Page 32 of Forged By Heart and Claws
“Prepare bags to take if we need to run. Essentials only. Put them near the door so we can grab them if needed.” Vad rubbed the bandage on his hand. “We don’t know how long we’ll be underground. But if something happens to us above or we don't come back, you move. Don’t wait. You protect them.”
Vad turned to Silus. “Set the tripwires after we leave. Start with the top of the staircase. You know where the key is, right?”
Silus nodded, expressionless. “Yes, I’ll mark the larder path last. Wire set with ball bearings and cups three inches off the ground, or razor wire and no sound?”
“Razor wire at the top of the staircase, but hidden. Wire with ball bearings everywhere else. Have the razor wire prepped to put up across our escape path if needed.” Vad’s jaw flexed. “Gather all the weapons we’ve got, including whatever we brought with us. Check the smaller storerooms for supplies. Clothes, gear, anything can help. Once we retrieve the medicine, we’ll make another supply run before we move out.”
Rhielle rubbed her arms, and one of her hands moved to her throat. Her fingers brushed the edge of her scar. “How likely is it that the guards will find us? How certain are you that none of the servants or guards know of this place?”
Exhaling, Vad scratched the back of his neck. “My family kept this secret with great care. But you’re correct; no secret is perfect. As long as no one has access to magic, the wards and sigils set in the walls and door frames will not work either for protection or location. We left a false trail in the royal quarters. That will hopefully occupy them for a while.”
His gaze went to me and then Thalen, and he waved a hand. “Let’s go.”
Vad took the lead, slipping into the hall. Thalen fell in beside me, one hand trailing the damp wall, the other resting on my shoulder as he prepared for the darkness.
We padded past two sharp turns. The tunnel narrowed and tilted downward. The air grew damper with each step, and Vad ducked under a crumbling overhang. We followed him into a chamber with a metal door.
Vad pulled a key from his pocket and twisted it in the dust-clogged keyhole. The tumblers groaned, then shifted, and with a mutedclick, the door opened on squealing hinges.
Vad slipped through first, scanning both sides before waving us in. I ducked into the darkness with Thalen behind me. The metal door slid shut with a softsnick, leaving us in silence.
A tunnel stretched before us, long and low, arching wide. The corridor’s chill bit through my bloody, torn dress and sank right into my bones, and the humid and stale air smelled of stone and mildew.
My wolf vision sharpened, and I could see the branching passageways, every jagged edge, every patch of slick stone, and how the floor tilted upward now. Vad’s eyes glimmered with shadow sight too, but Thalen’s hand squeezed my shoulder tighter. I slowed so he wouldn’t trip.
“Don’t worry about me, Chaos,” Thalen murmured. “I can keep up.”
“You better,” I whispered back. I wanted to say something funny back, something normal, but nothing came to mind.
After a hundred paces, the passage leveled off. Vad led us through another set of branching passages, and I tried to remember each one in case something happened and I had to navigate back alone.
We climbed a winding staircase carved from the rough black basalt. The stairs were narrow, uneven, and slick in some spots while jagged in others.
At the top, we came to another metal door. Vad pressed his palm flat on the surface, then leaned his ear to the seam. After amoment, he pressed his hand against the small handle and eased the door open.
We emerged into what had once been a quiet seating alcove. A black velvet sofa sat untouched beside a black stone end table topped with a small sculpture of an obsidian wolf that had to be a representation of their shadow beast. The air stank of blood and metal.
The lamps flickered sporadically, casting moving golden pools across the floor. The gaps between the pools were thick with shadow.
Those pockets of darkness had my hair standing on end, worse than if the room had been pitch black.
We kept to the wall, moving in silence.
When we reached the cross corridor, we turned left, and the destruction hit like a punch to the chest.
Shattered doors. Blood smeared across the floors and walls. Lamp oil pooled like slick shadows across the floor. Furniture overturned like someone—or something—had given chase. Sculptures lay crumbled and vases smashed.
What part of the palace is this?My pulse ticked in my throat.
One of the hosting halls,Vad linked back.Not all members of the royal families and dignitaries attend the ceremonies for weddings and coronations, often because they’re too young or ill or antisocial and would distract from the events. Those people and their attendants stay here to rest for the duration of the event. Then, later, when we have the feasts and celebrations, they participate as they are able or permitted.
Blood had dried in thick, coppery puddles, some no bigger than the size of a palm.Could they have started the attack during the coronation?
If they used silencing spells, yes,Vad responded.Something went wrong.
I swallowed hard.I think they were planning this the whole time.With all the high-ranking guests attending, the timing had been too perfect.This wasn’t just an opportunity ambush. This was done on purpose.
We passed a doorway where a strip of pale gray fabric clung to the splintered wood. I recognized it immediately.
