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“Was that the man with the broken fingers you hauled into the Met?”Sergeant Griffiths grunted.

“Exactly,” Shaw confirmed smugly.

Evander sighed and took the overly warm map off her before forging ahead.

The corridor branched several times, the vile power they’d sensed in the lecture hall intensifying as they progressed farther inside the complex.They finally reached a heavy iron door after what felt like an eternity navigating the subterranean maze.

Unlike the ancient stonework surrounding it, it was undeniably modern—crafted from burnished metal, it was inscribed with arcane symbols that glowed faintly in the presence of his flames.

“Is it another ward?”Rufus asked edgily.

Evander lowered his brows.“Yes.”

He examined the intricate patterns etched into the metal before pressing the seal ring against the centre of the door, where the symbols converged.A series of mechanical clicks echoed around them as the complex locking mechanisms disengaged.

“Let’s hope no one on the other side heard that,” Shaw muttered.

They tensed when the door swung open on silent hinges.

A gloomy, empty corridor lay beyond.

“Engage your offensive magic,” Evander quietly told the assembled officers and mages.

Runes and spells came to life behind him, the power crackling the air making the hairs on his nape stand on end.

Evander’s heart raced as he stepped inside the enemy’s lair, the others following silently in his wake.Rooms appeared on either side of the passageway, the shadows within them retreating as he cast light into the far corners.Some had sleeping cots and desks.One hosted a kitchen with a dining table.There was even a washing facility.

“Looks like people have been living down here, your Grace,” Shaw whispered.

Evander clenched his jaw at the thought of all the evil that had played out in this place, deep beneath an Institute that was meant to guard against the very horrors it represented.

A low hum started vibrating through the floor as they advanced.

Evander stiffened and stopped when the amulet against his chest grew warm and began glowing with a pale light.

Rufus’s wary gaze found the pendant.“Is that?—?”

“Yes,” Evander said in a hard voice.“There are shadow creatures close by.”

A fraught hush fell around him.

Another door appeared up ahead.Unlike the first one, it wasn’t warded.

Cold fingers danced down Evander’s spine when he sensed the foul energy seeping around the hinges.He pressed his ear against the cold metal.No sound came from beyond it.

“Get ready,” he warned.

He closed his fingers on the handle and swiftly pulled the door open.

The chamber beyond was vast, its ceiling lost in obscurity despite the illumination from Evander’s flames.A burning chill raised goose bumps on his skin, the acrid taste and stench of corrupt magic so abominable it scorched his tongue and nasal passages and made his eyes water despite his defences.

Several officers and mages gagged and threw up.Griffiths pressed a hand to his mouth and nose, his face ashen.

Evander erected a protective barrier of wind and fire magic around them.It cleared the air and made it easier to breathe again.

“Your Grace!”Shaw barked.

There was movement above.