11. The Catacombs #2
He looked away. “Story for another time.”
Who was this mysterious man? Given the way he handled his sword, it was clear he’d had formal training.
People with sword skills like that tended to be the sort trying to stop me from robbing someone.
I reminded myself that the less we knew about each other, the better.
I had found him at a tavern on the Lantern Mile, after all, and most people there had something to hide.
I guided us out of the older sections of the catacombs and toward the newer and more traveled ones.
The farther we went, the more elaborate the corridors became.
Rough-hewn stone turned to polished granite.
Haphazard skeletons lying bare on shelves were replaced by sealed crypts with ornate carvings.
We entered a large and elaborate antechamber with a row of granite tombs in the middle, each with a marble statue behind it.
The statues were of descendants of the royal line, all in regal poses, holding staffs or swords, each with a crown atop their head.
Just past the tombs was a large doorway lined with grand columns through which moonlight streamed, forming a pale blue rectangle on the ground.
Queen Amara’s crypt was in the very next room.
Darion inspected one of the golden placards affixed to the front of the tombs, and his eyes went wide. “These are the past kings and queens of Velmorra. We’re in the Royal Crypt.”
“This way,” I said, gesturing for him to follow as I headed toward the door to the next room.
“Grave robbers are common here, so guards patrol this part of the tomb. If they find us, they’ll kill us on the spot,” Darion said with a nervous glance over his shoulder.
“Well, let’s not let them spot us, then.”
If the room we left was dramatic, the next room was breathtaking.
The ceiling soared above our heads, at least five stories high.
A row of windows looked out onto the city of Analon and the starry sky, which bathed the entire room in a soft glow.
A massive tomb lay in the center with a statue of Queen Amara behind it that nearly reached the ceiling.
Marble robes cascaded over her shoulders and pooled around her feet.
She had one hand resting on her heart and the other raised, palm out, in the universal symbol for peace and love.
Atop her head was an actual golden crown studded with diamonds and gems. The amount of money that crown would fetch could likely feed an entire village for a lifetime.
Beside her stood an enormous feline beast that came up to her waist—a mythical creature known as a shadowlynx.
Its massive fangs were the size of daggers, and its claws left deep gouges in the marble.
At the base of the statue was a plaque with the engraving:
Here lies Queen Amara, the last of the royal Emberborn.
Emberborn? How was that possible? I’d never heard even the smallest mention of it. I thought back to the Emberborn book that had started this whole quest. Maybe it was related.
I paused near the center of the room, looking for any sign of what my next clue might be. I had hoped that when I entered the tomb, the solution would present itself, but there was nothing obvious.
“What are you looking for?” Darion asked. “Is it related to that scavenger hunt you mentioned?”
“I just need a moment,” I said. I hadn’t counted on Darion being here. I thought I’d have as much time as I needed to search for clues, but every minute we stayed increased the danger I was putting him in.
Faint footsteps echoed several chambers over.
“Someone’s coming,” Darion said in a hushed but urgent tone. “We need to go!”
That was the moment I saw it: a faint red X right above the window opposite Queen Amara’s tomb, etched into the stone above the middle window, high above the ground. It looked the same as the X from the Order of Emberlight invitation. Without a word to Darion, I climbed the wall.
“Are you half spider?” Darion whispered with a soft laugh, watching me climb. “Well, whatever the dust you’re doing, do it fast. We’re going to have company soon.”
I ignored him as I climbed to the top of the window.
My goal was so close; I couldn’t back out now.
Carved directly into the granite, the X was embedded with a red gemstone that shimmered in the faint moonlight.
Much fainter was an inscription extending to either side of the X, so faint that only someone right next to it could possibly read it.
May her wisdom eXtend beyond the hands of time’s embrace.
The top right part of the X pointed to a hole bored into the stone.
Inside the hole was a rolled-up piece of parchment similar to the original Order of Emberlight invitation.
But this one was covered in strange glyphs I didn’t recognize—some kind of foreign language or code, most likely.
I committed the entire thing to memory and tucked the parchment into my breast pocket. Then I peered through the hole.
Framed directly in the middle was the clock tower of the Citadel Library. In a hundred years, that bell had never failed to ring, and it was never a moment late—the ultimate symbol of control and accuracy for the Tarnasau Dynasty.
Apparently the clock tower was my next target. Getting in there would make this task seem like a stroll through the Citadel Gardens. Legend spoke of the tenders, trained warriors who would defend the tower with their lives.
“Hurry!” Darion insisted from below.
This was not the time to consider how I’d get into the clock tower. I scampered down the wall and landed next to Darion.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked.
“I think so.”
The door we had entered a moment before opened, and a group of Royal Guards walked in. They looked startled to see us.
Darion glanced at the guards, then back at me. “I hope it was worth it.”