Chapter 124 – The Door in the Deep
The council chamber still smelled faintly of smoke and tallow wax. The spider's corpse had been dragged through the Hollow just hours before, and now the air carried with it whispers, fears, and anticipation.
Kael stood at the long oak table with Umbra sitting silently at his side, eyes like cold fire watching every move. Lyria sat across from him, hands folded but alert. Fenrik leaned heavily against his chair, scarred arms crossed, while Thalos scowled with unease. Rogan and Varik stood near the back, the weight of their presence reminding all that Kael was not the only powerful figure in the room.
The spider had unsettled everyone.
It was Rogan who spoke first, voice a low rumble.
"That thing you brought back, boy—it's a feast, aye. Its hide'll armor ten men, maybe more. But what sits behind those doors, Kael? You mean to tell me we leave them open? Let more beasts like that crawl free?"
Fenrik grunted in agreement. "Aye. We should seal it. Collapse the cavern if need be. There's danger there—more than even you can contain."
Kael's gaze dropped to the table. His hands tightened into fists. "I touched those doors. I felt what sleeps beyond them. If we destroy them, we destroy more than monsters. There's something else in there—resources, maybe knowledge. Power."
"Power we don't need," Thalos growled. "The Hollow bleeds enough without chasing shadows in the dark."
The room bristled. Voices began to overlap, some muttering that sealing it was the safe choice, others worrying about the miners stumbling too close. Kael's chest tightened as the arguments swirled.
Finally, he raised his voice—not shouting, but sharp enough to cut through the noise.
"I'm not asking we explore it now. Not today. Not tomorrow. But we shouldn't bury it, either. Shut the doors. Bar them. Place guards if we must. But leave them whole. One day we may need what's behind them."
The silence that followed was heavy, but uneasy.
Fenrik slammed his hand on the table. "And what if one day those doors open on their own? What if the next beast isn't just a spider? What if it's something that tears through every wall we've built?"
Lyria leaned forward. Her voice was soft, but it carried.
"And what if sealing it forever robs us of what could save us? You all know what Kael has done for the Hollow, what we've built with our own hands. Crops. Walls. Homes. But what happens when trade fails, when stronger kingdoms look to snuff us out? That spider alone will feed us, clothe us, shield us. Imagine what lies further in. Knowledge of the old world. Treasures meant for warriors. If we seal it, we choose fear over opportunity."
Her words lingered. Some of the council shifted uncomfortably, others bowed their heads.
Kael's throat tightened as he looked at her. She wasn't just defending him—she was defending the Hollow's future.
Varik finally spoke, his calm, calculating tone breaking the tension. "The boy is right, and so is she. Close the doors, but don't destroy them. Put watchers there. Limit access. For now, it remains an option, nothing more."
The arguments simmered again, but weaker this time. Rogan muttered curses under his breath, Fenrik still scowled, but one by one the voices began to nod, to agree.
Thalos spat on the floor but finally grunted, "Fine. But when the day comes you lead us through those doors, Kael… it'll be on your head."
Kael met his gaze, steady and unflinching. "It already is."
The council meeting broke apart slowly, members murmuring in clusters as they left. Only Lyria lingered, waiting for him.
"You knew they'd fight you," she said once the chamber emptied.
Kael allowed himself a faint smile, weary but true. "I did. But if we destroy every unknown out of fear, we'll never grow. The Hollow has to become more than a hiding place."
Lyria touched his arm, her eyes searching his. "Then you carry that weight. But not alone."
Kael looked at her, the ghost of Druaka's absence still heavy between them, and nodded.
For now, the dungeon would remain closed.
Not sealed. Not destroyed.
Waiting.