Liona clutched the sword-shaped key tightly as she descended the winding stone staircase. Four Imperial guards followed closely behind her, their expressions betraying unease.
"Princess," Captain Thorne said from just behind her right shoulder, "are you certain this is wise? These lower levels haven't been accessed in years."
"My mother's instructions were clear," Liona replied without breaking stride. Her voice echoed in the narrow passage, bouncing back at them. "The Ambrose vault is at the bottom of these stairs."
"The Ambrose vault?" Another guard whispered, his voice tense. "I thought that was just a story."
Liona didn't bother correcting him. Let them think what they would. The truth, as her mother had explained in her hastily written instructions, was both simple and complex than palace rumors suggested.
