A six-by-six-foot section of the wall in front of them slowly—and most importantly, silently—slid to the left, leaving behind a trail of ancient dust that filled the entire room. The rats had to close their eyes and cover their noses to avoid sneezing. Once the dust had almost settled, they saw yet another wall within the large niche left by the sliding mechanism. Light streamed through a small pinhole, casting shifting colours on the opposite wall and through the floating dust.

  When Marik leaned against the wall to take a peek inside, it suddenly swung open, sending him flying into the office and crashing to the floor with an audible bang. Everyone froze in place, their ears opening wide and rotating towards the door, listening carefully to any reaction from the outside.

  When it was evident that no guards reacted to this noise, Sv?rd helped Marik up, dragging him with much more force than was required. “So nice of you to almost get us discovered, Mr. I-have-a-bad-feeling-about-this,” he whispered angrily into Marik’s ear—loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “Give him a break, Sv?rd,” Josephine said as she entered the room, carefully stepping over a low threshold left in the niche. “Like you’ve never fucked up.”

  “The worst of my mistakes lead to us buying a round in the tavern. That thing here could have been our death,” Sv?rd snapped.

  “Guys, can you please shut up and start looking for the Chancellor's safe?” said Sozos as he, too, stepped over the threshold.

  The group finally took a moment to look around. To their surprise, the office was modest and designed with comfort and functionality in mind. Behind the window stood a massive leather chair—obviously custom-made—with craftsmanship evident in every stitch and fold. It even had a small round hole for the Chancellor’s tail at the back, unlike the cheaper variants with large, generic holes or the boxy rectangular ones designed to save on materials and labor.

  In front of the chair stood a sturdy wooden desk, its finish worn in the spots where the Chancellor used to rest his arms. Two simpler chairs sat opposite it—an obvious power move. Anyone visiting would have to squint against the light pouring through the window, staring up at the Chancellor seated like a king.

  To the left of the window was a white sofa with a coffee table in front. A single book sat on the table: How to Rule Over Idiots by R. A. Truler—nearly finished, judging by the bookmark poking out.

  The opposite wall housed two wide, tall cabinets with a painting of Chancellor in his prime years hanging between them. The last wall had a couple of bookshelves full of different books on economics, politics, psychology, and maybe a dozen other disciplines, as well as the entrance door. A soft carpet depicting a flying dragon was laid across the floor. While now they went out of style, those were all the rage about 20 years ago. Eight magical torches filled the room with a nice warm light.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “You know the drill, guys,” said Soz as he moved to inspect the bookshelves.

  “Didn’t your friend tell you where to look for it?” asked Sv?rd.

  “Yes, indeed he did.”

  “So… tell us, maybe?”

  “In this office.”

  The two other ratkins giggled while Sv?rd moved towards one of the cabinets, muttering something like “falcon squat”.

  Josephine took the other cabinet while Marik moved to examine the sofa. He patted it thoroughly before slowly lying down on it.

  “Not the best time for a nap, Mar,” said Josephine strictly.

  “I’m not napping. I’m being efficient—using my whole body to feel for anything hidden,” Marik replied, stretching and yawning. “Guys, I’ve never felt this good. It’s soft, but not too soft. This must be what floating on a cloud feels like.”

  “Need me to come over and help you pull up once again you lazy bastard?” hissed Sv?rd as he turned toward the couch.

  “Nah, all good here, nothing’s inside. Just wanted to double-check,” said Marik as he got up and rejoined the search.

  In five minutes, they were done with the cabinets; in another ten, all the books were on the floor in several piles, the bookshelves completely empty. Another five minutes passed as the carpet was moved to the side, revealing nothing but polished hardwood floors beneath. Panic was slowly starting to settle in.

  “Guys, I think it’s pointless. Let’s just put everything back in place and return the way we came,” offered Marik.

  “Sure, we’ll put everything back in place while you go outside and call the maid to clean and dust, you dimwit,” snapped Sv?rd, who was actually considering this idea. “Look at what your smart inspection did to the sofa.”

  “It’s not that bad, see?” Marik said as he moved to the sofa and tried removing some of the dust, resulting in even more dirty smears across the snow-white fabric.

  “We can’t turn back now; after what we did here, there won’t be another chance!” Sozos almost shouted, his voice filled with hysteria.

  “Look, Soz…” Josephine began, stepping toward him.

  “FUUUCK,” she exclaimed as her boot smashed into one of the sofa’s legs.

  “It’s not how the furniture legs are supposed to behave, is it?” wondered Marik, dropping on all fours and looking at the couch’s leg now bent inwards. “Let me see… hmm…” He applied a bit more force, and the leg began to rotate. “That must be it!”

  The instant the leg came off, a part of the floor with the couch still standing on three remaining ones slid about a foot to the left, revealing a round hole the size of a grown rat’s hand.

  “You guys are geniuses!” Sozos said—just before sticking his hand in.

  Several things happened in the blink of an eye: a loud clang came from the hole, sending a jolt of pain through Sozos’ whole body and trapping his arm. Lights in the room became so bright that the rats had to force their eyes shut. A loud alarm rang. Worst of all, the wall they’d entered through snapped shut with terrifying speed.

  Just as swiftly as the lights flared, they went dark.

  The entrance door exploded inward, kicked open by a guard. Crossbow bolts flew in. One found its mark, drawing a cry of pain.

  In the main dining hall, amidst panic that followed the sounds of alarm, Lord Chancellor licked elderberry jam off his fingers and smiled.