Chapter 452 - Secrets of the Palace

I didn't have time to proof read this chapter yet but it felt pretty clean. Hope you like it! It had been two long weeks of quiet, and not

I didn't have time to proof read this chapter yet but it felt pretty clean. Hope you like it! It had been two long weeks of quiet, and not

I didn't have time to proof read this chapter yet but it felt pretty clean. Hope you like it!

It had been two long weeks of quiet, and not the kind Hump liked. It was the kind of quiet that coiled in the gut like a predator ready to pounce. This was the quiet before the storm, and everyone in the city felt it. everywhere Hump went, there were signs of preparations for the battle ahead—fortifications, food stores, sandbags, and water stations ready to deal with the fires that swept through the streets.

In the meantime, Hump trained. He studied. He prepared. Each day, he would go to the lich’s library and use the Time Stop Hourglass to buy him an extra couple of hours. With it, he would work at the enchantment table to create items for the coming battle or focus on spells. Erupting Core had taken much of his focus, but focusing solely on it had left him tired, so he distracted himself with other spells, largely utility.

At this point, he was comfortable enough with Accelerated Thought, Dimensional Snap, and Grasping Hand to use them at will in combat. He had also finally started to work through the nature Spell Tree he’d received in Fort Nordric, Sovereign of Storms. Dew Gatherer, Cloud Shaper, and Zephyr Call had come easily to him, but Congregation of Clouds and Storm Herald were far more difficult, the latter would give him an aura of lightning that he could direct toward any attackers that came too close.

Outside of training, they participated in the odd operation against a warlock lair, and then returned to the palace where he tried not to let the boredom gnaw at his nerves. Nishari helped with that of course. Now that she was bigger, Celaine had decided to bring forward the usual time they would begin combat training with wolf dragons.

It was only simple things. The general idea was that Nisha would protect the rear and be ready to breathe fire when instructed. Once fighting begun, she was to avoid melee combatants and prioritise wizards, the idea being that they were the least likely to effectively fight back.

The whole thing made Hump nervous. He’d never liked taking her into combat, but it was impossible to avoid without sending her back to Drakalyn, and even there she would need to fight with the pack. As much as he wanted to keep her safe, the fact was, her purpose was battle.

Hump saw it in the eagerness with which she fought in training. He felt it from the thrill she got every time she killed in battle, and the ease at which she went from tearing out a person’s neck to happily returning to his side. She was a hunter. A predator. A born killer.

“What about armour?” Hump had said to Celaine after one such training session. “I have the money to commission something for her.”

Celaine shook her head. “A wolf dragon does not need armour. Her scales are stronger than steel.”

“Normal steel perhaps, but what if it’s enchanted?”

“It will weigh her down. I know you want to keep her safe, Hump, but the Dragon Keepers have ridden them to battle for hundreds of years. People need armour and weapons because they are weak. Wolf dragons are apex predators, even in the Fallen Lands. They have no need for such things. Their scales are harder than steel. Their teeth and claws sharper than any spear. And their breath burns with a heat that can match your fire. Nisha may be young, but her scales are harder than most, and her fire… I do not understand the change that has come over her, but it has made her strong. That much is certain.”

Hump let out a long sigh but reluctantly agreed. Nearby, Nisha turned between the two of them as if following their conversation. He sensed her eagerness to restart her training.

***

Bud entered the hall with Captain Halvon and Prince Gregory with him. He had gone to get the prince while Hump and the others had done their best to search the rear wing of the palace, to no avail.

Prince Gregory looked every bit the noble commander as he approached, adorned in plate armour, his sword strapped at his hip.

“Seal the door,” Captain Halvon said. “Ensure it is not opened.”

“Yes sir,” one of his guards replied.

“What’s the situation?” Prince Gregory asked.

“We lost track of Kassius again,” Celaine said without preamble. “I saw him enter here myself three hours ago. We split up our surveillance team and nobody saw him leave. Then a few minutes ago, Trevel saw him re-enter the palace from the front.”

“Any signs of veils?” Prince Gregory asked. “Teleportation? Blood invisibility cloaks for all I care. Surely there must be something.”

Hump had already been through this. “I’ve looked all over the wing for signs of spellcraft but found nothing,” he said. “No residual essence, or spell formation left on the floor, nothing his Spirit Sight could see. I even tried a warlock locator beacon just in case and it found nothing. There’s a chance Kassius possesses an artifact that could make him invisible, sure, but I struggle to believe it would allow him to slip past Celaine’s eyes—an invisibility cloak does not allow one to pass through doors, after all. Someone would have seen something.”

“Then what?” Prince Gregory asked. “He just… vanished?”

“I have two theories,” Emilia said. “Assuming Hump is right and magic was not involved in his disappearance, we can assume that he either has an accomplice working amongst us.”

“Impossible,” Captain Halvon said. “I vetted everyone. Prince Gregory, I assure—”

“Let her finish, Captain,” Prince Gregory said. “This is a possibility, not an accusation.”

Emilia gave a nod. “Alternatively, he escaped this part of the building through non-magical means.”

“If he could sneak out of here with the help of magic, how in the world would he do so without it?” Prince Gregory asked. “The man was never very subtle.”

“A tunnel,” Hump said. “At least, that’s the conclusion we came to.”

“Exactly,” Emilia said. “Is it possible that there’s a secret tunnel in this wing of the palace? A passage for your family to escape in times of war, perhaps?”

“Not that I know of,” Prince Gregory said, folding his arms, a thoughtful look on his face. “But I’ll speak with my grandmother. If anyone would know, it would be her.”

“But why would he do this?” Captain Halvon asked, his voice hard as stone as he looked over the group. “He must know that we are watching him. And surely he also knows this will draw suspicion to him.”

“Kassius was never afraid to ruffle a few feathers,” Prince Gregory said. “It would not surprise me at all if this was just an elaborate scheme to lead us on a golden trail. But if he isn’t—if this is what I suspect—he is up to something he does not want us to see, captain.” He turned to Hump and his party. “Good work, all of you. I will speak with my grandmother and see what I can find. We still have a raid on tonight, so you had best go and prepare yourselves. This can wait.”

As Hump left, his mind went to the tunnel. He considered the various places it could lead to and was reminded of the tunnel in Sheercliff that connected the Daston Estate to the Lower City, activated only by the Daston bloodline.

He stopped and turned to the prince. “I know of a tunnel connecting a noble estate to the rest of the city requiring the bloodline of that family to enter. If such a thing existed here too, Kassius was the King’s nephew. His blood would work just as well.”

“Yes, I agree,” Prince Gregory said. “I have heard of such things. What’s your point?”

“Where would a passage from the palace lead?” Hump asked.

“Out of the city is the most obvious answer to me,” Emilia said. “A way for the royal family to escape a siege.”

“Please, Emilia! Do you think us so cowardly that we would leave our people to die without us?” Prince Gregory asked. “War may come to the very gates of the palace, and I shall be here fighting to the end, I assure you.”

“My apologies, Prince,” Emilia said. “I was merely stating that such a passage is most common. Alternatively, a defensive position perhaps. Or maybe the temples.”

“The Royal Armoury,” Bud said. “It served as the royal residence once, didn’t it?”

Hump’s hands went clammy. Of course it was the Royal Armoury. His mind went back to what Wizard Aldric had told him. If the warlocks truly didn’t know where the Seal of Elenvine was, they needed to search for it. And if they needed to search the Royal Armoury, who better than a prince to do it?

If his gut was right, Kassius was searching for the true seal.

 “Leave it with me,” Prince Gregory said. “I will get to the bottom of this, and we will go from there. Speak of this to no one. I will meet with you in an hour for the raid.

***

It took a full day before they received confirmation. The Queen Mother hadn’t known the answer, but she’d made some enquiries amongst the palace historians and old servants. Eventually, the truth came to light—the tunnel existed. It connected the rear wing of the palace to the Royal Armoury, though it had gone unused for centuries.

Which meant Kassius had been sneaking into one of the most secure places in the city, and he had done it right under their noses.

With Prince Gregory’s permission, Hump arranged a meeting with Wizard Aldric and the others he had met beneath the Temple of Emirai. They couldn’t afford to be seen gathering openly as there was no telling who might be watching, so they scheduled it following a raid on a warlock cell. The battle was only a few minutes passed when Wizard Aldric arrived, along with Count Daston, High Priest Alagthar, Karina, Otto, and Ash.

The space was narrow, the stone walls damp and cold. Essence stones had been embedded in the ceiling in a rough ring, casting a steady amber glow over the figures as they assembled, exchanging curt greetings.

“Are you certain of this passage?” A Wizard Aldic asked.

“We confirmed it this morning,” Prince Gregory said.

“Nobody saw us,” Celaine added. “There was a trap over the entrance that was supposed to trigger upon the opening of the passage, but I managed to skirt around it. They shouldn’t know we were there.”

“I have left one of my men to keep watch,” Captain Halvon said. “If Prince Kassius enters again, we should know.”

“Have him keep his distance,” Wizard Aldric said. “I believe we know what Kassius has been doing in the armoury. Prince Gregory, are you aware of what the Seal of Elenvine is?”

“To an extent,” the prince said. “I know it’s something we must protect. Do you suspect Kassius is seeking to destroy it?”

“No,” Wizard Aldric said. “I believe the warlock attack last time failed because the seal in the vault is a replica, and they did not know. Few know of this, but Lady Kaisura has informed us of the presence of the true seal beneath the vault, hidden away long ago to protect it, even from the royal family.”

“We believe Kassius’ role in all this is to uncover its location,” Count Daston said.

“You mean to tell me,” Gregory said slowly, “that my cousin has been rummaging around the site of a divine seal for weeks, and I’ve been kept completely in the dark?”

“It was on a need-to-know basis,” Count Daston said, voice measured.

“I am the heir to the throne,” Gregory snapped. “Who exactly didn’t think I needed to know?”

“We feared that revealing the truth to you would make you an even greater target,” High Priest Alagthar said. “The seal’s location is sacred. To protect it, we’ve had to protect you—from even that knowledge.”

Gregory’s hands balled into fists. “Well, that went brilliantly, didn’t it? Weeks have passed. Kassius may have already found what he’s looking for.”

“Perhaps,” High Priest Alagthar said. “But now we know. And we can act.”

“Does my father know?” Prince Gregory asked.

Hump had never seen Count Daston look nervous, but the glance he shared Alagthar said all it needed to.

Prince Gregory shook his head. “You had best hope it is not too late.”

Count Daston stepped forward. “This is not entirely bad news, your highness. We can use this. If he returns to the Royal Armoury, we’ll be ready. We prepare a trap. If our prediction is accurate, we have an opportunity now that we have not for a long time. We know what the warlocks are doing, and they are unaware. We can get ahead of them.”

Hump liked where this was going already.

There was a moment of heavy silence before they began their arrangements. Next time Kassius disappeared, they would trap a prince.