Together the three of them set out for the palace at night on foot. The road was quiet, the only sound was their footsteps on the dusty path. After a few hours of walking, the gates of the palace came into view in the distance.

Nyella stopped and lowered her voice. "We cannot go through the main gate. We have to go around. There is a tunnel, an old one. Hardly anyone knows about it. We can use it to get inside."

Devic raised his brow. "A tunnel? How come I never knew of this?"

Nyella said nothing but kept walking.

After some time, they came to the place. She pointed at a small, deep opening in the ground, covered with a sheet of rusted metal.

"That?" Aeron said with a frown as he pointed at the tunnel. "It is too small… and it stinks." He covered his nose. "You mean we have to crawl through that?"

"We have no other option," Nyella replied.

Aeron groaned, turning his head as if he might vomit.

Devic stepped forward without hesitation. "If going through this is what it takes to reach that box that will save thousands of lives, then so be it." He bent, pulled the metal cover aside with a loud scrape, and looked at the others. "Who comes after me?"

Without waiting, he turned back and dropped into the tunnel. His voice echoed. "It is narrow, but it leads on. Come quickly." Then he began crawling forward.

Nyella did not waste a second. She told Aeron to bear the stench as they'll be fast, just then she jumped in after him and followed close behind.

Aeron stood alone for a moment. He looked at the black mouth of the tunnel, his face pale. Slowly he pulled out a small piece of linen from his pocket, tied it across his nose and mouth, and muttered, "Better than choking." Then, with a deep breath, he lowered himself into the hole and began crawling after them.

The tunnel was damp, heavy, and foul. Their hands brushed against slimy walls as they moved. Nyella, crawling behind Devic, whispered directions. "Left here… now straight… a little more… turn right… This way will take us close to the old chambers of the former king."

After what felt like a long crawl, they finally reached a place where a slab above them opened. Devic pushed it up, and one by one they climbed out into a narrow, empty passage of the palace.

Nyella turned to Devic. "You know the way to the main chambers, where Vanyr must be, don't you?"

"Yes," Devic said. "But why do you ask?"

Nyella looked down, then back at him. "I need to head to the prison. My mother is there. I have to try to get her out."

Devic frowned. "This is risky enough, but that… That is too risky now. We might all be exposed. Are you sure about this?"

Her voice trembled, but she stood firm. "I cannot be myself without her. This is the chance I have. I must take it."

Devic studied her for a moment, then gave a short nod. "Very well then. But be quick. Do not linger. We will go for the box. After that, we will wait for you."

Nyella's eyes glistened as she nodded. "I will be fast."

Nyella slipped back into the tunnel and went another way, heading toward the prison. Aeron turned to Devic, and together they quietly moved through the passage of the palace. They dodged guards, kept low, and made their way deeper inside.

When they reached the door of the head chamber, they stopped at the corner and waited. They listened closely. No sound came from inside. After a long moment, Aeron gave Devic a look, and together they slowly pushed the door open. They peeped first, then slipped inside and closed the door behind them, they began to search.

Everywhere their hands could reach, they looked. The wardrobes, the shelves, under the bed, the corners of the room, anywhere a small chest could be hidden, they searched. But after a while, they found nothing.

Aeron whispered, "Are you sure we are in the right place?"

"One thing I am sure of," Devic replied, "is that this is where Voryn Vanyr stays. But if the box is here, I cannot say."

Still, they searched. Their eyes darted from one place to another. Suddenly they heard footsteps and froze. Someone was coming closer.

The door opened suddenly, and Vaelen Vanyr, the son of Voryn Vanyr walked in. Aeron and Devic quickly slid under the bed.

Vaelen stepped further into the room, frowning. "What is that smell?" he muttered, covering his nose. He looked around, sniffing, but saw nothing. The room looked empty. He shook his head and walked straight to the wardrobe.

He pushed the clothes aside and revealed a hidden panel. Opening it, inside there was a red box, and the King's Royal seal. But Vaelen came for the steel, and he took it, then closed the panel, fixed the clothes back, and shut the wardrobe.

Then he moved toward the smell coming from the bed where Aeron and Devic were hiding. Covering his nose, he kept walking closer and closer. Just then, the door opened again and a guard stepped in. "You are summoned, my lord," the guard said.

Vaelen turned to him and replied, "Call the cleaners to come and take care of this place."

Without another glance around, he left the room.

As the door closed, Aeron and Devic looked at each other, breathless. Then, wasting no time, they slid out from under the bed and rushed to the wardrobe. Devic pulled the clothes aside just as Vaelen had done. Aeron reached in and brought out the red box.

It was locked tight. Aeron frowned. "We don't have the key."

"Who cares," Devic said. "We came for the box, and now we have it. That is all that matters. We leave with the box."

He tucked it under his arm, and both of them hurried toward the door.

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