Even without their compass, Seiren and Madeleine soon found themselves on the right course. The bodies of dead guards lay on the ground, their blood soaking into the sand beneath. Swallowing, Seiren moved forward, Madeleine following close behind. The cliffs wove in and out, dipping into dark caves where the sunlight — now past the middle point — couldn't reach. Seiren continued to follow the body trail. Footsteps soon became evident, punctuated by droplets of blood, likely from the weapon that killed the Hannan guards.

What was there to gain by killing one of their own? For a fleeting moment, Seiren wondered if the ones they were following weren't actually Prince Magus and Kristen, but, on second glance, none of the bodies showed any sign of struggle. Whoever murdered them must be well-known to the guards.

An uneasy feeling rose in the back of Seiren's mind. These were pointless deaths — at least, on first glance. But Kristen never did anything by halves.

A large opening revealed itself as they rounded the next turn. The sight took Seiren's breath away. Huge pillars, thicker than ten tree trunks and taller than any building she'd been in, reached the skies. Despite the evident age and wear, the intricate carvings were still visible. Square bases displayed etchings of ancient creatures and men and women fighting alongside each other. Delicate swirls decorated each layer. A cylindrical body began from the level of Seiren's neck spiralling up to the top. Five pairs of these pillars lined the centre of the sandstone path ending in a steep, wide set of steps, which led up to the grandest stone building she'd ever seen.

Her mouth formed an awed 'o' shape, her eyes taking in the snarling snake in the top centre, its fangs protruded and pointing downwards. What appeared to be smaller, guardian statues stood before it: a crocodile; a shelled creature reminiscent of Gulmore's daemon; a long-limbed creature with an equally long, thin tail; a blocky-bodied creature with heavyset limbs; and a graceful, slender creature with a raised crown upon its head and a curled tail.

Seiren recognised that last statue. It still bore protuberant eyes despite the weathering, exactly like the creature that stared down at her, barely visible, from the walls within the palace of Falnash. These were statues of the daemons of the Daemonium. The snake in the centre must depict the royal family, then. Seiren was reminded of Eleia's tiny snake daemon; it would explain why she was so covert about Castiel, if the shape of the daemon gave her heritage away.

Madeleine tapped Seiren's elbow and pointed ahead. Seiren squinted. At the top of the sprawling stone steps were a small group of people. Seiren couldn't make out the identity of any of them.

The one at the furthest back turned around to give the surroundings a last check. Seiren ducked behind the pillar. When she popped her head out again, the group had vanished.

"Wait." Madeleine tugged at Seiren's sleeve with her uninjured hand. "Give them another two minutes, in case it's a trap."

Seiren licked her dry, cracked lips. What she'd give for a sip of water right now. Two minutes passed and nobody came back out. Seiren and Madeleine made their way down the side of the main path, keeping a keen eye out for any assassins or traps waiting for them. On either side of the path, beyond the pairs of pillars, were rock etchings not dissimilar to what decorated the base of the pillars: strong leaders leading soldiers tearing into battle, successful conquests of cities and fortresses, ferocious daemons destroying enemies. The beautiful carvings led up to the grand exterior of the tomb of King Feures Tophalis — even larger and grander when Seiren stood up close. They made their way up the steps. When Seiren reached midway, a gurgle came from above. Her blood turned to ice.

Dashing up the remaining steps, her breath caught in her throat. A square platform of about ten square feet connected the top of the steps to the wall. Lying in the centre, pale despite his dark skin and barely responsive, was a man about Rowan's age with long, unkempt black hair and a bristly beard. One eye was swollen shut and bruised, black against his brown skin. He was missing several front teeth and there were numerous, open, weeping wounds across his face and exposed arms and legs.

Madeleine knelt down at once, rummaging in her pockets for chalk and rune. Seiren scanned the area. It was a dead end; the other three sides were carved walls. Kristen's group had vanished — but where? Seiren ran a hand over the wall, her fingers flying over the intricate snake carving in the centre. No hidden buttons. No levers. Only a dull hum beneath her fingertips.

"Seiren, I need your help here!" Madeleine grunted. "I don't have any chalk!"

Seiren knelt beside her. The man's eyes fluttered, barely seeing. Blood continued to pour from the wound in his abdomen, soaking through the tattered prisoner's garment.

"What if it's a trap?" Seiren whispered. "What if he kills us the moment he—"

"Just save him — there must be a reason why Kristen did this. He's the only one who can tell us!"

Taking in a breath, Seiren stilled her mind despite her pounding heart. They were so close. Kristen could be just on the other side of the wall — but they had no way of getting into the tomb. It took longer than before, partly due to Seiren's own fatigue and partly of her own reservation about healing a Hannan. She found the core energy within him flowing, not dissimilar to those of Karmans, but there was a tinge of otherness in it. She put it down to his Hannan blood. Celestial magic poured through her hands into his body, mixing with his own life energy, and encouraging the healing to focus on his abdominal wound. It was deep, inflicted with a blade that had pierced the flesh and severed arteries, veins, and intestines, with an intention to kill. The magic flooded the area, coaxing the bleeding to stop and knitting together the severed bits.

Seiren took her hands back once the healing began independent of her. It shouldn't take too long before he recovered enough. The deaths of the guards outside helped catalyse the celestial magic. The bruising around his eye receded and the superficial scratches on his skin knitted together. Seiren straightened up to study the walls further. Perhaps her flash magic could break the stones into pieces.

"Are you a guard? A soldier?" Madeleine said, behind her.

"No. I'm... Magus." He swallowed. His voice was hoarse; coupled with his clipped Hannan accent, it made his words difficult to understand.

"Magus Tophalis?"

"Yes."

"Why are you out here?" Seiren said, whirling around. "I thought Kri—what happened to the people who brought you here?"

"The Daemonium are inside. To open this door, sealed by my father, one must weaken oneself to submit to the testimony of our ancestors. But they found an easier way."

"They made you bleed all over the floor so they could get in?" Seiren said incredulously. "They've killed enough guards outside. Couldn't they just have used one of those?"

"The spell only responds to royal blood. Only a royal member may enter. Only a royal member can open the door."

"I see." Seiren squinted at the wall. "So... do I need to get you to bleed again to open it?"

"No. It recognises me now." Magus struggled to his feet. Madeleine supported him at the armpit so he could reach the wall. He held out a bloodied hand and laid it in the centre of the etching of the snake. The etching glowed and the stone slabs dissolved away, revealing a dark doorway. Magus nodded and Madeleine aided him ahead. Seiren followed close behind. The wall knitted shut behind them, sealing off the remains of the late afternoon sun outside and plunging them into almost pure darkness.

As Seiren's eyes adjusted to the darkness, her surroundings became clearer. Iridescent stones stood atop pedestals on the edges of the platform immediately before them, bathing the nearby area in soft yellows and pastel blues. The high ceiling was swallowed in darkness. Shadows appeared to flit from cranny to cranny. The air was still, chilly — a stark contrast from the hot, dehydrated air outside — and musty; it could very well be twenty years since anyone had stepped foot in this place.

"Why are you helping us?" Seiren said. Magus didn't speak as he hobbled down the steps and groaned, resting his hands at his sides. The last of the chaos magic seeped into his body, sealing the wounds. He took in a deep breath and exhaled through his sharp nose.

"Fautos defied our father's wishes, stole the throne, and now he's tainted the Daemonium. He's wielding Karman magic, which is a disgrace, and he wishes to disturb the body of our most revered ancestor? No." He shook his head, fire in his grey eyes. "There is no forgiving. You wish to find them too, no? You saved my life. I will help you, in return. I will kill Fautos with my own bare hands if needs be. You two are not Hannan. You will need someone who wields a daemon like a royal prince if you wish to challenge the Daemonium."

A stone bridge stretched before them. Magus led the way, his head tall and his back straight, oozing confidence despite his tattered prisoner's garment and bare feet. A tall ancient door stood at the end of the bridge, decorated with jewels glistening all the colours of rune magic.

"Be on your guard, ladies. My brother is not one who fights honourably — or fairly."

"But wait..." Seiren frowned, a thought occurring to her. "Fautos is here too? Isn't he meant to be at — whatever that palace was called?"

"King Feures's Palace at Traquair." Madeleine locked eyes with Magus again. "Your sister, Eleia, and some insurgents against Fautos, are heading there right now. They heard Fautos was planning to summon the sealed royal daemon. But if he's here..."

"It was an attempt to throw off anyone following their traces." Magus jerked his head behind them. "They didn't want anyone knowing they were heading to the first king's tomb, so they spread word about them going in the other direction... it was that Karman woman's idea."

Kristen. Seiren's heart stilled.

"It was her idea to come here too, am I right?"

"Partly. There was... a disembodied voice. It was very persuasive to the Daemonium and ordered them to rescue the Karman woman. And now the Karman woman says she needs the body of Hanna. For what, I have no idea."

Seiren paused, the pieces falling together. The dead guards outside. The attempt at killing Magus. Accessing Hanna's dead body. Kristen had done this before, just over six years ago, after Zor Jarsdel blasted his way into Seiren's Finberry home and destroyed her life forever.

Kristen was going to reanimate Hanna.

Remember to vote!