The imperial engineers worked through the night.
By sunrise, the northern slope had become a maze of trenches.
Adrian watched from the watchtower.
The enemy had found the ancient masonry.
But they still hadn’t found the entrance.
That distinction mattered.
“How many?” Adrian asked.
Sir Roland glanced toward the slope.
“Nearly fifty engineers. Perhaps two hundred soldiers protecting them.”
Adrian nodded.
“Good.”
Roland looked at him.
“Good?”
“They’re concentrating their best men in one place.”
A faint smile appeared on Adrian’s face.
“Exactly where I want them.”
Deep beneath the mountain, Garrick led Adrian through a narrow corridor.
The walls were reinforced with thick stone supports.
Every few dozen steps, another passage branched away.
Tomas looked around nervously.
“How many tunnels are there?”
Garrick answered,
“More than I remember.”
Adrian stopped.
“Then we have a problem.”
Garrick frowned.
“What problem?”
“We don’t know which ones are still safe.”
The old Sentinel’s expression changed.
He understood immediately.
Three centuries of earthquakes, erosion, and neglect had changed the mountain.
A tunnel that had been perfectly safe to the founders might now collapse without warning.
Adrian looked at the map.
“We need to know what still exists.”
For the next several hours, the group explored the underground network.
They marked safe passages with small chalk symbols.
One line meant safe.
Two meant damaged.
Three meant impassable.
The work was slow.
But Adrian refused to rush.
A single mistake underground could kill everyone.
Eventually, they reached a chamber Garrick had never seen.
Its entrance was partially blocked by fallen stone.
Tomas cleared enough rubble to see inside.
There were wooden shelves.
Old tools.
And several large clay jars.
Garrick’s eyes widened.
“An emergency depot.”
Adrian entered.
The jars contained dried grain.
Not enough for an army.
But enough to feed the refugees for weeks.
Sir Roland exhaled.
“How much food have we found beneath this mountain?”
“Enough to change the siege,” Adrian replied.
Above ground, the Emperor’s Hawk received another report.
“The northern excavation has uncovered an underground chamber.”
The commander smiled.
“Then we’re close.”
The Hawk looked at him.
“What did they find?”
“Old storage jars.”
“Food?”
“Yes.”
The Hawk became silent.
The commander laughed.
“The prince has been hiding supplies beneath the mountain.”
But the Hawk didn’t smile.
Instead, he walked to the map.
“If the chamber contains food…”
“Then why hasn’t the prince used it?”
The commander hesitated.
The Hawk placed a finger on the northern slope.
“Because that chamber isn’t the objective.”
He moved his finger deeper into the mountain.
“It’s a layer.”
“A layer?”
“Exactly.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Someone built this mountain like a fortress.”
Adrian returned to the War Chamber.
He spread the old maps across the table.
The discovery of the emergency depot had changed his understanding of the mountain.
The founders hadn’t simply created a secret escape route.
They had built an entire underground network.
Food.
Water.
Weapons.
Archives.
Routes.
Everything necessary to survive a siege.
Adrian looked at Garrick.
“How many people knew about all this?”
Garrick shook his head.
“Only the king, the chief Sentinel, and perhaps a handful of royal officials.”
Adrian frowned.
“Then how did someone steal the Founder’s Chronicle?”
Garrick had no answer.
That question still haunted them.
Suddenly…
A faint sound echoed through the tunnel.
Everyone froze.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Someone was striking stone.
Sir Roland drew his sword.
Tomas whispered,
“Someone is digging.”
Adrian raised his hand.
Everyone became silent.
They listened.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound came again.
But this time…
It wasn’t coming from outside.
It was coming from deeper inside the mountain.
Adrian looked at Garrick.
“You said these tunnels were abandoned.”
“They were.”
“Are you certain?”
Garrick stared into the darkness.
“I was.”
They followed the sound.
The corridor narrowed.
The air became colder.
Eventually, they reached an old iron door.
The door was partially open.
Adrian stopped.
Fresh scratches covered the stone floor.
Someone had moved it recently.
Garrick’s face went pale.
“This shouldn’t be open.”
Adrian slowly pushed the door farther.
Beyond it was another chamber.
And inside…
Someone had been living there.
A small fire still smoldered.
A clay cup sat beside it.
Fresh footprints crossed the floor.
Sir Roland’s grip tightened around his sword.
“Someone is inside this mountain.”
Adrian examined the footprints.
They were small.
One person.
Perhaps two.
And they were heading deeper.
The group followed.
They found another room.
Empty.
Then another.
Empty.
Finally, they reached a stone table.
On it lay several sheets of parchment.
Adrian picked up the first.
The writing was recent.
Not centuries old.
He read the first line.
His expression changed.
“What does it say?” Roland asked.
Adrian handed him the parchment.
The knight read it.
His face hardened.
It was a list.
Names.
Noble houses.
Military officers.
Merchants.
Foreign contacts.
And beside some names…
A simple mark.
A black circle.
Garrick stared at the page.
“I know some of these families.”
Adrian looked at him.
“Who are they?”
“People who served the kingdom before its fall.”
“Some remained loyal.”
“Others…”
Garrick’s voice lowered.
“…betrayed us.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
The Founder’s Chronicle hadn’t merely contained history.
It had contained names.
Far above them…
The Emperor’s Hawk suddenly stopped walking.
One of his engineers had uncovered another section of ancient stone.
But this time…
There was no royal crest.
There was something else.
A narrow ventilation shaft.
Fresh air was coming from it.
The Hawk touched the opening.
Cold air brushed against his fingers.
He looked toward the watchtower.
“There is another passage.”
The commander smiled.
“Then we finally have them.”
The Hawk shook his head.
“No.”
His expression became serious.
“We finally have a way in.”
Deep beneath the mountain…
Adrian folded the parchment.
The enemy was searching from outside.
Someone else was moving beneath them.
And somewhere in the darkness…
A person who had entered the mountain before them knew more about House Ardyn than they did.
Adrian looked toward the tunnel ahead.
“Put out the torches.”
Everyone stared at him.
Roland whispered,
“Why?”
Adrian answered quietly,
“Because we’re no longer the only ones hunting in the dark.”
One by one…
The flames disappeared.
The mountain fell into darkness.
And somewhere ahead…
A single footstep echoed.
Then another.
————————–The End———————
Next : Footsteps in the Dark
By : Zenryth