With the help of their family's wealthy reputation, Kaelen and Elara managed to entice Nyu into helping them retrieve the tome. She didn't seem thrilled to be sneaking into the heart of Malvorn's lair, but the prospect of a lucrative reward possessed the necessary cogency. Kaelen was feeling somewhat optimistic that their luck was finally taking a turn for the better, especially if they could draw on Nyu's vast knowledge of the underworld and its secret passages and hideouts. It had been child's play for her to track Althor and his prisoners, all while staying undetected and completely avoiding the palace area. Through the many dark tunnels, she had effortlessly found her way to the execution site, just in the nick of time.

And now, they were going to use one of these earthen corridors to reach a narrow, steep shaft that would lead them directly to the throne room — knowing of this entrance into the palace was one of Nyu's most valuable cognitive possessions. Kaelen was sure that the tough woman did not usually confide in people that easily. He figured that under different circumstances, they would have to pay with their lives for this kind of knowledge. Luckily, their lives were currently rather valuable.

Following Nyu's lead, they made their way through a sequence of dimly lit tunnels. A gentle humming and the occasional dripping of water were the only sounds to disturb the glum silence. None of them felt the need to talk — the task was clear, and so were the consequences of failure. But while Kaelen saw no alternative to getting the tome back, the two women could've chosen a path with better odds of survival. It was his task to retrieve the tome, and he would not let anything deter him from trying. At the same time, he wouldn't have blamed the other two for leaving him behind. That said, he was thankful for Elara's loyalty — and Nyu's opportunism.

After a couple of minutes, they reached an intersection with a narrow tunnel branching off into pitch-black nothingness. Without speaking, Nyu grabbed a torch from the wall and led them into the ominous darkness. They quickly started gaining altitude, and muddy streams of water were seeping through the soles of their shoes. Thin veins of unknown minerals were lining the stone on both sides, glistening enticingly as the torch bathed them in orange light. The air started to feel more breathable again, and Kaelen filled his lungs like he'd almost drowned.

Elara nearly bumped into Kaelen when Nyu suddenly stopped in front of them. Over her bulky shoulder, he could see that they had reached an old wooden door without a handle, made from moss-covered planks with wide cracks. A chunky metal lock was tying the door to its brittle frame, with thick flakes of orange rust peeling off of it.

"Brought a key?" Kaelen asked, half jokingly.

His voice sounded thin, and he immediately regretted saying anything at all.

Nyu didn't dignify his question with a response, and instead knelt before the lock and pulled a set of shiny instruments out of her pockets. With one eye close to the keyhole, she started operating on the old lock with purposeful precision. Before Kaelen could even understand what she was doing, a faint click announced her success. The lock snapped open, and Nyu pushed in the door with a casual tap of her finger. Stowing away her instruments, she turned to face the siblings.

"I hope you are not afraid of heights," she said with a challenging smile.

Past the door, they found a three-square-foot wide shaft leading straight up. Along one of the slick-looking walls was a ladder with thin staves, the top of which was shrouded in darkness far above their heads.

"You are telling us," Elara asked skeptically, "that this slimy shaft leads straight to the throne room?"

"It used to," Nyu said with a shrug. "Used to spit you out in one corner of Malvorn's pretty hall. The grate is heavy, but we should be able to lift it. Provided they didn't rearrange the furniture."

When Elara didn't look convinced, Nyu rolled her eyes.

"Look, if I wanted to get you killed, I would not have wasted so much time — believe me."

"Do I want to know why you are so familiar with this secret passageway?" Kaelen asked while staring into the void above him.

Nyu cracked a smile.

"Trade secret," she whispered ominously, and tossed her torch in one corner of the small room.

It was then that Kaelen realized they would have to make their ascent in utter darkness. Climbing a ladder with a torch was not exactly practical — he gulped at the prospect.

"Alright, birdies, let's get your book," Nyu said and reached for the first staves.

Kaelen spent a moment marvelling at the ridiculous situation they found themselves in. Things had taken quite a spin since they left the library, he thought.

Then, he followed Nyu onto the ladder, with Elara right behind him. Soon, they were surrounded by darkness, and even the wall in front of them faded out of view. Water droplets kept hitting their heads and hands, making the staves slippery and treacherous. Kaelen had to focus his every thought on keeping his monotonous climbing rhythm, or else he would've fallen into the dark abyss underneath them, taking Elara right with him.

#

After what felt like an eternity, Kaelen could see a faint glow above him, radiating from a tiny, rectangular source of light. Nyu paused briefly, and Kaelen almost bumped his head into her heels.

"Almost there, people," she whispered. "From here on out, make sure to only talk if absolutely necessary." She paused, then added: "Come to think of it, maybe you just don't talk at all."

They climbed the remaining section of the ladder, inching ever closer to the warm light that was guiding them. Just when Kaelen's muscles started burning in pain, and his arms wanted nothing more than to stretch and relax, they reached the thick iron grate that marked the end of the shaft. For a moment, they just sat there, listening for any signs of life in the room above, but everything seemed dead quiet. Then, Nyu reached for the grate with a steady hand and started lifting it as slowly as possible. Kaelen had no doubt she was stronger than he, but even so, it visibly took all her strength to even move it. When she finally managed to push it aside, the deep metallic noise of metal scratching over stone echoed through the room above. Kaelen's heart skipped a beat, as they again listened for movement — but nothing disturbed the silence that followed.

Her hand now covered in dirt, rust, and bleeding scratches, Nyu gestured for them to follow.

Then, she climbed the last few staves and pushed herself out of the shaft, Kaelen and Elara behind her, into the blinding light above. It took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the harshly bright new environment, but when they finally did, Kaelen saw that they were standing amidst Malvorn's treasure hoard in one corner of the large throne room. The shaft they had come through was conveniently unoccupied, but surrounded by piles of gold and finery, large chests and statues, that provided decent cover. But as it stood, they didn't even need to be secretive — as far as Kaelen could tell, the throne room was empty. Malvorn wasn't here, and so the soldiers had left their posts as well. Surely, though, the room was guarded from the outside, so they still had to keep quiet to not alert the sentries.

"Right, then," Nyu whispered, "let's get what we came for and then get out of here as fast as possible."

Weaving through Malvorn's most prized possessions, they moved from one marble column to the next, carefully approaching the pedestal the throne stood on. Kaelen could already see the large table Malvorn had kept the tome on, and his heart was racing. The last few steps, he almost started running, blowing caution to the wind as his eagerness got the best of him. Elara hissed at him, but his ears were numbed by adrenaline. Without hesitation, he started running his hands through the clutter on the tabletop, pushing aside scrolls and inkwells, other books and records. When Nyu and Elara caught up to him, Kaelen's search had gotten more vigorous, and he didn't even care about the valuable items that started falling off the table on all ends.

"Where is it?" he muttered breathlessly, as the other two started aiding in his search.

After another minute of going through Malvorn's belongings, the realization slowly settled in — the tome was not here anymore.

Kaelen braced both fists against the tabletop, resting his weight on his extended arms. His head lowered, he stared at the worthless scrolls underneath him. His head was throbbing, sweat occluding his vision, and the feeling of helplessness spread in his mind like ink spilled in water. He could feel Elara's hand on his shoulder, and she was saying words he could not comprehend. When she gently started shaking his body, he turned to face her.

"Kaelen," she whispered softly. "It's okay, we did all we could."

When he didn't respond, she added: "I don't think Master Zerath expected us to sneak through the palace of some murderous underground warlord just to get the tome back."

"You heard what this mad king is planning," Kaelen hissed through gritted teeth.

"And you believe him? For all we know, he could just be crazy," she tried and patted his shoulder. "Come on, Kaelen, it's time for us to go."

"I hate to interrupt your moment," Nyu chimed in, "but if I were you, I would not put off Malvorn's plans as crazy. The man is a maniac, no doubt, but he is not one to talk lightly."

She nodded at the throne next to them. "There is a reason he is sitting on that thing."

Elara snorted. "Great, very helpful, thank you."

"Anytime, princess," Nyu retorted with a fake smile.

"Even if his plans are not crazy: the tome is not here," Kaelen exhaled.

Nyu sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but there is another place it could be. Malvorn has a private study in his chambers, I'm sure that's where we will find both him and the tome."

Elara narrowed her eyes. "Why the sudden enthusiasm? Didn't you just tell us how you don't want to mess with Malvorn? And now you want to sneak into his chambers, fully expecting to find him there?"

Nyu seemed to hesitate, which did not fit her personality. "I guess I just can't resist the promise of gold," she finally said, but with less conviction than usual.

"If it's gold you want, just take what's lying on the floor in this very room and be on your way," Elara pushed.

"Now, now," Nyu placated, finally back in character, "where would be the challenge in that?"

Kaelen could tell Elara was not convinced, but if Nyu was willing to help them further, he was not going to stand in her way.

"Lead the way," was all he said, ignoring the protesting look on Elara's face.

#

Sneaking through Malvorn's palace was easier than Kaelen had expected. There were fewer guards than when they had been brought in front of the underground ruler hours earlier. Having completely lost any sense of time, Kaelen figured it must've been close to midnight by now, which explained why the halls and corridors of the palace were mostly deserted. Under Nyu's guidance, they managed to avoid the tired eyes of the few guards they encountered and soon found themselves in a carpet-covered hallway with large paintings on either side. At the end of it, past a four-way intersection, was a large stone archway that held a heavy portal door with decorative door knockers. A sentry had still been posted in front of it moments prior, but conveniently left to roam the adjacent corridors shortly after they started watching him from afar. Leaving their cover, they snuck past the marble statues that were spread out across the hallway and approached the door.

Nyu gave it a probing look. "It's not locked," she concluded, and for the first time, the strong woman seemed tense.

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When she pushed the door, it silently slid open and gave way to a luxurious antechamber with lush upholstery and masterfully crafted wardrobes. Unlike the rest of the palace, the walls here were not gray, but covered in fine tapestry depicting scenes from the world Kaelen knew — colorful sunsets, clear skies, white beaches, and aquamarine water. If Kaelen hadn't met the man, he would've easily thought that Malvorn was just an admirer of life on the surface. But from what it sounded like, he was more inclined to burn it all to the ground, just so no one else could enjoy it either.

Nyu closed the door behind them, while Kaelen and Elara examined their surroundings. There were two more doors in this room, differing vastly in appearance. The one across from them looked even more decorative than the one they had come in through, but the other door was rather basic and small. It almost blended in with its surroundings.

"This one leads straight to the study," Nyu said and pointed at the door in front of them, "and this one is for servants. It connects to the other rooms in Malvorn's apartments, but only in secret. It's so he doesn't have to see his lowly staff while they heat his rooms and clean up after him."

Nyu frowned in disgust, while Kaelen and Elara exchanged embarrassed looks — they were very familiar with the concept from their childhood.

Nyu moved over to the small door and examined it. When it appeared to be unlocked, she ushered them inside. The narrow corridor they entered was nothing like the antechamber they had stood in moments earlier — the walls were rough and unpainted, the ceiling low and covered in spiderwebs. The wooden beams on both sides wore layers of smudge like patina, and the floor was lined with faded, torn carpet. A musty odor filled the air, and Kaelen could taste brittle dust on his tongue.

The corridor was not wide enough for them to stand next to each other, and so they had to form a line once Nyu followed them inside. When she closed the door to the antechamber, they were standing in pitch-black darkness, with only their shallow breaths disturbing the silence.

"This way," Nyu whispered, and pushed Elara into Kaelen.

He started moving in the direction she indicated, tracing the walls with his fingers. With their feet dragging across the floor, they slowly marched forward until Kaelen could feel a recess in the wall to his left. His trembling hands started searching for a door handle and found it.

"I think this is it," he said stiffly and let go of the handle, out of fear that he could accidentally open the door.

"What if he is in there?" Elara muttered quietly.

Nyu seemed to consider the thought.

"Well, that'd be awkward," she offered after a brief moment of silence. "Only one way to find out, I guess."

Kaelen gulped.

"Even if Malvorn is in there," he whispered, "he should not be a match for the three of us. I doubt he has a guard with him." Kaelen didn't know where he took that confidence from.

"Don't underestimate him," Nyu said grimly. "He might not be in his prime anymore, but the Fateless would not accept a weakling as their ruler."

"They don't seem to have high standards for rulers," Elara grumbled.

The faint sound of rubbing fabric accompanied Nyu's shrugging. "You won't find me arguing with you on that one, little bird. I don't like the guy either."

Kaelen knew their rambling was just delaying the inevitable, but he was down for it.

"How sure are we that the tome is even in there?" he whispered over his shoulder.

"From what you told me, that dusty book seems to be quite valuable. That makes me think he is probably going to keep it close to him at all times. The guards and servants on his payroll might be better off than most of his subjects, but no one is above a little thievery down here. Keeping the lights on is hard when there is no light to begin with."

Kaelen pondered the thought for a moment.

"Let's say," he said slowly, "the tome is here and Malvorn is not. We find it, we take it — and then what? How do we get out of this hellhole?"

Nyu snorted quietly. "I thought we established that I have many tricks up my sleeves."

"I'm still waiting for the trick where you sell us out to your mighty ruler," Elara growled.

Kaelen could imagine both their facial expressions all too well.

"I'm afraid freeing Malvorn's prisoners, only to return them to him, might be a weak business model, my Dear," Nyu shot back, and they fell silent for a moment.

Kaelen knew there was no point in delaying things any further. He exhaled slowly and put his one hand back on the door handle. "Here goes nothing."

He had halfway pressed the handle down when Elara suddenly reached for his arm.

"Wait!" she hissed with terror in her voice, just in time for Kaelen to let go of the door before opening it.

"Listen," Elara whimpered.

At first, Kaelen could hear nothing other than his beating heart, but then the sound of muffled voices started reaching his ears. He could not understand what they were saying, but their intonation was angry. Someone was arguing loudly, and they were coming closer. Soon, Kaelen could make out bits and pieces of what they were saying. Holding his breath, he listened in, trying hard not to move a single muscle.

"… and I knew this … idea. I demand you tell me … getting this stupid book. I can't wait any longer, I need to …"

Kaelen recognized Malvorn's voice, but his visitor seemed to be further away. When they spoke, all he could hear was a hum.

"Patient?" The ruler of the underground sneered, his voice amplified by rage.

"Don't you dare tell me … patient. I have been patient for decades, rotting in … our people turning into scum, while you … Patient? I'll give you patience!"

Kaelen could feel heavy footsteps vibrate through the floor as Malvorn seemed to get even closer. Again, he could hear the faint sound of the other person in the room, but they were speaking too quietly to understand.

"I am perfectly calm. Don't you lecture me!" Malvorn snarled.

"I was the one who started all this — you just came along for the ride. So don't think you can give me orders now. When we take down the Fateweavers, it will be my achievement."

The other person said something that seemed to calm Malvorn slightly.

"I know, and that's fine with me. Once our people make it out of here, I will rule them as a true King, and not just them, but also all these high and mighty topsiders. We will drag them out of their palaces and make them serve us. They will feel their place under our boots, just like we did all these years. They will learn to fear us, and they will despise us for it."

A short break followed, and Kaelen could hear the faint hum again.

"Don't act all righteous now. Why should we take the high road after all they've done to us?"

Kaelen was tempted to press his ear against the door, but he didn't dare to.

"Well, at least we agree on that," Malvorn said in response to something. "The Fateweavers will have to be eradicated. Maybe then, I will even show mercy to the other topsiders, if you're so hung up on it. But first, we have to proceed with our plan. Which brings us back to the pressing matter: I demand that you tell me what the purpose of all this is. How is this worthless book going to change anything?"

Elara exhaled sharply, then gasped for air. Just like Kaelen, she'd been holding her breath since they started eavesdropping. Malvorn's visitor was speaking for a long time now, but no matter how hard Kaelen tried, he could not understand what they were saying.

"What?" Malvorn exclaimed when his visitor had finished. "That is your grand plan? That's what we put our trust in?"

The other person seemed to move through the room, their voice growing even more muffled and distant.

Malvorn sighed and suddenly sounded conciliatory. "I've trusted you way too much, old friend, way too often. I hope this won't be the first time I regret it."

After that, the discussion seemed to be adjourned. Malvorn voiced his discontent one more time, then offered his guest a drink, and soon after, their footsteps moved away, and Kaelen could hear a door open and close. His heart was racing, his brain frantically trying to make sense of the conversation they had overheard — but he knew they didn't have time to talk it through. Right now, the priority was to get the tome back, and for that, they had to seize the moment.

"There is a salon in the next room," Nyu whispered, "I'm sure they won't be back for some time."

"How do you know there's a salon?" Kaelen asked skeptically, but Nyu didn't answer his question.

"No time for that. We've got to go, now."

Hesitantly, Kaelen put his hand back on the handle and slowly opened the door. Orange candlelight cast stripes on their faces, and a rich smell of perfume wafted into the servants' corridor. When his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, Kaelen could see the tasteful layout of a study, not unlike the ones he would see in the Great Library. The walls were covered in green wallpaper and wooden panels towards the bottom, the floor made up of an intricate herringbone parquet. Two dark bookshelves flanked a crowded desk with comfortable-looking leather chairs on either side, and masterfully crafted marble busts were standing on tasteful pedestals in all four corners of the room. Again, there were multiple doors leading to other sections of Malvorn's quarters, but they would be of no concern to them — Kaelen had immediately spotted the stolen fate tome on the desk in the middle of the room.

"There!" he gasped and pushed through the door.

Elara and Nyu followed behind him, and they quickly gathered around the table.

"That's the one," Kaelen explained to Nyu when she pensively stared at the book.

"Mhm," she murmured, then added: "Well, we better not waste any more time here. Grab that thing and let's get out of here."

Kaelen looked at Nyu, then at Elara. His sister was frowning.

"This was … easy," she whispered wearily.

Nyu scoffed. "Tempting fate again, are we? Did you already forget you were nearly executed not too long ago?"

Elara pursed her lips, but didn't respond. Meanwhile, Kaelen grabbed the book and tucked it under his arm.

"Do you think trying to find the rest of our stuff would be pushing it?" He asked Nyu with a hopeful voice.

The loss of his staff was weighing on him, and he knew Zerath would give him grief for it.

"Seriously?" she asked with raised eyebrows, making it clear that they had already overstayed their welcome.

Kaelen sighed, then nodded. "Let's get out of here."

They turned around and headed back into the servants' corridor, carefully closing the door behind them, as if they'd never been there. Kaelen knew that the absence of the tome would immediately be noticed, and that any attempt at secrecy was a fool's errand, and yet they had made sure not to touch or move any other object.

Nyu was leading the way this time, with Elara and Kaelen close behind her. They moved quickly through the darkness now, their beating hearts setting the pace of their hasty steps. When they reached the door to the antechamber, Nyu quickly pulled it open and rushed through, Elara on her tail. Kaelen tried to follow suit, but when he stepped back into the light, he accidentally bumped into his sister, who had come to a sudden halt in front of him. Once his eyes readjusted, he could see why.

A few feet away from them, towards the main entrance of Malvorn's chambers, stood a middle-aged woman with mouse gray hair, wearing ragged clothes covered in stains. She was holding a silver tray filled with appetizers and two stained chalices, clearly meant for Malvorn and his company, and her face showed utter confusion.

"What …," she began, but broke off. "Who are you?" she stammered, "What are you doing here?"

Again, Nyu reacted quicker than Kaelen and Elara could even process the situation.

"One more word, and it will be your last," Nyu said assertively. "You scream, you are dead. You drop that plate, you are also dead. Do you understand?"

The woman started to shiver, and the plates on her tray began to clink. She nodded, but Kaelen could tell her mind had gone blank from shock.

"Good," Nyu continued, like this was an everyday situation to her. "I want you to, very slowly, put that tray on the floor. That's all you need to do, okay?"

The servant stared at her in deep terror, but then did as she was told. As slowly as Nyu had demanded, she laid down the tray, trying to control her trembling hands. When she got up again, Nyu had already crossed the distance to her, a dagger in her backhand. Before the servant could react, Nyu quickly covered her mouth with her unoccupied hand and brought the blade up to the woman's throat. The servant's eyes widened, and all color seemed to leave her face. She didn't even dare to scream.

"What are you doing?" Elara hissed and took a step towards Nyu.

"What does it look like?" Nyu growled without taking her eyes off the servant. "I'm taking care of evidence."

"What?" Elara exclaimed loudly.

She realized her mistake and forced her voice to be quieter.

"Have you gone mad? Or are you always a murderous lunatic? I can, on a good day, understand what you did to the guards earlier, but this waitress did nothing to us."

"Not yet," Nyu said stiffly.

"What are you on about?"

"She saw us and can now easily identify us in exchange for some coin. In my case, that is pretty easy." She nodded at her orange hair, and Kaelen had to admit her appearance was quite memorable.

"Now, in your case," Nyu continued, "none of this might matter, because you are about to leave this place behind for good. But I have … people … down here I have to protect. If Malvorn finds out I was involved in this, he knows where to find them." Nyu looked uncomfortable as she spoke, and less confident than usual. She did not strike Kaelen as the type to enjoy talking about personal matters.

Elara was taken aback by the unexpected display of emotions, and it took her a moment to collect herself.

"I get your point," Kaelen interjected, his voice mellow, "but that doesn't mean we can just murder everyone we encounter. This woman is family to someone, too. And unlike everyone else we met today, she is completely innocent in all this."

"No one is innocent down here," Nyu rasped and tightened the grip around her dagger.

"Please don't do it," Elara pleaded, but only a second later, the pupils of the servant started swirling, and she collapsed onto the floor with a thud. Nyu didn't try to catch her, but she also made sure not to let her dagger stop the fall. She stared at the fainted woman underneath her for a long moment, then sighed.

"Have I mentioned that the two of you are already getting on my nerves?" she asked, her voice strained.

Then, she turned to leave Malvorn's chambers, the siblings behind her.

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