SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 25- Shadows of the Past

"What the fuck, how is that even possible?" Aria asks worriedly.

"I have no idea, the screening process to be a guard or part of the staff is vigorous. They deny two out of three people who apply even if there's the smallest amount of risk."

"Maybe someone slipped through." Pearl sighs as she paces nervously around the room.

"I'm not going to say that it isn't a possibility, but I wouldn't even know where to start looking," I state as I try to think, but unfortunately, I haven't been home long enough to make any personal connections with the staff aside from Aurora's sages.

"Should we talk to your dad?" Aria asks nervously.

"I thought about it, but he's probably going to tell me not to meddle around with this until they know more." I sigh.

"Are you sure?" Pearl asks as she turns her attention away from the windows, crossing her arms and seeming to be shivering.

"I haven't been home for years, they aren't just going to let me start poking my nose into things again," I state as I sit down on the couch, trying to think of what to do next.

"Has that ever stopped us before?" Phoenix asks as he and Desire open the door.

"Seriously, what is with people around here just walking into conversations unannounced?" Aria asks, startled.

"Get used to it." Desire states as she leans on the doorframe "Now are you all just going to sit here, or do you wanna come to find out more with us?" she asks with determination. I stop and look at Pearl and Aria. Aria immediately nods, and after a moment of hesitation, Pearl does as well.

"What if we get caught?" Pearl asks as we head into the hallway.

"What are they gonna do? Ground us?" Phoenix laughs "We're all adults, they can't do shit to stop us anymore."

"Still, we should probably try to stay under the radar." I explain "If they know we're lurking, they might try to hide it from us."

"Sounds good." Desire states as we head down the hall toward the dead end.

"Um, I thought we were heading to the catacombs?" Pearl asks, confused.

"The main entrance is already under guard. Luckily, we have a back way in." I state as Phoenix breaks open the hidden door, revealing the old crumbling staircase going down. As we descend the stairs, Aria and Pearl look at the ancient walls in curiosity. Soon, we reach the bottom, entering a dark room. Phoenix and Desire immediately create flames that they hold in their hands, illuminating the darkness. The entire cavern is in shambles, stone juts out of the ground and broken artifacts are scattered about. Looking up, I can see where the large hole in the ceiling had been patched up generations ago.

"What is this place?" Pearl asks, completely dumbfounded by the chamber.

"This, my friends, is the vault." Desire states as she carefully makes her way across the crumbling room.

"No kidding." Aria states in astonishment "Why is it such a mess down here?"

"After the final battle against Gael, it was sealed when they patched the broken part of the temple. Mother says it was to lock away the reminder of what happened without disturbing the evidence of what had been done." Desire explains as she steps over a broken urn, the ashes that were once inside had long been forgotten.

"My mother..." I begin hesitantly "She didn't want to see this place ever again after what happened. Chloe and my father collected everything that was meaningful before sealing it off, but aside from that, this place is exactly as it was a hundred and fifty-six years ago." I sigh as I gently run my hand over a crumbled part of the wall. It looks like someone had smashed into it.

"Watch where you step, there's still broken glass vile's all over," Phoenix states as he heads for the back of the room. As I carefully make my way across, I stop and pick up a broken arrow that had been stuck under a small pile of bricks. I can't help but study it thoughtfully, knowing that Aunt Amy was the one who had shot these during their last stand. The entire room brings chills to my body, not from the cold draft coming in from the connected caves, but from the thought of what had gone down here. The debris, the scorch marks, the broken weapons, and the artifacts, all just show how intense that day must have been. Not to mention that that was only the part before they entered his mind.

"Breeze, you okay?" Desire asks, and suddenly I realize that everyone is waiting for me.

"Yea, sorry." I state as I gently put the arrow back where I had found it "Let's go." I say as I rush to catch up. Past the vault is a tunnel that leads to the old tombs, a place where the ashes of the original Eternal Lines had been kept. Just like the vault, they left this place as it was after Gael had been vanquished, closing off the past and opening the door for a new future. I try not to focus on anything as we pass through, it all makes me think too much. After this hall, there is what appears to be a dead end. But just like the hidden door from before, this is also nothing more than an illusion. Beyond the wall is a shortcut into the depths of the catacombs, a back way in that hasn't been used in over a century.

Desire waves me forward, and together, we loosen the door and push it open. We both quickly make sure that no one is around before stepping out, then motion for everyone to quietly follow. We turn corner after corner, knowing this place well after living here for years. Eventually, we come to an area adjacent to the cavern full of ancient texts, not accessible from the other way. To our benefit, there is a small hole in the wall that we can hear through. Even though we know that we can't be seen, we all crouch down, hoping to catch the conversation. Luckily for us, they are all speaking clearly.

"I don't care, this doesn't make any sense." Aurora states in frustration "Even if someone made it down here, they would have no idea how to decode the language. It took us years to completely translate it, and you think someone was able to slip in and learn it just like that?"

"It's not exactly unheard of." Roxie states "Whether or not it's possible, it had to have been done. This clearly spells out exactly what we found, that can't just be a coincidence."

"No one is saying that it is." I hear my father say "But, that does complicate things quite a bit. If someone smart enough to crack this code and kill three men is out there, they must be a force to be reckoned with."

"What if it's multiple people?" Nixi asks nervously "Gael formed an entire cult under our noses, for all we know someone else has done this as well."

"And what we found may not be the first sacrifice they've made." Roxie states "For all we know, there are more sites out there that we just haven't found yet."

"Comforting." my father sighs "But, you're right. We need to treat this as the biggest threat to the city right now. I'm not going to stand by when they could snatch more innocent people away."

"What do you suggest?" Aurora asks "If we announce the danger, the culprits will know that we're on to them which would just make them even more dangerous." she explains worriedly.

"Good point." Roxie states frustratedly "Finding the ones responsible should be our main priority right now. I hate to say it, but waiting to alert the public seems like the right call."

"Are you serious? We can't just put everyone in danger like that." Nixi argues.

"When an animal is cornered, it becomes unpredictable. The same goes for the wicked." Roxie sighs "Aurora, I need you to gather all of the materials you have on this section and bring them to Sanctum. I hate to say it, but getting anyone outside of this immediate family involved is too risky." she explains worriedly.

"Understood," Aurora states.

"And be discreet about it. If this was someone who works here, we don't want them to get tipped off that we know about them." My father states clearly.

"Dante," I hear Nixi say calmly, "We need to tell Nanea and Brendan. If the ones responsible are after random people, it's a slim chance, but your daughter and her friends are at risk."

"I know," Daddy sighs "She doesn't want to move back home yet though, and I can't force her without warning her about this."

"Too late." Roxie sighs, and suddenly the wall beside us crumbles, revealing that we've been here the whole time "Something tells me that she already knows."