Thalric Deepcurrent's Arc

Chapter 5 of 11

The passage narrowed into a trench so deep the water turned black above him. Thalric's eyes glowed brighter here, cutting thin beams through the dark. He counted his strokes, tracking the distance. The sentinels had given him an hour. He'd already used fifteen minutes. The trench floor appeared beneath him — scattered with bones and broken stone. Thalric slowed, scanning the debris. Then he saw it. An altar carved from bone stood in the center of the trench, crystals growing from its surface like frozen light. Inscriptions covered the base, worn nearly smooth but still visible. He moved closer, all four arms reaching out to trace the lines. The writing was old. Older than the exile. Older than the council's lies. His lower left hand found a symbol he knew — the Deepcurrent crest, carved deep into the bone. But there was more beneath it. Words that made his chest tighten. "Keepers of the Deep Tide. Guardians of the Crown's Truth." Not exiles. Not criminals. Guardians. His bloodline hadn't been removed for being dangerous. They'd been removed because they were supposed to protect the Tidecrown. The council hadn't just stolen the artifact. They'd erased the fact that his family was meant to hold it. Thalric pressed his hand against the altar and felt something shift. A hollow space beneath the inscription. He pulled back a piece of bone and found a small chamber inside. Empty now, but the shape was clear — made to hold a crown. This was where it had rested before the council took it. Before they rewrote everything. He closed the chamber and stepped back. The map had been right. Three trenches east. But the Tidecrown wasn't here anymore. Someone had moved it. The council, probably. Or whoever they'd given it to. Thalric turned toward the passage opening ahead. Deeper into the trenches. The altar had given him what he needed — proof of what his bloodline had been. Now he knew what they'd surrendered before the exile even began. Not just their home. Their purpose.