Honey : The Empire's Treasure 349 Down Below 2

Having finished her work and clean the roof of evidence, Mika searched the building for a bag to keep all her things in before leisurely making her way the main residence.

Upon reaching there, she saw the soldiers standing inside the demolished structure waiting for something.

Hearing footsteps walking towards them, the captain who standing guard, quickly looked Mika's way with his gun drawn.

"Lady Minx…?"

"En." 

On getting a closer look at the mask pet.i.te figure, the captain finally felt secure enough to lower his weapon.

"Where is Prince Ailwin?" Mika politely asked. However, as she wasn't their leader nor their superior officer, no one felt incline to answer her.

Seeing she was getting no response from the group, she just shrugged her shoulders and went exploring on her own.

Cracks and creaking of the wooden floors follow her along has she inspected what look like rooms in the house.

When she got the back courtyard of the residence, she noticed a small shed untouched by the fire. Curiosity pique, she headed that way.

Down in the bas.e.m.e.nt, Ailwin had the soldiers s.h.i.+ne their flashlights in the general area around the wall. With nothing blocking the way, he walked towards the levers and flipped them one by one.

The sound of generators starting up, had all the men jumpy for what might happen next.

*Click* *Click* *Click* *Vroom*

Bright lights began turning on section by section in bas.e.m.e.nt and fresh air was being bought in through some kind of vents.

When the final light turned on, Ailwin was looking at a full equipped laboratory.

Shutting off their flashlights, the soldiers glanced around the s.p.a.ce in wonder. Ailwin was just as in awe as his men, but was also sicken by the site. 

This was under the house all along?

He had been standing over one of those labatories when he first arrived in the city and didn't know. It made he think about what else has been happening right underneath his nose.

"Spread out, see what you can find...but be careful! We don't know if there are any traps here."

"Yes, sir."

The men dispersed in all different directions to search the facility. 

Ailwin looked to his right and saw a faint glow coming from a gap at the bottom of the door.

Turning the n.o.b, he let the door swing open as he stood off to the side of the entrance way. 

"Ailwin?"

Hearing his name being called by a familiar voice, had him thoroughly confused.

"Mika…?" Ailwin whispered as he enter the room trying to find the source of her voice.

"Yeah, over here." She gave her hand a little wave when she stood up from behind a bookcase.

"WhHow did you get in here?"

"I came down the stairs and through the shed…" She pointed towards a dark doorway.

Ailwin walked to the spot she point him to and ran up the stairs to come out of a shed in the back of the now brunt main residence. Turning around to walk back down the stairs, Ailwin marveled at Mika's luck.

How the h.e.l.l did she find this…?

Returning to the s.p.a.cious room, he saw Mika in the same spot he left her in.

"What are you looking at?" He said. Noticing she was holding a book in her hand as she looked at it with great concentration. 

"It's their catalog."

"Catalog? For what?" Ailwin looked over her shoulders at the numbers and words running down the pages.

"For those…" Once more Mika point to a side from the room Ailwin had yet to take notice of.

Flas.h.i.+ng his light that way, Ailwin was paralyzed by the room's horrifying occupants.

In jars and gla.s.s containers of various sizes, held what Ailwin could only guess were Fae and probably the citizens of this city.

The more he looked the more he wanted to throw up.

Das.h.i.+ng out of the area, Ailwin turned off his flashlight afraid of what else he might see.

Feeling in need of fresh air he ran pa.s.s Mika and up the stairs to the back courtyard. Breathing heavily, he tried to catch his breath and get his emotions and stomach under control. Yet, for the life of him they would not stop spinning.

Seeing Ailwin react so strongly to the containers and jars, Mika closed the book in her hand and followed in his footsteps.

Hearing Mika exiting the shed, he quickly righted himself before she could see his weak state.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." He didn't turn around so she could see his face, instead he kept his back towards and his turnt his face up towards the sky.

"You don't have to go back dow-"

"I just needed some fresh air. I'll go back down in a minute….are...Are you okay?" 

"Yea…" Mika quietly said.

"Okay."

With the silence becoming thick between them, Mika left to go back down stairs to release them from the awkward tension.

Ailwin blew out a sigh when he heard Mika going down the steps.

He is the Commander of the Shadow Wolves. A Prince of the great Kaia Kingdom, who has over thousands of men following him. Took part in several b.l.o.o.d.y battles, looked death in the eyes over dozens of times.

And even with all those t.i.tles and accomplishments were under his belt, he hated to admit to himself that he didn't want to enter that room again.

Seeing those containers left him feeling empty, ill and livid at the same time, he couldn't explain it.

Is my father so cruel?

He didn't know what his facial expression was like, but he didn't want Mika to see him. He was afraid he might do something to hurt her feelings while his emotions were getting the better of him.

It's one of the reasons he hurried out of the room and didn't look her in the eyes just now.

You are supposed to be a leader.... How can you lead like this? He berated himself.