The King leaned forward and pursed his lips to blow air into the engraving, following the spiral. The familiar whirring came, and the symbol lit up. A boom quickly followed, and His Majesty flinched back. It was the door. We turned to it as it opened a crack.
“Wait.” I grabbed his arm when he headed for the door. I pulled out a scarf. “Here. Use this as a mask.”
As he took the scarf and tied it around his face, I put the lantern down and wrapped the second scarf around my face. Then I pulled out two pairs of goggles and handed one to him. As protected as he could get, the King pushed open the door. I pulled out one of my defense bottles and picked up the lantern, lifting it over his shoulder.
Beyond the door, a stone floor spread out. The King pushed the door wider and stepped inside. Lowering the lantern to shoulder height, I went in behind him. There weren't any weapons in the armory. At least not that I could see. There were no racks of swords or barrels full of spears. Instead, there were wooden crates stacked against the far wall. That's it.
The King went to the crates and took something from the top. As he turned back to me, I saw it was a piece of paper. “Sevarin.”
Glancing about to be sure there was no sign of rot, I went to stand next to him and lifted the lantern. It was a letter.
“That's not good,” I murmured.
“Do not handle without gloves. Do not remove from this room. If possible, destroy these items, but do not use fire.” He looked at me. “Did you bring gloves?”
“I did, but I think we need more light in here.”
“Find my steward, Torli, and tell him we need lanterns.”
“No, I don't think so, Your Majesty. I'm not leaving you down here alone with dangerous items. You will go for the steward while I remain here.”
“I am not a fool.”
“No, but you are curious and don't know how to properly unpack deadly items.”
“And you do?”
“Better than you. You brought me here for a reason. Now let me do my job.”
“Fine.” The King handed me the paper and stormed out of the armory, muttering about people who didn't respect his authority.”
I set the lantern and paper on the floor and pulled a crate off the top of a stack. Then another. Then another. I kept going until all the crates were on the floor, lining the walls, andseparated into groups based on weight. Then I set the lantern on a crate and my satchel beside it. Contemplating the crates and how I should proceed, I pulled on my gloves.
I went to the lightest group of crates first and pried one open. With the lid propped to the side, I brought the lantern over the top and shone the light inside. Leather portfolios and books stared back at me. Now, here was treasure.
I pulled forth a leather portfolio and opened it. A stack of papers waited within. Sitting down, I removed the papers and flipped through them. They were diagrams of enchanted items. Although I was unfamiliar with those particular designs, I knew they were old. The modern versions were better.
Frowning, I put the papers away and pulled out a book. It was an inventor's notebook. Inside were notes on inventions and their uses. Again, there were modern versions of the inventions with better designs. That was to be expected, but why were these old designs packed in a crate with a warning on it?
“No one ever died from reading a book,” I murmured.
Getting up, I put the book away and moved to the second group of crates. I opened one and held the lantern over it. The light gleamed off silver. With a start, I jerked back. Silver lines veined through a metal ward plate—a talisman placed within building foundations to give them an eternal ward. It was the Silver Rot, but just the start of it.
“Why hasn't it spread?” I leaned closer. As I peered at it, a sliver of silver extended. It was just the barest fraction of an inch of movement, but I'd seen it. “Fuck!”
I grabbed the crate lid, intending to recover the crate. But then I saw the dark coating on the inside of the lid. I paused andturned the lid toward the light. Dark but translucent. I poked it. There was some give. Lifting the lid, I sniffed.
“What are you doing?” The King strode into the room in a halo of light.
He held two large lanterns, and so did each of the three men behind him.
“Put them down and get out!” I motioned to the men with him. “Hurry! There's rot in here, and you're not wearing masks!”
The men set the lanterns down and ran out of the room without waiting for the King to dismiss them.
King Falken pulled up his scarf as he watched them flee and then looked at me. “You found Silver Rot?”
“Yes. I believe it's preserved. Look.”
