Cecili had no idea how much time had passed since she and Sarl wound up underground, but she was becoming concerned.

They had no food, water, or supplies save the clothes they wore and the arcblades at their sides. They couldn’t see a thing, the cavernous space making their flashlights useless. Thirst and lack of sleep had begun to get to them. The only source of water available was a spell Cecili knew to create water from raw aether. But she warned against relying too heavily on it. One, the spell risked attracting anything down there with them, and two, drinking aether-fused water was dangerous. She would be fine, as a paladin, aether corruption didn’t affect her, but Sarl wasn’t so lucky and his enchanted clothing wouldn’t protect him. They only stopped to rest and didn’t even consider trying to sleep. Occasionally, they caught the sight of another set of bones or random stalagmite, but nothing that served as a landmark or guide.

What worried her was the lack of life. Their entrance couldn’t have gone unnoticed, and any Afflicted living underground would have become a serious threat after all these years. But the lack of life signified a lack of an exit. So they had to choose between being trapped alone with little hope of escape or being trapped in a cavern infested with Afflicted.

It did little to brighten the mood.

They spoke little out of fear of disturbing anything. At least that was how it started. After what Cecili assumed had been the first two days or so, they threw caution to the wind and conversed regularly. The lack of sound had gotten to them and they welcomed any sign of life good or bad.

To fill the silence they traded theories of how the Afflicted entered the palace. The creatures hadn’t come in through the torture chamber but as Sarl pointed out, there were plenty of abandoned wings and hidden passages in the palace. The creatures could have forced their way in through any one of them. But he had left the passages unchecked because he hadn’t considered their use until it was too late.

“Most of the passages have been filled up over the years so I assumed nothing could use them anymore,” he said. “I can’t believe those creatures have been under my nose this entire time and I never noticed!”

“Sounds like there’s a lot of things that escaped your notice.” She immediately regretted the remark and refused to meet Sarl’s gaze.

“I guess I deserved that,” he said. “After all, one of my own glaives is likely behind it all. Either I was in on the conspiracy or I’m terrible at being a commander.”

She pretended to be interested in a nearby stalagmite to avoid awkward eye contact. “I apologize for my words. True as it may be, it was wrong to blame you. After all, deceit is not so easily rooted out. A leader who can’t trust their subordinates is far worse than an incompetent one.”

“If you say so. Perhaps I should’ve distrusted them a bit more. The scandal alone is going to ruin our good name for years to come.”

“Did you know?”

Sarl was silent for a moment before responding. “I had suspicions, but I kept them to myself. If I had assumed and been wrong, the consequences would have been severe.”

“So you kept quiet? You didn’t think to investigate?”

“Investigate what? This may surprise you but Queen Hena was not the first of the royal line to betray her marriage. She’s not the first to cheat on her spouse either.”

“And that justifies it in your mind?”

“It justifies nothing, but I know my place. I swore to protect the royal family not fret over who they choose to lay with.”

“And what if who they choose is a threat?”

“Then I would do my duty,” he replied through clenched teeth. “Is this line of questioning going somewhere?”

Cecili shrugged. “I simply believe in gathering all the facts is all. You must admit, the whole situation is too suspicious.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s examine what we know. The queen was caught after hours in the company of two glaives, deep within the palace. They were attacked by two Afflicted and in the ensuing struggle, the queen is killed. Now let’s say this was a deliberate assassination of a member of the royal family. It feels a bit too perfect, does it not? If those two glaives were involved, they knew they would be blamed. If they did not, how did the perpetrators know precisely where the queen would be and when?”

She couldn’t see much in the dim light, but she could swear she heard the gears turning in Saul’s head.

“They wouldn’t,” he replied after a lengthy silence. “To have planned such an attempt would require an insider.”

“But if you had that kind of advantage why not try something subtler? Why rely on something as volatile and unpredictable as Afflicted?”

Sarl was silent again.

She didn’t need to push any further. His silence spoke volumes. He understood. The queen’s death had to be an unfortunate accident. No other solution made sense.

Her mind wandered back to the memory stone in her pocket and the potential secrets it stored. It could just as easily be another unrelated coincidence, but until that was confirmed, she would keep an open mind.

They continued to stumble about in the dark until they came across a wide tunnel. It was a good sign and a worrying one, but it was either take their chances on a potential creature den or stay put. Cecili had no intention of staying put.

Once again, there were no signs of life. At least until they exited the tunnel into another cave network. The area was painted in an ominous green glow by the massive luminous mushrooms sprouting from the floor, walls, and ceiling. In the light were other exotic plants that varied in color, size, and shape. Cecili stopped to marvel at the sight. Never had she seen anything like this. It was as if they stood at the edge of an underground forest or bog.

“How has no one discovered this place?” Sarl said breathlessly.

That snapped Cecili out of her stupor. “I doubt we’re the first ones here,” she replied. “There are many benefits to keeping a place like this a secret.”

“I guess it goes without saying that we shouldn’t reveal to anyone how we came down here. It would take years to tunnel into the palace but the fewer who know about the mass grave, the better.

Cecili nodded in agreement.

They traveled slowly through the marvelous landscape but kept their weapons drawn and ears perked. The lack of fauna with the flora worried her. Something besides plants had to exist down here. While she didn’t relish the idea of finding out what, it was still preferable to isolation. Her imagination was doing more damage than reality ever could.

Despite their growling stomachs, they ignored the luminous plants all around them. Cecili pointed out that the plants were essentially Afflicted as they had been changed and mutated from absorbing massive amounts of dense aether.

“So the only thing missing is they haven’t tried to eat us yet,” Sarl commented bitterly.

“Actually, Afflicted do not eat. It is believed they sustain themselves entirely on aether.  They are like massive sponges, soaking up all the aether around them until nothing remains.”

“But if that’s true, how are we alive down here? Shouldn’t these plants have taken all the aether by now?”

“It’s likely the plants have adapted to their environment. Since they can’t move to seek out new places of sustenance, they found a new method. Of course, this is all conjecture.”

“It’s more than what I had.”

More silence followed. Cecili distracted her mind by thinking up how the plants evolved to their changing environment to avoid destruction. It was an undisputed fact that all living things required aether to survive. Even Afflicted couldn’t survive a barren environment. She noticed that it was also easier to breathe in this area meaning the aether density was lighter than before. Perhaps the plants were functioning as filters. It was a fascinating concept and something worthy of more study.

That thought suddenly brought a more worrying one to mind. This place was still “undiscovered” likely on purpose. Those who used this place for whatever purpose they had in mind wouldn’t take kindly to two unknown visitors. But that was also a good sign. More life, even an enemy, meant an exit, and that meant a way out.

Suddenly, Sarl’s ears perked up and he made a gesture signaling for Cecili to stop. The wolf signaled for her to follow and crept forward. It didn’t take long to realize what he sensed. A faint burning smell permeated the air.

They crept closer, sticking to the shadows to sneak up on their quarry.

On the other side of a large plant, they found a small camp nestled beneath a small shelf in the cave wall. The smoldering remains of a campfire sat in the center. Surrounding the embers were a pair of bedrolls and packs.

“Guess we solved the mystery of if there’s a way out,” Sarl whispered.

Cecili nodded. Those suffering aether sickness could suffer hallucinations, but she was immune. It had to be real for her to see it. She looked around for signs of others, but there was no one there. But the smoking fire meant they were close.

But now begged the question of whether they should stick around or not. She doubted the campers were friendly, but only paladins or those in the Energy Consortium had the means to survive down here. Criminal organizations would only bother to sell the location which they would have done by now.

But the idea of being discovered still made Cecili uneasy. There were no signs of a struggle, but also no one watching the camp. That was odd. A paladin wouldn’t be that sloppy.

Sarl inspected one of the bedrolls. “I recognize this logo. Their gear is new, but they traveled light so they didn’t plan on staying.”

“Or they need to stay mobile,” Cecili added. “But what did they intend to do about supplies?”

Before the wolf could speculate, they heard the crunching of gravel. Without a word, Cecili and Sarl harried out of the camp and slipped behind a large glowing mushroom.

The steps gradually grew louder. Eventually they heard voices.

“Ugh, I hate looking at this thing every time we come back here.” Judging from the tone and timbre, it belonged to a male. Beyond that, Cecili couldn’t tell, and she didn’t dare risk peeking from behind their cover.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to sleep in a bed,” a second canid replied. This one sounded male as well. “But we have a job to do.”

“We’ve been down here for a week! When in the ever-loving shit is this guy gonna get here?”

Cecili turned to Sarl. The wolf’s jaw was tight and he tightly gripped the hilt of his weapon.

“You heard about what went on at the palace, right? Security’s tight. We have to be cautious,” Canid One said. “But yeah, he’s going to have to provide something a little extra for making us wait like this.”

Canid Two chuckled. “Oh yeah. And I know exactly what I’m gonna ask for. There’s this sweet little number I’ve had my eyes on for a while now.”

Cecili suppressed a growl and motioned to Sarl. Silently, she signaled that they would attack on her signal. He slowly drew his weapon and nodded. She closed her eyes and channeled aether into her palm. In one fluid motion, she emerged from their hiding place and launched the flashbang spell. The two canids cried out in shock and pain.

Cecili and Sarl wasted no time taking advantage of the opening. She reached her target first and tackled him to the ground. Seconds later, Sarl did the same and they had control of the camp. Even with no experience working together, she was impressed at how well they took down the two canids. Their foes never even touched their weapons.

Sarl pressed a boot against his quarry’s chest and pressed the tip of his blade on the grey-furred hound’s nose. “How many of you are there?”

“P-P-Please don’t hurt m-me!” the dog cried. “I’ll do whatever you say, honest!”

“Then answer our question,” Cecili replied, keeping a stern eye on her prisoner. The hound’s black fur almost seemed grey with fear as he stared at the tip of the arcblade dangerously close to his chest.

“It’s just the two of us!” they cried in unison.

“You expect me to believe—” Sarl began.

“They’re telling the truth,” Cecili said, frowning at the growing dark stain on her detainee’s crotch. The smell of piss permeated the air.

Sarl rolled his eyes and turned back to his target. “What is a pair of spineless fools doing down here?”

Grey-Fur began to sob. His face quickly became wet with tears and snot. “Don’t kill us, please!”

“Answer the question and we’ll talk.”

“Bratton, just do what they say,” the other hound said, his ears pulled back.

“But they’ll kill us if we tell them!”

Sarl growled and pressed harder with his blade until the dog fell silent. “We’ll kill you if you don’t. Now what are you doing down here?”

“We’re waiting for a delivery,” the black-furred one said.

“Miel, no!” Bratton cried.

“I’m taking my chances! We…We know a guy in the royal palace. He brings down some goods from up there and in return, we pay him.”

Sarl growled, but Cecili quickly took control of the conversation. “And what goods is he bringing you exactly?”

Miel and Bratton blanched at the question.

“Need I remind you that silence is hazardous to your health?” Cecili asked.

“I say take their scrubbers,” Sarl said moving his blade to the pendant around Bratton’s neck. The dark ore in its center glinted in the campfire. Such devices were popular forms of protection from dense aether. “How long does it take a canid to become an Afflicted in this environment?”

Cecili shrugged. “If they don’t die from shock, ten minutes if luck favors them,” she lied. With the plants providing a natural filter, it would take at least a few hours.

Miel somehow turned even paler. “Okay, okay! We were…we were…we—”

“SPIT IT OUT!” Sarl roared.

“Dirty laundry!” Miel said in a high squeal. “He brings us the underwear of the maids and we buy it from him. Please don’t hurt us! He promised that no one ever got hurt and we never asked him to!”

Cecili felt a complicated mixture of disgust and discomfort for the bawling ball of fur at her feet. Of all things to run into down here, that was not what she expected. She glanced at Sarl who seemed more furious than ever. His hackles had risen and his sword trembled in rage.

“Do you have any idea how many lives you put at risk just for your twisted fetish?!”

“No one’s supposed to get hurt!” Bratton cried, sobbing all over again.

Cecili sighed and sheathed her weapon. At this point, she doubted they even needed it to threaten them. “I hate to ask this, but why the royal palace? There are plenty of lust bars that can cater to your needs.”

“Well, you know, it’s just the appeal of royalty,” Miel said sheepishly.

“You mean to tell me, you shameless pieces of shit have been stealing the queen’s undergarments?!” Sarl cried, raising his blade. Bratton’s eyes bulged and his mouth opened into a silent scream of terror.

“Sarl!” Cecili cried.

Thankfully, he stopped his strike, but his murderous stare dared her to get in his way. “Are you actually defending these fools?”

“Thank you!” Miel cried before throwing himself at Cecil’s feet and began kissing her boots.

She kicked him away, striking him hard in the muzzle. He gave a pained yelp and fell on his side.

“No, I will see to it that they’re punished,” she said. “But I think the death penalty is a bit excessive. Besides, we still need to know the identity of their contact.”

“The queen’s reputation has been ruined enough as it is! I will not allow anyone to disrespect her further!”

“No!” Miel said. “We never got anything of the queen’s. He always said it was too risky! Besides, even we know the queen’s stuff is too hot to sell!”

“You sell these things to other canids?” Sarl asked, his fur bristling even more.

Bratton had gone limp underneath the captain’s boot, his blank expression proof that he had fainted.

With a disgusted grunt, Sarl scrapped his foot on the ground and sheathed his sword. “I guess you’ll be doing all the talking since your friend is unconscious.”

Miel spat a glob of blood on the ground and rubbed his jaw where Cecili had kicked him. “Okay, so once a month a guy up in the palace brings us some used underwear that we sell back in New Moon. But we never hurt anyone!” he quickly added. “My clients are, pervs sure, but I would never do anything violent!”

“No, you just violate others’ privacy,” Cecili said.

“I have plenty of canids sell me their stuff! It’s just anything from someone up in the royal palace goes for three times the amount, easy.”

“You should have pawned off a fake as the real thing instead,” Sarl spat. He turned away from their prisoner and dug around in their packs.

He shrugged. “I like to be authentic.”

Cecili kicked him in the stomach. He groaned and curled into a ball, his cough echoing in the chamber.

Sarl looked up from his search. “He’s useless to us if he can’t speak.”

“It was an accident,” Cecili said innocently. Turning back to the hound gasping for air at her feet, she added, “How have you survived down here? This area should be crawling with Afflicted. More importantly, who told you about this place?”

It took a moment for Miel to recover enough to speak. “Folks have been using these tunnels for years to smuggle illegal goods. As for Afflicted, I’ve never seen one down here.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. Canids could turn even outside of dense aether locations. There was no way this place was clean.

“Where’s the tunnel that leads into the royal palace?” Sarl asked.

“If there is one, I ain’t seen it.”

“Then how do you meet your contact?” Cecili asked.

“I don’t know. He meets us here. We buy the stuff and we go our separate ways. I don’t know how he gets down here. There’s tons of ways.”

Sarl concluded his search and stood up. “Well, you’re going to lead us to one. But first, you’re going to tell us who your contact is.”

“I don’t know his name,” Miel said quickly scrambling out of striking range. “I barely know what he looks like. We don’t ask for names.”

“If you don’t know him then how did you meet?” Cecili asked.

“He came to me. Said he had stuff from the palace to sell and he would bring more so long as I didn’t ask questions.”

“And you agreed to that?”

“As long as they’re not torn or bloody and above pup sizes, I don’t see the problem.”

Cecili felt the urge to kick him again but refrained from it. They needed to get things back on track and the sooner she could be rid of their company, the better. “You mentioned a delivery was late. Is that normal?”

“Not after this long, no.”

“Maybe he finally grew a conscience,” Sarl offered bitterly.

“More likely an Afflicted got him,” Cecili said. “We also shouldn’t discount the theory that the ones from the palace were his doing as well.”

“I doubt these fools would orchestrate something like that. At least intentionally.”

“Okay, I answered all of your questions, right?” Miel asked. “You’ll let me go?”

“We never made such a promise,” Cecili said.

“And you still have to lead us to the exit,” Sarl said, sitting next to the campfire. “Once your friend recovers, we’re leaving. In the meantime, you’re going to tell me everything you know about your supplier.”