Chapter 32: Andromeda

Andromeda quietly shut the door behind her, her gloved hand gripping it tightly. There had been nothing but tables and chairs with a few unlit torches keeping the room in darkness.

Cassiopeia had vanished inside another room down the long hallway a few minutes prior. They had taken the middle hallway at the intersection—an easy path, but still very exposed. It left Andromeda even more anxious to walk out in the open.

She glanced at the lacquered door, its wood polished and emblemed with the small symbol they had seen when they had first walked it. It matched the scarlet of the hanging banners against the wall above them.

Where is Cassiopeia?

On cue, she stepped out of the room, the tip of her spear followed by her cloaked figure. She shut the door of her cleared room and strode to where Andromeda was standing, her gold eyes glinting over her mask.

“Did you find anything?” she whispered.

Andromeda shook her head. “No, nothing important, you?”

“More tables and chairs, this time a bookshelf, but nothing in it worth noting.” She surveyed the hallway. “Makes you wonder why they need so many rooms for meetings.”

“They can’t have that many people in on this,” Andromeda replied with a purse of her lips. Her grip tightened on her bow.

Right?

Cassiopeia tilted her head down the hall. “Let’s keep moving. I don’t know how long we’ve been in here.”

They took off side by side down the hall, and Andromeda shivered, noticing that the air was colder than she expected. It was clear that they were deep underground, the walls sealing off any possible windows or openings. As they walked on, they noticed a pair of matching doors, each one on a different wall across from each other.

Andromeda’s hand drifted to her wrist, but remembered her gloves and clothing covering up her birthmark. Still, she absentmindedly rubbed the area over it as she glanced into one of the rooms.

“Are those gloves bothering you?” Cassiopeia asked, her eyes on her hands. “I might’ve messed up a few stitches.”

“Oh no, they’re wonderful, really,” Andromeda replied quickly, suddenly conscious of her fingers.

“Okay, good. Those were my first time making archer gloves.”

Andromeda smiled, still hidden by the mask. They continued working down the hall.

I wonder if anyone else found something.

“Wait, Andromeda, take a look in here,” called Cassiopeia, her head stuck through the door across from her.

She left her current room and peered over Cassiopeia’s shoulder. This room was much wider than its counterparts, widening to fit a long metal table. It contrasted the uniform wood used for most of the furniture, and it sat dull in the unlit room. They could only see the middle of it from the light they allowed through the open door.

Cassiopeia stepped inside, and Andromeda followed, her eyes trying to adjust to the dark. She hesitantly left the door half open, the hallway light illuminating a bit of the room.

On the table were stacks of paper, piled on top of each other and stretching down the length of the table. Some were yellowed and curling, others new and stark. There were bundled stacks with twine, and some were thrown over messily. Andromeda glanced at her boot and saw a few scattered on the floor.

“This can’t possibly be their archive,” she said as she bent down to grab a few sheets, squinting to read them—a harder task now without her trusted reading glasses. One had blurry drawings and sketches of a certain room on curling paper. Another had the recognizable stamped emblem of the Ash Guard, small, unreadable print scribbled on with dried ink.

“No, I don’t think it is,” Cassiopeia replied, leaning her spear against the table and shuffling through the piles. “Sketches, official letters, announcements, most of them old.”

“Official letters from the Ash Court?”

“Yes, I assume most of these bastards are in the Guard.”

“It’s a little strange they’re piled in this room,” Andromeda mused, standing up.

“Maybe they’re gathering infor—” Cassiopeia stopped herself, her eyes narrowing.

Andromeda locked eyes with her. Footsteps, growing louder.

They immediately dropped the papers in their hands and rushed to the door, swinging it shut and casting themselves in deep darkness. They both pressed against either side of it. Andromeda grabbed an arrow, the smooth wood familiar in her palm. The footsteps grew louder and they stilled, listening to the voices.

“Did the captain call for everyone again?” said a low voice.

“Apparently he did, despite it being the dead of the night,” another muttered.

“It’s to stay undetected or whatever. My arms are still sore from yesterday.”

Their voices amplified as they passed by the girls’ door, but began to ebb away as they kept walking.

“Undetected my ass. Those blockheads upstairs are thicker than these walls.”

A snicker. “Good thing, too. The Legion has done me better than the Guard ever will do.”

A sick feeling filled Andromeda’s stomach, and she glanced over at Cassiopeia. Her eyes were shining with anger and hatred, fists clenched and her knuckles white.

These are the people who killed her friend, and the rest of those innocent villagers.

Their voices were growing dimmer by the second, and Cassiopeia’s eyes hardened as he locked them with Andromeda’s. “We’re following them.”

“What?”

Cassiopeia inched forward to the door, her ear close to the wood. “They’ve gone far enough. We have to leave now so we don’t lose them.”

She placed a hand on the doorknob, turning it with a soft click.

“Wait, are you sure this is the best idea?” Andromeda asked in a rush. “They might lead us to more of them, or we could be spotted.”

The door opened fluidly, and Cassiopeia stepped out, her spear angled in front of her. Andromeda scrambled after her, careful to close the door quietly behind her. Her partner immediately took off down the hall in the direction of the voices. They must have turned at the corner ahead, and Andromeda trailed behind.

“Cassiopeia, wait!”

She whipped around and took a step closer to face her, amber eyes aflame. “We can’t wait, we can’t let them get away!” she hissed, pulling down her mask to reveal the rest of her face. Her thin, ruby lips were twisted in a scowl, and there was a faint red line over the bridge of her sharp nose and prominent cheekbones from the mask.

Andromeda stopped, staring at her. They were near the same height, but Andromeda seemed to be just a slight bit taller. A lock of black hair fell from Cassiopeia’s hood, blending it with the dark cloth.

Her eyes widened and she stepped back. “Andromeda, I—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…I didn’t mean to do that.”

“It’s okay,” she replied softly. “I understand you’re hurting, I can’t imagine losing a close friend to those…those beasts. You have a right to be upset.”

Cassiopeia looked down, her jaw clenching. Andromeda switched her arrow to her other hand and grabbed her partner’s hand, squeezing it gently.

“We can follow them, see if they show us something helpful. Just please be careful, and don’t do anything impulsive. We’re working together now, and I’d prefer you don't get caught.”

She finally looked up, nodding slightly. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Cassiopeia squeezed her hand back before releasing, hastily wiping at her eyes. Pulling her mask back up, she exchanged a look with Andromeda before starting back down the hall. Andromeda followed, alert on anything that may be coming up behind them.

They reached the rounded corner, the stone bending to the left. Cassiopeia stopped, taking a quick glance before nodding to move forward. Yet Andromeda could see her eyebrows were drawn together.

“What is it?” she breathed.

“It stops.”

Andromeda tilted her head in confusion and stepped in front of Cassiopeia, looking past the curved wall and ahead, her arrow near her drawstring.

Cassiopeia was half right. The walls opened up wider, into a more dome-like shape. It rose higher above them, and they were met with a large set of double doors with bronze handles. Even larger banners hung above them, the same deep red and sickening emblem. Muffled sounds could be heard from the doors, unmarked and polished.

To the right was another hallway, mostly hidden from view from where the pair was standing. The carpet stopped here, and was replaced by cold, smooth stone floors. Andromeda glanced to her left, another large door nestled within. Only this one was locked, a complex system of latches at its side.

“It’s huge,” Andromeda said as she gazed around.

How is all of this hidden underground?

“Come on,” Cassiopeia replied with a tug at her sleeve. They stepped out from their corner, warily walking forward. The hallway opened up around them, and Andromeda felt her heart speed up.

We’re completely exposed.

A muffled shout escaped from the doors, and they froze, staring at the glossy wood. Yet no one came through, and the muted sounds continued without interruption.

“I think we know where our bastards went,” muttered Cassiopeia.

Andromeda moved forward again, nearing the door. She heard her partner behind her, her boots clicking against the bare floor. They fell into their normal stances, Cassiopeia hovering close behind her shoulder. With a deep breath, Andromeda pressed herself against the wall and grabbed a handle, simultaneously praying no one would appear from the two hallways in front of them. The door silently cracked open a sliver, enough to allow Andromeda to peek through undetected.

“Stars,” she whispered.

There were so many of them. In the seemingly endless room, their rows stretched farther than what she could see, neat and organized. Their blades, wicked and long, glinted in the torchlight, brighter than any other place in this starforsaken base. Men and women and even people her own age, all yelling war cries as they practiced in sync, in crisp formation, cutting the air in front of them in their sweat-soaked clothing. None of them had the dignified maroon of the Ash Court, and instead war armor of blazing reds and oranges. The leaders paced around, their faces aflame and mouths open in dim yells.

Cassiopeia slammed a fist against the wall, and Andromeda jumped, her eyes wide. She released the handle, and the door drifted shut.

“Dammit,” she seethed, her eyes still glued through the glass. “Why are there so many? Why the hell are there so many?”

Stars, this is a lot more serious than I imagined.

Andromeda grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side, to the left of the doors and away from the narrow glass. “Listen, I don’t know, but we’re here to stop them, Cassiopeia. I swear by it. You and Arcturus will get justice for your friend, and these people will be stopped.”

She scanned the doorway, an idea coming to her mind.

Those guards said everyone was called here…

“Actually, I know something we can do.”

Her partner raised an eyebrow. “What are you thinking?”

“Do you remember that room back down the hall with the weapons?”

“Yes…”

“Can you grab a long blade from there? Or a spear like yours? Something strong and long.”

Csssiopeia cocked her head but nodded, taking off and sprinting back around the corner. She left her spear leaning against the stone wall. Andromeda felt her heartbeat spike and her palms began to sweat under her gloves despite the cool temperature. But Cassiopeia was back in a minute, carrying a large, thick, spear-like metal, only both the ends were rounded and blunt.

“Will this do?” she said with a pant.

Andromeda nodded. “Slide it between the handles.”

She watched as Cassioopeia’s eyes widened before the corners upturned, in what she assumed to be a smile. “I like this idea.”

Putting away her arrow and slinging her bow over her shoulder, the girls stuck the heavy pole between the long handles, resting it at the center and wedging it in hard.

“That should buy us some time in case something happens,” said Andromeda.

A chuckle. “I wish I could see those bastards’ reaction when they find out we’ve locked in their stupid army.” Her eyes softened. “Thank you, Andromeda. You…you helped me keep my head cool. I’m glad I came here with you.”

Andromeda smiled under her mask, before a loud shout sounded from the hallway to their right. Her smile quickly vanished, and she squinted down the narrow hallway, stretching out farther than she could see.

“That didn’t sound good. We should get moving, now,” said Cassiopeia, grabbing her spear.

“Let’s rendezvous back to where we split up—there’s nothing else here for us to check,” Andromeda suggested. “I think that hallway stems off from the path Astrid and Arcturus took.”

Cassiopeia let out a sigh. “Let’s hope Arcturus didn’t get himself caught.”

Taking one last look at the blocked door, Andromeda began to run with her partner back the way they came. Another shout resonated behind them, but she kept her gaze forward as the pair made their way through the winding halls.

She could only hope the commotion behind them didn’t involve her friends.