Page 80 of Kingdom of Feathers

The matter was driven from her mind as the enchantress in front of her suddenly stopped walking. Wren was so distracted, she almost bumped into the back of the woman. Her guard was once again forced to steady her.

“What is it?” The question came from the Entolian merchant. If Wren was remembering correctly, he was married to the enchantress. “Did you lose the trail of the magic?”

She shook her head, looking confused. “No, it’s definitely been getting stronger. The source must be nearby. But it’s like it’s coming from underneath us.”

“You mean it’s soaked into the ground or something?” her husband pressed.

She frowned. “I don’t think so. The closer we get, the less it feels like a general enchantment that permeates everything in its vicinity. It’s more like a sharp source, but that source is just…under us.”

Not being able to sense magic, Wren couldn’t really grasp what the woman was describing. But she looked at the ground beneath her feet, along with the rest of the group.

“Under us?” The general’s gruff voice broke into the silence. “We all know what’s under us, and it’s not magic.”

“What is it?” asked the enchantress blankly.

The general made a derisive noise. “What is it? What are we fighting this blasted war over all these years?”

“Mistran pigheadedness?” The merchant’s mutter was clear enough for everyone to hear, and his wife shot him a reproving look.

“Iron ore,” snapped the general. “The ore field is under us.”

There was a moment of silence, as everyone stared at each other. The general looked between them, his brow becoming more furrowed by the second, as even he seemed to consider the apparent connection.

“You say there’s magic coming from the ore?” he asked the enchantress slowly. It was the first sign he’d shown that he even believed the Entolian had magic. “How is that possible?”

“No idea,” she answered with a shrug. “And I didn’t say it’s coming from the ore. Just that it’s coming from underneath us.”

“Is there an entrance somewhere?” Lady Anneliese chimed in.

“An entrance to what?” Clearly the general wasn’t just exasperated with the Entolians. “It’s not a mine. It’s an untapped ore field.”

“But they must have dug somewhere to discover the ore initially,” said the enchantress. She hesitated. “Mustn’t they?”

The general grunted. “I’m not a miner.”

Wren noticed that Lady Anneliese was looking very thoughtful, and she nudged her friend.

“I don’t know anything about mining either,” said Lady Anneliese, meeting Wren’s eyes with a slight flush, “but Sir Gelding has mentioned the iron ore more than once.”

Wren nodded. Of course. She’d almost forgotten that the Mistran enchanter oversaw the Blacksmiths’ Guild. She frowned thoughtfully. It was a little surprising that he’d been so silent on the war. She would have guessed he’d be more eager than anyone for the war to end, so they could start the mining. Although that depended on the outcome of the war, of course. If the Entolians won, or even just came out with more ground, the Blacksmiths’ Guild would be disappointed. Was that why he’d stood against a full scale war in the first place? Because he didn’t think the Mistrans could win, and was worried they’d lose all the ore?

She looked up, to see Lady Anneliese watching her expectantly. Wren nodded, encouraging her to go on.

“Well, he just made it sound like he’s seen the ore,” the noblewoman said, with a shrug. “He must have gotten to it somehow.”

The general was frowning at Lady Anneliese, but more in concentration than in anger, Wren thought.

“Sir Gelding? That baronet who runs the Blacksmiths’ Guild? He’s been here a few times, to inspect the site.” He jerked his head further along the trench. “There’s some kind of inspection point where they can look at the ore.”

Wren’s slate was out before he’d finished speaking.

Take us there.

With only a token show of reluctance, the general led them back into the trench. Clearly his curiosity was roused now, as well. This part of the man-made ravine held fewer soldiers, and they passed only a few sentries as they continued along the line of the border. The space was too small for the general’s bodyguards, so the soldiers walked along the uneven higher ground, scanning the area for threats. Wren noticed that they often looked anxiously toward the Entolian side, as if fearing their enemy would discover the general’s proximity to the battle line, and be tempted to break the ceasefire. Wren’s thoughts flew over the unclaimed land as well, although not in fear of an impending attack. Where were Basil’s inquiries leading him?

When the general at last stopped walking, Wren looked around her, trying to spot the inspection point he’d mentioned. All she could see was a little hollow dug into the outside edge of the trench, coming up no higher than her waist.

“That’s it?” The enchantress sounded as confused as Wren felt.

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