good. If anything it had already done him a great deal of ill. “It’s okay. Can you fly us back to Watch Headquarters? I need to tell Tosh about the lord mayor and see if he’s learned anything useful from the cultists. Until the king appoints a new mayor, Tosh is in charge of the government, heaven help them.”

Marie-Bell conjured a pair of white horses and Jen leapt on her mount’s back. It took only a moment to realize she had no actual control over the construct. It flew beside Marie-Bell’s mount regardless of what Jen did. While it felt odd riding a horse she couldn’t control, the warmth and vitality that flowed into her as she sat on it more than made up for her lack of control. When they landed beside Watch Headquarters Jen felt energized and ready for anything, even Tosh.

They’d only been gone about an hour and the guards on duty waved them right in. Jen marched straight up the stairs. Tosh’s secretary raised an eyebrow at their return.

“We need to see him, now,” Jen said.

Whether in appreciation of Jen’s urgency or fear that she might simply kick the door in if made to wait, the secretary hopped to her feet and hurried over to the closed door. She knocked, poked her head in, and a moment later waved Jen and Marie-Bell over.

Jen smiled her thanks as she passed and stepped into the familiar office. Tosh sat behind his desk frowning at them. “I figured you’d still be shaking hands and accepting well wishes.”

“It was a trap,” Jen said. “The lord mayor is dead along with a handful of cultists. My brother has been captured and I have no idea where he might be.”

Tosh’s jaw dropped and for perhaps the first time in his life appeared speechless. When he finally collected himself Tosh said, “Maybe you’d better start at the beginning.”

Jen told him everything that happened to her and Marie-Bell added her own battle to the mix. When they finished Tosh said, “The mayor was a cultist? I can’t believe it. If word gets out there’ll be chaos.”

“That’s why I told you in private.” Jen ran a hand through her hair, still stiff in places from the blood of the man she’d killed. “I recommend saying the cult killed him and not mentioning his connection. It’s irrelevant now that he’s dead.”

Tosh wore a thoughtful frown. “That’s probably best. What do you want in exchange?”

“I always knew you were smarter than you looked. Have any of the prisoners mentioned The Keeper of the Keys?”

“We’ve only interviewed half of them, but I know I’ve read that name in the reports. Who is it?” He shuffled through the papers on his desk, sorting them into two piles.

“Who do you think?” Jen asked.

“The mayor?”

Jen nodded and accepted one of the piles.

“That’s every transcript that mentions him. You’re welcome to read them, but you can’t take them out of here. What am I going to tell the nobles? Everyone liked Mayor Solomon.”

Jen glanced up from the paper she was reading. “Tell them the truth, or at least a little of it. Turn him into a hero murdered by cowards. Use his death to make everyone hate the cult even more. It’s the least he can do after all the trouble he caused us.”

“Are you sure you’re not a politician?” Tosh asked.

Jen glared at him. “I’ll forgive you that insult just this once. Now be quiet so I can read.”

Jen and Marie-Bell spent more time reading reports than they did exploring the cavern under Public House. Precious little was said about the mayor beyond naming The Keeper of the Keys as a hidden figure of menace that the regular members seldom saw and that they knew even less about. One phrase stuck out in a majority of the reports Jen had read and Marie-Bell mentioned it as well: The Harvest. It sounded ominous and few details were given beyond a cult rumor that death was coming from the Kingdom of Alexious, wherever that was. They had a great deal of data and nowhere near enough actual knowledge.

Jen tossed her stack back on the desk and rubbed her eyes. They’d learned all they could here. It was time to fly back to the capital and tell the archmage and Uncle Andy what had happened. Who would be more upset, his master, the king, or Karrie? Jen didn’t know, but she doubted any of them could come close to matching her anger.