It took three more tunnels before they found one that ended up somewhere useful. The second and third had both been filled in at the end, so who'd ever dug them had at least been smart enough to realize something was being investigated. Yuze had expected to find some sign of whoever was using them, dropped items, footprints, hairs caught after brushing the ceiling, even crumbs, but there'd been nothing.
The complete lack of signs was impressive according to Kai Low, since it was almost impossible for a person to leave absolutely no sign of their presence, even without significant effort and help.
It put Yuze in a worse mood than he was already in when they approached the fourth tunnel.
The entrance was the smallest so far, and after peering inside, he realized it wouldn't get much better. "We're going to have to crawl for this one."
Kai Low grimaced. "Great. You go first."
Yuze shot him a glare over his shoulder. "How helpful."
"You're shorter than me." His smile was too bright and far too innocent.
Yuze decided he'd kick him in the face a few times while they were crawling through the tunnel.
The smell of wet dirt was even stronger in this one, cloying and heavy and cold. Crawling on their hands and knees left them with a couple of inches of space all around. It was almost enough to make him claustrophobic.
The tunnel started to angle downward, and Yuze worried that it was going to keep going down towards the water, where the chill would become dangerous, but it levelled out after twenty feet or so.
It didn't get any bigger, though, and the sounds of their heavy breathing echoed in the small space.
Thankfully, the tunnel ended sooner than the first three, and they crawled into an open area with a door.
It seemed everyone who was digging these tunnels was using the same guide.
Yuze groaned as he stretched his legs and back. Kai Low followed suit, and Yuze heard several joints crack and winced in sympathy.
"What are the chances this one is just like the first?" Kai Low muttered.
Privately, Yuze thought that would be infuriating, but outwardly, he scoffed. "That's simply how it goes sometimes."
Kai Low glared at him, copper eyes hot, and Yuze turned away to hide his smile.
The door was the same as the first tunnel, but when Yuze pulled, it actually swung open.
Yuze and Kai Low shared a surprised look, swords at the ready, and Yuze slowly pulled the door open all the way.
There was a dark hallway beyond the door, and Kai Low cautiously shoved the torch forward to illuminate it.
The first thing that became visible was another door directly across the hall, with the gleaming gold emblem of the Wen family mounted on the door.
"The Wens." Yuze breathed. Some pieces clicked into place. The family was extremely ambitious and had risen quickly through the ranks in the last few decades.
Surprisingly quickly.
But if that rise was being funded by stolen artifacts, it was slightly less surprising. Was that how they'd secured an alliance with the Yangs?
Did the Yangs know about the artefacts?
Yuze frowned, puzzled. The Yangs were on high on Finn's list of families who were active in the Vault, but for putting items in the Vault, not taking them out, or just randomly coming in and out. They kept detailed logs of the artefacts they placed in the Vault…would that match a list of what was stolen?
"I need to go over the Inventories," Yuze murmured.
Kai Low shot him an incredulous look. "Now?"
Yuze shook himself. "No, right, not now." He peered both ways down the hall, but both were dark. There was no sign of light or sound of movement. "Let's go."
They crept into the hallway, stepping on the balls of their feet and moving silently. Both of them were tense, alert, the silence and the darkness driving up their awareness. Yuze's hand flexed around the hilt of Qiang Ye, but there was nothing but a gentle hum from the Blooding Blade. It was oddly reassuring.
Kai Low tried the door with the Wen emblem. He shot Yuze a surprise look when it opened easily. "Do they not believe in locks?"
Yuze was equally surprised. There was really only one explanation. "Ego. We must be in the dungeons below their manor. They probably think there's no way anyone would figure out how to get down here."
Kai Low snorted. "Or they are simply careless." He waved the torch into the dark room. Weak firelight bounced off shelves of dust artefacts, smears in the dust showed where they'd been picked up and carried off. A few had been polished at one point and now had less dust than the others. "I was right, they are careless. And stupid."
Yuze glanced at the first door and the tunnel beyond it…only a few feet away, and couldn't really argue with that. "This is…"
"Stupid." Kai Low repeated. "They have no fear of being caught."
"And yet here we are," Yuze muttered darkly. "Come on, let's check the rest of the hall."
They found two more rooms with artefacts and three that were empty, but had shelves waiting to be filled. One end of the hall was a dead end, but the other had a door that led to a stone staircase. They climbed in silence, twenty-seven stairs that Yuze counted and memorized, before they found another door.
"So many doors," Kai Low whispered. "Waste of trees."
Yuze shot him a quelling look and put a finger to his lips. They both pressed an ear to the door and listened. There was a soft glow seeping from the edges of the door, so there was definitely a light source beyond it, but after listening in silence for several minutes, they still hadn't heard anything.
Kai Low started to open the door, but Yuze grabbed his arm to stop him. "Don't. It's probably a hall in the main house. We're pushing our luck as it is."
Kai Low frowned, "But you don't know."
"Neither do you," Yuze argued. "All luck runs out eventually, and we've been pretty fucking lucky so far."
"Please. We have not been lucky; they have been careless. What are they going to do if they catch us? Your friends all know what we are doing. They will be in much more trouble if they kill us."
Yuze glared at him, annoyed because Kai Low actually had a point. He let go of the Bandri's arm and stepped back to give him room to open the door.
Kai Low was at least cautious; he opened it slowly, peering out at his did.
There was a hallway illuminated by torches, tapestries hanging on the wall, and the floor covered by rugs.
They waited a moment, but no one appeared. Kai Low stepped into the hallway, which was riskier than Yuze was willing to accept.
"Where are you going? Get back here." He hissed.
~ tbc