Solar Reign

X L I I I

THE DUNGEON was an appropriate name for where they stood. A long cobbled stairwell drew them down below the city. Andorra could tell the moment they were beneath the surface by the chill in the air. The stones against her palm were cold, and the air smelled stale. It was dark all around them, with the exception of sconces that would light as soon as Ero passed by. As soon as they were mere steps away, the light would dim to dark once again.

"It's keyed to my blood," Ero explained when he caught Andorra staring at the light sources. "That's the only reason we're down here right now. My blood has granted us access, but my father will know. When he decides to check, anyway."

That didn't quite sit right with Andorra, but she wasn't about to voice that.

Once the stairs came to an end, the three of them stared up at a large locked door. It was a slab of rectangular stone, but there was a circle carved in the middle with intricate designs that wrapped around in a labyrinth of sorts.

Two sconces on either side of the door flared to life when Ero stepped forward.

"We don't need guards down here because this is keyed to royal blood as well. No one goes past these doors without a Royal with them." Ero pointedly looked behind his shoulder as if to remind Andorra that she needed him. She would have never gotten to the Asrai without him.

Her mouth twisted. "It seems your father has a lot to hide."

"On the contrary. Anlithamy has no security, so any in comparison seems egregious."

Andorra couldn't argue with that; Ero was correct.

"So, are you going to open the door or what?" Andorra was half convinced Ero had dragged them down there just to wave in front of their faces. But, Ero took a single step forward, pressing his hand to the center of the stone. His hand burst into a green light, which then seemed to leech into the door, the green following the carved marks and lingering. As soon as the entire door was lit up with green light in the intricate designs, Ero took a step back.

"What is your business with the Asrai anyway?" Ero asked as the door swung open. But, that was something Andorra was not giving away. Ero and his father already seemed to know everything about her, and she was keeping this close.

Andorra stepped through the doorway. She let Ero lead her forward, Oberon at her heels. She didn't dare breathe as the door shut behind them, sliding into place with a deafening thud. She wanted to flinch, but kept her chin held high instead.

The hallway that spread before them was perhaps once cleaned and kept pristine. There were chandeliers above their heads that did not spark to life. Instead, cobwebs decorated them, spiders hiding right out of direct sight. The flooring was cobbled, but each stone had a unique design that had Andorra peering closer as she stepped.

"Sigils. All of them. It's what allows us to walk freely without being trapped." Ero interrupted her silence, and when she looked up, he was offering a smile. This man would have to do more than smile at her to change her mind about him.

"They're keyed to your blood, but they'll trap everyone else?"

"Sort of. Anyone we banish down here has no chance of escape. Not with the magic in here. Shall we return back to the discussion at hand? The Asrai?"

Andorra pushed out a long sigh. It was why she had not wanted to involve Ero in the first place. "I met the Asrai in Anlithamy. They mentioned one of their sisters resided here. I told them I would pass along a message."

There, close enough to the truth without giving the full story. Or her full intentions. "What's up with this place, anyway? It had to, at one point, be beautiful. But now it's just... gross. And dirty." The walls were also stone, but different patterns were carved into them to create murals as they walked. Someone had spent a lot of time and resources on this space, just for it to be used to house prisoners.