Forty-Eight

Ryker

I wanted to say I was positive these tunnels hadn’t existed when I was a child, but it would be a lie.

I never had the opportunity to seek out all the mysteries my father had masked from his family, especially regarding this house. It had been his pride and joy, and the ostentatious nature of it displayed that well enough.

Yet, my father had been as suspicious as he was cruel, so it wouldn’t astonish me if he had been the one to install this underground network all those years ago when he’d had this abode built. It would make more sense than Zeke or the elders managing to cover up such a huge undertaking without alerting the rest of the population.

Just the same, my ponderings were interrupted by the distinctive noise of life erupting from within, and I was climbing into the opening without a second thought.

I did have the prudence to pause long enough to ensure my mate was on board with my present course of action, but