A few moments later the trio was standing in front of an enormous metal door – one which had the insignia of two crossed ravens’ feathers on the front. It was an imposing sight, with a dozen heavily armed dark elves standing on either side of it. As he looked closer he saw there was no obvious handle or latch, and even without casting his mana-sight spell Eli instinctively knew the door must be enchanted. He resisted the urge to touch it, instead turning to Captain Duskrend.

  “I don’t suppose you’re going to let us into the vault?” He asked hopefully.

  “Absolutely not.” The captain replied.

  “How are we supposed to investigate a break in if we can’t see what was broken into?” Vespera asked, exasperated.

  She shrugged before stepping between them and the vault. “Figure it out.”

  Eli pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as he exhaled, focusing on the problem at hand. “Are there any other entrances to the vault?”

  “None.” The guard captain said.

  “And the guards were stationed here during the burglary? Just like this?” He pressed.

  “Yes.”

  “And none of them saw or heard anything?”

  “Correct.”

  “Then how do you know it was stolen as opposed to just…misplaced somewhere in the vault?” Vespera asked. “I misplace things all the time. It happens to everyone! Just the other day I misplaced my panties and accidentally grabbed a pair of Minerva’s.” She turned to look at Eli. “What?”

  “I…think that might just be a ‘you’ thing.” He said slowly.

  The captain coughed uncomfortably before answering. “Sometime between midnight and 6am 3 nights ago items became strewn about the vault, obviously placed to the side as the thief searched for the book. Anyone who has access to the vault adheres strictly to the Queens organization systems. No-one would leave the vault in such disarray.”

  “Could it have been an inside job? Someone on the staff working against the Queen?”

  “Absolutely not. Our house is loyal.”

  Eli furrowed his brow as he began to pace back and forth. His eyes flicked back and forth from the vault door to the wall behind it, then down the hall. He scratched the back of his head for a moment as he considered how he would break in if he had to.

  I’d probably use my mirage. He thought as Vespera walked in the opposite direction, past the row of tapestries that seemed to be ubiquitous to all dark elven houses. But that wouldn’t help me get past the door. There must be something that I’m…wait.

  Suddenly turning to the dark elven guard captain again, Eli spoke. “Does your castle have hidden passages?”

  “I…what?” The guard captain said, caught off-guard by the question.

  “Hidden passages. Behind a tapestry or a bookshelf or whatever. I’ve seen magical castles that have them – human castles too.”

  The guard captain paused as Vespera joined them again, interested in the answer. “If…hypothetically…there were some hidden passages…we would have checked them and found nothing.”

  Rolling his eyes, Eli decided to play along. “Hypothetically then… could one of those passages pass near the vault? Near enough that someone could break through the tunnel wall and into the vault itself?”

  “Perhaps.” The guard captain said. “But in this purely hypothetical example, there would be rubble from tunneling into the vault – something which was not present.”

  “Not necessarily.” Vespera said. “A powerful enough succubus can become ethereal for a few moments and pass through solid matter. The spell is mana-intensive and I’ve never seen it work for more than 5 seconds, but if a passage were close enough to the vault then someone might be able to slip in and out.”

  “So you are admitting to doing it?” The guard captain demanded.

  “No. I’m not powerful enough to cast that particular spell.” Vespera countered. “My magical abilities are more limited.”

  “I thought bonding with a Royal Blood made you far more powerful.” Captain Duskrend replied. “Is it not true?”

  “We’re not actually bonded.” Eli explained, leaving the word yet hanging in the air. “We’re getting off track though. Can you show us the hidden passage?”

  “The hidden passage is a hypothetical one.” The guard captain said defiantly. “Even if it were to exist, I wouldn’t be able to show it to you because it would compromise a secret of ours.”

  Vespera and Eli shared a look before the succubus spoke again. “How about this then – can you show us the room where a hypothetical passage might exit? You don’t have to tell us how to activate it or show us the passage itself, just let us look at the room.”

  Captain Duskrend considered it for a moment before nodding and taking a set of keys from a hidden pocket. “I suppose that would be acceptable. Come with me.”

  Eli smiled at Vespera as they followed the captain, glad to finally be making some progress. “Good thinking.”

  She smiled back and interlaced her fingers with his. “Thank you! You always manage to appreciate everything about me except for my body.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong – I can appreciate your body too. But you’re more than just that.”

  “Most people would never say that about a succubus.”

  “I’m not most people.” He countered. “But did you really mix up your panties with Minerva’s?”

  “Of course. She’s got sexy underwear now. I managed to convince her to throw out her boring ones.” She winked at him. “You should ask her to show them to you sometime.”

  “We’re here.” Captain Duskrend announced before unlocking and opening a door.

  They entered what looked like an chemistry lab, with expensive looking magical ingredients stuffed into shelves lining 3 out of the 4 walls. In the middle of the room there was a large countertop with a sink, glass beakers, a small burner, and other potion-making equipment. At the back wall there was another sink and a small glass window over top a wooden desk.

  Walking over to the window, Eli peered out. “Where are we?”

  “The alchemy lab.” The captain answered, confused by his question.

  “No, I mean… we took several flights of stairs underground. But when I look out this window I see a forest far below. How is that possible?”

  “The castle is built upon a large cliff.” Captain Duskrend explained. “It makes it a highly defensible position. The basement levels extend into the cliff face itself – allowing us to place windows like this one.”

  “It seems like an obvious weak point in the defenses.” Vespera remarked.

  “It’s required. The fumes created from an alchemy lab this small require a working window.” The captain explained.

  Making a note to ask Talaedra about how their lab gets vented, Eli continued his line of questioning. “Could someone fly in from beyond the forest? A griffon, or a harpy maybe?”

  “No. We have spotters on the walls for just that reason – we would see them. There are other countermeasures against flying creatures as well – ones I won’t be sharing with you.”

  “What about climbing? Could someone climb from below?”

  “No. Even if they could find their way through the forest creatures, we keep spell disrupters on the side walls of the castle. Anyone using magic to climb would fall to an untimely and painful death.”

  “Really? I don’t feel them.” Eli said.

  “They are off for the moment.” She held up a hand to cut him off when he opened his mouth. “They were on during the time of the burglary, however. They are only off for now while my guards use magic to scour that side of the castle for clues.”

  Dejected, Eli looked down for a moment. He idly shuffled some of the papers on the desk as his brain looked for some sort of inspiration. As he did, he saw a set of gouge-marks in the wood – small enough to be covered, but large enough to be noticeable.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Almost like a…claw. He thought to himself before turning back to Captain Duskrend. “Is there anyone in the castle who would have access to this lab that has a clawed hand? A lizardkin, a werewolf, someone like that?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Why?”

  “Come look at this.” Eli said, moving to the side.

  Vespera and Captain Duskrend moved beside Eli to look at the gouges in the desk before he spoke again. “That looks like a claw mark to me.”

  “I agree.” Added Vespera. “Maybe a little small for a werewolf, but a lizardkin would be about the right size. Or a felinekin.”

  “Perhaps.” The captain admitted. “What is your point?”

  “You said the spell disrupters would stop anyone from using magic to climb the wall. What if they didn’t use magic? What if they climbed the old fashioned way – muscle and skill?”

  “You think the burglar climbed over 2 miles worth of sheer cliff face, straight up?” The guard captain asked.

  “Why not? I’m not too familiar with rock climbing myself, but I’m pretty sure humans can climb that far with the right equipment.”

  “Even if they could, they’d have to deal with another issue: the forest below is dangerous.” Duskrend replied. “It is the Queen’s private nature reserve, undisturbed by development for centuries. There are deadly creatures down there.”

  “That’s a solvable problem though.” Eli countered, more and more sure that he was on the right track. “Life magic could convince the creatures to leave you alone, or maybe more combat-oriented magic would take them out entirely.”

  The guard captain ground her teeth for a moment as she thought about it before nodding reluctantly. “I will admit it's…not impossible. But it would be exceptionally difficult.”

  “Can you open this window?” Eli asked.

  Nodding, the captain unlocked several hidden latches on the window before swinging it open. Ignoring her sputters of protest Eli climbed onto the desk, running his hand along the latch and finding another set of claw marks. With a grin he leaned out the window and looked down, peering into the permanent semi-darkness and seeing another set of claw marks further down the wall.

  “I think we have our lead.” Eli said, bringing his head back in and climbing down from the desk. “I see claw marks leading downwards. Think the Raven Queen will mind me taking a look down there?”

  “I… have to confer with the Queen to get permission.” She said, moving towards the door. “Wait here, I should be back soon.”

  The moment she stepped out of the room Vespera leaned close to him. “We should get down there as soon as we can – ideally before she has a chance to talk to anyone else.”

  “Why?” Eli asked.

  “I think you’re right about the thief climbing, but the fact that they knew where the secret passage was means that there was an accomplice on the Raven Queen’s staff. I don’t know if it was Duskrend herself or one of her guards, but someone’s been spilling secrets. If they even get a hint that we’re onto them, my bet is that they’ll disappear.”

  Eli furrowed his brow. “What do you want to do?”

  “Bring her back in here, quickly. I have an idea.” She said.

  Eli darted towards the door and opened it. “Captain! There’s one more thing I need!”

  The captain stopped mid-stride before turning around. “What is it?”

  “In here, please. I need to show you.”

  “Very well.” She replied, jogging back towards them with an annoyed look on her face.

  The moment she stepped into the room Vespera cast a spell at her – one which completely caught her off guard. Her jaw went slack for a moment before a dopey smile appeared on her face. She gazed longingly at Vespera, a small line of drool falling from her lip.

  “You’re…so pretty.” She said softly, her voice completely different now.

  “So are you, little captain.” Vespera replied in her husky voice. “You’re such a good captain, doing exactly what you were ordered to do.”

  “Yes… I do what I’m told.” She said, stepping closer to Vespera.

  “You wouldn’t dare disobey orders, would you?” Vespera asked. “Not from me, and not from your queen?”

  “No! Absolutely not.” The captain said instantly. “I am loyal. I obey orders.”

  “Good captain.” Vespera said, stepping even closer to the dark elven woman before running her tail blade gently up her thigh. “You haven’t been telling anyone else about the secret passage?”

  “No, nobody.”

  “Good.” Vespera said before glancing over at Eli. “I think we can trust her.”

  “I’m not a huge fan of brainwashing people.” Eli replied.

  “It’s not brainwashing. It’s influencing.” Vespera insisted. “I could practically smell her lust for me from the moment I stepped out of the portal. I just lowered her inhibitions enough that she’d be willing to be completely truthful. If she really didn’t want to do this, she’d be able to resist.”

  “I… guess.” Eli said hesitantly as she watched the formerly stoic guard captain shiver with lust. “Fuck it – we may as well make the most of it. Can you ask her to disable whatever countermeasures the castle has against fliers? We need to get down to the forest.”

  “Did you hear that, my obedient little pet?” Vespera purred to the captain.

  “Yes.” The captain said, consternation in her voice.

  “Oh, it’s okay.” Vespera said, brushing one hand against her face. “I know you’re having a hard time with this. You think that by following my orders you’d be betraying your Queen, but you’re really not!”

  “I’m…not?” She questioned.

  “No! You want to serve your Queen by capturing the thief. So do we. We’ve shown you the evidence that the thief climbed. You know that they couldn’t have done it alone though – someone on the staff would have to tell them about the hidden passage.”

  “I guess.” She acquiesced.

  “That means you need to let us investigate, and quietly too. In fact, the best thing you could do right now is to temporarily disable those castle countermeasures, then go protect the Queen from any potential traitors.” Vespera paused for a moment. “Protect the Spider Queen too, just in case. And it’s probably best not to mention this interaction to anyone, so that everyone stays safe a little longer.”

  “I… yes.” The guard captain nodded. “That would be best.”

  “Good. Now run along.” Vespera finished, making a shooing gesture with her hand.

  With surprising alacrity, the guard captain turned around and raced out the door. Eli looked over at Vespera and shook his head for a moment. Vespera’s red skin blushed as she looked at him apologetically.

  “You think I’m evil.”

  “No.” Eli said instantly. “We’re definitely working in a…morally grey area…but you’re not evil. And without your help, we’d probably be dead in the water right now.”

  “Are we… okay?” She asked hesitantly. “I didn’t just damage my chances of getting into your harem, did I?”

  “No, you didn’t.” Eli said seeing a flash of purplish light through the window. “We can talk about the rest later though, okay? I think that was the countermeasures being disabled, which means the clock is ticking.”

  “Right. How do you want to do this?”

  Eli grinned and climbed back onto the desk again before pulling out his mana potion and drinking back the foul-tasting substance. “Climb on my back.”

  “What?”

  “You said we needed to get down there as soon as we can.”

  Realizing what was about to happen, she climbed onto the desk before wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. He took a moment to adjust her positioning before pulling himself up to the windowsill.

  “Ready?” He asked.

  “You’ll be gentle, right?” She asked in reply.

  With a half-apologetic grin, Eli leapt out the window.