Beneath the Cliffs

Beneath the Cliffs
Chapter 122:

Symbols were etched across the stone walls. Dozens of them. Circles within circles, carved deep, filled with something dark and metallic that gleamed under the torchlight.

Aria stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. “These markings…”

“They’re not new,” Lucien started, his tone grim. “But, they're also too clean to be old.”

“Someone’s been using this place recently,” Kael murmured.

As if in answer, there was a weird shift in the air. The torches flickered once, then flared brighter as a gust of wind swept through the chamber. Somewhere beyond the carved walls, a door, or what sounded like one, creaked open.

Lucien froze where he stood, the fire from the torches, flickering across his features. His body was taut with tension as he moved into a defensive stance.

“Lucien?” Aria whispered, her voice tight.

His only response was, “Stay behind me.”

Aria ignored him, stepping forward, her gaze locked on the darkness beyond the open passage. 

Kael stepped up beside Lucien, drawing his own dagger in one swift motion. “Whoever it is, they’re probably getting away.” He remarked dryly.

Lucien didn’t answer, only raised a hand for silence. The faint sound came again, except different this time, scrape of boot against stone, followed by a soft thud, like something being dropped or dragged.

Kael gripped his knife tighter. “You know, I’m starting to hate caves,” he muttered.

Lucien stepped forward, the torch casting long glare against the rough walls. The shadows retreated with each of his steps, revealing more of the hollow chamber: old tools, wooden beams blackened with rot, a line of rusted hooks running along the ceiling.

He started to move forward, but the healer’s voice rang out sharply. “Don’t!”

He turned on her, eyes flashing. “Why not?”

“Because,” she said, her face pale, voice trembling just slightly, “those tunnels lead to the old mines. They don’t end in this mountain. They open into the forest beyond the ridge.”

Lucien froze. “You mean…”

“Yes,” she said. “If they’ve been using that path, it means your enemies have been walking through this camp for weeks… maybe longer, before you even reached here.”

For a second no one spoke.

Then Kael exhaled slowly. “So what you’re saying is…we’ve been sleeping right above a nest of vipers.” His jaw tightening.

Lucien’s gaze hardened, the flame reflecting in his eyes like molten gold. “Not anymore,” he said quietly. “We seal every tunnel, post guards on every ridge. Whoever used this path won’t use it again.”

Aria didn’t speak. Her gaze had gone back to the far wall. Something about the darkness there tugged at her attention. It seemed to pulse, alive and breathing, as if waiting.

She stepped past them, scanning the far end of the room. Her eyes caught on something glinting in the half-dark, marks along the wall. Not carved, but scraped. Rough, jagged lines as though someone had dragged blades along the stone over and over again.

“What is this place?” she asked, her voice quiet but firm.

The healer hesitated. “We… don’t use this part of the tunnels. We thought it was collapsed years ago.”

“Lucien,” Aria cutting in quietly, “Look.”

He turned, following her gaze.

There, carved into the stone at the farthest point, was a symbol, larger than the rest, its edges still wet with some dark metallic ink that shimmered faintly under the light.

Lucien’s expression sharpened. “That’s not part of the others.”

“No,” Kael murmured. “That was done recently. Hours, maybe.”

The healer’s breath caught. “That’s impossible. No one comes down here without my orders.”

Lucien shot her a hard look. “Then someone didn’t wait for your orders.”

He crouched beside the marking, running his fingers over the grooves. The wall was slick, almost wet. He rubbed his fingers together, frowning. “Grease,” he murmured. “Oil, maybe. Used to burn something.”

“Or someone,” Kael said darkly.

Aria’s stomach turned. The chains. The smell. The stains across the floor that even time hadn’t erased. It only served to remind her, how cruel their world could be.

The silence thickened, until Lucien barked out, “Let’s move,” his tone clipped. “We shouldn’t stay here long.”

He started toward the narrow corridor at the far end, the healer following reluctantly. Aria moved after them, the torchlight bobbing as they descended further. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the air became, stinking of sour, metallic blood that had dried and rotted. To make matters worst, the air only grew colder with each step, and water dripped from the ceiling in a slow, steady rhythm.

“How far do these tunnels go?” Kael asked behind them.

“All the way under the mountain,” the healer replied. “But most of them are blocked… collapsed long ago.”

Lucien glanced back at her. “And if they’re not?”

She didn’t answer.

The corridor twisted sharply, opening into another chamber, smaller, circular, the ceiling lower. The torchlight flickered over the walls, and Aria realized what she was seeing.

Tunnels. Narrow openings, branching out like veins from this single point. Half a dozen of them, each dark as pitch, stretching off in every direction.

Kael groaned softly. “Perfect. A labyrinth. Just what we needed.”

Lucien raised the torch higher, scanning the tunnels. “If the assassins came through here, they could’ve used any of these.”

Aria swallowed. “Then we start looking. We can’t afford to let them slip through again.”

Kael gave her a look. “You do realize how insane that sounds, right? Splitting up down here is…”

“...the fastest way to understand what’s going on quickly,” Lucien cut in. His tone left no room for argument. “We stay in pairs. Aria, you’re with me. Kael, you stay with her,” he nodded to the healer, “and make sure she doesn’t vanish next.”

Kael muttered something about only trusting himself with Aria, but didn’t argue further.

Lucien handed him a second torch, then nodded for Aria to follow. Together, they took the left tunnel.

The passage narrowed almost immediately, forcing them close. The walls brushed against their shoulders, damp and rough. Their footsteps echoed softly.

Aria glanced up, and whispered, “You think there’s someone still down here?”

Lucien’s eyes swept through the dark. “If there is…” his tone implying there would be no room for error, “We’ll find them.”