by Eric Vall
“I thought you were all adventured out,” I chuckled.
“I think I can make an exception,” the teen said with a grin.
“Okay, then,” I laughed and drew my own sword again, “let’s check it out.”
With that, the four of us stepped closer to the wall and began to inspect it.
“I don’t see a door anywhere,” Daya remarked as she ran her fingers across the stone.
“Nor do I,” Nike agreed.
“There has to be something,” Cal grunted as he shoved at the wall. “People wouldn’t just enchant random rock.”
“Here, let me try,” I offered, and the snake Demi-Human stepped back.
I took his spot before the wall, placed my hand on it, and tried to call up my power over stone.
But I never got the chance.
The second I touched the rock wall, another powerful wave of magic rose up all around us, and then there was a great grinding sound.
“What’s happening?” Cal shouted in shock over the noise.
“I don’t know--” I started, but then I was cut off as the wall before me began to rise, and I stumbled forward.
“Lord Evan!” Daya cried out over my shoulder, but there was no need.
“I’m fine,” I coughed as dust and stale air billowed around me. I’d staggered into a black room, but I’d managed to stay on my feet. “Just took me by surprise.”
As I ressumoned the flame I lost, my teammates quickly filed in behind me, and Nike placed his hand on my shoulder.
“You gave us a scare there, brother,” he said with a smirk.
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting an Indiana Jones moment either,” I laughed.
“Who is Indiana Jones?” Daya asked with a frown. “Is he an acquaintance of yours?”
“Nevermin--” I began, but then two things happened at once.
The first thing was a peculiar but familiar sensation rose up inside me, and then Cal spoke aloud.
“Uh guys?” the snake Demi-Human called. “I think you’ll want to see this.”
“What is it?” Nike asked, but a broad grin spread across my face.
I already knew what it was.
“Oh, hell yeah,” I laughed as I summoned my flames to my arms, and then I poured my power into them so they were magnified.
The bright orange light expanded out around us and illuminated the large space we were standing in. The room itself was nothing special, the walls were just bare rock like the rest of the tunnels, but mountains of gold, jewels, and other treasures glinted in the dim light like millions of stars. From my position in the doorway, I could see bars of gold, beautiful sets of jewelry that I wanted to shower on my women, and there were even some sculptures that looked to be made of marble and silver. Dust covered everything in a thick layer of gray, but the treasures were no less magnificent.
“Dear gods,” Daya breathed beside me, and her red eyes went wide.
“It’s a treasure hoard,” I said as my dragon instincts reared in my chest. I practically started salivating, and my fingers itched to delve into the mounds of gold.
“Actually, I think it’s your treasure hoard,” Nike remarked while his silver gaze continued to skip around the room.
“What?” I asked and finally tore my eyes away from the beautiful sight in front of me. “Why do you say that?”
“Think about where we are,” the noble explained. “We’re standing deep beneath the city, beneath even the secret archives and library. It’s obvious that no one has been down here for centuries, so it stands to reason this was left behind by the previous rulers and nobility of Hatra. Then there’s the enchantment that was on the entrance.”
“What about it?” Cal piped up from beside me, and his yellow eyes were bright with excitement.
It looked like the kid got his adventure after all.
“Well, this room was very well hidden,” Nike said. “The only reason we stopped was--”
“Because the air tasted different to me,” Cal finished. “Now that we’re here, I recognize the taste as magic.”
“Right,” Nike nodded, “but even after we found the entrance, it didn’t open until Lord Evan touched it. It was like it was attuned to him.”
“Or my blood,” I realized. “This enchantment is just like the one in the catacombs for the Lords of Hatra. Only individuals with the ruling bloodline may enter.”
“Exactly,” Nike agreed. “So, given all the evidence, I believe this treasure is yours by birthright.”
“So … these are like the crown jewels?” I questioned as I looked back over the hoard.
“At least some of them.” Nike nodded. “Hatra was once a very prosperous city, so there could potentially be more rooms just like this here in the tunnels, or perhaps under the Lunar Palace.”
“This is so awesome,” I chuckled. “I searched the desert for hours to start my hoard, and yet this was below my feet the entire time. I wonder why I didn’t sense it before.”
“It probably has something to do with the enchantment,” Daya theorized. “To hide it from people who shouldn’t be down here.”
“Well, I’m here now,” I grinned, “and since this is technically all mine … ”
I reached into my spatial storage and pulled out my Mary Poppins bag.
“Are we taking all this back to the surface?” Cal gasped in delight, and then he stepped forward and reached out toward a sculpture of gold and moonstones in the shape of a crescent moon.
A snarl slipped unbidden from my lips and echoed around the cavernous room.
Cal froze mid step, and he looked back at me with wary yellow eyes.
“Sorry,” I apologized as I subdued the draconic urge to protect my hoard. “Dragon, remember?”
“Right.” The snake Demi-Human’s head drooped, and he shuffled back to stand beside Daya.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the forlorn look on his face, and there was so much treasure in this room, I could bare to part with one piece. So, I strode forward, picked up an ornate silver dagger inlaid with gems of topaz that matched the kid’s eyes, and tossed it at him.
Cal clumsily caught the sheathed blade and looked up at me in surprise.
“For your troubles,” I told him with a smirk, “since you almost got eaten by a blind mole-rat.”
“Thank you, Lord Evan.” The snake teen blushed faintly as he inclined his head, but he still attached the blade to his hip.
“Now,” I said as I turned back to the rest of my new hoard, “give me a few minutes to pack all this up, and then we can return to the library.”
“Of course, Lord Evan,” Daya intoned with a bow, and Nike nodded his head in agreement.
I smirked and reached out for the gold moon sculpture.
We might have been crawling around dark, dank tunnels all day, and we did get attacked by a rat of most unusual size, but this treasure made it all worth it.
And I couldn’t wait to find more.
Chapter 6
After I emptied out the treasure room, we continued to search the tunnel but thankfully ran into no other monsters. This time, Nike and I stayed with Daya and Cal as we finished off the left branch of the fork, which led to a dead end. So, I summoned my stone magic again and collapsed and sealed up the side tunnels the mole creature had dug out. I didn’t want the tunnels to be taken over by another one of those monsters.
The smell of singed hair was still thick in the air, even as we left the left side of the fork and continued toward the right path, and I carried a small flame in my hand so Nike could see clearly.
When we finally reached the end of the right path, everyone was exhausted. We had been walking for hours, we’d fought off a giant mole, and we hadn’t seen the sun for too long.
“Okay,” I said as we looked at the wall in front of us, “both paths from the main tunnel led to dead ends. I think we can say this tunnel is safe, so we can head back to the library and continue to the next tunnel.”
It took us around two hours t
o return to the entrance of the tunnel, and when we finally emerged, the dryad sisters immediately surrounded us.
“What happened?” Polina asked us as we sat down onto the ground to take a break. “We could smell smoke.”
The four of us sighed but didn’t respond right away. We were all still covered in dirt, blood, and ash. Our canteens were empty, and we were exhausted from our fight.
“I wanted to get help, but Trina and Polina said we should wait.” Marina sat next to me and clung onto my arm as she spoke.
“Is everyone okay?” Trina questioned with a concerned frown. “We were starting to worry.”
I looked at the three sisters and gave them a small smile.
“We’re okay, a little banged up, but otherwise fine,” I replied. “We found something down there, but we took care of it. That’s what the smoke was from.”
Their green eyes grew wide.
“What was it?” Marina asked, and curiosity was evident in her voice.
“Some kind of giant mole thing,” I shrugged, “but like I said, it’s gone now. Hopefully, there won’t be any more in the rest of the tunnels. Also, we found a little loot down there, so that made up for the gross giant rodent.”
“Ooh, treasure?” Trina asked, and her green eyes sparkled. “How much?”
“A lot,” I chuckled. “I’ll tell you three all about it later.”
“I can’t believe you fought a monster, and we missed it,” Polina pouted. “I’ve never seen you fight as a human before. You’re always a dragon.”
“Oh yes, I’m sure it’s very attractive to see you fight in your human body,” Marina added with a smirk. “I’m sure our Lady would have appreciated it, too.”
Trina laughed with her sisters and dragged her eyes over me.
“Alright, you three,” I interrupted before they could say much more in front of the others. I knew first hand how the sisters could be when they got riled up, but now was not the time. “We need to open up the next tunnel, I’m going to call it ‘Tunnel B.’ How about you three get started?”
With a sigh, and a few more giggles, the sisters stood and made their way to the barrier over Tunnel B. Then they closed their eyes, and their hands glowed faintly with a bright green light. Slowly, the plants began to withdraw back into the soil. The sisters worked faster than they did a few hours ago, and within minutes, they stepped back. Sweat dripped down their faces, and they nodded toward us.
“Done, and it should get easier and faster as we continue forward since we’re getting familiar with the best way to undo our work,” Trina explained as her sisters leaned against her side.
“No worries, you got it done, and that’s what counts,” I replied before I looked back to my group. “You guys ready?”
Cal groaned as he stood.
“I nearly died, I should get an hour break at least,” he complained as he stretched his limbs.
“Do you ever stop complaining?” Daya asked with a sharp look. “Shut up, or I’ll tell Laika you were deemed unfit for further missions.”
Cal narrowed his yellow eyes but stayed silent. Then his tongue flickered in annoyance as Daya turned her back to him to meet me at Tunnel B. Nike and Cal followed after her, and we all stepped into the opening together.
“No splitting up this time,” I said as we began the trek through the tunnel. “It might take us longer this way, but it will be safer. I’m glad you’re okay, Cal. Sorry your adventure turned more harrowing than exciting.”
Cal shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been nearly eaten, won’t be the last.”
“Um, what?” I looked at him in surprise.
“I was born into the guild,” he replied nonchalantly. “Things like that just happen.”
Daya snorted next to him. “Things like that happen to you because you don’t know how to exhibit restraint. You just do whatever you want and ignore the consequences. If you would actually practice patience and focus, you could be a great warrior. You’re young, but you are no longer a child. It’s time you began to take more responsibility.
“I am! I volunteered for this mission!”
Nike and I looked at each other and held back our laughter as the two bickered back and forth.
I quickly tuned out their argument, though, and looked around the tunnel. The dark walls were made of brick here instead of the rock and dirt like Tunnel A was.
“Nike,” I said, and the noble turned his head toward me. “Look at the walls here. These weren’t quickly dug out like the other one. Whoever built this tunnel took their time to ensure it was built to last.”
Nike looked around and furrowed his brow. “You’re right. I wonder why.”
“Hopefully, we can find that out today,” I replied as we continued into the dark.
We walked for around an hour before this tunnel, like the one before, broke off into two directions.
“We can start with the left,” I told the group and led us all forward.
After another fifteen minutes, Cal stopped suddenly.
“We’re going down,” he told us, and I quickly realized he was right. The path below us had steadily sloped downward as we walked, but it was so subtle, I hadn’t even noticed it.
“Where do you think it goes?” Nike asked. “Are there more secrets within Hatra?”
“Let’s go find out,” I replied with a grin.
After the first treasure room, I couldn’t wait to see what we found this time.
We followed the path down, but made sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. The walls remained the same brick material as we walked further and further under the city, and, thankfully, no rank odors drifted out from the darkness before us.
It took us another hour to finally reach the bottom, and then the tunnel opened up into a large circular room. Shelves were placed around the walls, and barrels were stacked and grouped together across the floor.
“This looks like some kind of food storage facility,” Daya mused as she glanced around. “Which would make sense. Most major cities have food stored away in case of emergencies. We could clean this out and start to use it. It’s cool enough down here, and the humidity isn’t too bad, so the food shouldn’t mold.”
“Huh, well it’s no treasure vault,” I muttered, “but still kinda cool. I had no idea all these rooms existed down here.”
Daya walked into the room and kicked a barrel over. The lip of the barrel cracked open, and a dark liquid poured onto the floor. Then a sour smell filled the room.
“We can store fresh food here once we clean it up a bit,” she suggested. “I don’t think anyone would be interested in spoiled ale.”
“Daya is right,” I replied as I glanced at the others. “We can use this space once we clear the tunnels. It could prove to be useful. For now, let’s head back and clear out the other path.”
Everyone nodded before we left the room, and then we retraced our steps and made it back to the fork. We continued down the right path and stayed silent as we listened for any sign of life down here with us.
The second tunnel was shorter than the others, but it also branched off into three more paths. We started on the left again and quickly examined the area. The path was short and led toward a cave-in, so I used my stone magic to ensure the passage was sealed off before we turned around and made our way down the middle tunnel.
I walked in front of the others with my flames still in my hand, but then I stepped on something soft. I stopped, glanced down, and found a blanket. Confused, I picked it up and turned back to the others.
“Guys, I think someone is down here with us.”
All three of them tensed, and Daya stepped forward. Then she took the blanket, sniffed it, and sniffed the air.
“Whoever was here, they are long gone,” she said and handed the blanket back to me. “Their scent is old. It was probably just some curious kids.”
I frowned. Something didn’t feel right, but I pushed the thought aside for the moment and nodded.
<
br /> There were other signs of humans down this tunnel, though. We found more blankets, clothes, rotten food, and forgotten lanterns along the floor. A few bags were tossed haphazardly across the ground as well. I picked up one of the bags, and it was filled with parchment and pencils. On one piece of paper were drawings of lines and small ‘x’s along random points. I tossed everything back in the first bag and looked inside the others. Knives and water were inside the second pack while the last one had nothing but clothes.
“This doesn’t seem like something kids would do … ” I slowly mused as I pulled the straps of the three bags over my shoulder. I wanted to take a closer look at them later. “It seems like someone has been living down here.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Daya argued with a furrowed brow. “How would they get down here without anyone noticing?”
“Yes, if it were people living down here, why would they leave everything behind?” Nike agreed with Daya.
“Why would kids leave all of this behind?” I countered.
“They probably didn’t want to get in trouble when we told them we would be closing the tunnels,” Daya answered with a shrug. “They most likely didn’t want to risk coming back and getting trapped behind the walls.”
I huffed but let the argument drop. Something was telling me it was more than just a few kids down here, but I didn’t have proof.
“Let’s turn around,” I suggested. “This tunnel ends just ahead, so we can finish up the third channel and call it a day. By the time we get back, it’ll be close to dinner time. We missed lunch, and I’m sure you’re all hungry.”
The others nodded, and we quickly finished the third pathway and returned to the library with the bags we found still thrown over my shoulder.
Marina was the only sister who still waited for us as we exited the tunnel.
“Welcome back!” she said with a smile.
I waved a hand and dropped the bags.
“What are those?” Marina asked, and her green eyes were eager. “More treasure?”
“No, we found these in the tunnel. I want to find out who they belong to.” I looked around. “Where are Trina and Polina?”
“They returned to the city,” Marina answered as she bounced on her toes. “Ruslan sent a message for us, but I agreed to stay behind for you.”