Andre took a bite of the apple.
"You say that every time we meet."
"Because you keep giving me reasons."
Kai sat down before the argument could continue.
Akshay pointed at the map.
"I've reviewed the attack."
Several locations were marked with red circles.
Warehouses.
Supply depots.
Guard stations.
Storage buildings.
Kai studied the map carefully.
At first it seemed random.
Then he noticed something.
The circles weren't scattered.
They connected.
"They form a route."
Akshay nodded.
"Exactly."
Andre leaned closer.
"So?"
The king rubbed his forehead.
"The attackers weren't targeting buildings."
His finger moved across the map.
"They were clearing a path."
The room grew quiet.
Kai looked again.
Now he could see it.
---
Every location sat along the same corridor through the city.
A route.
A deliberate route.
One leading toward a specific destination.
"Where does it go?" Kai asked.
Akshay pointed toward the oldest district of Yggdrasil.
The section carved directly into the mountain centuries ago.
"The underground."
Even Andre stopped chewing.
The underground.
Everyone knew about it.
Nobody liked talking about it.
Smugglers operated there.
Black market traders.
Assassins.
Mercenaries.
Criminals.
Anything the city couldn't control eventually found its way underground.
Kai immediately thought of Vice.
Akshay folded his arms.
"If the attacks were clearing a route, then whatever they were transporting likely came from there."