Chapter 24: The Secrets Beneath

William had never felt so nervous. Standing outside the ruined building that started it all felt like a dream. Between the surrounding trees and the large cliff faces, and the overgrown foliage, the building blended perfectly with the environment. Even with the coordinates, it took longer to find than expected. So much had happened and so many lives lost because of this place. An abandoned, decrepit building, full of objects well past their prime, and they did more damage than he could have ever imagined.

He wondered what went through the minds of the people who created this building. What would they think standing here centuries later, knowing what their creation was used for? Knowing that it would be lost to the ages for an unknown period of time before someone disturbed its rest.

Standing in front of it, there was no mistaking it, this building held some sort of significance to Lyndria or Cutter or both. That they knew about this place hidden deep in the wild proved that.

His fascination overrode his fears and regrets as questions flood his mind. Why did they abandon this place? Why let it turn to this? Why use it as a hiding place? What other secrets did it hold? The history this place held would be priceless.

Lady Masterson’s voice disturbed the fantasy. “So that’s it, huh? I expected something more impressive. It looks like a typical run-down building.”

William chose to ignore how she knew what qualified as a typical run-down building and said, “Its unassuming nature is exactly why it holds the most secrets.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird that she chose this of all hiding places?”

“I’ve learned to stop trying to understand Cutter.”

“Fair enough. Let’s go. We’re wasting daylight.” She turned to the crew behind them, still unloading their gear. “One of you come with us. The rest stay here and establish a perimeter and set up camp. Remember, Cutter knows this place exists so expect her to know the area well.”

The door was overgrown with weeds, so they entered through a hole in the wall instead. William noted how the pattern of the rubble around the hole suggested something had broken out instead of in. He prayed it was just the direction the debris fell in when the wall crumbled from time.

The floor creaked with every step like the angry moan of a large beast. He was more concerned with the rotted floorboards giving way than anything else. The inside of the building was only one large room with broken furniture and a blocked backdoor. Given the immense size, it had been designed with dragons in mind.

“There’s nothing here,” Lady Masterson said. “I don’t see any other rooms or stairs.”

“No, there is something here,” William said. “Be careful. The men I hired said they lost two of their own to traps.”

“Traps?” their escort asked. It took William a moment to recall the man introduced himself as Joel. “Those things still work after all this time?”

Lady Masterson answered, “You’d be amazed. Some things still work after hundreds of years. Don’t count on it being efficient though.”

William had nothing to add. He was too focused on finding the passage to the other room. It had to be there. A hidden door, a hole in the floor, something.

Finally, Joel broke the silence with exactly what William hoped to hear. “I found something.” He seized a large rusted handle on the floor and heaved. The trap door opened with an ear-splitting squeal, but it opened to a staircase into a deep abyss.

Lady Masterson lit a pair of lanterns and gave one to William. “Let’s go. Take it slow and watch your step.”

Never had William felt so nervous climbing down a flight of stairs. They were made of stone instead of wood but that didn’t make him feel better. If even one step crumbled, the whole staircase could come down. At least it didn’t groan with every step. He wasn’t sure how far they descended but he felt the tension release from his shoulders upon finally reaching the bottom.

A hallway stretched as far as the glow of their lanterns before the wall of darkness cut off the view. The walls were surprisingly bland and cracked but reinforced with bricks and large stone pillars.

Lady Masterson raised her lantern higher as she examined the walls. “It’s hard to see the ceiling. I’m no architect, but these walls are in surprisingly good shape. I thought this whole place would’ve come down by now.

“Should we come back with an excavation team?” Joel asked, the fear in his voice unmistakable. William didn’t blame him. They were an unknown depth underground and the only thing saving them from an unpleasant end were walls and a ceiling that hadn't been maintained in centuries.

“That would take too long,” Lady Masterson said. She lowered her lantern and started ahead. “Let’s go.”

William followed her cautious lead. They moved slowly, watched their step, and avoided anything that looked suspicious. No one spoke. He wasn’t sure what worried him more, the silence, the darkness, or the imminent threat of being buried alive.

The dark hall led into several side rooms. Lady Masterson took the lead and poked her head inside, took a quick look around, and wrote it off as not the one they wanted. He was unsure how she knew that but chose to refer to her judgment.

Eventually, the smell of death and decay assaulted their senses and they became even more cautious. It didn’t take long to discover the source of the smell. A large iron gate barred the path. A human corpse was pinned beneath the bars.

“Looks like we found the trap you warned us about,” Joel said.

“There must be a way around,” Lady Masteron said. “That expedition team William hired had to get the book from somewhere.”

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find that one of the bars had been broken, most likely when the gate came down. The opening provided a gap wide enough for them to squeeze through and continue.

Part of William wished that their delve would have hit a wall at the gate and they would be forced to bring down a team to dig a passage for them. It would have meant that no one else could uncover the secrets within either. But thinking about what could be no longer helped so he returned his focus to the present.

Suddenly Joel pointed out a narrow side hall that could have easily gone unnoticed in the dark It was the first branching hall they found so it was decided to explore it first. It also didn’t escape William’s notice that everyone silently agreed not to split up.

The hall led into a square room. Dusty shelves lined the walls and each shelf was filled with books. A massive table sat in the middle of the room but its surface had been left bare save for the thick blanket of dust.

Joel whistled. “Are all of these about Lyndria’s life?”

“I highly doubt it,” William said. “Unless each book chronicled a year of her life, she would not require this many books.” He examined one of the shelves. The spines were too faded and dusty to read. “Could you imagine the history here? The Great Rebellion destroyed so many records.”

“Focus,” Lady Masterson commanded. “We’re here to find why this place matters to Lyndria. We can do a history lesson later. William, do you have any ideas what the book would look like? A title? Anything?”

“If I had to guess, the book would be someplace separate from the others.”

“So not here then?”

“Ma’am, there’s something written on here,” Joel said, pointing at the table.

Upon closer inspection, the tabletop had several portraits carved into it, but nearly every one had been damaged in some way making its portrayal impossible to determine. A line connected each one and a single word of text. William circled the table, examining every detail. The way the drawings were arranged seemed to represent some kind of hierarchy. He found the one that stood at the head that also happened to be the largest portrait. It had been damaged like the others but underneath it, the word TANOR had been carved.

William’s jaw dropped. This table showed Tanor and likely her most trusted generals. He hurried to brush more dust off the table and began reading the names. There were so many.

“William, what are you doing?” Lady Masterson asked. “We’re here for a book, not a table."

He ignored her and continued examining the table. It validated Lyndria’s tale as fact, but it revealed something else as well. This was why this place mattered. It was where she kept a record of her enemies. “These are all dragon names,” he whispered. Even the portraits above the names, while damaged, still clearly showed a carving of a dragon’s head.

“What does that matter?” Lady Masterson said, her growing impatience reflected in her tone. “Unless those names mean something to you, we must move on.”

Before he could explain, he came across two more names he recognized, Lisma and Olyvia. Lisma’s portrait had been destroyed, but not Olyvia’s. Closer inspection showed a line had been carved connecting the names. All the lines led back to Tanor whether directly or indirectly.

“It’s a family tree,” William said breathlessly.

“Come again?” Lady Masterson asked.

“This table, it’s a record of Tanor and her offspring.”

The woman’s eyes widened and she stared intently at the table. “These are all born from the same dragon? There’s at least 30 names here. Why would a long-lived species need this many children?”

“Sounds like someone liked to party,” Joel said, chuckling. When no one shared his amusement, he fell silent and stood out of the way.

William took control of the conversation. “If I’m reading this correctly, the destroyed portraits must be the ones that have been killed or confirmed dead. But why would they want to keep track of all of Tanor’s children? Revenge perhaps?”

Even as the words passed his lips, he didn’t believe it. If this were a simple matter of vengeance why were names not crossed off? Were her remaining descendants that elusive or was there another reason for leaving them alive? Then he recalled the necklace Cutter acquired. Assuming the legend was true and those who wore it were driven mad, Tanor wasn’t affected by it. That meant her offspring likely shared that same immunity.

“Hey, Cutter’s name is on here,” Lady Masterson said.

William joined her side and examined the area where she pointed. Sure enough, CUTTER had been carved into the table but the portrait above it had been damaged.

“This Cutter refers to someone else,” William explained. “The one mentioned here is not the one we know today.”

“A relative then?” Lady Masterson asked. “Named after her ancestor?”

“She would be on the table as well but her name is not amongst the others.” He slowly ran a finger along Cutter’s name. So many thoughts and revelations swirling through his mind. So the Cutter of the past was one of Tanor’s daughters. If the current one was a descendant that meant she shared Tanor’s blood as well. If she was aware, it explained everything except how she wound up working for Lyndria.

Joel spoke up. “Uh, correct me if I’m wrong but if this Tanor’s descendants are marked on this table, wouldn’t it make more sense to use a fake name?”

William’s jaw dropped. He had considered the possibility but never took it seriously. It did him no good anyway since dragons didn’t keep birth records, making it near impossible to find Cutter’s alias regardless.

Lady Masterson was the first to speak up. “So Cutter is secretly one of Tanor’s descendants? Okay, fascinating, but that helps us how?”

“I will keep this brief, but for now know that the Cutter we know today is likely a descendant of the dragons listed on this table. I believe she seeks revenge against Lyndria for ravaging her family line.” He pointed to the five unmarked names. “These are the dragons who have the power to challenge Lyndria. They are most likely next on her list. And Cutter’s true name is among them.”

Lady Masterson leaned over and read out the names, “So that’s Legana, Olyvia, Renquiesce, Tamentri, and Kala. We just have to track down these dragons who are scattered all over Geolga. Yeah, real easy,” she added sarcastically.

“I can say for certain that Olyvia is not one of them,” William said. “As for the others, we must find them. Their our link to Lyndria and Cutter. Thank you for opening my eyes, Joel. Admittedly, I never considered the possibility that our Cutter could be one of her descendants.”

“You’re very welcome, sir,” Joel replied.

“I don’t mean to shut down your idea, but what does any of this have to do with us?” Lady Masterson asked, irritation creeping into her voice. “Cutter likely hasn’t used her original name in centuries so I doubt anyone else even knows it making it useless for tracking her down. Let’s not forget our original goal is to figure out what Lyndria’s end game is.”

“We won’t know Lyndria’s motivations until we discover more of the books,” William said. “What we do know is Tanor desired is dominating all life in Geolga, or more accurately, humans.” He leaned on the table and studied his companion's faces to see if they understood or had any questions. When no one took the floor, he continued, “We can safely assume that her offspring seek to finish what she started or at least want revenge against Lyndria for killing her.”

“What makes you think Lyndria won?” Joel asked.

“Humanity hasn’t been reduced to dragon slaves.”

“At least on this side of the border,” Lady Masterson mumbled.

William ignored the comment. “It would explain why Cutter is so familiar with the details of Lyndria’s life and why she’s using her as a smokescreen. To pit us against Lyndria to do the dirty work for her. Now I must admit this is all conjecture, but it’s my best theory. Cutter has never once fully revealed her plans and motivations, instead relying on misdirection and subterfuge.”

“So the most obvious conclusion, like the two of them working together, is the one she wants us to believe,” Lady Masterson finished.

William nodded. “This leads me to my second conjecture: Lyndria is in hiding. I’m unsure why, but I believe that not even Cutter knows her whereabouts.” He gestures to the dark, dusty, and crumbling room around them. “Why else would she allow her base of operations deteriorate into such a state?”

Lady Masterson folded her arms across her chest and shrugged. “I’m with you so far, but what’s our next move? From what you’ve told me, it sounds like Lyndria isn’t our enemy. Even so, after what you told me about this ‘dragon awakening’ I would feel a lot better with a powerful Matriarch on our side. So which is it? Are we looking for Cutter or Lyndria?”

William thought for a moment. While he loathed the idea of jumping to conclusions once again and being made a fool of, without some kind of goal, they would be wandering endlessly. All he had at the moment were unconfirmed theories. He would have liked to gather more evidence first before deciding anything but by then it would be too late. Their best hope now. was to take a shot in the dark and hope it got them at least closer to their goal. “We must look for Lyndria which I’m sure is exactly what Cutter wants,” he said. “The Matriarch’s Call is too powerful a weapon and only another Matriarch is immune to its effects. If we hope to have any chance against Cutter, especially with that necklace in her possession—”

“You mean that fake relic?” Lady Masterson interjected.

“Fake or not, it gives her more power than she already possesses,” William said matter-of-factly. “Our only defense is to have another dragon on our side.” He once again waited for one of them to cut in with another question or remark, but they remained silent. “So our plan is this, we continue to find the books and hope they lead to some clue as to Lyndria’s current whereabouts. If we’re lucky, we’ll reach her first and can convince her to aid us.”

He grabbed his lantern and started to move towards the exit when to his surprise, Joel raised his hand. “Um, one question: why hasn’t Lyndria done something already? Shouldn’t she know about all this?”

Lady Masterson was the one to answer. “Who said she wants to deal with this for the rest of her life? She probably got tired of fighting and hid in the mountains somewhere.”

“Forgive me, ma’am, but it doesn’t sound like she’d want to help us then.”

“Unless you know another powerful Matriarch who gives a damn about humans, I’m all ears. Because I can assure you, the Dracaena is not one of them.”

William cleared his throat, getting their attention. “Perhaps we should return to the task at hand? Those books will also reveal other potential allies we can approach and give us intel on how Tanor was defeated which can be used to our advantage.”

A smile crossed her face. “There’s the William Delcatt I know. Glad to see you haven’t been completely broken.”

“Yes, well, Cutter has tested my resolve in ways I never fathomed. It’s not easy to learn the thing you put faith in is false. Or to be betrayed by those you trusted.”

She patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. “It was all to blind you to the truth. And it was damn effective, I have to say. But now you’re back in control and we’re going to make her pay.”

William nodded. And this time he would not repeat the same mistakes. He assumed he knew better and understood Cutter’s goal. Now he would move forward on the idea that his opponent was unpredictable and hid secrets. That was why those books were so important. The more information they gathered before making a move, the better. Cutter went to great lengths to ensure he was confused and blinded to her actions.

Lady Masterson clapped her hands, the echoing sound breaking the silence. “Well, we won’t be doing anything from in here. What do you say we find this book and get out of here?”

Things felt different upon returning to the main hall felt different. The threat of death by cave-in still lingered, but the overall atmosphere didn’t feel as oppressive or mysterious. He chalked it up to having a clearer indication of their goal and reason for fighting. Before, it was just about finding answers to unknown questions, now they had something specific to focus on.

After a lengthy walk of nothing but the same bland walls, it finally opened up to a large chamber, this one filled with various tapestries, clothes, pots, jewelry, weapons, and chests.

Before anyone could complain about how difficult it would be to find anything remotely useful in this mess, William pointed out that Lyndria would have likely hidden the book someplace only a select few could access.

It was the right call as a careful inspection of the walls revealed a hidden chamber. The way things had been left scattered across the shelves or neglected on the floor, it had clearly been disturbed before, but how long ago, none could say. The room itself didn’t contain much beyond a large chest filled with dusty old books and random seemingly worthless junk.

Immediately, William knew this was Lyndria’s private stash. Dragons had a habit of collecting trophies of their achievements or gathering things that they find interesting. To anyone else, it looked like a bad collection of garbage, but each item held some significance to its owner.

A quick leaf through the books revealed these were the tomes they searched for. In all, it was a six-piece set, including the one William had already translated. All the books had also been written in the same unique language. He didn’t look forward to going through all of these himself and it would take far too long anyway.

“Didn’t you mention someone in Diamus who could translate the texts?” Lady Masterson asked.

“A dracologist by the name of Jefferey Jackman. I believe he can be trusted,” William said. He loathed the idea of involving more innocents in this, but they also didn’t have much of a choice. It would take too long to decipher the books himself and time was already short.

“If you vouch for him, fine,” Lady Masterson replied after a brief silence. “Now let’s get out of here before the roof comes down or something.”

William wanted to explore more. This place held so many secrets and he feared coming back only to find a caved-in ruin where those same secrets had been destroyed. But time was of the essence and so long as Cutter held that accursed necklace, they would not have the luxury of taking things slow.

After a thorough search to make sure no other secrets were to be found, they packed up the books and headed back to the surface.

“Hey, William, something keeps nagging at me,” Lady Masterson said. “Why did Cutter choose you of all people? I mean, if her goal was to recover this necklace or what have you, doesn’t she have enough spies and contacts to have set something up by now?”

“I imagine she knew she needed a scapegoat to take the fall,” William said, fighting to keep the bitterness out of his voice. That mistake would haunt him forever.

“But with her abilities, she could have taken over the prison anyway. And then she left you alive when she could have killed you and everyone would’ve assumed you died during the breakout. I know what you’re thinking and I have a theory.”

She paused as if waiting for William to ask what that theory was. While curious, such a question was pointless. When he didn’t speak up, she continued. “I think I know what Cutter’s planning next. She used you as a distraction for the Scale Guild. To keep us so busy chasing other leads, we don’t have time to organize against her.”

“It would not surprise me,” William said. “She enjoys using me as the blindfold to sneak up on enemies.”

“She doesn’t need a blindfold, she needs bait,” Lady Masterson said. “Live bait. She could’ve easily used one of her own lackeys, but she knows the guild would have never left you to your fate. But she messed up. I’m guessing you were supposed to die when those poachers took you or she didn’t count on my raid.” With a sly smile, she added, “Or more likely she didn’t expect us to come back here. Now that we know that Lyndria isn't a player, she doesn’t have her smokescreen.”

“But how does that help us?”

“It helps us by giving us a path to follow. She’s going after any organization that could even remotely be a threat to her. The Scale Guild doesn’t fight dragons, but we also take them seriously enough to know what they’re capable of. If she breaks us up, by the time we recover, she’ll have most of Geolga under her control.

“So here’s the plan. We go back to Diamus immediately. I’ll present our findings to the other charter leaders and you get those books translated.

William still didn’t fully trust her but he had no objections and no one else to rely on at the moment. For now, understanding Tanor’s role in all this would be key. Cutter’s entire plan hinged on their ignorance.