“You know of the Gravidorum?” I asked, shocked. The secret society wasn’t common knowledge to elves or to anyone, for that matter. Maveryck shouldn’t have known about them either. Yet he did.
“Yes, I know of the Gravidorum.”
“How?”
He shifted. “Most elven nobles were inducted into the society in their youth, before they had a chance to make their own decisions, but that was the way things were half a millennia ago. However, I haven’t been a part of that organization for nearly a hundred years. Now, with the extinction of the goblins, they’ve all disbanded. Well, that is, all but a few.”
“A few? The Gravidorum still exists?”
“Yes. Their numbers are few, but those who remain are not to be taken lightly.”
“I’m confused. With the goblin race eradicated, what purpose do they have left?”
Maveryck didn’t answer immediately. “Once we arrive at the city, perhaps you shall see.”
I stared at him, uncertain of his meaning. The Gravidorum had existed for hundreds of years for the express purpose of rewriting history. They’d kept the truth of the goblins’ origins a secret, but after the queen had used a spell to destroy the entire goblin race, I’d assumed the Gravidorum would have no longer been needed. What purpose did they have in remaining?
The implications frightened me. I recalled seeing the elves gathered around the vachonette egg during the spellcasting. Could the elves I’d seen be the last remaining members of the Gravidorum?
“Maveryck,” I said, “is it possible that the Gravidorum still exists for the purpose of harnessing Theht’s power?”
“Yes, that is one aspect of their purpose. But you must ask yourself, what is their ultimate goal?”
“That’s easy. To take control of Faythander.”
“True, from the outside looking in, that may seem to be their purpose, but there are other powers at play in Faythander. Not every elf wishes for power. There are some who want something else altogether.” His eyes darkened, from silver to black, sending a shiver down my spine.
“What else do they want?”
He shook his head. “Once we reach the capitol, you will see.”
I hadn’t been to the elven capitol since Euralysia had destroyed the goblins, but had it really changed so much? With the queen in power, perhaps it had.
The sun crested the horizon, driving away the fog, yet the storm-shrouded sky remained. Ahead, the glittering towers of Lauressa appeared. The castle sat in the city’s central square, and its parapets rose above the rest of the buildings.
Kull and Heidel woke as the carriage slowed. When we reached the city’s wall, the light-carriage stopped. The doors slid open, revealing towers bathed in red from the glare of the morning sun.
We exited the carriage in an area filled with people gathered along a road that stretched toward the capitol. Tents and small stone buildings crowded the road, and getting through the densely packed bodies took longer than I’d hoped. When we finally reached the gates, we didn’t enter as everyone else. Instead, Maveryck led us away from the looming gates and walked down a worn-looking dirt path that took us around the gates to a grate in the stone.
The echo of voices came from behind us as Maveryck knelt and removed the fake grate, which wasn’t secured to the wall, and then ushered us through. The opening was only wide enough to allow us to crawl inside. Soon my palms were coated in a layer of grit and my claustrophobia made it hard to breathe, but after shuffling through the tunnel and making it down a steep grade, we entered a broad, brick-lined passageway.
As I dusted off my leather pants, I scanned the tunnel. Fae lanterns glowed in sconces along the walls, casting our world in an eerie glow of blue. The light only illuminated small areas of the walls and floor around them, leaving the rest of the tunnel in darkness. My skin bristled at the chill in the damp air filling the corridor. Water dripped in slow, rhythmic beats somewhere up ahead.
“How did you know this was here?” Heidel asked Maveryck, her voice echoing around the chamber.
“There are perks to once belonging to a secret organization. Follow me.” He waved us forward as he walked into the depths of the tunnel.
Kull fell into step beside me as Heidel and Maveryck walked ahead.
“Once again,” Kull muttered, “we follow him blindly. I had hoped to be done with this, especially after last time.”
“I know you don’t like it, and neither do I, but I don’t know of a better way inside the city. Plus, if he takes us to my father, we’ll at least have one person to trust.” I cleared my throat. “Sort of.”
Kull kept his hand wrapped around his sword’s pommel. Maveryck and Heidel made conversation up ahead, but they spoke too softly to hear. I supposed I could eavesdrop and allow my elven hearing to let me in on their conversation, but I resisted the urge.
The tunnel grew narrower and ended at a plain wooden door. Maveryck waited for us to catch up, then lifted the latch and led us through. We entered a small, circular room with a ladder leading to a grate in the ceiling. Maveryck ascended the ladder first and removed the grate, and then the rest of us followed.
We climbed out of the tunnel and up to a narrow alleyway. Wind whipped through the passageway, carrying the scent of herbs and flowers. In most cities, one might expect to find the scent of rotting garbage in a back alley like this one, but not here. In Lauressa, the elves expected everything to be honed to perfection.
Still, the alley had a barren feel created by its stark black stones and cramped buildings, an atmosphere made worse by the biting cold wind.
Maveryck pulled his cloak’s cowl low over his face.
“I’ll make sure we stay in the alleys and back passages,” Maveryck said, “but I can’t guarantee we won’t be noticed. You’d all be wise to keep your hoods
