by Brandon Chen
“Well, the proof is right here,” Asmund said, pointing to the map. “There are no marked entrances to catacombs of any sort. I can’t even see a legitimate place where they could put—”
“The whole point is that the catacombs are a secret,” Yuri said. He sighed and shook his head, staring at the map, unconvinced. There was something off about Beo’s reaction, which only piqued Yuri’s curiosity. In order to find out if these catacombs really did exist, Yuri knew that he would have to find Archerus and ask the man himself. Senna had mentioned that the criminal was locked away, meaning that he was most likely located in Horux’s jail, a tower located in the Lower District. “How much time do we have until the clothes arrive?”
“Around four hours, why?”
“Perfect, I’ll be right back!” Yuri exclaimed, bolting out of the room.
“Eh? Where are you going?” Asmund called after him. But his friend was already too far away to hear him. Slumping back into his chair, he shook his head and sighed. “Once that idiot sets his mind to something there’s no stopping him, is there?”
Treachery
Archerus pressed his back against the cold walls of his cell. His bare feet trembled on the freezing stone floor. The man stared across the chamber at the iron bars that confined him to this claustrophobic room, his dark hair sweeping down near his steadfast eyes. The sound of tapping boots echoed through the hallway outside of his cell and Archerus watched as a soldier, clad in clanking metal armor, stepped before him.
The guard held up his torch and illuminated the cell, which was dark even though it was still only afternoon. Stepping beside the soldier was a noble that Archerus recognized well. Smirking, the man called out to the highborn visitor. “It’s been a while, Beo. You’re looking well.”
“I could say the opposite for you,” Beo said, his stern gaze burning into the criminal. He nodded to the guard and the soldier marched away. The noble waited until the man had left, closing the door at the end of the hallway behind him. The two acquaintances were locked in darkness as they stared at each other. “It would seem that you’ve been following me. Usually I am able to detect when I have a stalker at that time of night, but for some reason I failed to notice you.”
Archerus smirked. “I have been skulking in the shadows since I was a young boy. There was no way that you could detect me, even with your level of skill.”
“That may be so,” Beo said, folding his arms over his chest. “My only concern now is what to do with you. You’ve seen too much. Is there any way that I can keep you quiet?”
“You know that’s impossible without using magic to silence my tongue,” Archerus grumbled, slowly pushing himself to his feet. Swaying slightly, he walked towards Beo until only the cell’s iron bars separated the two men. Glaring at the noble through the gaps in the metal, Archerus chuckled softly. “Even if you did do that, I would figure a way to dispel that magic. Your sinister secret will reach the ears of the civilians, you can count on that.”
“Your selflessness will be your downfall,” Beo snarled, sliding his hands into his pockets. “As a member of the king’s counsel, I could have you executed if I wanted. That would surely silence you for good, wouldn’t it?”
Archerus winced at the sound of that. He scowled, his eyebrows furling together as he clenched his jaw. “If you’re going to kill me, fine. But I want to know something. Why the hell are you guarding that accursed beast? It’s sealed away, meaning that you know of how dangerous the werewolf is. Neither of us wants it rampaging around, but one day those bars will shatter and it will escape. What will you do then?”
“I can only hope that such an occurrence does not happen during my lifetime,” Beo said coldly. His harsh words caused Archerus’s face to turn red with fury. “In my family, it is my duty to preserve the werewolf, nothing more. As long as it is alive and locked away, my job is complete. And when it finally is my time to pass, the responsibility of preserving the beast will be handed down to my son.”
“You’re locking away a disease that has the power to affect the entire human race. It must be destroyed, not contained!” Archerus barked, grabbing the bars of the cell tightly, as if he were about to pry them apart. His knuckles turned ghostly white as he squeezed the metal fiercely. “Think about what you’re doing.”
Beo shrugged and began to walk away, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his expensive clothing. “It is not my place to decide whether or not the werewolf deserves to live or die. I am just a man that is following the tradition that is passed down through generations within my clan. Enjoy your final days, Archerus. They are numbered.”
“This isn’t you, Beo. The great man I knew would never corruptly use his power to eradicate his enemies!” Archerus shouted after the noble.
“Is that so?” Beo said to the trapped man, stopping in his tracks. “Who do you think it was that advised the king to have you discharged from the royal knights?”
Archerus’s eyes widened in shock, his lips trembling. He yanked hard on the iron bars, wrathfully roaring like an untamed beast trapped in its cage. “You bastard!” he bellowed.
Beo laughed softly, turning to face Archerus. “I’ve known that you’ve been keeping your eye on me for a while, Archerus. I saw that you suspected my involvement with werewolves years ago. But you made it so easy to get rid of you, once you started prattling to your fellow knights, telling tales of the forgotten beasts and how you believed them to be real. Even better, now you’ve claimed that I’m involved with them. Who would believe nonsense like that?” He tilted his head back slightly and inhaled deeply through his nostrils, his eyes closed. “I thought that once you were discharged from the royal knights, you would give up your foolish hobby of chasing fairy tales. But you didn’t, isn’t that right? You’ve conducted research on werewolves. I stopped by your house on the way here and found two Phoenix Hearts, one for you and one for your wife, I assume.”
“If you’ve done anything to her—”
“Your wife and the Phoenix Hearts have been left untouched. Don’t worry, I am not as malicious as you think,” Beo said, his eyes opening. “I do not take pride in using my political power to have you discharged, nor do I want to have you executed. However, I am committed to preserving the werewolf no matter what the cost. It took me a while to figure out that you were the one who tried to warn the townsfolk of the werewolf. But after asking around, I now realize that I am not surprised at all that you were the one who followed me into the catacombs. It must be hard to always be deemed insane, to have no one believe you. I pity you, Archerus, I really do.”
Archerus watched as Beo turned around and walked away, until eventually, like the guard, he left the hallway. Trapped in silence, the distraught man slunk back into the darkness of his cell. He looked down at a small spot of light that was beaming on the stone floor. Walking to the wall of his cell, he gazed through the window of his chamber, looking over the city in the distance.
Archerus’s cell was located high in Horux’s jail tower, so he could see much of the city from his vantage point. He reached out and gently touched the warm metal bars on the window and sighed, wishing that he could escape. That was when a young man popped his head in the window. “Hey,” the person said.
Archerus yelped with surprise, immediately losing his balance and falling onto his back. His heart pounded rapidly as he stared at the dark-haired man in his window with disbelief. “H-How did you get there? This cell is a hundred floors above ground!”
“I climbed,” the stranger said simply.
Archerus blinked, recognizing the person. It was that young man that he had seen at the tavern, the one that Senna had confronted. “It’s not possible for someone to simply scale the side of this tower!”
“Well, I did it,” the man said. “It was a lot harder than most things I’ve climbed, and I’m actually worried about getting back down. That’s going to be challenging.”
“R-Right. So, who are you and how did you find my cell?”
Archerus winced. That must’ve taken hours!
“Okay, enough with your questions. The whole reason I climbed this damned building was to get mine answered,” the young man said, holding onto the iron bars. “I’ve been here long enough to have heard the majority of your conversation with Beo. I can’t believe that he’s kept a secret like that locked away for so long,” he grumbled. “At any rate, I expect that you don’t want to get executed, right? To avoid that, we’re going to need to prove that you’re not crazy, like everyone thinks you are. I’m willing to help you.”
“Y-You are?”
“Yeah, it’s disconcerting to know that there is a werewolf living beneath the city streets,” Yuri said. “I’ve read stories of them. When they’re in their beast form, they rampage and slay anything in sight. If that werewolf that Beo is housing ever got loose, Horux would be doomed. It’s dangerous to have a creature like that living in such close proximity to a populated city. So first, I need you to tell me how you found out about the underground catacombs.”
“Okay,” Archerus said. He figured that he had nothing to lose by telling this boy everything. The way things were currently going, he would be executed. Trusting Yuri was his only chance at survival. “Within the royal library is a manuscript, created by the original architects that planned the building of Horux. It is the only copy in existence, and it shows where the entrance of the catacombs is, for there is only one.”
“Only one entrance?”
“Yes, I believe that the original architects built the catacombs specifically to jail the werewolf,” Archerus murmured. “There is more detail in the book when you find it. The only problem is that the library, where the manuscript is, is inside the palace, where the royal family lives. No offense, but it will be extremely difficult to infiltrate the castle and get into the library.”
“Do you happen to remember the exact name of the book?”
“The Inception of Horux,” Archerus said with a puzzled look. “But how are you—”
“Don’t worry about the details, I’ll get you out of here,” Yuri said with a grin. The boy ducked from the window and began to descend the tower. “Sit tight, old man, you’ll be free in no time.”
***
Later that night, Yuri was back in Asmund’s room, putting on his new linens. His dark blue shirt was of the finest quality and had golden buttons running through the center of the garment. His ebony pants were perfectly fitted, from the waist down to his polished leather shoes.
The young man gazed at a full-length mirror and raised his eyebrows, realizing that this was probably the fanciest he would ever dress. Bathed, and with his hair done by Asmund’s stylists, he looked more handsome than ever before. Yuri smiled confidently at the mirror and turned to Asmund. “Thanks for letting me borrow these clothes,” he said thankfully.
“You can keep them,” Asmund said with a smile. “They’re fitted for you anyway. I’m sure that someday you’re going to need to wear those again. They’re yours.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Of course.” Asmund chuckled. “It’s almost time for you to head over to the royal palace. You know how to get there? Sorry that I won’t be there to hold your hand the whole way,” he joked, leading Yuri out of the room.
The two friends laughed with each other as they made their way to the front door of the mansion. Yuri glanced over his shoulder and saw that Beo was standing at the top of the stairway that led to the building’s second floor, watching the two boys. Swallowing hard, Yuri averted his gaze, unable to look at him. He’s been lying about the catacombs, the werewolf, everything. To think that he’d have a man, like Archerus, executed just to preserve his secret … that’s unbelievable. He bit his lower lip. Then again, if he were caught housing a werewolf, then he would surely be punished as well. He’s only trying to avoid his own persecution.
Yuri looked to Asmund, who was grinning at him as they talked. But if I expose Beo … what will happen to him? Will I be dooming Asmund’s father to his demise? He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the guilt that he felt. No, this isn’t just about Asmund or Beo! This is about the safety of everyone in Horux. This is about protecting defenseless citizens like Han and Mom.
“Yuri, you better be off,” Beo called with a gentle smile. “The royal family is waiting.”
Yuri swallowed hard and nodded. Without Beo, I wouldn’t even be going to this dinner tonight. It’s difficult to turn against someone that has granted me so many opportunities. He turned away, watching as one of Asmund’s servants opened the door for him. But I need to think of the wellbeing of everyone in Horux. We can’t live safely if there is a dangerous beast living under us.
He waved to Asmund and Beo as he departed their mansion, following the main path that ran through the Noble District and eventually led to the royal palace. As his shoes tapped against the cobblestone pathway, Yuri bit his lower lip gently. He was nervous — not just because he was about to meet the princess once more, but because he had to figure out a way to sneak into the library and get the manuscript that Archerus had told him about. If he managed to steal the book, he could prove to Asmund and the citizens of Horux that the catacombs really did exist. It’ll be fine. All I have to do is find a moment to slip from the guards’ vision and I’ll get the book.
Yuri spotted the palace, a massive castle with several towers connected by a gigantic wall of white stone. The tops of the towers were pointed like spikes, piercing the night sky. Each tower had dozens of orange-tinted windows. An impenetrable wall of steel surrounded the beautiful fortress. Yuri’s path brought him to a large gate that loomed at least twenty feet over him.
Standing before the closed gate was Senna, who wasn’t dressed in his knightly uniform, for once. Instead, he was wearing a black suit with a white undershirt. Even though he was dressed for a special occasion, his heavy two-handed sword was still sheathed at his side. He nodded to Yuri as the boy approached, and waved to two guards that were standing on top of the walls. “You’re on time. I didn’t expect that from you.”
“You hardly know me,” Yuri said with a raised eyebrow, stopping beside Senna. A grinding noise split the silence as the gate slowly groaned open. Inside was a squadron of soldiers that were fully armed and, unlike Senna, were dressed in their armor. “Is this a royal dinner, or are we preparing for a war?”
“A hilarious jibe,” Senna muttered sarcastically as he began to pat Yuri down to ensure that he was unarmed. After confirming that Yuri was clean, he walked through the gateway and motioned for the young man to follow him. “These guards will be our escorts. I’m sure that you understand certain precautions must be taken when allowing a stranger to dine with the royal family. Especially when that stranger happens to be a random boy from the Lower District.”
“Right,” Yuri said with a roll of his eyes as he sauntered behind Senna. The guards filed behind him, stalking the party of two from several meters back. The boy’s nose twitched, irritated at the noise of clanking metal behind him.
He gazed upon the marvelous lawn before him, which was filled with elegant bushes that had been trimmed in the shape of various creatures. His eyes locked onto one plant in particular that looked like a ferocious wolf. “Hopefully you don’t stay grumpy the entire night, Senna. I was hoping to enjoy my dinner without receiving a glare or scowl from you each minute.”
“I’m not grumpy,” Senna murmured, not bothering to turn back to acknowledge Yuri. “I simply do not understand why a rat from the slums is being granted the chance to dine with the royal family when most of the nobles have yet to enjoy such a luxury. You are neither intelligent nor skilled. You’re just … average.”
“I’d like to think that I have some degree of
skill—”
“You don’t.”
“All right then.”
The two men walked in silence the rest of the way as they approached the royal palace, which looked even larger up close. Yuri whistled as he tilted his head back, gazing up at the towering citadel before him. He felt like an ant entering a giant’s home.
The golden door to the castle was open, with two guards positioned at the entrance. But as Yuri and Senna entered the citadel and walked down a wide hallway, he saw that there were actually dozens of guards on both sides of the passageway. They were all completely still, frozen like figurines. They didn’t even glance at Yuri as he strolled past them.
“BOO!” Yuri yelped suddenly at one of the soldiers, and frowned when the guard didn’t budge. He turned to Senna, who was glaring at him disapprovingly. “I’ve never seen statues that look so realistic before,” he quipped, pointing to the expressionless warrior.
“Stop being so childish,” Senna grumbled, storming on.
Yuri followed the knight through several hallways, making so many turns that eventually the boy had no idea where he was. Each hallway was designed similarly; the only differences were the various paintings on the walls. Some had sculptures of famous historical figures of Horux positioned upon bronze pedestals, leaning against the walls of special halls. Eventually, Senna came to a door where two more soldiers were assigned, each holding iron pikes that were pointed at the ceiling.
Senna turned to the squadron of soldiers that marched behind Yuri and nodded to them. With that signal, they quickly created a formation around the doorway, boxing Senna and Yuri in. “The dining hall is right through this door. Make sure that you bow properly to the royal family upon entering. You know how to do that much at least, right?”
“To some extent,” Yuri said with a half-smile.
Senna groaned and shook his head. “Just do as I do.” He reached forward and grasped the handles of the door and pulled, revealing the incredible dining hall of the royal palace.
