Page 103 of Kael

Right. Because of course it’s under a fortress that’s probably crawling with potential death.

We make it to the edge without being spotted. My nerves are riding me hard, gut tight and mouth dry. I know it’s not just anxiety—I can feel the pulsing of energy beneath my skin, like it’s drawn to something here. Maybe Kael’s glowing cum jump-started something—not the actual reason, obviously, but hey, if I can’t crack a joke while edging towards a complete meltdown, who even am I?

The four of us crouch at the edge of a shadowy wall, a giant stone facade looming ahead like it’s daring us to enter. The structure is breathtaking and terrifying all at once—arched windows, tiered stonework carved with ancient sigils, its smooth grey surface pulsing faintly with stored energy.

I glance at the others. Varek is silent, jaw clenched. Kael stands at my side, a calm wall of strength, though I can feel his unease churning beneath the surface. Pax is the only one who moves.

“Double date adventure?” I murmur, voice low. The joke drops to the ground like a stone. No one reacts. Not even a blink.

Tough crowd.

Pax pulls a massive key from the folds of his cloak—seriously, where the hell has he been hiding that?—and then a small rectangular device that hums with a faint buzz. He inserts the key into what looks like a flat slab of stone embedded into thefloor at the base of the wall. With the device held against the stone, a pulse of light shoots out, tracing patterns into the slab. Something clicks. The stone slides back, revealing a staircase that descends into darkness. A wave of cold air rushes out.

But it’s not the chill that makes me shiver. It’s the feeling in my chest.

Kael goes rigid beside me. His energy pulses hot and sharp. “That device,” he says, voice like iron. “It’s charged with Glowranth energy. Captured.” His anger hits me like a shock wave through the bond.

Pax glances back, unfazed. “You want in or not?” And for the first time, I hear a twang of Aussie in his otherwise English accent.

I step closer to Kael, placing a hand on his arm. “We don’t have time. We need to find whatever’s down there.”

Kael’s jaw flexes, his fury simmering just beneath the surface. But after a beat, he nods.

We descend into the dark. And whatever waits for us below? It better have answers, because if I’m going to shit myself, there needs to be a legit reason for it.

The door hisses shut behind us, sealing off what little light we had from above. It’s instantly cold—damp-air, stone-walls, crypt-vibes cold. I blink, trying to adjust, but everything is shadow and dust.

“Welcome to the world’s creepiest cellar,” I mutter, my voice echoing off the arched ceiling.

The basement of the citadel is… vast. Like, could-host-a-Gothic-rave-level vast. The ceiling stretches high, disappearing into darkness, and the walls are lined with strange etchings—glyphs carved into the stone, their meanings lost to time or magic or possibly someone’s incredibly angsty teen phase. Columns support the space at intervals, some cracked and worn, others looking sharp enough to pierce armour.

Kael steps closer to me, his glowing eyes scanning the surroundings. “This was once a hall of record. Glowranth scribes stored knowledge here before the royal libraries were established.”

“Before? How old is this place?” I ask.

“Centuries,” Kael says. “Maybe more.”

“Right,” I whisper. “So… basically the last place anyone wants to be if they’ve got even a hint of claustrophobia or mummy-related trauma.”

Pax, who’s clearly over our existence, strides towards the far side of the room and stops at a stone doorway I hadn’t even noticed. It’s built seamlessly into the wall—one of those annoying magic things you wouldn’t know is there unless someone showed you or you smashed into it by accident.

“This way,” he says, voice gruff.

We follow.

The doorway leads to a spiral staircase made of narrow stone steps that look like they were designed to trip people with poor spatial awareness. The kind that were probably a hit before handrails were invented.

“Down,” Pax says unnecessarily and starts descending.

“I’ll go first,” Varek says, brushing past both of us. “In case there are traps.”

“I’ll guard the rear,” Kael says immediately, shifting behind me.

I snort. “Tempting to make a joke, but honestly, I don’t want to tempt fate right now.”

Kael’s quiet chuckle echoes in my mind, a warm flicker even as the walls close in.

We move. Step after step. The spiral feels endless, a winding descent into the bowels of the citadel. A couple of landings come and go, marked by doorways we don’t enter. Not yet.

---