Agrathor seemed wary of Sev immediately, but he hadn't even fully accepted Pierce yet, so it was no surprise. Scythia had studied the forgemaster closely, her circlet gems pulsing, but she had said nothing. Neither had Ess. But no one protested his presence or the notion of the forgemaster joining in their trek. Pierce marveled that he himself had garnered enough good credit with Gorgonbane to allow for the inclusion of not just a stranger, or even a simple Underlander, but an actual forgemaster. Such a defection was unheard of.
What if this was another of Kash's new tactics? Sev could be a spy, looking to undermine Gorgonbane's efforts.
But no, he seemed earnest, and he'd already saved Pierce's life once, twice if you counted the time he hadn't called the alarm on him when he should have.
Stick with the decision, he thought. Trust the guy.
Gorgonbane mounted up and led the remnant of Grondell's garrison out and away from the city. Axebourne wanted to gain high ground while they deliberated on the next move.
Pierce could tell the man was at a loss. Overland had been at general peace for a number of years, but it was far from unified. Even if there had been some warning regarding the invasion from below, it was unlikely the nations of Overland would have come together in time to resist. Axebourne must know this.
As news spread of Grondell's destruction, villages would empty of people seeking refuge. Fortified cities would try to prepare, but they would do so with only their own resources, sparing no thoughts for the survival of others. Pierce thought that if he were not a warrior, but something like a smith or baker, he would run for the hills or the forest. It should be obvious now that no city was safe.
So where would Axebourne have them go? What could this meager band they led do against Kash's unrevealed might?
Axebourne rounded up his comrades atop a hill, leaving the garrison men down below. Grondell's ruins were still in view. Nothing moved there anymore.
Ess was quick with a suggestion.
"We should go see the First," she said lightly. Pierce caught himself staring at her white-painted lips as she spoke. "If anyone could have the power to discover and cripple Kash's method of invasion, it will be him. And if any place is safe from an incursion, it will be his tower."
"Alright," said Axebourne. "It's a thought. But where does he live nowadays? We will have to consider the distance, the timing, the cities we will encounter along the way."
"It is far," Ess acceded. "His tower stands on the southern rim itself."
"On the Chasm's edge?" Agrathor exclaimed. "It's too far!"
Pierce couldn't even begin to guess at the best course of action. Usually, he had some impulse to act on, some half-baked idea of a plan that sounded exciting or challenging. Dully he realized what a toll the loss of Grondell and the Temple was taking on him. He listened idly as he watched the sun pull itself across the black sky.
"Still," said Scythia, "if we lack the numbers to resist, or any way to know when and where he will next invade, only greater power will do us any good. It may be that we can only hope to vanquish the Underlord and his forces through some kind of brute strength."
"And my master is wise," said Ess. "He cannot have gotten news of Grondell by messenger, and he may not be monitoring the outside world, depending on what his current pursuits are. The moment he knows of it, be assured, he will be exploring solutions."
"We could join whatever forces are posted in Shrill, or Chasmreach," said Agrathor. "Maybe a larger force will have a better chance against an incursion if they know what to expect."
"Yet why do the same thing twice, expecting different results?" said Ess.
"Wouldn't be the same thing," Agrathor said irritably. "It'd be a bigger army. We could help everyone get organized. Plug their ears with cotton... by the Chasm, woman, I don't know!"
"The forgemaster has not yet weighed in," said Scythia. "Is there anything you can say to help us, Sev?"
"Wasn't sure if you wanted me to," Sev said. He shook his head. "I could tell you all about Testadel. Well most of it, anyway. We forgemasters don't get out too much."
"Surely you've got something," Agrathor pressed. Pierce tensed, but Sev didn't seem perturbed.
"I truly wish I did, master Agrathor," Sev said. "Though the Underlord did not hesitate to discuss the fact that he intended to invade Overland, he never shared any details beyond that fact."
"But there's no way he did this without the work of a forgemaster, or many," Agrathor growled, gesturing toward Grondell's ruins with a skeletal hand. "You're telling me he didn't bring you in on whatever crazy project brought this magic about?"
"As I've said," Sev responded without any tension, "he was not a slave-driver, at least not with his forgemasters. Each of us was allowed to pursue that craft which he thought held the most merit. I happen to love colors and light. It seems that such enchantments had no place in the Underlord's current plan."
"Or maybe you're lying," Agrathor said lowly. Pierce didn't think he really meant it, but the man's emotions were as raw as everyone else's. He was bound to express them somehow.
"Peace, Agrathor," Scythia said. "We have already discussed the veracity of the forgemaster."
When had they done that? Pierce wondered, looking down from the black sky for a moment. They hadn't brought him in on it. He decided not to be offended. He was the rookie, after all.
Agrathor made that strange sound like a sigh. "I know. You see it. I know this," he said. "You have my apologies, forgemaster."
Sev shook his head. "Not needed, master Agrathor. Who else among us here has worked, slept, and eaten under the same roof as the Underlord himself? I may not have been out much, even within
