FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Thern always hated the night shift. The day was easier and simpler. Noises of the daytime commute and conversation were normal. There was no pang of fear at the sound of footsteps in the hall, the whispers around the corner, or the shadow moving in the distance. It was expected during the day. He could see movement in the halls or hear someone call out to him without worry.

At night, he had to be alert. Everything needed to be taken seriously and inspected. Movement meant someone was sneaking about, and anyone calling out to him wasn’t doing it for conversation.

Even the peace was unnerving. It felt like the world was holding its breath in anticipation for whatever unknown event was going to happen. He couldn’t even use the quiet to organize his thoughts.

Thern felt the tension as he walked the halls, stifling a yawn but keeping a tight grip on the hilt of his arcblade. Keeping awake and fighting the boredom fought for top place as the worst thing about it. Or at least, that was how it was in his youth.

He chuckled to himself at the thought. His youth. Not even 30 and he was already comparing himself to his younger days. Still, if he had to choose, he’d rather quiet and boring any night. Excitement meant lives were on the line and he’d rather not visit a funeral.

He stopped at a nearby painting and examined his reflection. The black-furred wolf staring back looked just as tired as he felt. Brown eyes looked over his reflection’s shoulder for anyone trying to take advantage of his distraction. One ear faced the hall to listen for anyone approaching.

Just behind him, he saw his partner, a round-faced, brown-furred hound named Liam Markur. His rookie status showed by how much he looked around at every shadow and corner within eyesight.

With a quiet sigh, Thern turned away from his doppelganger and faced his partner. “Calm down,” he said as gently as he could. “You’ll hurt your neck, you keep moving it like that.” He looked down and saw the new guy had his arcblade unsheathed. “And put that way. Only draw your weapon when you need to use it.”

Liam scrambled to put the weapon away. “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.”

“We’re the same rank.” And you’re actually older than me. It was still hard to believe given that the hound before him looked more like a teen who just finished puberty. Even his uniform which had been tailored for him seemed too loose like a pup playing dress-up.

_ _

“Right. But you have seniority and—”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re equals and you should treat me like such. Save the ass-kissing for the captain.”

Liam nodded and they continued their rounds.

It didn’t take long before the hound broke the silence. “I don’t mean to be nervous. I’ve worked on the cerberus force for 8 years, but this feels—”

“Different,” Thern finished. He hadn’t served on the force, but enough members of the Glaives did and they always said the same thing.

“Right. It’s being indoors. Out on the street, inside is where you’re supposed to feel safe, you know? But up here in the royal palace it’s just…different. Knowing you’re not safe even in the center of our government is pretty scary.”

“Yeah, you get used to it,” he lied.

They reached the corner and carefully peered around it before proceeding. There had been reports of strange noises in the basement. Everyone claimed it was just rats as nothing had turned up in the search. But it was also true no rats had been found. So until the captain said otherwise, they were all on alert.

Thern decided to keep up the conversation, not just to calm Liam’s nerves but his own as well. “So what made you join the Glaives?”

The hound shrugged. “Wanted to try something new, I guess.”

“You joined the elite royal guard for something new?”

“Yeah, it sounds crazy when you put it that way,” Liam replied, chuckling. “But the truth is, I’m only here because everyone told me to be. I liked where I was. I was good at it. But then everyone told me my skills and talents could be put to better use elsewhere, and the next thing I know, I’m being promoted. Then I’m being recruited. And now I’m here.”

“But do you actually want to be here?”

“If I don’t do the job, who will?”

Thern said nothing as they inspected a nearby closet. It only contained random cleaning supplies, so they moved on.

Liam spoke up this time. “So what about you? Why’d you join?”

No reason in particular. Was just a street urchin who became best friends with a rebellious prince and decided to join the elite guard so we could spend more time together. “I grew up in the New Moon District and everyone always said I would never amount to anything and be dead in a gutter by now. I wanted to prove them all wrong.”

Liam gave a soft whistle. “Mission accomplished. You rose out of the New Moon to serve in the Royal Palace. That’s no small feat.”

“No, it isn’t.”

He hated lying to his partner, but the less others knew about his true connection to the king, the better. His approval into the Glaives wasn’t exactly legal. His less than clean past would have ensured he never got past the application stage. It was mostly because of the then prince’s knowledge of how the system worked that Thern managed to squeeze by. But there was no denying his dedication to the job. He would gladly put his life on the line.

He glanced out a window as they passed by. It was only a brief glance, but years of walking the same route had allowed him to take a snapshot in his mind.

The only good part about working the night shift was the view. On a clear night, all of Lunaris lay stretched out before them, the distant lights mirroring the night sky. Finishing it off was the dome that protected the city. It coated the heavens in an oily veil. During the day, it clashed with the ambient aether outside, making the sky impossible to see, but at night, the whole world above seemed to open up.

During his youth, he would sneak up to the Full District just to spend hours staring up at the vast void, lost in its infinite possibilities. Now his attention was more ground-focused.

That uncomfortable silence descended on them again. Thern decided to take a shot in the dark and ask the first question that dawned on him. “So what do you think about this? The rumors about something roaming the lower levels?”

“It sounds like nothing, but word of advice? Never discount anything. The more ridiculous it sounds, the more truth that lies in it.”

“Speaking from experience?”

“I know a good bar. I’ll take you there after our shift and share some stories. But my grandpa always had a saying, Life doesn’t run on a script, so pull your head outta your ass.”

Thern tilted his head. He expected something wiser or least coherent.

Liam chuckled at the confusion on his face. “Yeah, I didn’t understand the old coot either. But after I joined the force, it made sense. I used to think all the time that ‘this is crazy to be real’ or ‘no one thinks like that.’ I learned real fast to pull my head outta my ass and stop acting like I understand the world.”

“Still a really roundabout way to say keep an open mind.”

“My grandpa was never a straightforward guy.”

“Well, I’m sure he’d be proud to know you’re taking his teachings to heart.”

A soft smile touched the hound’s lips. They reached the end of the hall and inspected the next one. It was quiet and empty, a good sign.

“So what about you?” Liam asked. “You believe in all this?”

“Always,” Thern said. “I grew up on the streets. If something didn’t sound right, you took it seriously.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. From the shit I’ve seen, it’s a miracle you’re even alive. How’d you deal with the Afflicted?”

Thern shuddered as he briefly recalled all the close brushes with death at the hands of mutated canids. “The good thing about being a pup means you can squeeze into places they can’t reach. Well, most of them anyway.” He didn’t like thinking about that. Every time he saw an Afflicted, it gave him nightmares for weeks. Even today, he still had trouble sleeping.

“What about you?” he asked. “Have you seen many Afflicted on the job?” It wasn’t quite the change of subject he wanted, but it was all he could think to ask at the moment.

“Too many,” Liam replied. “The little ones are always the worst. It breaks my heart that killing them is the only way to save them. Then again, it would be more cruel to keep them alive. I wouldn’t want to wake up and found out I murdered my loved ones because I lost control. I don’t think anyone bounces back from that.”

“So I guess you saw many Paladins, huh?’

The hound snorted as he checked over his shoulder. “Yeah, they don’t talk much and they treat Cerberus like idiots. As if they’re the only ones who know how to deal with Afflicted.”

Thern didn’t reply. He didn’t have an opinion of the Lunaris’ specialist security force since he avoided Paladins because that usually meant Afflicted were also nearby. That and the rumors of them snatching pups and using them as bait. Now that he was older, he realized how foolish those rumors were.

He reached the end of the next hall and carefully peered around its edge. No one leaped out at him, but what looked like a tail vanished around the corner. It could just be a servant or another glaives member, but it was too risky to not investigate.

“Did you see that?” Liam whispered.

He was behind me and still managed to catch that? He’s got good eyes. “Yeah, I saw it. We should check it out.”

It was probably nothing. He wanted it to be nothing, but he kept a tight grip on his weapon just in case.

They reached the end of the hall, just managing to catch another glimpse of the tail moving out of sight. Now it was clear he was being led away putting him in a tough spot. Letting the intruder roam free was out of the question but following them was playing their game.

A spot on the wall carried a familiar scent. Recognizing the perfume, he relaxed and sheathed his weapon. That was Hena’s perfume. It was a game she often played. Just managing to slip out of sight but leaving a trail of her perfume to follow. To anyone else, it was just a familiar scent; she wore that perfume all the time. But he knew what it meant.

The smell made his tail wag which he quickly flattened it against his leg. Liam couldn’t know.

Dammit, Hena! What are you doing? You know I don’t have time to fool around during my shift!

“This feels like a trap,” the hound said. “What do we do?”

“They’re likely trying lead us away so they can double back,” Thern lied. “Wait here. I’ll keep going and let them think their plan is working then come back to back you up.”

His partner nodded and stayed behind while he set off after the “intruder”. He felt bad lying to him like that, but what choice did he have? If anyone found out about their arrangement, even a fellow glaive, it wouldn’t end well.

Thern moved quickly, keeping his steps even to avoid drawing any suspicion. He never ran into anyone, however. It wasn’t surprising; it wasn’t their first time doing this. She knew the palace and the patrol routes inside and out. And he kept her appraised of any changes to the schedule.

But he couldn’t shake the anxiety. It wasn’t like her to take risks like this, especially with the current state of things.

She continued their game, leading him downstairs into the lower levels of the palace. The further he descended, the more fear and excitement mixed within him. It was so rare that they got to see each other and even then, it had to be kept brief. But if he was caught this far from his post, there would be serious repercussions. But even if he wanted to, he couldn’t leave her down here alone. If anything happened there was no explaining it.

He forced the thought from his mind. Nothing was going to happen. She was careful and didn’t throw herself into dangerous situations.

The scent was strongest outside of a storage room. He looked around to make sure no one was around then entered. A cot had been forced between the shelves, leaving very little space to maneuver. Hena sat in the middle of the cot wearing only her arcanist’s collar, her russet fur shining in the candlelight on one of the shelves next to her.

He did his best to maintain eye contact and keep his voice neutral, holding his tail against his leg to keep it still. “Your majesty it’s too dangerous to roam the halls this late, especially with everyone on alert.”

Hena’s expression did not change from a half-smile. “Your majesty? We’re alone, you don’t need to be so formal. Hold on.” She removed her collar then waved her paw, and the air around them shimmered. His fur stood on end as tingling feeling washed over him as it did when a spell had been cast. “Now we can talk privately. I know this isn’t the most romantic of places, but I had hoped you would look past that.” She added with a small chuckle. “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had to make do.”

Thern swallowed. There wasn’t supposed to be any romance. There shouldn’t be any feeling at all. But the thought that it was what she wanted made him happy. He felt sick as the tip of his tail shook against his command not to move.

Her smile faded. “Is something the matter? You’re hesitant.”

“Do we have to do this now? I’m on duty.”

“That’s never stopped us before. If you’re worried about abandoning your post, your task is to protect the royal family, and a member is right here before you.” She patted the free space next to the cot. Her smile faded when he didn’t move. “I don’t approve of this sneaking around either, but what other choice do we have? We can’t risk being seen together, even though my husband approves, the scandal alone would be devastating. You know that. There’s much less risk at night.”

“What about my partner?”

She tilted her head. “Partner? Since when were you assigned a partner?”

“Since tonight. I know it’s sudden, but Sarl isn’t taking…” He was cut off by another yawn.

“You haven’t been sleeping well. Is it the nightmares?”

“No, no. I’m good. I just stayed up too late the night before.” It hurt lying to her like that. Many nights were restless because the guilt ate at him.

He couldn’t say it. Before he was just helping a friend, but now after so many intimate months together, feelings were developing. There weren’t supposed to be feelings involved. Thinking about her going back to her husband afterward bothered him. It should be him. He wanted it to be him.

And that meant it was time to cut ties.

He stared at the floor, cursing himself for what he was about to say. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tonight.”

He stiffened when he heard her move, her paws gently lifting his face to look him in the eye. “What’s wrong?”

She knew. It was in her eyes. She knew how he felt and deep down, he knew she felt the same way. The way she looked at him whenever they were in the same room. When she asked him to stay a little longer after his “role” had been fulfilled.

“I need time to think,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

She stepped back, her ears falling. She then waved her paw again, the tingling feeling washing over him as she disabled the spell. “I…understand.”

“I’ll escort you back to your room.”

“I can find my way.”

“Your majesty, please—”

She hesitated in putting her collar back on at being called “majesty.” He cursed the slip-up and peered outside to make sure the coast was clear and to kick himself for his poor word choice. Only silence greeted him in the lonely hallway. He motioned for her to follow and left the room.

She exited the stroreroom, ears flat and refusing to meet his gaze. He sighed and started to follow when someone turned the corner.

It was Liam. The recruit stood frozen, a look of shock on his round face.

Thern swore and quickly approached the hound. “Hey, I found our intruder. Turns out it was H—Her Majesty all along. She likes to take midnight strolls so I figured I should watch over her. Technically, it’s not allowed with everyone on high alert but she can’t sleep unless she does her rounds.” He clapped the recruit on the shoulder. “You understand, right?”

Please fall for it. Please, for the love of the divines, just accept my excuse and don’t make this any more awkward.

Liam slowly nodded, his eyes shooting between Thern and Hena. “I, uh, yeah…sure.”

Thern wanted to relax, but anyone could see Liam wasn’t buying it. He was new, not stupid. The problem was going to be if he went running to the captain or worse, the king. It didn’t seem likely, but just him knowing complicated things.

He didn’t want to have to do it, but he would have to threaten the poor guy to keep him in line. The risk was too great to hope for the best. Word could not get out about the arrangement.

Before he could try anything, Liam’s eyes widened. The hound’s gaze was fixed on something behind him.

Thern turned around and froze. A rat or what he thought was a rat stood behind them. It was bigger than any he had ever seen—as tall as a dinner table and wide as a doorframe. It stood on its hind legs, sniffing greedily at the aetherlamp. The light flickered as it scratched at the covering with its elongated forelimbs, the light glistening on the black sores dotting its bloated body.

Thern’s tail tucked between his leg. It was an Afflicted. He had seen rats corrupted by the aether before but never like this. He didn’t even know they could get that big!

“Liam, take Hena and run,” Thern whispered, slowly drawing his weapon. “Alert the glaives then lock yourself in a room with the rest of the royal family. Do not let them out of your sight.” He wasn’t sure he could handle an afflicted of this size by himself but no way was he going to fight when Hena could potentially get hurt in the process.

She frantically tapped him on the shoulder, hissing, “Thern!”

He glanced over his shoulder seeing another Afflicted approaching from behind. Liam inhaled sharply, getting the attention of the first one. It dropped to all fours and made a strange guttural sound that made Thern’s skin crawl.

“I don’t know how these creatures got into my home undetected,” Hena said, removing her collar. Her paws crackled with charged aether as she adopted a combat stance. “But they shall not be leaving alive.”

“Hena, stay back,” Thern said.

“Not a chance. I won’t watch you die trying to protect me.”

“We should consider running,” Liam said. “We can’t endanger the queen.”

“And lead the beasts to more potential victims?” Hena asked. “I think not. You were tasked with protecting me, but every canid in this city is my—”

The first rat charged and the second followed suit.

“Here they come!” Thern cried. “Hena stay between us! Liam, don’t let that thing get past!”

He gave a battle cry, activated the magic drive on his arcblade, and met the beast head-on. At the last moment, he twisted his body and brought the sword in front of him, letting the beast’s momentum carry the steel along its body. The glowing blade cut smoothly through its flesh, but the rat spun without hesitation and swiped at him. He leaped back then countered again, this time taking a piece of its ear.

It continued like this in a macabre dance, the walls and floor becoming painted in dark ichor. The Afflicted showed no fear of the blade nor took notice of its bleeding wounds. Reckless as its attacks were, it didn’t give him any openings to land a decisive blow and its hide was tougher than it looked despite clinging to its sickly appearance. Even the charged arcblade couldn’t slice all the way through cleanly.

Every so often, a beam of light or an explosion of fire from Hena’s spells struck the creature, but it mostly saved Thern from an aggressive push and didn’t create the opportunity he needed. He wanted to know how Liam was handling his, but he could never divert his attention long enough to tell. The one he focused on was relentless, charging and swiping with reckless abandon. Even as blood leaked from its cuts, it showed no signs of slowing down. No matter how many times he avoided or countered its attack, it refused to relent or give him space.

It soon became difficult to breathe. That was a bad sign. Between the arcblade and Hena’s spellcasting, they were using too much aether. If this fight didn’t end soon, they would have bigger problems. He panicked and turned to Hena. Her movements were getting sluggish and there seemed to be fog around her.

A sharp pain radiated through his arm. He turned to see the rat had clamped down on him. He cried and tried to shake the creature off, but it planted its feet and shook its head violently. Thern screeched as its teeth shredded armor and flesh.

There was a bright flash of light. The rat howled and released him. It had to be one of Hena’s spells. He blessed her timely intervention and raised his weapon.

“Thern!” Hena cried.

“I’m fine. Stay back!”

He let his guard down and paid for it. Now his left arm was practically useless. He could hold a weapon at least. It would have to do. This fight needed to end quickly, and he wasn’t going to do that by playing it safe.

He gave another battle cry and charged. The rat opened its mouth, and he plunged the blade deep into his maw. It thrashed, nearly wrenching the sword from his grasp before it fell.

There was no time to rest. The other one had to be dealt with, but three against one were good odds. He quickly pried the weapon from the corpse and turned to join the others.

Liam was doing a good job keeping the other rat at bay. His opponent bled from the mouth, nose, ears, but it showed no signs of weakening.

A sudden thought crossed Thern’s mind. There was no hiding tonight’s events. This had to be reported. That meant he had to explain why he left his post and why the queen was with him.

But that was only if Liam lived through the battle. He could easily make up a story about having to take a leak and hearing fighting only to arrive just in time to see the lad fall. All he had to do was hang back near Hena for a bit. She was spent from overcasting; she wouldn’t be able to offer much support. It was just a matter of time. While Liam was being brought down, he could move in and deliver the finishing blow.

He didn’t want to do it, but much more than his reputation and job were on the line here. Lunaris couldn’t find out about the arrangement. Whether all affected approved or not, royalty sleeping with some gutter trash from the New Moon District? The king being unable to look after his own wife’s needs? Their enemies would have a field day and the royal family’s name would be ruined.

No, he swore an oath to protect the royal family and an obligation to his friend. This couldn’t happen. Not because of him. Not because he messed up.

Such an underhanded tactic made him feel sick, but there was no other option. Even if it meant sacrificing a fellow glaive.

All he needed was one good strike on Liam’s exposed back. His partner wasn’t even watching behind him. He trusted explicitly that Thern had his back. Thern’s nausea worsened. It was hard to hold his sword and he knew it had nothing to do with his injuries.

Please forgive me. I…I had to.

Before he was close enough to carry out the betrayal, the Afflicted opened its maw. His fur stood on end as a familiar tingling feeling washed over him.

Since when can they use magic?!

“Everyone, get behind me!” Hena cried.

Everything slowed to a crawl. He watched as she rushed forward, pushed Liam to the side, and then slammed both paws together. A blue wall of light formed in front of them. The wall just expanded enough to cover the two of them when it exploded into dazzling light. The force of the blast knocked Thern to the floor, the air rushing out of him.

It felt like the time had returned to normal, but it was hard to tell. His ears rang and lights danced in his vision. A cloud of dust had settled over him, blocking his view.

Just barely, he could make out the hulking shape off the Afflicted in the mist. He scrambled to find the sword he had lost in the explosion, but his movements felt sluggish. His paw closed around the hilt and he used it to prop himself into a standing position.

The rat charged at him through the fog. Skin hung off its face, black tongue hanging out its blood-dripping mouth.

Thern cried out and raised his sword in front of him. The Afflicted charged into the blade, burying it up to the hilt in its chest. Its momentum carried it forward, knocking them to the floor, Thern caught beneath its bulk.

After several failed attempts to crawl out from under the stinking corpse, Liam appeared and helped pushed the body aside. The recruit bled from a cut above his eyes but seemed no worse off.

Thern quickly looked around for Hena. “Your majesty? Hena, are you all right? Gods, don’t do this—say something!”

There was no reply.

The dust had begun to settle, and he saw her laying on the floor nearby. He rushed to her side but knew it was too late the moment he saw her eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

All he could do was hold her as he sobbed.

He heard voices in the distance as rushing footsteps filled the hall. He ignored them all. He didn’t care how it looked, what the others thought. Let them speculate.

Paws roughly grabbed him and he spun around, snarling and biting at the interlopers. Whether it was more Afflicted or his fellow glaives, he didn’t care. He would kill anyone who dared to touch her or pull them apart.

The moment he reached for his weapon, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and everything went dark.

Thern lay on his back, staring at the high ceiling of the dusty cell. It reeked of death and urine emanating from the hole dug in the corner by a previous inmate or by design. He didn’t know which and didn’t care. The stench clogged his nose and made it difficult to breathe. If he had an appetite, the smell would bother him. Not that it mattered since all they fed him was a piece of stale bread and a chunk of rotted mystery meat. The bed, if he could call it one, was in terrible shape. He was certain it hadn’t been changed since the cell was built. It was little more than a flat stone slab with no pillow and only one thin, tattered piece of cloth which served no purpose. It was too ragged to serve as a blanket and too thin to lay on. The dripping in the corner was the only thing breaking the silence and filling the void.

Despite the cell’s exaggerated size, there were no windows, plunging the cell into a permanent semi-darkness. The only light came from the small grate on his cell door where the light of a nearby wall sconce shone through. That mattered little as well for he did not need the light, and he doubted he wanted to see what the walls and the floor looked like.

Nothing mattered anymore. Not after his greatest failure. She was gone and it was all his fault. Every day, he played that scene in his mind. Each time was different than before, avoiding his mistakes and exploring all the possible routes he should have taken.

He should have noticed them. Those creatures were enormous. No way they were hidden. No way they snuck in unheard. But no matter how many times he went over the scenario, he couldn’t recall a single sign that death had been near.

He should have taken her and ran. Left Liam to hold them off alone and get her to safety. He should have kept his guard up and never looked away. He should have been faster and more aggressive with attacks instead of worrying about his safety.

There was no escaping it. Even as he told himself there was no reason to relive the nightmare, he did it anyway. When he went to sleep, it haunted his dreams. When the guards came to feed him or give him a good beating, they cursed him and reminded him how he failed. How he betrayed his oaths and the royal family.

The cell door opened, filling the room with blinding light. Thern didn’t acknowledge the interloper nor shield himself as he was dazzled. He felt nothing anymore. Not the hunger from eating, not the fatigue from the restless nights, and not the effects of his injuries.

A tray was thrown to the floor at his feet. It contained the usual stale bread and the lump of undercooked flesh.

“Eat,” the guard said.

Thern said nothing. He continued to stare at the tray just as he always did. Usually the guards just left him to his misery but this time he was seized by the hair and his head forced upward to look his captor in the eye.

It was an older hound with greying in his brown fur. His breath reeked of alcohol.

“Eat the fucking food or I’ll shove it down your goddamned throat,” the hound said, his threatening growl filling the room. “You don’t get to die in this cell. You’re going to be publically executed like the traitorous piece of shit you are.”

Thern said nothing. There was nothing to say. Their threats, their insults couldn’t hurt him now.

The guard’s eyes turned livid and he grabbed Thern by the collar and hurled him to the floor. “I’m talking to you!”

A swift kick found its way into Thern’s stomach. He curled into a ball and coughed, protecting the injured organ.

The guard kicked him again and again, his voice rising with every strike. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you, you New Moon mutt! Did you have fun, laughing in all of our faces? The useless dirt-munching son of a whore bragging to all his under-dwelling friends how he got a piece of royal pussy! How dare you violate her and stain her honor! How dare you spit on our laws! You. Disgusting. Piece. Of—”

“That’s enough!”

Thern knew that voice. It belonged to his friend, Andres, the king of Lunaris. He swore in his mind. Of all the canids to show up, why him? He would rather see anyone else, endure any punishment, just so long as he wasn’t forced to look his friend in the eye.

He remained curled in a ball but heard the approaching footsteps.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Andres asked.

“Teaching this scum”—he paused to spit on Thern’s face—“a lesson, sir.”

“And who authorized you to do that?”

“Well…I mean…with all due respect, after what he did—”

“And what did he do?”

Thern curled further into himself, trying to will his body from existence. He flattened his ears as low as possible even knowing it wouldn’t block out their voices.

Don’t. Just…please.

_ _

Several tense seconds passed before the guard spoke again. “I’d rather not say, your highness, but surely you heard—”

“Heard what? Rumors and slander? My wife’s name dragged through the mud? Her body not even cold before the halls swarmed with gossip? Is that what I should be hearing instead of grieving the loss of someone I loved?”

“I…no, you’re absolutely right. Forgive me, your highness.”

“Get out. I wish to speak with him alone.”

“B-But, your highness, I can’t—”

“That’s an order. And don’t you dare deign to tell me what I can and cannot do.”

Nothing else was said but the hurried movement and the clanging of the cell door said the order had been carried out without further complaint.

Thern wished they would come back. He wished it was just him and the guard. Perhaps he had been hit so hard he hallucinated.

“It’s just us,” Andres said. “You’re safe now.”

Thern didn’t respond.

“Thern, I just came for the truth. I understand why you can’t tell the others, but please tell me. What were—What were her final moments?”

Thern fought the bile rising in his throat. It was bad enough he let Hena die, now he had to lie to her husband about what happened. Andres couldn’t know the truth. He couldn’t know that she was developing feelings for another.

Slowly, Thern uncurled enough to speak clearly and recalled the events leading up to her death. He left out the feelings of wanting to betray Liam and kept his conversation with Hena short, stating she couldn’t sleep and went for a walk alone to avoid worrying anyone. But he had caught her scent and offered to escort her. That was when they came across the Afflicted. The hardest part was aligning his tale with the truth as much as possible. No doubt Andres would ask Liam for his version assuming he hadn’t already. Liam had no reason to lie.

When he finished his story, a pregnant silence fell over the cell. At some point during his tale, he unconsciously unfurled from the fetal position and stared at the floor. But the thought of looking at the devastation and sadness in his friend’s face kept his gaze downward.

Finally, Andres spoke. “Do you know where these Afflicted came from?”

Thern shook his head. It hurt to hear his friend’s voice breaking. He could tell Andres was on the verge of tears but he couldn’t show it. The guards were right outside the door.

“I shall be sure to launch a full investigation, and I want you to lead it.”

Thern’s ears rose. “What? No! I can’t lead the investigation!”

“And why not? I’m not blaming you for what happened. After what you told me, it wasn’t your fault.”

“You should blame me! It’s my fault that she was down there! I had one job to do and I failed!”

Andres dropped to his knees and pulled Thern into a hug. The gesture caught him off guard. He didn’t even raise his arms to push him off or return the embrace.

“It’s okay,” Andres said, between stifled sobs. “Don’t do that to yourself. You did what you could and I would never ask more of you.”

Thern broke down and returned the embrace. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. It had always been like this. Andres was always the one cheering him up, making him feel better. He hated it. He was supposed to be comforting his friend, not the other way around.

He didn’t know how long they held each other and he didn’t care. Andres could take as much time as he needed.

Their moment of silence was broken by a voice in the hall. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

Thern moved on instinct, breaking the embrace and moving in front of Andres to shield him.

“I need to speak with the prisoner,” someone replied. “Time is of the essence. Please step aside.”

“I’m not stepping anywhere. No one sees the prisoner without the king’s—urk!”

There was a small scuffle then the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Thern swore under his breath. He had no weapon and no magical talent. Neither did Andres. Where could they go? There was nowhere to hide and the only door was blocked.

“That was excessive, Cecili,” the interloper said.

“We don’t have time to waste on petty protocol,” a new voice replied. This one was female. “You asked him nicely and he didn’t listen.”

“He was only doing his job.”

“If he was doing his job we wouldn’t be here.”

The door opened, blinding Thern with its light. He cursed his helplessness.

“Oh, your majesty, please forgive our intrusion,” the male said. “And my condolences for your loss.”

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Andres asked.

“My name is Gaius Felldren. And this is my good friend, Cecili Stardove. We are Paladins from the 18th ward of the New Moon District.”

Thern’s eyes began to adjust and he could see the interlopers. The male who had to be Gaius, was a fox with well-groomed copper fur. He had proud brown eyes. He wore traveler’s clothes, so he wasn’t a guard. Next to him stood a large female hound. She had chocolate brown fur and small pointed ears. She sized Thern up from behind a mask of black fur with green and blue eyes. Thern didn’t like that look in her eyes. She stared at him as if he was something on her boot.

Both of them had a patch sewn onto the sleeve of their coat. It was a shield split into three sections with no heraldry on it. The mark of a Paladin.

Thern tilted his head. Why would a Paladin come here of all places? What did they want? They dealt with Afflicted, but the rats were dead.

“Paladins?” Andres asked. “I had no idea you were arriving.”

“It would have been more surprising if you had, your majesty,” Gaius said. “Our arrival wasn’t exactly planned.”

“Sire, we have come to investigate the strange appearance of Afflicted within the royal palace,” Cecili replied. “I do not wish to be blunt but we have no time to waste.”

“Yes, yes, but first, we must address a far more pressing concern,” Gaius said. He pointed to Thern. “You were there, correct?”

Thern was too confused by the current events to do much else besides nod.

“And you fought the Afflicted?”

Thern nodded again.

“Were you injured during the fight? Or ingest their blood in any way?”

“I, I…one of them bit me.”

The fox hurried across the room. “Show me.”

Thern’s heart began to race as he began to undo the bandage on his left arm. What was going to happen to him? Was he going to turn into one of those things? How much time did he have?

What he saw made him almost faint. The wound hadn’t closed and was filled with dried crusted blood. The exposed flesh around the wound looked grey and dry. It could have been the light, but he could have sworn the wound was pulsing.

Gaius examined Thern’s arm and clicked his tongue. “Hmm. It would seem we were too late.” The fox turned to Andres. “My king, I’m afraid I must conscript this canid. The Afflicted’s blood has poisoned him. In time, it will kill him assuming he doesn’t turn first.”

“What?!” Thern cried. “I’m going to turn into one of those things? Isn’t there something else we can do? Can’t we cut off the infected limb or something?”

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Gaius replied simply. “The poison has already spread by now.”

“A common symptom is a sensitivity to light,” Cecili added. “It is not very bright here and you are squinting.”

“Because I’ve been locked in this damn cell for gods knows how long!” Thern shot back.

Andres gently touched Thern’s shoulder. “That’s enough, Thern. Arguing is pointless now.” He turned to Gaius. “I don’t know what you could possibly do, but please save him. I already lost one canid I care about. Losing another so soon would be too cruel.”

Thern looked away, ignoring the tightening in his gut.

Gaius bowed and said, “We’ll do our best, my king, but know that what I offer is not a cure nor is it guaranteed to work. The procedure could kill him and should he survive, it will only buy him time.”

“I’m going to die anyway?” Thern asked.

The fox smiled slyly. “We all meet our end someday. Well, do you accept my offer? Do know that if we leave you like this, a very painful end awaits you, unless you wish to expire on your terms?”

As enticing as it sounded, Thern didn’t want to meet his end. It was exactly what he deserved but he couldn’t do it. Hena gave her life to protect him. What did that say about him if he threw it away?

“I’ll do it,” he said.

“Very well,” Gaius said. “Now, your majesty, I’m afraid you must strip him of whatever status and titles he holds. It’s policy, I’m afraid. No exceptions.”

That was fine. Thern had no pups, no spouse, and no land or assets to his name. And after this, he doubted he would be welcome among his fellow glaives anyway.

Gaius turned to Cecili. “Can I trust that you can handle things here in my absence? I would rather not halt our investigation.”

“I will be fine,” the hound replied. “Just finish with that one.”

To Thern’s surprise, Andres pulled him into another hug. “It’s going to be okay, Thern,” the king said. “Just come back in one piece.”

The shift in events felt unreal. Never had he imagined joining the Paladins. Being recruited didn’t feel like a reward. From what he heard, they had low life expectancies, and Gaius’ cryptic message didn’t help matters. But instead of fear, determination built within his chest. It felt right. He had resigned himself to his fate. The Paladins were looking into Hena’s death for a reason. He would learn what that reason was, one way or another.

Thern hadn’t visited the New Moon district in years, not since he joined the glaives. He was glad to leave and never wanted to return again. As he rode the train with Gaius deep into the depths of the undercity, he was reminded of a rule he had forgotten:

Life didn’t care what he wanted.

The tunnel walls vanished, revealing a monstrous cavern. Far below them lay a blanket of lights from innumerable buildings cramped together in the massive space broken up by the massive columns supporting the Full Moon District miles above.

Thern watched their descent through the window, the details growing increasingly clear. He hated it. He hated the cramped buildings, the constant bright lights casting harsh shadows, and the smell of fear, filth, and death.

“Not a fan I take it?” Gaius asked.

“Is it that obvious?”

“You’ve worn that frown since we stepped on the train.”

Thern sighed. He didn’t want to talk about it, but Gaius was saving his life. “I grew up here. I don’t have happy memories here.”

Nothing was said for a while. Thern had almost forgotten about their conversation when Gaius spoke again. “Well, I can speak from personal experience when I say the Full Moon is no better. That place reeks of a different kind of filth.”

Thern knew that already. The first time he came to the upper city, thought it would be the paradise he imagined it would be. Instead, his dreams were shattered when he discovered being in the light just made the filth easier to see. The Full Moon district wasn’t cleaner, it wasn’t nicer, it wasn’t better. It was just different.

But that didn’t make him feel any better about his childhood home. Like it or not, he was stuck under the dome with the millions of other canids with no hope of escape.

Lunaris was the only known settlement in the world. Only Afflicted could survive outside the dome. Anyone foolish enough to test that theory never returned.

Lamenting his life and his powerless to change it was getting to him so he turned his mind to other things.

He looked at Liam who sat in the chair across from his. Given his close proximity to an Afflicted, it was decided that he was to be brought in as well for testing. But unlike Thern, if Liam was deemed safe, he would be free to return to the glaives.

The hound stared out the window, paying no heed to him. Thern wondered what he was thinking. This was the first time they had been in the same room since that night. Liam also hadn’t spoken at all or even looked at him.

Thern would rather do anything else, but he needed to know how much the hound knew and what it would take to keep quiet about it.

“Gaius, is that you?”

The three turned to the interloper. Pushing through the crowd was a female jackal. Her eyes carried an icy stare that made Thern shiver. Her well-kept sandy fur betrayed her ratty clothing, but her straight posture and stern stare gave her an unquestioning air of authority.

Liam and Thern straightened up as if in the presence of a commanding officer. Gaius, however, grinned as if seeing an old friend. Their friendliness was confirmed when they embraced.

“Auriel, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Gaius said. “I thought you were occupied with the situation in the 5th.”

“It turned out to be a false alarm,” Auriel replied. “The Afflicted was nothing more than a prank gone too far.”

Gaius’ ears fell. “Another prank call? Do they not comprehend the gravity of these matters? We’re stretched thin as it is and can’t afford to chase ghosts.”

“You assume their callousness is born of ignorance, my friend.”

“I find the alternative much more disturbing. Oh! I almost forgot. This is Thern and Liam. If all goes well, they’ll be added to our ranks.” He patted her on the shoulder, his grin widening. “This is Auriel Rhodes, my most trusted friend and the finest member of our order.”

“You are the only fool who believes that, Gaius,” Auriel said.

“The others refuse to acknowledge you out of jealousy, nothing more.”

Thern stared at the floor. It felt so strange to hear Gaius address this canid so casually when she looked like her gaze alone could freeze fire.

He felt a strange presence and dared to look up just in time to see Auriel staring back at him. It was like being under a spotlight. “You look familiar, have we met?”

“No, ma’am.” Thern mentally kicked himself for the slip.

Instead of being angry, the jackal laughed. “Ma’am? I doubt you’re that much younger than I am.” She leaned closer, a devious half-smile adorning her muzzle. “And also, only certain canids can call me ma’am.”

Thern swallowed, his ears burning with embarrassment.

She chuckled and turned to Liam, all traces of humor vanishing. “Hello, Liam.”

Liam stiffened and played with his paws. “Um, hello, Auriel.”

“You know each other?” Gaius asked.

“Know may be an overstatement,” Auriel said, with a low growl. “I do not know him, but I know enough.”

Liam snatched his head up, the look of fear and embarrassment in his eyes now replaced with hurt and fury. “That wasn’t my—”

“What’s done is done,” Auriel interjected. “Whether you’re innocent or guilty, it won’t change the outcome nor my opinion of you.”

Nothing more was said. Thern swore under his breath. They hadn’t even joined yet and things were already awkward. The situation didn’t seem likely to get better with time either. How would they react when they learned the reason he was there?

The other canids paid no attention to them or they were good at hiding it. Neither would surprise him. Canids in the New Moon knew to stay out of things that didn’t concern them, another one of their aggravating qualities.

Thern was glad when the train finally reached its destination and they could get off. The air felt different, denser, and glossier as if a light fog covered everything. He knew it was because of the aether. Naturally, it would be denser underground.

“All right, good sirs, we’ll be going straight to our destination,” Gaius said. “I take it this is where we part ways, Auriel?”

“I have business at headquarters, so I will accompany you,” Auriel said.

Not wanting to deal with yet another awkward silence on their way to the destination, Thern approached Gaius. “So where exactly are we going?”

“To the paladin headquarters or the Citadel as we like to call it.”

“Okay, and where is it?”

“You’ll find out when we arrive,” the fox said. “Apologies, but we don’t share the location freely. To avoid retaliation mostly. Given the nature of our work, there are many who don’t support what we do. And many canids tend to lash out in times of grief.”

“You would think they’d be grateful,” Liam mumbled.

Tension fell over the group. Thern decided it would be a good idea to change the subject.

“So why’s it called the Citadel?” he asked.

“It just seemed fitting,” Gaius replied. “Or perhaps it had something to do with our founding. We had been calling it the Citadel for centuries. Much like cerberus stations, there’s one in every ward. We’re of the 18th ward.”

“Wow, even I didn’t know that,” Liam said. “I knew you had stations but I didn’t know you had one in every ward. Do you have them topside, too?”

“Not as many, I’m afraid,” the fox replied solemnly. “Not enough bodies to manage it, you see.”

“It’s for the best as there aren’t nearly as many Afflicted sightings in the Full Moon district,” Auriel said. “It would be a waste of resources which we sorely lack.”

“But paladins are the only force dedicated to deal with Afflicted,” Liam said. “You should be swimming in funding.”

“Ha! You clearly don’t understand how the world works.”

Gaius quickly cut in before more shots were fired. “What she means is the paladins are more of a private force. As such, we are responsible for our own funding and recruitment. We receive some compensation, but a larger portion is derived from donations and private backers.”

“But why?” Thern asked.

“So that we maintain our independence,” Auriel replied stiffly. “Unlike the Cerberus force or the glaives, we answer to no one and are free to do as we like.”

“So long as we behave and act like law-abiding citizens,” Gaius added. “Cerberus is quite happy to look the other way for minor disturbances, but that doesn’t give us free rein to shoot up the streets.”

“I didn’t know that either,” Liam said. His tone suggested he wasn’t happy with the knowledge.

Nothing more was said for the rest of the trip. They eventually arrived at what seemed like any other rundown inn. Thern recalled staying there a few times and that the only thing that stood out about the place was the size of the roaches.

Gaius entered the building without hesitation.

Thern noticed that none of the staff did more than glance at them as they crossed the lobby to the stairwell. He couldn’t believe that he was this close to the paladin’s headquarters without realizing it.

At the bottom of the stairs was a wide metal door with no handle or keyhole. He wondered how they were going to open it when Gaius pressed a paw against the door. A familiar tingling feeling washed over him, making his fur stand on end.

He quickly looked the fox over but saw no sign of an arcanist’s collar. “You’re a weaver?”

The door swung open soundlessly. Gaius turned to him with a sly smile. “Does that bother you?”

“No, but you don’t have a collar. Aren’t weavers supposed to be registered?”

Auriel stepped past him into the passage. “Consider it another perk being an independent organization. And who said we weren’t registered?”

“As any weaver, we are registered, however, paladins are not required to be collared,” Gaius added. “They’re actually detrimental to us.”

The door swung closed behind them, dousing them in darkness. As if on cue, aetherlamps beside them sprang to life, revealing a narrow hall leading to another door at its end.

“Paladin arcanists don’t have to wear collars?” Thern asked. He fought the urge to back away. After all this time with the fox, it would make little difference. “Isn’t that dangerous? Aren’t you worried about the aether sickness?”

“As a paladin, it is not our concern.”

Thern tilted his head. It made little sense, but he had learned that a lot of things about the paladins made little sense. So many rumors surrounded the group, he was better off approaching as someone who had never heard of them before.

They passed through the second door into what looked like the same stairwell. If they hadn’t walked down a single hallway, he would have assumed they had gotten turned around.

After ascending the stairs and passing through another door, they entered a large hall. Lining the walls were more doors like the one they came out of. Various canids walked around, each of them dressed in well-worn clothing. As Gaius had said, Thern didn’t see a single collar on any of them. His tail tucked between his legs. Weavers were registered and collared to protect them and others from aether sickness. Even the ones in the glaives were required to wear collars.

A paw fell on his shoulder, bringing him out of his worrisome thoughts. “All will be made clear soon,” Gaius explained. “Just know for now that every paladin here hates the afflicted and would never contribute to spreading them.” Maintaining a firm grip on his shoulder, he steered him to the far end of the hall. “Now, we have a lot to do today and there is someone you must meet.”

A wall of desks greeted them at the far end of the hall. Each desk had a long line of canids standing at it. Gaius steered him past the lines to the one archway tucked into the corner. As they passed, Thern noticed several of the candids had a patch of white fur somewhere on their bodies.

If he remembered correctly, white fur was a sign of aether sickness. He chose not to mention it, however.

“Now that we’re here, can you tell us how this all works?” Liam asked.

“It’s better to show you,” Auriel said.

Something felt wrong. A strange tension hung over them again. This time was different, it wasn’t full of contempt but sadness. He knew that feeling, that sense of a horrible truth everyone knew but no one dared say out loud.

“You’re not required to accompany me,” Gaius whispered to Auriel.

“I would rather you not face this alone.”

He wanted to ask, to demand that they tell him what they were keeping from them, but part of him didn’t want to know and didn’t want to think about it.

Either way, was in no position to refuse. He hadn’t forgotten he was cursed. The others didn’t know, but his arm tingled ever since they arrived in the New Moon district.

They reached a sturdy unmarked door. Thern took a moment to remind himself why he was there. Doors like that were only used to keep something out or in.

“This is it,” Gaius said. “Unfortunately, this final process must be undertaken separately. Auriel, would you mind--?”

“Actually, I’ll take Liam. There are a few things that must be cleared up. If there’s anything you want to say to him, now is the time.”

“What are you talking about?” Liam asked.

“There’s a chance you may not survive the initiation process,” Gaius said solemnly.

“You didn’t think to mention that sooner?” Thern cried.

“If you recall, I did.”

“It’s fine,” Liam said. “I’m used to dangerous work. Hey, Thern, just in case one of us doesn’t make it, it wasn’t your fault.”

Thern could only watch as the hound was led to a door further down the hall. That wasn’t the goodbye he had been expecting. He thought Liam felt the same way as everyone else.

A tap on the shoulder brought him back to reality.

“Shall we?” Gaius asked.

Thern took a deep breath and entered the room. Immediately the smell of whatever was used to clean the place hit him. Counters and large pieces of medical equipment he didn’t recognize took up most of the space. In the middle of the room, under a bright lamp, was a single flat table. Standing at one of the counters was a sand-colored vixen. Judging from the thin shape of her tail and the floppiness of her ears, she was a half-breed. She looked back at them with a deadpan stare.

“Thern, this is Bayli, one of our doctors. Bayli, this is Thern, our newest recruit.”

Bayli nodded to him. “Got a new one, do we? All right, fine. Take off your clothes and get on the table.”

“Wow, straight to business, huh?” Thern asked with a weak smile. “I don’t even get dinner first?”

The vixen didn’t share his amusement. “Just hurry up. I don’t have all damn day. Oh, hold on.” She turned and began rummaging in what sounded like a drawer full of clutter. After several seconds, she spun around and a bright flash nearly blinded Thern.

“Whoa, hey! What was that?”

“Relax, I just took a picture,” Bayli said.

“Okay, but why?”

“So everyone will remember what you look like. Now I’m not gonna tell you again to get undressed. All of it, including the underwear. You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before and I’ve likely seen worse anyway.”

He did as instructed, not appreciating her attitude but it wasn’t necessary to do her job. He noticed Gaius sitting in a chair by the door. “Uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but do you have to be here for this? It’s just an examination, right?”

“No,” Bayli replied. “This is your initiation. Now stop talking and hold still.”

She picked up his injured arm and examined it in the light. “What’s the grade of the Afflicted that bit him?”

“I’m unsure,” Gaius replied. “Judging from his report, I would say grade 3.”

“He faced a grade 3 and this is the worst it did to him? Not bad.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Thern said.

Bayli’s ears rose. “Yes, and?”

Thern dropped the subject and let her continue the examination. She poked and prodded his body with no regard for his comfort or personal space. Thern was used to being examined, but her treatment made him feel violated.

The only thing that distracted him was Gaius’ explanation of the initiation. “As I mentioned before, becoming a paladin is a much more involved process.”

“I can see that.”

“You do not understand. In order for you to be better equipped to deal with the dangers you’ll soon face, you must become more resistant to the detrimental effects of extreme aether exposure.”

“What do you—umph!”

She shoved a thermometer in his mouth without warning. “Just be grateful I’m not sticking it in the other end. Although I can do that if you wanna keep running your mouth.” When he didn’t respond beyond a vengeful stare, she pressed a stethoscope against his chest. “Deep breaths.”

Gaius cleared his throat and continued. “As I was saying, we deal with afflicted regularly. This puts us in greater danger for contracting the aether sickness and becoming afflicted ourselves unless we strengthen our bodies against it. That is the purpose of the initiation.”

Thern had more questions, but the looks he got from Bayli made him sit there quietly while she inspected his throat.

“If you’re wondering why this is not commonplace, it is because it is dangerous.”

“And technically illegal,” Bayli added.

“Wait, what?” Thern asked.

“Oh, relax. I’m pretty sure you’re just a model citizen.” she chuckled and moved on to look inside his ears. “And I’m the queen of Lunaris.”

He frowned but remained silent.

“As you are no doubt aware, any experimentation on canids or afflicted is illegal,” Gaius said, his voice heavy. “Unfortunately, the initiation falls under that category. However, since our goal is to eradicate them and keep the populace safe, everyone looks the other way.”

“Hey, you want pups?” she asked.

Thern’s ears rose. He couldn’t tell if it was a threat or a proposition. “I’m sorry?”

“Pups,” she repeated in the same dry tone. “Do you want any?”

“I…I hadn’t thought about it. Why?” Now that it had been brought up, he realized that he never considered what would happen if Hena ever became pregnant. That was never something they had discussed. They had always been careful, and obviously, something like that could never be allowed, but the possibility was never considered.

Bayli’s ears rose as she spun on Gaius. “You never told him?” It came as a surprise to hear anger, or any emotion, in her voice.

The fox shrank away from her, holding his paws up in defense. “A lot has happened, and I didn’t wish to overwhelm him. Also, you interrupted me before I could.”

“Could what?” Thern asked, panic creeping into his voice. “Tell me what? What’s going on?”

“The process makes you infertile,” Bayli called over her shoulder. “So if you want pups, you better say so now so I can extract a sample, otherwise, tough tits.”

“You know what? I’m good. I don’t want any pups.” Even if he did find a female willing to bear his young, he didn’t have a legacy to be proud of. The offspring of an oathbreaker, a hard life was guaranteed. That and the thought of how Bayli would retrieve a sample of his seed terrified him.

Bayli shrugged. “Just as well. You can’t raise a pup and do this job anyway, so you’d be leaving some poor tramp to raise it herself.”

“All right, what is your problem?” Thern shouted. “You’ve been nothing but—”

She shoved him. The reaction caught him off guard and he fell back on the table. It also shocked him that someone half his size could generate that much force. Immediately, she snapped her fingers and restraints clamped on his wrists and ankles.

“What the--? What is this?!”

“It’s simply a precaution,” Gaius said. “This part of the initiation can be dangerous so you must be restrained.” He shot a nasty look at Bayli as he added, “Something that should have been explained instead of thrust upon you.”

He didn’t struggle against the restraints, but he began to question his choices. Rumors of secret organizations experimenting on canids no one would miss came to mind. Up until now, he had dismissed it as crazed paranoia.

“Do you have any next of kin?” Bayli asked. She approached the table, carrying a needle and large vial of a glowing liquid.

“What?”

She rolled her eyes. “Is that hard to pay attention? Do. You. Have. Next. Of. Kin? Spouse? Lover? Best friend?”

Thern shook his head for every question. The glaives were his family, and the king was one of his closest friends. He doubted any of them would come if they needed to.”

Bayli shrugged and filled the needle. “Well, if you die, just know we’ll put flowers on your grave.”

“Wait—”

She shoved a mouth guard into his muzzle then jabbed the needle in his neck and pressed the plunger before he could protest further.

It felt like his blood boiled in his veins. He thrashed against the bindings, his vision blurring from the pain. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on Hena. Images of her laying next to him, the sun shining on her naked form, distracted him from his muffled screams. He felt her paw curl around his. He squeezed it and took in her scent, overpowering the sterile smell of the examination room.

She pulled him close, his chin resting on the top of her head. It felt comforting even though he knew it was wrong. She was supposed to be holding someone else, not him. That thought only made him want to wrap his arms around her tighter, but his body refused to budge.

Hena quietly shushed him. “It’s going to be all right. I don’t blame you.”

He wanted to tell her how sorry he was. How he failed her, and he would do anything to make it right. But his mouth wouldn’t form the words. All he could manage was a choked sob.

She squeezed his paw tighter. “You’re not done yet. There’s one last thing you have to do.”

Before he could ask what that something was he felt a strong pull. They were ripped apart with ease. The instant he let go of Hena, the world around him went dark.

Cecili tapped her foot on the floor and looked at her watch again, knowing that only a few minutes had passed since she last checked it.

Gaius was late. That wasn’t like him. He was never late. It was one of many qualities she liked about him, including his dedication to the order and strong sense of morality. But he had always been adamant about punctuality. Showing up late increased the risk of an Afflicted getting away, lives being lost, and leads going cold. So he was never late, ever.

She stopped herself from looking at the watch again and began pacing. It didn’t help that the royal palace was a veritable fortress. All communications were strictly regulated and could only be done from specific terminals scattered within and those terminals connected to specific locations. Gaius couldn’t reach her nor her him until he returned.

It never would have happened if it hadn’t been for the strange circumstances. Of all the canids to be affected by residual aether, why did it have to be that worthless traitor, Thern? He couldn’t even be trusted to keep to the oaths he made. If even half the rumors circulating about him and Queen Hena were true, he needed to be hanged, not inducted into their order. If he didn’t survive the initiation process, it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever.

Her ears rose as she wondered what would happen if he did survive. As a fellow paladin, she would have no choice but to accept him into their ranks, but under no circumstances would they ever become friends. He would be a colleague whose presence she would occasionally have to tolerate, nothing more.

With a heavy sigh, she left the room. She would rather be out working than thinking about that oathbreaker. And if Gaius wasn’t coming back anytime soon, it fell to her to investigate before their trail went cold.

Cecili had never been inside the royal palace, so wandering its darkened halls with only the moonlight and the dim glow of the occasional aether lamp to guide her filled her with a strong sense of unease. She was too unfamiliar with the halls. Each corner, each intersection held unknowns. There were too many blind spots she was unaware of, too many connecting passages she couldn’t see. The threat of ambush loomed constantly overhead.

The circumstances were too strange. By all rights, Afflicted should have never been able to get in let alone remain undetected. Magical transportation into and out of the palace was impossible. Even from the inside, magic was limited. Which left only one way the creatures made their way inside.

Someone or something let them in.

She didn’t dare speak her suspicions out loud in this place where she was alone and cut off from outside communication or hope of escape. But she knew the truth and suspected the king knew it too. It was why he invited her to stay within the royal palace, gave her unrestricted access to its halls, and even told her she could call upon him at any time, day or night. His life was in danger and the only one he would trust was the lone outsider until reinforcements arrived.

She supposed it was her only saving grace. If she were killed now, here in the royal palace, it would be too messy, too obvious. It couldn’t be brushed under the rug, not unlike the queen’s murder.

Somehow, Cecili found her way to the battle site. The limited light gave the hall an eerie haunted feel. Most of the mess had been cleaned up, but the large pieces of debris, the holes in the walls, floor, and ceiling, and the blood stains and scorch marks remained.

Cecili risked turning on her flashlight to get a better look around but turned away from the scene. She had seen it already and there was nothing more to gleam from it. The battle had been short but fierce and brutal. Now she needed to retrace the events before the battle away from prying eyes.

Not far from the battle site was a large wooden door. It wasn’t locked, but it had been damaged in the struggle. Cecili pried it open and peered inside. It was nothing more than a simple supply closet, but the cot squeezed between the shelves caught her interest. The servants likely came down here to get some sleep during long shifts or perhaps even some guards hoping to laze about during their shift.

She thought about the rumors. This was where Thern and the Queen met that night to commit their adultery.

“But why would you risk something so reckless?” Cecili mumbled to no one. She inspected the cot. “Your partner would have noticed your disappearance. Were you truly so bold?”

It didn’t make sense to take such a big risk unless the threat of getting caught was what spurred them on. Nothing stood out about the cot so she moved on to the surrounding shelves. If she put aside her thoughts of the infidelity motive, another option became clear. What if Thern led her down here on purpose? But that still begged the question of why he would do that when it was so obvious that he would be responsible? It made no sense.

What if the queen being down here at this moment was entirely circumstantial? What if she was not the intended victim, but an unfortunate byproduct of random chance? But if that were the case, then what was the intended goal?

Cecili swore under her breath. If that were the case and the queen’s death was truly an accident, the perpetrators couldn’t have asked for a better smokescreen. Everyone was focused on the queen’s death and the scandal of a glaive breaking his oaths. The Afflicted were nothing more than a footnote in their exciting gossip.

A strange glint on the upper shelves caught her attention. Her height made it possible for her to see it; a shorter canid wouldn’t have noticed. Carefully, she reached up and took the item down from its perch.

It was a large indigo stone, carved in the shape of an egg, a memory stone. They were once the primary means of recording memory but most canids stopped using them on account of them being difficult to use and often requiring magic to activate. They were also a security risk as anyone with magical talent could view its contents.

Cecili turned the stone over in her paws and examined it in the light. The stone wasn’t cracked so she could view it, but why was it there?

She gave it a slight squeeze and channeled some aether into her paw. The memory stone flashed brilliantly and hummed. An ethereal fox materialized before her. He wasn’t a member of the royal family, but whoever he was, he wore a pained expression on his face.

Her ear swiveled towards the door. It was faint, but someone was approaching. She cut off the flow of aether and the stone immediately ceased humming and glowing, plunging her into the void, and the fox vanished just as quickly as he had appeared.

There was no mistaking the sound of heavy boots on the floor now. A soft glow appeared underneath the door. Cecili slowly drew the arcblade at her side, cursing her tight confines.

The steps stopped in front of the door. The glow outlined the entire frame now. Cecili inhaled and then kicked the door with all her strength. It burst open, knocking her would-be attacker to the floor. She pounced immediately, pressing a knee against their chest and pointing her blade at their throat.

There was no mistaking the grey-furred face of Sarl, the captain of the glaives, even with his nose pouring blood.

“Is there a reason you’re following me?” Cecili asked.

“I suspect the same reason why you just attacked me,” Sarl replied. “Now would mind getting off my chest? It’s hard to breathe as it is.”

Cecili increased the pressure of her blade. “Not until I have good reason to.”

“What has gotten into you, paladin?! I’m a member of the elite royal guard! If you think for a second you’ll be pardoned for killing me--”

“Why were you following me?”

Sarl relaxed but the fury didn’t leave his eyes. “I wasn’t. I heard steps down here so I came to investigate. I didn’t know it was you.”

“By yourself?”

“I can explain that if you would stop crushing me.”

Cecili glanced around for signs of anyone else watching. He wasn’t lying about that at least. She slowly stood up and sheathed her weapon. “What are you doing down here alone?”

Sarl sat up and wiped the blood from his nose. “I could ask you the same thing. But why I was down here is for the same conclusion you arrived to: Because the royal glaives have been compromised.”

“Is that so?”

“Don’t play dumb. Why else would you be wandering the halls this late at night without informing anyone?”

Cecili nodded and held out her paw then cast a simple healing spell to staunch the bleeding of her new informant. “There, consider that my apology for suspecting you.”

Saul wiggled his nose and then snorted a blood clot onto the floor. “No, you were right to be cautious. So did you find anything?”

“Just where the servants like to slack off.” She wasn’t stupid. He could still be a traitor, so until she learned otherwise, she would play it safe. “I think I’ve learned all I can from this place. If you don’t mind, I’d like to return to my room.”

“Wait, you shouldn’t be walking around alone. Also, there’s something I need to check and I would appreciate a sword arm I can trust at my side.”

Cecili studied his face for any signs of deception. In a previous life, she was quite the gambler and learned how to read her opponents. Sarl showed no signs of lying, not yet anyway. She concluded that if he really wanted her out of the way, he would let her leave so he could bury evidence in peace. Drawing her someplace secluded before learning all she had discovered would be showing his cards too soon.

“Very well. Where are we going?” she asked.

Sarl motioned for her to follow as he started down the hall. “There’s an escape tunnel beneath the palace in the event of an attack. But it’s gone unused for decades. It wouldn’t surprise me if something had moved in. And before you ask, the existence of this tunnel is known only to a few so I can’t send guards to clear it out.”

“Let me guess, you’re the only one outside of the royal family who knows of this secret tunnel?”

The wolf hesitated before replying, “There was a time when I believed that to be true.”

Nothing more was said as they continued through the winding hallways. Cecili tried to track their movements but quickly became lost. Amongst the shadows and dim lighting, everything looked the same. What she did know was that they were going deeper underground. She kept a grip on the hilt of her weapon. There was no escape tunnel down here. It was too far away and out of place to be useful to anyone.

Eventually, they entered an abandoned part of the palace. The thick carpet of dust on the floor and the cobwebs lining the walls didn’t give it away, the lack of proper lighting did. The sconces dotting the walls were empty and archaic. Newer buildings didn’t rely on such things as it was annoying handling each one individually. Sarl’s lantern and Cecili’s flashlight was the only source of light.

The further they descended, the more her trepidation grew. Just how far underground were they? She couldn’t see what lay beyond the doorways they passed as the doors, while rotted or rusted, were closed and she didn’t dare wander off. She wanted Sarl right where she could see him.

Finally, Sarl stopped in front of a very old door. Cecili wondered what could be holding it together. A strong breeze would likely reduce it to splinters.

“Something’s not right,” Sarl said. “This door should be covered up.”

“Should it now? It’s not a very good escape tunnel if it’s blocked, now is it?”

The wolf glanced over his shoulder giving her a brief look at a tormented gaze. “You’re right. This is not an escape tunnel, but I didn’t think you’d believe me if I said otherwise.”

“If you want me to distrust you, you’re on the right path.”

“Follow me. All will become clear soon enough.” With an effort, he pushed the door open. The rusty hinges squealed at a pitch that made Cecili cringe.

Beyond the threshold were a flight of stone stairs and impenetrable darkness. But she didn’t need light to imagine the walls covered in cobwebs and likely falling apart or the grime that coated the floor or the indescribable filth hanging from the ceiling. She could swear she heard howling coming from the depths, like wails of the damned. Even from where she stood, the stench of mildew and death clogged her nose.

Sarl started down the stairs. Cecili stayed put. “Do you truly believe me to be so naïve?” she asked. “A secluded area like this would make for a great dumping spot.”

The captain stopped and shot an annoyed look over his shoulder. “If I really wanted to mislead you, I would have come up with a better lie.”

She couldn’t deny that logic even if she didn’t like it. She followed. If he tried anything, this would become his tomb instead. The further they descended, the colder it became. The howls and wails of the specters seemed to get louder. Luckily, she didn’t believe in such things, but even her convictions were being tested.

They continued to descend until the door above was no longer visible. But that wasn’t what worried Cecili. They ran the risk of going into a high-density area. This place hadn’t been used in years so it likely didn’t have the necessary filters in place to clear the air.

“Warn me if you suddenly find it hard to breathe,” she said.

Sarl chuckled. “The stench alone has already done that, but if you’re worried about the aether density, don’t be. The royal glaives’ uniform is specially designed to withstand magic and as a bonus side-effect shields us from high-density aether. But what about you?”

“I’m a paladin. We’re immune.”

Silence fell on them again except for the echoing sound of their boots on the grimy floor. Reaching the bottom of the stairs brought no relief. Cecili swept the beam of the flashlight around the chamber.

They stood in a long narrow hallway. The walls, filthy and crumbling, were lined with sturdy metal doors, each one caked with rust.

“A dungeon?” Cecili asked. “But why seal it off?”

“Because no one’s supposed to know it exists,” Sarl replied grimly. “Several decades ago, there were rumors that the king at the time was…to put it nicely, out of his fucking mind. They said he saw shadows and enemies everywhere and imprisoned them all to save himself from a coup.”

He never looked back, but she saw his hackles rise beneath his shirt and heard the growling in his voice.

“But the truth is worse. Much worse. He was a different kind of mad. He liked to torture and these…these were his…playrooms.”

“I see.” She swept the beam into one of the few open doorways. Inside was a large rack, the skeletal remains of its occupant still laying on the rusty surface. Nearby was a wooden table cluttered with dirt and forgotten torturer’s tools. She quickly turned away. She had seen many things during her time in the paladins, things that would have broken a lesser mind, but even she didn’t want to think about the things that went on in this place.

“How do you know about this place? You can’t possibly be old enough to have been here.”

“No, I wasn’t here. But not long after I became captain of the glaives, I discovered a journal from one of my predecessors. Inside, he describes in great detail the canids that were dragged down here, how their screams filled the halls, and how the floors were flooded with blood. Because he had been sworn to secrecy and to serve the crown, he helped dispose of the bodies and even bring in new victims.”

Cecili was silent. She would never have done something like that; she would die a traitor first, but making such declarations served no one now.

“The journal also mentioned that shortly after that mad king died, one of his sons discovered this place and ordered it buried,” Sarl continued. “It’s been here ever since.”

“And what happened to the captain?”

“He stepped down from his position and then took his own life.”

“The king’s final victim. But that doesn’t explain why you believe someone else would know about this place.”

“It’s the only thing that made sense. I had doubled patrols and ordered everyone on high alert. Still those Afflicted got through undetected. They never would have gotten in on their own.”

Cecili said nothing. Now that she knew this place held several tormented souls, she was on high alert. If any of the victims had turned, they were left down here for decades. She didn’t even want to imagine what monstrosity they could have become.

They reached the end of the hall. But there was no exit except for a large grate covering a hole in the floor. Judging from the tracks on the floor, this was where the bodies were disposed of. Years of rust had likely sealed the grate shut and neither of them was in the mood to test that theory. Shining their lights through it revealed nothing except that it was so deep they couldn’t see the bottom.

Sarl swore. “I guess they didn’t come in through this way.”

“No, this is where the Afflicted came from,” Cecili said. “This place has been sealed for decades making it the perfect breeding ground for—”

She was cut off by a sharp squeal followed by the dull clang of metal on stone. They whirled around, drawing their weapons and pointing their flashlights down the hall.

Cecili strained her ears for sounds of approaching steps but heard nothing except that infernal wailing. She knew it was just the wind and her imagination, but thoughts of it being the vengeful spirits of the victims wouldn’t leave her mind.

To distract from the creeping panic, she thought back to all the cells they passed. She only looked into the ones that were open and they revealed nothing that warranted her attention or showed signs of use. But it couldn’t have been something they missed.

She couldn’t tell how long they stood there, staring into the abyss, arcblades shaking in their paws as they waited for whatever lingered beyond the light to attack them.

“We can’t stand here forever,” Sarl said. “That thing is blocking the only exit.”

“I’m in no rush to dive blindly into the dark. Afflicted can see in it quite well.”

“So it’s a war of attrition, then?”

As if in reply to his question the hall echoed with the sound of heavy steps. Cecili decided to take the initiative and thrust her palm outward, firing a ball of light into the hall. It illuminated everything in its path until it reached their approaching opponent.

She wished she hadn’t. What stood before them was a type of Afflicted known as a remnant. No one knew where such creatures came from or what created them, but it looked like a canid wearing an old suit of armor. No one could tell because it emanated so much corrupted aether it was shrouded in a veil of darkness. Only the vague bipedal shape of a knight of old could be seen. The creature’s head nearly brushed the ceiling. A pair of red eyes peered at them through its “helmet”.

“What in the name of the divines is that?” Sarl asked breathlessly.

“A…A…A remnant,” Cecili said.

“If you’re worried, that can’t be a good sign.”

“We need to get word to my order. We can’t face it here.”

“I doubt it will wait until backup gets here!”

The remnant started lumbering forward. The light of Cecili’s spell withered out, leaving them with only the light of their flashlights that seemed to stop right at the creature’s hulking form. It began to pick up speed with each step.

Cecili lowered her weapon and raised her fist, charging it with as much aether as she could manage. Facing this thing just the two of them in this small space was a death sentence. Only one option remained, but it was a gamble. Should she fail, a very painful and brutal death awaited them.

But that creature could not be allowed to reach the upper levels.

She thrust out her palm, firing the spell at the ceiling. A brilliant display of dazzling lights and a deafening roar filled the hall. Everything shook around them. Chunks of the ceiling came down onto the remnant until it was buried beneath the debris.

But the shaking didn’t stop. The walls continued to crack and dust continued to fall.

Cecili reached down, seized the grate and charged another spell. With a grunt, she ripped it out of the floor and tossed it aside. She grabbed Sarl’s arm and jumped into the pit.

Immediately, she waved her free paw, creating a platform of light beneath them. It slowly descended deeper into the darkness. Overhead, stones fell into the pit and the hall continued to roar in pain as it crumbled.

“I don’t want to rush you, but can this go any faster?” Sarl asked.

“We don’t know how deep this goes nor what awaits us at the bottom. But if you want to be impaled on broken bones, be my guest.”

Sarl said nothing but continued to look up. Cecili didn’t. That trick with the ceiling likely didn’t kill the remnant immediately and she didn’t want to look up and see red eyes looking down at them.

The tunnel suddenly widened into a much wider cavern, too wide to see the far walls or the floor. Cecili quickly created another platform of light next to the first.

Sarl didn’t need telling to jump to their new sanctuary. She quickly followed. Not long after, a massive piece of debris fell through the tunnel, smashing their previous platform and continuing its descent unhindered.

They continued their slow descent as more pieces of rock and dirt fell through the tunnel entrance like water pouring from a pipe. They couldn’t see the ceiling above, but heard the rumbling of the chaos above and felt the dust and small rocks falling on their heads.

Thankfully the roof held. The tunnel eventually became clogged and the rumbling ceased. Now that they were alone in the darkness and silence. Cecili missed the noise.

Their platform reached the bottom. She waved her paw, dissipating the spell and dropping them to the cavern floor. Sarl swore. Before them sat a massive mound of bones. There were at least hundreds by Cecili’s count. She didn’t want to think about the atrocities that led to this mass grave for they had bigger problems. They had no idea where they were, no clue where to find the exit, and the place was likely crawling with Afflicted or worse.

On a whim, she pulled out her radio and tried to contact Gaius. Only silence answered.

“Either there’s too much inference or we have not yet cleared the anti-magic field surrounding the palace,” she said. “We’ll have to discover the exit the hard way.”

Sarl nodded, still leaning on his knees for support, his breath coming in hard ragged gasps.

“It’s a side-effect of the remnant,” Cecili explained. “Just getting near them is enough to kill the average canid. Just take slow breaths, it’ll pass.”

She sat down on a rock and waited until her new companion caught his breath. It gave her a chance to settle down as well. She didn’t blame him for being shaken; it was also her first time facing off against a remnant. The books and illustrations did not even come close to capturing its horror.

Finally, Sarl straightened up. “Are you ready to go? We can’t wait. The king is in danger and we’re trapped down here.”

“Yes, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

With no idea where to start, they chose the first path that looked safe and started walking.

“This was a complete waste of time,” Sarl said, kicking a nearby skull. “We had no reason to go down there.”

Cecili shook her head. “No, we learned one thing. We know how the Afflicted got into the palace. They weren’t smuggled in, they’ve always been here.”

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.”