The King's Guard

Chapter 32

The squad should have left already. The scrolls Reyna carried were enough to complete the assignment, more than enough to satisfy Darius and the examiners. But Kael’s eyes kept pulling him back toward the inner wing of the Varion estate.

The lamplight in the gallery burned lower than before, a faint ember beneath the portraits. Something about its position struck Kael as off.

“We have what we came for,” Reyna said firmly, her boots scuffing against the stone floor. “Let’s not tempt whatever trap this is.”

Kael shook his head. “The maps were too obvious. Nobles don’t guard military intel by leaving it on desks. Someone staged it. Which means the real prize is still hidden.”

“They were enough,” Jared said, leaning casually against the wall, arms folded. He looked entirely at ease in the Varion estate, as though the house itself bowed to him. “Take the scrolls and enjoy the praise. No one’s handing out medals for paranoia.”

Kael’s gaze sharpened. “You knew we’d find them. You led us straight there.”

Jared smirked, one corner of his mouth curving. “Or maybe I just know my house better than you do. Don’t confuse skill with conspiracy.”

“You don’t act like someone raiding their own family’s estate,” Kael said flatly.

“Maybe I’ve had practice.” Jared’s grin was all teeth.

Reyna’s eyes narrowed. “Practice doesn’t explain why you keep pushing him. If you’re hiding something…”

Jared chuckled, cutting her off. “If I were hiding something, do you think you’d notice?”

Kyna groaned under her breath. “Spirits save me. If you two are going to measure egos, do it when the walls aren’t listening.”

Kael ignored her. He stepped across the gallery, drawn to the largest portrait:an older Lord Varion, cane in one hand, the other resting on a polished globe. He studied it, eyes narrowing. His hand brushed along the frame, searching. His fingers paused at a groove, straight and sharp, too precise to be natural.

“There’s a hinge here,” he said quietly.

Reyna tensed. “Kael…”

He pressed harder. The panel shifted. A section of wall swung inward with a muted scrape of stone against stone. Dust puffed out, stale and dry, like something undisturbed for years.

Behind it lay a narrow passage, torch brackets unlit along the walls.

Jared’s voice cut in, sharper than before. “That’s not part of the mission.”

Kael shot him a look. “Neither was an unlocked estate with no guards.”

Reyna’s hand brushed her hilt, but she stepped forward. “We’ll take a look. Briefly.”

Jared’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

They entered single file, Kael leading. The corridor sloped down slightly, the air cooling with each step. Their boots echoed faintly, though Kael kept his pace deliberate. At the end, a door stood plain and unmarked, iron bands across its width.

Kyna crouched, running her fingers along the lock. “Simple mechanism. Almost too simple.”

“Open it,” Reyna said.

Kyna twisted the pins with a small pick, the click almost inaudible. The door swung inward.

Inside stretched a small study. It was dustier than the rest of the estate, but not abandoned. A desk stood central, papers scattered, a map pinned beneath glass. Shelves along the walls held ledgers, a few sealed boxes stacked neatly.

Kael moved first to the desk. His eyes caught on the map pinned under the glass. It wasn’t like the others upstairs. This one was detailed, annotated. Stormhaven troop positions marked with precise symbols, supply lines traced in red, forward camps circled with dates.

And along the bottom, a smaller sheet which contained numbers and glyphs that formed a cipher key.

Kael felt his chest tighten. “This isn’t routine.”

Reyna came to his side. Her eyes flicked across the markings. “Troop movements. Active ones.”

Kyna added, “If this is accurate, Stormhaven’s planning something major.”

Jared’s voice broke the silence. “Or it’s just a decoy. You’re acting like children finding a toy chest.”

Kael turned sharply. “A cipher key isn’t a toy. And this room was hidden. Why hide routine documents?”

“Because nobility love secrets,” Jared said coolly. “Half the time they lock away ledgers just to feel important. This doesn’t prove anything.”

Reyna’s gaze narrowed. “You’re dismissing it quickly. Too quickly.”

Jared smiled thinly. “Because I know how my house works. You think this is some grand conspiracy? It’s probably just old records my father didn’t want wandering hands touching.”

Kael leaned closer over the map. He studied each line, each symbol, forcing them into memory. He repeated the routes in his head until he could see them even when he closed his eyes.

Reyna noticed. “You’re memorising it.”

Kael didn’t look up. “Because if we leave it here, it might disappear by the time anyone else checks. Better to carry it with us in mind.”

Kyna whispered, “That’s risky.”

“So is leaving it,” Kael said.

Reyna turned on Jared. “And you knew this was here?”

Jared shrugged, feigning indifference. “I knew my family keeps records. Everyone does. Doesn’t mean I knew this specific room existed.”

Kael studied him. “But you’re not surprised we found it.”

Jared met his gaze, unblinking. “Because surprises are for those who don’t expect them.”

The silence stretched. Then Reyna straightened. “Enough. We’ve seen enough. Kael, you have it in your head. That’s all we’re taking.”

Kyna lingered at the shelves, fingers brushing the spines of ledgers. “There’s more here. Financial ties, maybe. Trade routes. Some of it could explain why this house was left so open tonight.”

“Or it could be bait,” Reyna said. “Close it. Now.”

Reluctantly, Kyna stepped back.

They left the room as they had entered, closing the iron-banded door behind them. Kael glanced once over his shoulder. The study seemed to sink into the dark as soon as the torchlight left.

Back in the gallery, Jared pulled the panel shut, sealing the passage. His expression had returned to casual calm, though his eyes flicked briefly toward Kael.

“Congratulations,” he said lightly. “You’ve uncovered a dusty room. I hope the examiners are impressed.”

Reyna’s voice was cold. “They won’t hear about this. Not yet.”

Jared raised an eyebrow. “So we’re keeping secrets now?”

“You’ve been keeping them since the start,” Kael said flatly.

Jared’s smirk didn’t fade. “Difference is…I do it better.”

They left the estate in silence, slipping back through the garden and over the wall. The night air outside felt sharper, as though they’d been holding their breath too long.

By the time they returned to the Academy, dawn was breaking pale over the training fields. Darius waited at the gate, his eyes sharp.

“Report,” he said.

Reyna handed him the scrolls from the open study. “Intelligence gathered. No resistance.”

Darius scanned the seals, then tucked them under his arm. “You’ll debrief tonight.”

He turned away. None of them spoke until they were dismissed.

Later, in the barracks, Kael sat at his bunk, eyes fixed on the blank page of his journal. His hand hovered over the quill. Slowly, he wrote:

> Hidden study under House Varion. Map: Stormhaven troop movements. Cipher key. Jared dismissive. Memorised layout.

He paused, then underlined the words memorised layout.

Across the room, Jared leaned back in his chair, tossing a knife lightly between his hands. He caught Kael watching.

“Still brooding?” Jared asked.

Kael didn’t answer.

“Don’t waste energy on shadows,” Jared went on. “The Council will never act on scraps, and you’ll burn yourself out thinking otherwise.”

Kael said quietly, “You wanted us to find nothing. But we found something. And you want it buried.”

Jared smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Or maybe I know when something isn’t worth the noise.”

Reyna entered then, setting her gloves on the table. “Still at it?” she asked, her tone sharp.

Kael closed his journal. “He thinks the maps mean nothing.”

Reyna’s gaze fixed on Jared. “And do they?”

Jared met her stare with practiced ease. “Yes. They’re routine. Logistics. If you want to see conspiracies, be my guest. But you’ll only waste time.”

Reyna folded her arms. “Or maybe you just don’t want us asking questions about your house.”

Jared’s smirk held steady, but his eyes hardened. “Careful, Reyna. Suspicion can turn allies into liabilities.”

She stepped closer. “So can deceit.”

The room felt colder, though no wind stirred. Kyna entered quietly with a satchel of supplies, sensing the tension immediately.

“What now?” she asked softly.

No one answered at first. Kael finally said, “Now we wait. And we see what else comes out of the shadows.”