New Orleans had always kept its secrets underground.
Beneath the music, the crowded streets, and the old buildings of the French Quarter lay forgotten passages that had existed long before the city became what it was. Some had been built by wealthy families seeking private escape routes. Others belonged to witches who preferred conducting their affairs away from curious eyes.
Viktor Mikaelson had lived long enough to know that the most interesting things in New Orleans were rarely found above ground.
He stood inside a narrow passage beneath an abandoned building, examining the old stonework. A few feet behind him, Malia held a flashlight while Qetsiyah studied the markings carved into the wall. The air was damp, and the smell of old earth lingered in the passage.
They had followed the location revealed by Qetsiyah's tracing spell. The building above had appeared abandoned, but the magical traces beneath it suggested otherwise.
Klaus had wanted to accompany them. Viktor had refused, preferring to keep the investigation quiet until they understood what they were dealing with. Elijah had remained at the compound to coordinate the family's other investigations, while Freya continued studying the ordinary silver rings recovered from the Guerreras.
Qetsiyah moved closer to the wall.
"Someone has been maintaining this place. The stones are old, but the magic around them is considerably newer. Whoever uses this passage has taken care to conceal the entrance and erase the traces of their work."
Malia directed the flashlight toward a narrow groove in the stone.
"There are marks here. They look like scratches, but they're too evenly spaced."
Qetsiyah examined them.
"Not scratches. Someone has been moving objects through this passage, and the repeated contact has worn away the surface. Whatever they're carrying must be heavy."
Viktor placed his palm against the wall. His eyes narrowed as he felt the faint residue of magic.
"There's more beyond it."
He stepped back and struck the stone with his fist.
The wall shuddered. Cracks spread across its surface before a section collapsed inward, revealing a concealed chamber beyond.
Malia raised her flashlight.
"Subtle."
Viktor glanced at her. "The people who built it clearly didn't expect someone like me to come looking."
The chamber was larger than the passage suggested. Wooden shelves lined the walls, some empty, others holding small boxes and sealed containers. A heavy table occupied the centre, covered with scattered papers, broken glass, and several old magical instruments.
Qetsiyah entered first.
"Someone has been working here recently."
She lifted a piece of parchment from the table. The writing was old-fashioned, but the ink had not faded. Several names appeared alongside dates, locations, and descriptions of magical objects.
Malia began examining the shelves.
"These aren't just storage records. They're transactions. Whoever worked here was keeping track of what came in, where it went, and who received it."
Viktor picked up a small wooden box. Inside were several ordinary silver rings, identical to the ones worn by the Guerrera wolves.
He turned one between his fingers.
"More of them."
Qetsiyah examined the box.
"The same enchantment was used. These have been prepared but not activated. Their magic is faint, though the structure is consistent with the rings we examined earlier."
"Seraphine's supplier," Malia said.
"Possibly," Qetsiyah replied. "At the very least, we've found someone involved in the production."
Viktor placed the box back on the table.
"Then we're getting somewhere."
He continued through the chamber, examining the shelves. Most of the objects were ordinary magical supplies, but a few carried traces of older spells. There were bundles of herbs, fragments of engraved stone, glass vials containing dark liquids, and several pieces of jewellery that had clearly been altered.
Nothing suggested that the person working here possessed enough power to threaten an Original.
That did not make the discovery unimportant.
The room was a workshop, not a fortress. Its owner had invested in secrecy rather than protection, which suggested that they relied on remaining unnoticed.
Malia found a second collection of documents tucked beneath the table.
"Viktor."
He joined her as she spread the papers across the surface.
The documents contained a list of names, some familiar and others entirely unknown. Beside each were dates and references to different supernatural groups. Several entries mentioned the Guerreras, while others referred to independent witches operating outside the established covens.
Qetsiyah studied the handwriting.
"These records go back decades. The person responsible has been supplying different groups for a long time."
Viktor turned another page.
A particular name appeared repeatedly.
Seraphine Duval.
The entries were brief, but the pattern was clear. Objects had been delivered to intermediaries, payments had been recorded, and instructions had been passed through several people before reaching their final recipients.
Seraphine had not simply purchased a few enchanted rings. She had maintained a relationship with the supplier for years.
"She has been building this network longer than we thought," Malia said.
"She has had nearly two centuries to build it," Viktor replied. "We should have expected that she would have more than one supplier."
Qetsiyah continued examining the records. Her expression changed when she reached a page near the bottom of the collection.
"This is different."
She placed the document beneath the light.
Unlike the other entries, this one contained no list of objects or payments. It described several components, each associated with a different magical tradition. The writing was incomplete, and much of the original text had been crossed out.
Malia leaned closer.
"It looks like a collection list."
"Not quite," Qetsiyah said. "These objects have different purposes, but the notes suggest they are being gathered for a single working."
Viktor studied the page.
"Can you identify what the working does?"
"Not from this alone. The instructions are incomplete, and the references are deliberately vague. Whoever wrote this understood that the documents might be discovered."
She turned the page over.
A small symbol had been drawn on the back. Qetsiyah recognized its general structure but not its exact meaning.
Her expression became thoughtful.
"This is older magic. Much older than the enchantments used on the Guerrera rings. Someone has been searching for objects connected to different forms of supernatural power."
Viktor looked at the symbol.
"Seraphine?"
"Her name appears beside the entry, but that does not prove she understands the purpose of the collection. She may simply be gathering what someone else has requested."
Malia stepped away from the table.
"Which means we're still looking at the people supplying her, not necessarily the person directing everything."
Viktor gave a small nod.
"Then we'll keep looking."
A faint sound came from the passage.
All three turned toward the entrance.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching from the other side of the concealed wall.
Viktor's expression remained unchanged, but his attention sharpened. He moved toward the entrance while Malia extinguished her flashlight. Qetsiyah remained beside the table, one hand resting near the documents.
A man appeared in the passage carrying a leather bag. He was middle-aged, dressed plainly, and looked thoroughly unprepared for the sight of Viktor standing inside his hidden workshop.
The bag slipped from his hand.
Viktor crossed the distance before the man could reach the entrance. He caught him by the throat and drove him against the stone wall.
The impact knocked the breath from his lungs.
"You're late," Viktor said calmly.
The man struggled against his grip, but his efforts were useless.
Malia stepped into the passage, illuminating his face.
"He's human."
"That makes this easier," Viktor replied.
Qetsiyah approached, examining the man's face before looking at the documents.
"He's connected to the enchantments. I can feel traces of the same magic on his hands."
Viktor loosened his grip just enough for the man to breathe.
"You've been supplying Seraphine Duval."
The man's eyes moved toward the chamber, where the documents remained scattered across the table.
Viktor followed his gaze.
"Don't bother pretending you don't know her. We've already found the records."
The man swallowed.
"I don't know what she wants with all of it. I only provide the objects. The arrangements come through intermediaries."
"Then you've been paid to remain ignorant."
The man said nothing.
Viktor released him and stepped back. The supplier dropped to his knees, coughing violently.
Malia looked down at him.
"You've been working with her for years. You must know something about the people who collect these objects."
"I only know the people who bring the orders. They change every few months. The woman doesn't meet with me directly."
Qetsiyah's eyes narrowed.
"Yet you know enough to recognize her name."
The man looked at her, then lowered his head.
"She pays well. I don't ask questions."
Viktor gave a quiet laugh.
"People always say that when they've spent years making money from someone else's secrets."
He looked toward Qetsiyah.
"Find out what he knows. I want every name, every intermediary, and every place he's used to deliver these objects."
Qetsiyah nodded and moved closer to the prisoner.
The man's face drained of colour as she raised her hand.
He began speaking before she even touched him.
The interrogation lasted less than an hour.
By the time they left the chamber, Viktor had learned that the supplier was only one of several people involved in the distribution of magical objects. He had no direct knowledge of Seraphine's larger objective, but he had kept records of the intermediaries who collected the enchanted rings and other items.
More importantly, he had identified a second location.
An old property outside the French Quarter had been used to store objects before they were moved to their final destinations. The supplier believed it was still active.
Viktor handed the documents to Malia.
"Take these back to the compound. Elijah and Freya should examine the names and identify anyone already connected to Seraphine."
Malia looked toward the passage.
"You're staying?"
"I want to see what else is hidden here."
Qetsiyah remained beside him.
"The records suggest this operation is only one part of something larger. The objects are not being gathered randomly. There is a purpose behind the collection, and I intend to discover it before Seraphine completes whatever she has started."
Viktor glanced at her.
"Then we'll find the purpose."
He looked back toward the chamber, where the empty shelves and scattered documents revealed only fragments of a much larger operation.
Seraphine had spent years gathering people, objects, and magical advantages. She had built a network that could operate across New Orleans without drawing the attention of the city's most powerful supernatural family.
But now the Mikaelsons had found one of its foundations.
And Viktor intended to keep pulling until the entire structure came down.
Across the city, Seraphine received a message from one of her remaining contacts.
The hidden workshop had been discovered.
She read the short report without changing expression, then placed it on her desk.
The supplier had been careless. That was unfortunate, but hardly unexpected. She had never considered him essential, and his records contained only a fraction of what she needed to protect.
Still, the discovery meant Viktor had moved closer than she wanted.
She walked to the cabinet where the black stone rested and opened it.
For several seconds, she stared at the object.
Then she closed the cabinet and turned the key.
The Mikaelsons were no longer following a trail she had deliberately placed in front of them. They had found something real.
That changed matters.
Seraphine reached for her telephone.
It was time to accelerate the next part of her arrangement.