Page 91 of Silver & Smoke
But there had been enough dithering. Torj looked to his elder. ‘I assume you have a base?’
Straightening, Vernich gave a nod. ‘I’ve got a hidden settlement just beyond the hills to the north. We can debrief there.’
Torj exchanged a look of disbelief with Wren.Vernich the Saviour... Who knew?
A subtle smile played on her lips.We need as many of those as we can get, Bear Slayer.
It was no wonder they hadn’t found any trace of a force on the other side of the ravine. The rolling hills had seemed empty, unassuming – exactly as they were meant to seem.
Torj, Wren, Kipp, Cal, Zavier, Dessa, Wilder, Thea and Darian rode in Vernich’s wake, the Warsword having taken the horse of one of the fallen warriors. The rest of their company would meet them in three days’ time, where they would be joined by the incoming forces.
Midway up a grassy hill, Vernich signalled for them to halt. Torj watched in disbelief as the massive warrior hopped from one seemingly innocent stone to the next in a deliberate sequence, each step precise and practised. The stones themselves looked weathered, unremarkable – just the kind of detail most eyes would skip right over.
A mechanical groan sounded from beneath his boots, followed by the whisper of hidden gears. To Torj’s shock, the grass and soil parted like a pair of doors, earth and roots drawing back in a perfect seam to reveal stone steps descending into the shadowed hillside.
‘How the fuck is this possible?’ Torj breathed as the Bloodletter stepped aside and motioned for them to enter.
‘Counterweight mechanism,’ Vernich replied gruffly.
Torj didn’t bother to hide his surprise. ‘You built this?’
Vernich snorted. ‘No, this was already here. Hand your horses over to our horse master there, he’ll make sure they’re looked after. We can’t have them in the main sector.’
‘Main sector?’ Wren murmured in awe as she passed her reins over to a man who had emerged from the opening in the hillside.
‘You’ll see,’ Vernich said, motioning for them to follow.
With their horses led away, Torj found himself walking alongside Wilder and Cal, his fellow Warswords wearing similar expressions of bewilderment. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, but when they did, he couldn’t help but gasp.
Torches lined the walls of what could only be described as an underground shelter. The inside of the hill had been hollowed out, and a wide, winding staircase seemed to wrap around multiple levels.
They followed Vernich down, further beneath the hillside, passinga vast underground well system, complete with an array of pulleys and buckets. As they delved deeper into the hollow, several people slipped by them on the stairs. Not warriors clad in armour and weapons, Torj noticed, but regular people... Children, even.
‘In here,’ Vernich grunted, holding a door open for them.
Inside was a gathering space of sorts, with vaulted ceilings supported by stone columns. In the centre were several logs, which Vernich waved towards.
‘Take a seat,’ he said, studying their faces. ‘I looked much the same when I found this place...’
When they had all sat down on the stumps of timber, Torj rested his hammer across his thighs and looked up at the Bloodletter. ‘And what exactly is this place?’
Vernich pulled a scrap of fabric from his pocket and passed it over his face, attempting to scrub away some of the dirt and dried blood. ‘The Warren,’ he replied. ‘They call it the Warren. It’s been here since before the original fall of Delmira decades ago. It was where many of the common people fled when the first wave of shadow magic hit this kingdom.’
‘Amazing. How does it work?’ Kipp was already craning his neck and squinting at the ceiling.
‘You haven’t got any ideas?’ Vernich mused. ‘The light comes from hidden skylights disguised as rocky outcrops on the outside. Ventilation comes from shafts camouflaged as small surface caves or natural fissures. It’s an entire network, not too dissimilar to your tavern passageways.’
Kipp looked thrilled.
‘How did you find it?’ Torj asked.
‘I knew it was here from long ago. You forget, I was around when Delmira fell. I didn’t know if this place would still be in use, or if it was abandoned. Turned out, not so abandoned,’ the older Warsword said with a note of amusement. ‘Over the years, people have come here, waiting for Delmira to be claimed... Waiting for their homeland to be rebuilt.’
‘Who’s here?’ Darian demanded. ‘Who—’
‘Who the fuck are you?’ Vernich snapped.
‘He’s a posh git from Tver,’ Kipp answered helpfully. ‘But he’s got his uses. It’s largely his forces we’ve got trailing behind us. And it’s his coin we’re using.’
