Finn, Emmy, and Patrick had written about the tunnels they'd discovered in the Vault in extensive detail. Most of them had collapsed from age, but the three of them had managed to identify several that were still functional. What they hadn't been able to do was tell which ones were actively being used. They didn't have the training or experience when it came to tracking people or reading animal signs. Only a very small portion of the Crimson Army was actually trained to do so, though there were probably a few who'd learned on their own over the years.
Only the scouts and Yuze's own spies were trained to follow people by what they left behind, so he wasn't surprised that the three hadn't been able to tell. Yuze had even told them not to bother; he'd send one of his own to take a look as soon as he had time and someone was available.
Rat had returned that morning, with the unfortunate news that he'd had no luck tracking Snake, but with the good news that the tribes and the soldiers at the outposts were getting along. He'd offered to look at the tunnels, tired from back-to-back long missions to the borderlands, but Yuze had had a more important job for him.
"More important than figuring out the path into the Camelia?" Rat had never bothered with a mask when he was in the Camelia. He was a bit older than Yuze, his face pockmarked with so many scars it was almost impossible to look him straight on. Only in the Camelia could someone so marked go unnoticed.
After Fox and Snake, Yuze didn't trust any of his agents, or anyone outside of Chenzhou, really. Maybe Eirian. Rat had a reputation for chaos, but also for a lack of attachment to anyone or anything. He was a leaf on the wind, going where the wind blew, with little attachment to the things he left behind, and the people around him treated him the same way in kind. None of his fellow spies really seemed to care strongly about him in any way.
But he did have a knack for finding things that were supposed to be unfindable.
And Yuze had a problem he couldn't put off any longer. In the shock of Finn's death, the world had stopped for those close to him, but it wouldn't be that way forever. Eirian was consumed with revenge, Chenzhou with keeping the Camelia and Eirian safe, Mingzhe with trying to help the two of them.
It was surprising, though it was tragic, that Emmy and Patrick had slipped from their minds at the moment. It wouldn't last, but Yuze wanted to have answers before then.
Because it was hard to imagine that anyone in the Camelia hadn't heard about Finn days after his death protecting the heir.
So why hadn't Emmy and Patrick left their cover and reappeared?
There were only two reasons Yuze could think of.
Either they were in the midst of something that they considered even more important than their friend's death.
Or they couldn't return even if they wanted to.
Neither option left Yuze with a good feeling.
"I need you to find two people. A sister and brother. Emmy and Patrick-"
Rat broke in. "The young Vermeer's companions?"
Yuze nodded.
Rat looked thoughtful. "I suppose it is strange that they haven't shown up yet."
Yuze sank back in his chair under the weight of the day. Kai Low hadn't been pleased when he'd ordered him to stay out of his office for the duration of this meeting. Not that Yuze thought he had any right to be angry. For some reason, he'd still felt bad when the Bandri's expression had closed off.
"You're sure they're still inside the walls?"
Yuze nodded. "They were looking into leads here. Related to what they found in the Vault. They checked in on schedule a few times, but now they're late."
Rat hummed, then nodded. "Alright. I'll find them." He stood, stretched, and headed for the door before stopping. "Was that everything?"
"Get some rest while you can."
Rat tossed him a half-assed salute and ducked out, leaving Yuze to the silence of his thoughts.
***
The Vault hadn't been open since Finn, Emmy, and Patrick had chased the thieves. Chenzhou had ordered it locked down, and Li had devoted extra manpower to making sure it was impregnable. They were the only forces he hadn't pulled to search after the assassination attempt.
Yuze made his way to the Vault while Chenzhou and Eirian were distracted by Mingzhe's family.
Li was waiting with his guards, and to Yuze's resignation, Kai Low.
"How did you even- nevermind." Yuze ignored the Bandri and turned to Li. "No one's been inside?"
Li shook his head. "Not even the guards. All the doors have been sealed since that night."
"Good. Seal them again behind us."
Li's eyes darted to Kai Low, then back to Yuze, but he didn't say what he clearly wanted to. "Of course."
Yuze watched as the guards broke the seal on the door. He'd brought a bag of supplies, just in case this took more than a night.
"Be safe." Li offered as Yuze and Kai Low stepped inside. Yuze thanked him as they closed the door, and he stayed still, listening as they sealed it again with chains and paper charms. It wouldn't stop the most motivated individual, but it would alert them the moment someone broke it.
Darkness fell once the doors were closed until Kai Low lit a torch.
He didn't say anything, just watching Yuze.
So he was clearly in a mood.
Yuze sighed and pulled out the map he'd prepared. "This way." He'd drawn in the tunnels Finn and his friends had found.
He started down the hallway, not bothering to look back and check if Kai Low was following. The first tunnel was several hundred feet from the door, but the others were much closer after it. The thieves had been more worried about being closer to the door than they had about the possible stability issues of having so many tunnels so close together.
They walked in the most judgmental silence Yuze had ever experienced, but he was determined not to be the one to break it. If Kai Low wanted to sulk, let him. Yuze had done nothing wrong. The Tribal Ambassador had already been given far more access than he should have, and he seemed to think they had a much deeper bond than they did.
Yuze didn't want to be cruel; that was the only reason he hadn't said anything to correct that assumption.
The air in the vault got thicker as they walked deeper. Heavy and wet with the taste of dirt. Their footsteps kicked up small clouds of dust and dirt.
There was no sign that anyone else had been inside. No fresh footprints, no streaks in the dirt where doors had opened and closed. No light from anything other than the torch Kai Low was holding.
Yuze took it all in as they walked.
The first tunnel was in a room full of furniture artefacts. Covered in dust and a few sheets. The room was so full that Yuze knew immediately that the tunnel would be useless or collapsed. There was no room to move around, let alone access the tunnel, and nothing had been moved in decades.
"Well, that's one down." Yuze sighed.
~ tbc