CHAPTER 20: BENEATH THE STAIRCASE

Seek below.

An insider tip they got on their way out.

"This way," Kael ordered, his voice low but commanding.

Kael instinctively followed a pool of water that led them to a smaller fountain with a carved basin outside the merfolk hall.

Riley unbuttoned his coat and quickened his pace to keep up.

"What if this is a trap?" he asked quietly.

Kael muttered. "Then good for us."

Definitely not comforting. But that would be a definite shortcut.

Honestly, had it been anyone else, or if he were alone, there was no way in hell Riley would do this.

This was how people died in movies, thank you very much.

But he had the dragon lord with him. So rather than incur his wrath, it’ll probably be better to get strung by some trap.

Riley kept his hands free and his eyes sharp.

The water was unnaturally still. Stagnant.

Kael dipped a hand over the basin, his fingers curled slightly. The water swirled, then parted, revealing a dark stone stairwell spiraling down beneath the city.

Riley muttered under his breath. "Oh."

Kael shot him a glance.

Riley raised his hands. "Just saying, my Lord. You found a secret passage. Impressive."

"Silence," Kael said.

Cautiously, they made their way down with light coming from Kael’s fingertips.

Riley, the historian on the house, was fascinated with the ancient carvings etched on the stone walls. This was the closest that he’d ever been to living his dream of finding hidden sites. As they went further down the stairway, he saw faint traces of enchantment that pulsated now and then, as if stirring at their presence.

"Watch for wards," he murmured.

Kael didn’t answer, but Riley knew he heard him.

They had not gone far when Riley stopped short in his tracks.

"There," he said, pointing.

Kael’s gaze followed his hand.

"A disruption ward," Kael confirmed.

If those twigs walked by, they would light up like a bonfire.

With a snap of his fingers, the spell sizzled and disappeared.

"Onward," he said shortly.

Riley allowed himself the smallest of smiles. Although, like Lady Stella, it didn’t reach his eyes.

Would it kill him to say ’please’ and ’thank you’?

Or a raise. No need for thanks. A raise or sleep would be enough.

After all, who needs words?

The hallway finally opened into a wide, high-ceilinged chamber.

And while Riley waited with bated breath, he ended up rather disappointed when he saw what was inside.

It seems like they were too late.

The chamber was empty now, but the evidence was unmistakable.

Cages hung from the ceiling with seaweed and iron twisted into cruel bars.

The faint scent of brine clung to everything, along with something faintly metallic.

Siren.

Kael stood motionless in the center of the room, his gaze sweeping the entire carnage. From the smell and appearance, it seems the perpetrators left in a hurry. As if "they were tipped off."

Riley forced himself to look closer. There were markings on the cages. Some were merfolk runes, but others...

He frowned.

"My Lord," he called quietly. "This isn’t just merfolk craft. Look here. These sigils—dwarven make. And this one. Fae script."

Kael’s head turned slightly, his eyes narrowing.

Riley stood straighter, "So either the merfolk council is lying through their teeth, or... this isn’t entirely on them."

It might be a stretch to say that these cages were commissioned, but it sure looks like a reunion over here. Riley thought as he glanced at everything.

"Well, I guess they’re not that keen on reporting themselves."

Kael saw the traces of blood and felt for signs of their life forces. "One must’ve died here, while the other one shows movement."

Riley’s fingers curled into fists at his sides.

This wasn’t a place for the weak-hearted or those with queasy stomachs. And while the slave traders back in Wrymfall were similarly gruesome, at least they were still alive.

He wanted to say something, that they could still find them, that it wasn’t too late, but what can an aide do?

He could keep on looking.

The dragon lord straightened, his golden gaze sweeping the chamber.

Without a word, he raised his hand, and Riley’s sigil suddenly hurt.

"What the—?"

Fire roared through the chamber in a single controlled wave, so hot the water on the floor hissed and turned to steam. The cages blackened and buckled under the heat. The runes cracked and split.

"No one’ll ever use this place again," Kael said, his tone final.

Riley, who almost thought he’d be roasted, felt the sigil burn, but surprisingly, he was fine.

So it does work against Kael, too?

The unburnt aide made his way towards the stairs, his thoughts spinning as he cast one last look at the burning chamber behind him.

If he’d been any later, he wouldn’t have been able to use a magical orb to at least record evidence.

Maybe it was time to finally invest in a decent phone. Or at the very least, a waterproof bag.

Although, where exactly would he find one that would survive extreme temperatures?

Because it sure looks like he’ll need a better way to collect evidence.

Lady Stella’s perfect smile at the council flashed in his mind.

It was impossible to say yet whether the merfolk leadership was complicit, whether rogue elements were at work, or whether someone else entirely was staging these horrors on merfolk territory to make them take the fall.

Was it her? Or someone under her? Or was it another faction using her territory to make her look weak?

Or the other way around. The Ministry’s detractors would argue that they burned the evidence so they could paint it in any way they liked. But with this much death here, this’ll be a breeding ground for blights or malevolent spirits unless he does this.

So he understood his sentiment, but maybe he should’ve given him a warning.

On the way back, Riley didn’t need to ask if Kael was angry.

He could feel it in the air around him.

Neither of them had said much since leaving Thalassyn.

Riley kept stealing glances at Kael’s back as they strode through the Ministry’s halls.

The faint curl of golden light still clung to Kael’s hands, and the air around him seemed heavier with every step.

It didn’t take much to guess that he was unhappy with today’s trip.

What Riley didn’t know was just how much of that anger was for what they’d found underground... and how much was for what they hadn’t found.

But with someone whose mood was usually all about different shades of angry, it would be best to focus on things he could actually do.

Like checking with the enforcers about the slave trading in Wrymfall. Submitting their newest evidence. And maybe figuring out what to get his little brother.