Page 64 of A Kingdom of Monsters

I laughed nervously. “Don’t congratulate me yet, I could easily still light us all on fire.”

No one laughed, likely remembering the burning tents of the previous night. That had only been a mere day ago, but somehow it already felt like an eternity.

“I wonder what Idris is doing in the capital,” I said, nearly as much to break up the silence of the passage as because I wanted to discuss my theory.

“Probably beginning plans for his segregated human towns,” Scion replied offhand.

I gasped, only just now realizing he was probably right. Idris had been more than clear about his intentions for a “better” Elsewhere. He wanted high Fae to rule in isolation, with all other creatures separated off by walls and borders.

“You know what just occurred to me?”

“What’s that, rebel?”

“Aisling was the one who created Underneath, right? Before she united the country, Unseelie were free to roam wherever they wanted.”

“That’s right, little monster. I suppose she passed on her segregationist ideas to her son.”

“It’s different,” Scion growled. “Underneath was created to keep monsters from attacking the cities. Sending the humans away wouldn’t protect them, or anyone else.”

I had a retort ready on the tip of my tongue, but never got a chance to use it.

Suddenly, my foot landed on a thin wire that had been strategically placed across the floor. With a loud click, the corridor erupted into chaos as multiple bows were triggered, arrows whizzing past us with deadly accuracy.

“Get down!” Bael barked in my ear.

He didn’t have to say it, I was already diving for the floor, covering my head with my arms. I’d recently had the experience of being pierced with a crossbow, and of all the horrible injuries I’d sustained I thought that might have been the most painful.

When the sound of the arrows flying overhead finally subsided, I lay panting on the rough stone floor. In front of me, Scion peeled himself off the wall, and walked across the passage to pick up one of the arrows, inspecting it. “Source forged,” he said bitterly, throwing it back down onto the floor. “Don’t step on any more of those lines, the arrows could actually do some damage.”

“Thank you for that insight, my lord. I was really going out of my way to step on them intentionally, but now I’ll do my best to avoid the deadly traps.”

Bael laughed as Scion scowled, the tips of his ears turning slightly pink. “Just be careful,” he muttered.

I shot him a grin. “Always.”

I didn’t step on any more traps, and finally I spotted a door ahead, signaling the end of the passage.

“I’ll go first,” Scion growled again, almost unnecessarily as he was already standing closest to the door. “Wait here to see if anything happens before you follow.”

I nodded. I was tempted to point out that Cross had undoubtedly made this vault intending that any intruders would be Fae. All the traps were sure to be full of Source forged weapons, and Scion wasn’t much more likely to survive being hit by a dozen of them than I was.

I kept my mouth shut, though, as he stepped through the door. Pointing out the obvious wouldn’t make our situation any easier, or less dangerous.

Scion stood perfectly still, just within the next room. Nothing seemed to be happening, but still I held my breath, letting it out only after several long moments. Taking another few steps into the next room, Scion beckoned for Bael and I to follow.

The room was far smaller than the cave-like entrance, and my flames illuminated every corner equally.

The walls were made of stone like the passage, but carved with dozens of looping decorations–like the symbols marking the door we’d first passed through to reach this point.

In the center of the room stood four imposing statues, each at least ten feet tall. The figures were carved out of solid rock, their fixed expressions all equally stern and unyielding. Each statueheld a key in its outstretched stone hand, all of different metals. There was one silver, one gold, one bronze, and one that I thought might be carved from solid obsidian.

“What the fuck are those for?” Bael wondered aloud.

I furrowed my brow. “I assume one of them is the key to the vault. Or to the next room, at the very least.”

“Which one?” Bael asked, not seeming to expect an actual answer.

I frowned. Which one indeed.

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