MEMELAND

Raj quickly learned that listening to sewer workers was an experience.

A terrible experience.

The first worker sat across from her.

Wrapped in blankets.

Holding a cup of tea.

Looking traumatized.

Nish stood nearby with a notebook.

Alice had been banned from the room.

Mostly because she kept asking stupid questions.

The worker swallowed.

Then pointed dramatically.

"I'm telling you."

"There was a monster."

Raj wrote nothing.

Nish wrote nothing.

The worker continued.

"It was huge."

"Covered in scales."

"Terrifying."

Nish finally nodded.

"An alligator."

The worker immediately pointed at him.

"YES."

"Exactly."

"An alligator."

Raj glanced at Nish.

Progress.

Then the worker continued.

"But then there was another monster."

Raj immediately regretted being here.

"What kind of monster?"

The worker looked horrified.

"A shirtless man."

Silence.

Nish stopped writing.

Raj closed her eyes.

The worker leaned forward.

"He was fighting the alligator."

"With a pipe."

Raj opened one eye.

"A pipe?"

"A metal pipe."

Nish sighed.

Of course.

The worker continued.

"He won."

Raj rubbed her forehead.

"Against the alligator?"

"Against three."

"..."

"..."

Neither investigator spoke.

The worker looked offended.

"You don't believe me."

Raj had no response.

Because unfortunately—

She did.

The second witness wasn't any better.

According to him:

• A shirtless man stole emergency rations.
• Beat up several cultists.
• Fell into a drainage channel.
• Climbed out.
• Stole more food.
• Then screamed at somebody for "wasting perfectly good bread."

There was no point.

Every statement somehow became more ridiculous.

Yet every statement described the same person.

The same height.

The same build.

The same behavior.

The same impossible stupidity.

After the fourth witness, Raj and Nish finally stepped outside.

Fresh air greeted them.

Raj appreciated it.

Nish looked at his notes.

Then closed the notebook.

"I've reached a conclusion."

Raj nodded.

"So have I."

The commander looked tired.

"Unfortunately."

Raj already knew what he was going to say.

"Andre survived."

"Andre survived."

The two sighed simultaneously.

A nearby guard looked confused.

Neither explained.

They continued walking through the palace grounds.

For several minutes neither spoke.

Then Nish suddenly stopped.

A runner was approaching.

Fast.

Very fast.

The soldier nearly tripped before reaching them.

"Commander."

Nish immediately became serious.

"What happened?"

The soldier handed over a report.

Nish read it.

Then read it again.

Raj noticed.

That was never a good sign.

"What is it?"

Nish handed her the document.

Raj scanned the page.

Then froze.

The report came from a sewer maintenance team.

One stationed far beyond the collapse zone.

Apparently they had discovered something unusual.

Not footprints.

Not food.

Not damage.

A message.

Written directly onto a wall.

In charcoal.

Large enough that nobody could miss it.

Raj slowly lowered the report.

"What."

Nish looked equally confused.

The message was short.

Only a single sentence.

A sentence so unbelievably specific that there was no chance anybody else had written it.

The report quoted it exactly.

"If Kai finds this, tell him I punched a bald guy."

Silence.

Raj stared at the paper.

Then stared at Nish.

Then back at the paper.

Finally—

She laughed.

Not a polite laugh.

Not a quiet laugh.

A genuine laugh.

The commander pinched the bridge of his nose.

"He's alive."

Raj nodded.

"He is absolutely alive."

The soldier looked between them.

"Should I be concerned?"

"Yes."

"Very."

The soldier looked even more concerned.

Unfortunately—

Neither Raj nor Nish elaborated.

Because they were both busy wondering the same thing.

If Andre was alive...

Then what exactly was he doing down there now?