Chapter 12 - The Phantom in the Catacombs
The deep cells beneath the royal castle smelled of stagnant water, old iron, and ozone. Torches sputtered along the damp walls as Captain Vance led Elara and Princess Aurelia down the spiraling stone stairs. A squad of ten heavily armed city guards lined the corridor, their faces tense and pale under their steel helmets.
They stopped before Cell 4—the door that had held Dr. Malachi for the past six months.
The heavy oak and iron door stood wide open. Inside, a single wooden stool was overturned. On the stone floor lay a shattered clay bowl and a pool of dark, dried liquid.
Elara knelt beside the stain, dipping her gloved finger into the residue. She brought it near her nose, sniffing carefully.
"He wasn't freed by force," Elara observed, looking up at Vance and Aurelia. "He took the potion himself. Just enough to simulate death. The guards thought he was a corpse, unlocked the door to remove him, and when they turned their backs..."
"When they turned their backs, someone replaced his 'body' with a decoy," Vance finished, pointing toward a dark corner of the cell.
Lying on the dirty straw was the corpse of a common dockworker, dressed in Malachi’s ragged prison robes. A silver needle was stuck into the man's neck.
"They murdered an innocent man just to swap the bodies during transport," Aurelia said, horror rising in her voice. "Who has access to the prison transfers?"
"Only three people," a voice echoed from the dark stairwell.
King Cassian stepped into the corridor, flanked by two royal guards. His face was drawn, dark circles under his eyes revealing his lack of sleep. "The Prison Warden, Master Physician Julian, and Lord Regent Aris—the grand representative sent from the Capital last month to oversee the trade treaties."
"Lord Aris?" Aurelia frowned. "He's an uncle to the High Empress! Why would he involve himself with a disgraced royal doctor?"
"Because Oakhaven is not the only place where kings are made and destroyed," Elara said softly, standing up and wiping her gloves. She walked over to the back wall of Malachi's cell.
Unlike the other cells, the stone wall at the rear showed a thin, hairline crack near the floor—a hidden masonry seam that had been plastered over decades ago. Elara pressed her palm against the stone, feeling a faint, cold draft blowing through.
"Where does this lead?" Cassian asked, stepping up beside her.
"This tunnel connects directly to the lower aqueducts," Elara explained. "The aqueducts run beneath the entire city, leading out to the old abandoned quarry near the northern cliffs. If Malachi escaped through here, he isn't trying to flee the city. He's heading to his master's laboratory."
"Then we hunt him down," Cassian declared, drawing his sword. "Vance, rally thirty of your best men. We seal every exit of the aqueducts."
"No, Your Majesty," Elara stopped him. "If a full squad of guards enters those narrow tunnels, they will hear you coming a mile away. Malachi will destroy his notes, poison his remaining captives, and vanish into the Capital. Aurelia and I know those tunnels better than anyone. We go in quiet."
"I won't let my sister and my savior walk into a trap alone," Cassian insisted firmly.
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"You won't be alone," Vance grunted, pulling a heavy lantern and two hand-axes from his belt. "I'm coming with you. The king stays here to lock down the castle and secure Lord Aris before he realizes Malachi has escaped."
Cassian hesitated, but looking at the determined faces of the three people who had saved his kingdom before, he nodded. "Take the royal crossbows. And if you find Malachi... bring him back in chains, or don't bring him back at all."
