Said you'd always be my white blood. Circulate the right love. Giving me your white blood.
~)(~
When we finally reached the mines, I learned it was called the Lone Mountain—which was oddly fitting. It was a large white-capped and jagged mountain that sat near enough to the Great Mountains to look tiny in comparison. I knew at some point we would have to cross those horrible peaks, but that wasn't today—thankfully.
The front doors showed evidence of decades of abandonment from the look of the skeleton corpses. They were huge, flat stone doors that required a lever system that activated a water wheel to turn on some machinery to open it. The mountain was completely hollow on the inside and looked like it had once been an underground city. Once. Now, I wasn't sure if those stairs and floors would hold any weight.
The High Lord quickly got to work, sending his men to scout and gather what was necessary for the upcoming battle. Jurian was very adamant about personally setting up his traps and set off to work like a child with a lit matchstick. Those that weren't working on preparing the field were searching the mines for any signs of life. The Lord wanted it proven without a doubt that there weren't any dragons in deep slumber.
Nalia clung to my side the whole time we waited for the confirmation. I'm sure she actually believed there could be dragons down there. I knew actual dragons died out a long time ago. You would be lucky if you found a bone still intact. They mingled too much with the Fae and paid for it. Most of the stories claim dragons were cursed into human-like forms. An obvious hint that Illyrians were descendants of dragons, which I didn't find too far a stretch.
Once the coast was clear, I dragged Nalia into the mountain with me. I mostly wanted to explore, but also wanted to make sure Nalia didn't die of fright. The High Lord had someone prepare a room for the two of us since he couldn't bother to give Nalia her own space. I would work to remedy that on my own.
Most of the mountain was pitch black. The soldiers only lit the lanterns along important paths, nothing more. The deeper we went, the darker it became. And the tighter Nalia held onto me.
I opened the creaking wooden door and walked her into the little bedroom. It looked like a servant's room, from how small it was. I sat her on the bed and brushed her arms clean of any dust.
"How about you busy yourself with cleaning this room and the adjacent one? That way, you can keep your mind busy and we can sleep in our own rooms tonight," I suggested, offering a soft smile.
She nodded. "I get... a little claustrophobic."
"I can have Miryam make a tonic?"
She shook her head. "That'll make me too tired. I'll just..." she looked around the room, "clean the decades of dust and cobwebs. Just like I used to in Hybern."
I tried to laugh with her but found it difficult. There was always something reminding me of that place. This underground abandoned city was quite a reminder.
I left Nalia alone and finally decided to explore on my own. I wasn't going to have many chances like this—that was the reason to traverse deeper and deeper underground, with nothing but a torchlight to guide my way.
Was it probably stupid? Yes. But I had a knack for doing idiotic things. Perhaps that's why Azriel considered me such a pain.
I finally reached what looked like the bottom, and when peering up, I couldn't see anything but black above me. It was slightly terrifying... only slightly. The silence was something unexpected. I thought that all the noise from above would echo down here and sound like ghosts. But there wasn't even the sound of falling pebbles—utter silence. And I was in the middle of it.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins, thrilling that twisted part of me. This was slightly dangerous, very stupid, and right up my alley. So, of course, I was going to continue my adventure.
The mines were at the very bottom of this cave. I found that out when I bumped into a cart that thankfully didn't move because of the rust on the tracks. I lit a few torchlights and looked around. It looked like everyone abandoned this mine while they were still in the middle of a workday. There were things thrown around, empty plates and cups that probably held food and drink once, and even a missing shoe I tripped on.
The falling of a few small rocks drew my attention, making me hold my breath. I tried to listen and pick up on any signs of life down here with me, but found nothing. After a thorough investigation, I carried on—deeper into the mines.
There were iron deposits everywhere. Veins of silver glistened in the firelight above and around me. I thought it strange that there were still veins of iron so close to the entrance of the mine. It gave me an uncomfortable feeling. Something was wrong here. Very wrong.
The tunnel I had come down opened to a rather large cave. It looked like they used it as a hub space, with multiple tunnels departing from the curved walls. I lit the few torches until the room was warmly lit.
Atop the center table was a mess of documents. The top one I glanced over, then had to take a closer look. It was all wrong.
The paper had a record of all the ore transport from the mines, but something was off about it. The dates were much too recent, some were even in the future, and the numbers didn't match up with the total amounts mentioned. What was strange was that the names were all crossed out. It was a mess of unreliable information—all of it.
Every document made no sense. They would record large transfers of ore through the mines, but then total the month to a number that couldn't possibly be high enough. Then there were the crossed-out parts, so covered in black ink that I had no way of spying anything underneath.
None of this sat right with me. First, the place was abandoned in a rush, then the untouched deposits, then these documents.
"What are you doing?" A voice asked from behind.
I screamed. I actually screamed. The high-pitched sound echoed and rang in my ears as I spun around and clamped my mouth shut.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I hissed at Azriel, tempted to throw my torch at him.
"Me? You're the one that screamed," he said, stepping closer. The shadows that hid him slithered off his body like vines.
I hummed a response. "I could ask you the same question, actually."
"I came down to know why you are here, princess."
I set the torch in a holder on the table and crossed my arms. "I'm looking around, keeping myself from dying of boredom. Your High Lord doesn't seem to... require a female's help with anything."
Azriel clicked his tongue as he nodded. "Understandable. Find anything interesting yet?"
I glanced back down at the documents. "This place isn't... it doesn't feel right."
He raised a brow and walked over to where I stood. I lifted a paper and handed it to him, watching as he scanned it over. He gave a confused look before going over the contents again, then said, "That's just... very unhelpful."
"I'm telling you, something is wrong here. I don't think a place like this could fumble so badly with recording their production. It has to be a cover-up."
"A poor one."
I nodded. "I'm going to continue my search, starting with that tunnel," I pointed to the one directly ahead.
He tilted his head. "Why that one?"
"In these documents, it's the mine with the most recorded production. Alone, it produces more ore in a month than the total of all tunnels."
"Alright," Azriel said, smiling slightly when I looked up at him.
"You're not coming with me."
"I didn't give you a choice to say no."
I rolled my eyes and picked up my torch. "If you fall behind, I'm not waiting for you."
"Wouldn't expect it, princess." He spoke the nickname in a purr that sent my insides spiraling. I inhaled a sharp sigh to calm my nerves again.
I didn't like the idea of him walking behind me, but had no choice in the cramped tunnel. The tracks we followed were the least rusted, yet we didn't find any sign of life once existing in there. The tunnel opened to a small space where two doors stood.
I huffed a laugh. "Isn't this just perfect? I'm not at all terrified."
"I'll take the left, you take the right?" Azriel asked, tilting his head slightly. I hated that he found this amusing.
I nodded sharply and headed to the right door. A rusted lock covered the handle, and it didn't take much effort to snap it off. Before I could open the door, a sour smell filled my nose and burned down my throat. I knew that smell. It haunted me in Hybern and branded itself against my skin like hot oil.
I opened the door and had to squint as the fumes of it stung my eyes. I turned back to Azriel and said in a hoarse voice, "I think I know why my uncle wanted to come here."
"Why?" He asked, dropping his hand from the unopened door.
"There is quite a lot of faebane here," I said, coughing a little.
Huge barrels full. It seemed to go on for miles, so much faebane all packing into a singular room. This much could wipe out an entire army.
Azriel cursed when he saw the room and said, "That is... something."
"Did you see what was in the other room?"
He shook his head, so I stepped around him, having to tilt awkwardly to avoid the wings, and made my way to the door while he inspected the faebane-filled room.
I opened the door to a dark and large space. When the light entered, I realized it was the beginning of a large chasm. The staircase followed the wall down into oblivion. The light from my flame flickered off the smooth stone walls and glistened a bluish color. It was a cyan color that filled large veins in the rock. What looked like cranes and chained harnesses hung in various spots near the larger collections of color.
It was a faebane mine.
I didn't think there could be any on the continent. None were on Prythian, and were almost exclusively found on Hybern—another reason our land is so void of nature. But here, on the continent? I didn't expect it at all.
I closed the door with a thud and turned around to Azriel. "We need to see your High Lord."
"For once, I agree with you," he said.
I rolled my eyes. "Shadow me away then. I think he should know about this now. It'll be useful in the fight to come."
"You're talking like a soldier," Azriel said, his lip quirking up in a half-smile.
"Don't you dare," I hissed.
His shadows crossed the room to me, surrounding my body from the ground to the ceiling. They swirled around me and looked like they really wanted to venture closer, but were held back. I considered them as little puppies. They listened to their master, yet had their own wild ways.
Light broke again, and I was standing near the entrance of this mountain. The enormous stone doors were still open, bathing the interior in the afternoon sun. Soldiers filed in and out, and the field outside was being tilled and sectioned out. The High Lord was bent over a table, pointing at a map and saying something to his generals.
I approached him with my head held high. "My Lord, sorry to interrupt, but I have urgent news."
"What could your version of urgent be?" A general asked under his breath.
"What is it?" The Lord asked in an annoyed tone.
"While exploring the lower levels of the mountain, your shadowsinger and I discovered a rather large deposit of faebane. Certainly enough to aid us in the coming battle."
The generals silenced, and the High Lord stared down at me in wonder. He studied me, no doubt looking for a lie. If I was in his shoes, I wouldn't believe it either.
He looked up at the shadowsinger and said, "Escort the princess back to her chambers and ensure she is well."
Azriel nodded and motioned for me to follow him. I looked back at the Lord and knit my brows. He was just... brushing me off? Like that? How could he be so calm about this? Did he really think I was lying?
We were a few feet away when the Lord said, "And Azriel, I will summon you to my office later. Don't be late."
Azriel took my hand and led me with him down the stairs and back into the stuffy darkness of the mountain. We walked in silence down the many steps until we were walking down the large hallway toward my room.
I pulled my hand from him and said, "Care to explain what that was?"
Azriel stopped his walking and turned around with a huff. "He doesn't want the generals getting riled up. Faebane isn't something to mess with, princess. He thinks the less know, the better. But he believes you."
"Did he get in your mind?" I asked, making weird gestures with my hands how I imagined someone would use magic.
He nodded. "He likes to... a lot. Especially with me."
My heart fluttered. "So... does he know then? That we..."
Azriel smirked. "No. He is quite in the dark about that."
I felt my mouth dry. Mother above, he did things to me. Figuratively and literally.
"What about Rhys?" I asked.
Azriel's smile fell. "No, though I'm sure he'll kill me for not telling him. Strangely, the shadows tell me neither of them can get in your head."
"That makes no sense. I've never trained against Daemati."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? It's probably because of your power."
Now that made sense. The Sight—from what my mother told me—worked very hard to keep itself hidden in its host. They called users hosts because the Sight couldn't survive without them. It made us... similar to shadowsinger's in that way. When we die, so does our power, until it can find a new host.
I took a deep breath and stepped back. There was so much more to this than I once thought. It terrified me. I realized I didn't know anything. I didn't know who I was anymore.
Azriel tilted his head as he looked at me and said, "Goodnight, princess."
His voice snapped me out of my head and before he was out of hearing range, I said, "Azriel?"
He turned back with a raised brow, eyes on mine.
I let out a shaky breath. "Don't... don't die tomorrow."
"I won't," he said, giving a small smile.
I watched him leave and didn't move again until I was fully alone in this empty hall. This was the worst part. The anticipation. The waiting. Anything could happen, anything will happen. There was no fighting it—no stopping the war once it began. And this one started centuries ago.
All I could do was hope. A true waste of time, but one that made me less anxious. So, if I needed to pray and hope until those words became my middle name, I would.
-Authors Note-
Im back!! I had to take a few days off last week cause I was busy celebrating the holidays. it was a very enjoyable Dia De Los Muertos, and if you celebrated, let me know!! I love hearing about other peoples traditions!
anyway, this chapter would normally be called a prep chapter for chapter 21 but I've used that word so many times now that I'm done with it 💀 from now on these are side quest chapters
I hope you enjoyed reading it though and are excited cause I sure am! I've been obsessively chipping away at the act one ending like a woodworker and it's killing my hands but definitely worth it 🫠
have a great rest of your day/week and I'll see you next chapter! if it isn't posted next week then it'll be two weeks from now since I'm not gonna be able to work during thanksgiving week. byeeeeeeeee!!!!!