Page 51 of The Empty Throne

"Thank you." Going back to get Wishta or oneof the others to provide them with mage lights was the smart thing,but Kite took a step forward anyway—and nearly jumped out of hisskin when lights flared to life along the wall, eerily green,spaced so there was one roughly every four steps.

He gave another consideration to going back,but in the end, impatience and curiosity won out. If this all woundup being nothing, what was the point in waking everyone up only tomassively disappoint them? "Stay close," he said, "or wait up hereif—"

"Not a chance," Lysa cut in.

Kite grinned over his shoulder and then, withone hand on the wall, slowly descended the spiraling staircase tofind whatever awaited them below.

Not much, as it turned out. A dingy gray roomthat had the feel of an antechamber. They were definitely wellbelow the manor; he could hear water crashing against rocks, sothere was probably a cave that was too difficult to reach by boat,and it wasn't far off.

Which meant there must be more to thisantechamber than it seemed. "What's with all the stupid hiddendoors?" he muttered as he looked around. More of those creepy greenlights lit up along the walls—and ah, there it was, the door, withfour lights on either side and three of them along the top.

No handle, though. Was it meant to be pushedor something?

"I really hope this isn't sealed with theblood of a Bittersea or something," Lysa said with a sigh. "Itwould be our luck to come this far and be stopped by this onestupid thing."

Kite ran his hand over the stone, frowning."I… do not think that will be the case. Half the family betrayedthe other half, once upon a time, so that doesn't seem likesomething they would do." He stepped away and turned to Lysa. "Comeon, pretty scholar, put that mind to work." He closed his eyes inannoyance as his own words washed over him. "I apologize, Ishouldn't be saying things like that."

He stepped back, giving Lysa plenty ofspace.

"I…" Lysa looked hurt for a moment, butbefore Kite could figure out why, turned away to focus on the door.He ran his fingers all over it, then shifted to the lights—and madea soft, pleased noise that made Kite's skin tingle with the need tohear it in an entirely different setting.

He touched each diamond shaped light, asthough testing something. He had to push up on his toes to reachthe ones near the corner of the door frame, then huffed and droppedback down. "I think I need the ones over the door.

"Use me as a step stool," Kite said, kneelingand then bracing on his hands and knees before Lysa could arguewith him.

Lysa gave a soft huff but braced his hand onthe doorframe and stepped onto his back, wobbling slightly as Kitewasn't exactly the most stable of stools.

This day got stranger and stranger.

Swearing and muttering to himself, Lysa didsomething Kite couldn't see, more cursing, then did somethingelse—and there was a click. "Yes!" Lysa braced himself again andneatly jumped down, beaming as he offered his hands to help Kiteup. "I did it!" he said, throwing his arms around Kite, hugging himtightly before letting go and returning his attention to the door.He pushed against it, huffing when it didn't budge. "I know it canmove, damn it, I can feel it."

Kite chuckled and looped an arm around hiswaist, dragging him back, maybe holding on just a breath longerthan necessary before taking his place. "Let me put my muscles towork, little scholar." He set his shoulder to the door, which wasnow set back slightly rather than perfectly flush with the wall.With a grunt he shoved. The door groaned, stone scraping againststone in a way that set his teeth on edge—and then it swung,sending him nearly face first to the floor. Ground. Whatever.

"Amazing!" Lysa said breathlessly, the waymost people might say about an extravagant gift, or a lover'sassets, or literally anything but a stupid door in a stupid hiddenchamber in a stupid old house. "I wonder how it works. There mustbe hinges or something, it would have—"

"Focus on the mission." Kite drew him backbefore he could start investigating. "I suppose I'll go first. Agebefore beauty and all that."

Lysa laughed, the sound almost more of agiggle that was absolutely charming and also a reminder of how muchyounger he was.

"Secret passages and rooms are stupid," Kitemuttered as he passed through a cobweb ridden hallway, pretendingthey were the kind where the spiders were long dead. He shudderedas he made it through them, wiping off his clothes in the desperatehope no spider would surprise him later.

"Are you…scared of spiders?"

"No!" Kite said, not looking at him—then theyboth forgot all about spiders as more green mage lights flickeredto life and they took in the room they'd entered.

Mostly, the far wall, where an enormousdeep-sea monster had been carved into the stones, its tentaclesspanning the width and height of the entire wall. It had beenpainted in mottled greens and grays and black, a sinister predatorthat would blend into its lightless world.

That wasn't the disturbing part.

It had seven tentacles—arms, technically, butKite didn't care—that were bigger than the rest, and at the end ofeach of those a sword had been slotted into the stone. From eachsword hung a skeleton, held together by little more than cobwebsand rotted fabric. Judging by clothes alone, a dubious metric,three women and four men had been murdered here.

It didn't take an accomplished scholar todetermine this was likely the branch of the Vekketh family that haddestroyed the ocean and condemned the rest of the family to becomeBittersea.

Seemed like the current Bittersea came by hisbloodlust honestly, whatever that was worth.

"Mercy of the Gods," Lysa said. "This is…vicious."

"So is destroying the portion of the oceanthat was the lifeblood of hundreds of thousands of people. It seemsthis family has a propensity for taking justice into their ownhands."

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