The lower mine was almost empty when Teclos and Serenna emerged from the rift.
They landed inside a timber-reinforced tunnel where rusted rails vanished into the dark. One surviving lantern revealed wagon tracks and a broad smear of blood across the nearest rail.
Serenna crouched beside it and touched two fingers to the stain.
She looked back at Teclos. "It's still fresh."
"How fresh?"
"They must have passed through here less than half an hour ago. Perhaps only a few minutes."
Teclos expanded Dark Sense.
The mine opened around him in uneven layers: narrow shafts, storage rooms, flooded passages, and a cluster of weak heartbeats farther below.
Only one powerful presence remained. It waited at the bottom of the mine without moving.
Teclos felt the weight of its mana and lowered his hand.
Serenna rose. "You found someone."
"One vampire. He's much stronger than the ones in the tax office."
"Only one?"
"The rest are either gone or hiding beyond my range."
