Page 75 of Drawn into Oblivion

But they had come so far. They couldn’t turn back now.

She doubted any of them wished to see with their own eyes what horrors clogged the sewer system, but after a quick conference, they decided to use the darksight spell that Vallen and Rosuke had demonstrated earlier that summer.

Mai tested it with a quick glance into the darkness, where silent pulses of magic revealed the drainage pipe’s dimensions in shades of gray, and in thankfully simplistic detail. A small boon.

Despite the spell and despite the filth, Mai held Rosuke’s hand as Vallen led them into the sewers. The light of the blood-soaked moon quickly faded, but they were able to continue forward without hesitation.

Then the inevitable: a junction. They could either continue forward or turn right into another tunnel. Even through the spell that dampened her sense of smell, Mai could tell the stench to the right was stronger based on the stinging in her nostrils. The tunnel leading right was also smaller with a lower ceiling. Based on how it connected to the one they were in, Mai figured it had been added into the existing sewer system. A newer tunnel meant a newer building, and that wasn’t going to lead them to the fortress near the center of the demon city.

Mai knew which direction she’d take, based on her observations. But more than that, her magic knew the way. It gently tugged her forward, urging her to ignore the turn. Mai suspected the empress felt the same sensation, only stronger.

“This way,” Shumei whispered, pointing straight ahead. “I can feel it.” Vallen grunted his agreement.

As they made their way deeper into the sewers, Shumei continued directing them at every juncture, albeit with gestures rather than words. Each time, Mai’s magic concurred. Though the sound of their wet footsteps was a disturbing reminder of where they were, she took comfort in the fact she’d yet to hear anything in the tunnels besides them. If the sewers had any sort of regular maintenance crew, they were not currently working.

The streets above were a different tale. The tunnels often rose close to the surface, and though none of the access points they passed beneath were ever open, she could hear activity through them: demons shuffling, speaking in their own language, and even fighting. She never heard more than one or a handful of them at a time, but only one would have to turn its attention toward the sewer grate for their stealthy approach to be ruined.

Though their silencing magic muffled their breaths and footsteps, it could not mute the splash of “water” and “mud” dripping from their boots, which the sewers amplified.

Only once did they come close to being detected. While passing beneath a grate, something hot and putrid splashed between Mai and Jun. She felt it hit the back of her legs, and neither she nor Jun could help their alarm. She spun about with a silent gasp and bumped into Rosuke. Jun leapt backward, nearly toppling Kiyoshi, both disturbing the ankle-high contents of the sewer.

Something above them clicked rapidly, and a long, chitinous claw pierced one of the narrow openings in the grate. The clicking grew louder, and a shadow blocked the dim light shining down.

Rosuke clamped her against his chest. Somehow, his sword was already in his hand. Jun and Kiyoshi were motionless, but their hands were on their hilts. Everyone had frozen, all eyes on the grate overhead. Despite knowing she was muffled, Mai shut her mouth tight and pressed her hand to her chest.

They waited an eternity for whatever was above them to move on. It certainly wasn’t a dog soldier. The size of the grate suggested that the suspicious demon was at least two or three times larger than a human, for the eternal, red moon hung directly over the demon city, which meant the shadow that had covered the grate was not distorted.

At last, the demon left, clicking and tapping as it crawled away. Mai nearly slumped in relief, but Rosuke’s grip on her kept her upright. He squeezed her once in reassurance, but only after waiting another moment did they feel it safe to continue. Rosuke sheathed his sword, and they put the freshly used sewer grate behind them.

They were close. She could feel it, both in her heart and in her gut—her magic, to be specific. A grate ahead would be their way up. Already, the tug from her core wanted her to climb, which was good, because the tunnels had been narrowing for some time, and her back ached from stooping.

They circled up beneath the grate and dismissed the silencing magic.

“Kiyoshi, did you memorize the route?” Shumei asked, keeping her voice low.

He nodded. “Yes, Empress.”

Mai’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t known he’d been given such a task, but more than that, she was shocked he could remember more than two dozen turns, some of which were a choice of three different directions.

“It’ll be up to you to get us back out if it’s too dangerous to create a new gate and something happens to me,” Shumei said.

“Understood.”

“That said, I’m not planning on taking us back through these horrible tunnels. If all goes well, we won’t have to.”

Right, their primary exit strategy was to draw a fresh gate spell they could activate the moment they needed to leave. That would be Mai’s job. Shumei and most of the officers would continue on to confront and defeat the Damned One, and Mai and Kiyoshi would stay behind to prepare the magic circle. Of course, all that depended on them reaching the fortress undetected, finding somewhere to draw the circle without being seen, and surviving until it was time to leave. We did accomplish the first part, Mai told herself.

“We’ll climb out in the same order we took through the sewers, Vallen first,” Shumei said. “Silence spells now, unless anyone has questions?”

No one did, so Mai touched her chest, whispered the keyword once more, and then waited for her turn to emerge from the second foulest place ever to exist. The first would be the Damned One’s stronghold.

Vallen lifted the sewer grate, which was well-used and creaked only a little as he swung it open. Red moonlight shone on his dirt-flecked cheeks. Mai fought to remain calm as he climbed out, not because she worried something waited to pounce on the high general, but because she couldn’t wait to get out of the dark, filthy hole that at any time could have become her grave. As she watched Rosuke climb out, she knew she was next, but she was fighting not to scream. Rosuke offered his hand, which she grabbed too eagerly, and she held her breath as he handily hauled her out of the sewer tunnel.

The second she was free, the clawing in her gut and the pressure on her chest vanished. She took deep, calming breaths as she backed away from the grate. Rosuke remained to help Jun and Kiyoshi, and Mai realized with no small amount of despair that she might never agree to go into a dark, cramped place ever again. Not if she could help it.

Spinning in a slow circle, she took in their surroundings. They had emerged into a small, square courtyard abutting an enormous building—no doubt the Damned One’s stronghold, or at least part of it. Unlike the empress’s palace, which was built with a mix of wood, square stone blocks, and plaster, the fortress before her was all rubble masonry. High walls of similar construction enclosed the outdoor space in relative isolation, for a large metal door into the building was the only exit besides the sewer.

The courtyard itself was being used as storage. Large pots were piled on and around long tables and kegs the size of a cow. Skinned, partially eaten animals hung from racks leaning against one wall. Mai assumed the animals had been abducted from her home plane, but why demons would eat animals when they preferred to feed off humans was a mystery to Mai. Perhaps the animals were for another purpose.