Page 56 of Innocent Until Proven Witch

21

REINA

The map and the drawing of the relic should have my full attention. It doesn't.

Finn sits across from me at the table, one arm resting beside a stack of papers while he studies a page covered in notes and markings. Every so often he looks up, and every so often I catch him doing it. Every single time, a smile threatens to betray me. It's becoming ridiculous.

He drags a finger across one of the maps.

"This section connects beneath the eastern market."

I force my eyes downward. "Mm."

His eyebrows lift. "That sounded convincing."

"I am listening."

"You absolutely are not."

I straighten in my chair. "I know exactly what you're talking about."

"Really?" Finn leans back, folding his arms. "Then tell me what I just said."

I gaze at him. He looks back, and the silence stretches until his grin appears first. Unfortunately.

I point accusingly. "You're distracting."

His grin widens. "I was sitting here and that's not how distractions work."

"It is today," I say, and a laugh escapes him. The sound settles warmly inside my chest. I immediately regret noticing that.

He shakes his head and returns to the maps. "You're impossible."

"That's rich coming from you."

"Fair," he concedes, and the easy banter fades as he spreads another sheet across the table. This time my attention follows, because the markings are new. Several routes have been added, more tunnel paths, more connections. My expression slowly changes.

"Wait."

Finn taps the page. "That's what I wanted to show you."

I lean forward, and the lighthouse suddenly feels much quieter. The tunnels branch beneath almost every section of Moonhaven—the market, the warehouses, the council district, the harbor, storage yards, old buildings. Places I pass every day. Places most people pass every day, without realizing what's beneath them.

I study the drawing again, then a third time. "How extensive are these?"

Finn exhales. "Much bigger than I expected."

My gaze follows another route. The line ends near the shoreline, a familiar section of coast. I point toward it. "That's where you found the forged residue."

"Exactly," Finn confirms, and a chill crawls down my spine. I look at the map again, the realization settling slowly.

"They can move anywhere."

"They can move without being seen." Our eyes meet, and neither statement is reassuring.

I sit back. The room feels smaller, the investigation larger. Every answer keeps uncovering something worse.

He rubs a hand across his jaw. "The tunnels explain how they're staying ahead of everyone."