Pierce was still mulling over Ess's betrayal in his mind, still trying to hear the words that Agrathor had spoken to him. He didn't want to notice the woman's loveliness, so like her sister's, but he couldn't help it. Even his own eyes were betraying him.
Axebourne took Ugrata's place on the raised platform and bowed his head humbly.
"We have considered ourselves enemies for a long time," he began. He gave the Underlord's army a silent moment to boo, or jeer, or scream. They did not. "There is much on which we'll disagree. None of it matters, now. One of our own has deceived us greatly and treated your former master shamefully. Some day, she will be brought to justice. Until then, other matters demand our attention. Kash knew of the threat from below, something of which Gorgonbane has only just become aware. He feared or at least was concerned by what it meant for our two realms. We must take his concerns seriously."
The murmur became one of assent.
"I, we, do not come to conquer you, to put you to work, to send you to fight and die in battles we ourselves would not brave," Axebourne said. "And we did not seek to be called the Lords of this great old citadel. But in the absence of your revered master -"
This garnered some cheers.
"- we will seek to do our best to live up to his fair and diligent nature."
The cheers crescendoed.
"I ask, we ask, that you work together as you have been doing since being raised up to Overland. Work with those who have survived. Work with us. I cannot say much more beyond what the Lady of Testadel has said. For now, all I can say is... thank you for not trying to kill me today."
The army laughed at this, and Axebourne gave a little bow as he backed away from the platform.
Gradually the crowd dispersed, officers handing down orders to get back to whatever was on the day's schedule.
Pierce had been watching everyone. The only group who hadn't responded significantly to either Axebourne or Ugrata was the painreapers. Now they were filtering back down into their dungeons to resume the dark works they did down there. Gorgonbane would have to put a stop to the torture and experimentation immediately. Even then, Pierce would continue to keep an eye on them.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Comrades and Family
Pierce and Sev leaned on the railing of a balcony outside one of Kash's many apartments, watching the workers below. Pierce had just come from his last shift hauling debris out of the city to be sorted, and Sev was getting ready to report to his.
"You know, Sev," Pierce said, "when I first saw you... Wow. That was right downstairs, wasn't it?"
Sev gave his flat smile and said, "It was."
"When I first saw you down there I was actually scared for a moment."
"Not you," Sev said, disbelieving.
"Oh yeah," Pierce said. "Don't you know what they say about forgemasters?"
Sev shrugged.
"That you can't be cut or stabbed because your skin is made of stone."
Sev made an odd imitation of a raspberry sound. Pierce thought the idea must have amused him.
"It's true," Pierce said. "They say you can tear a father dogran limb from limb with your bare hands."
Sev waggled his head left to right as if this were more or less true.
"I thought I was a dead man," said Pierce.
"Is that the only reason you didn't attack?" Sev asked. "Because you thought you didn't have a chance?"
Pierce wrinkled his brow incredulously. "No," he said. "No not at all. I've done stupider things than attack an invincible forgemaster."
Sev chuckled.
"I didn't attack because you weren't armed."
The forgemaster looked at his grey-skinned arms, corded with muscle, and wiggled his fingers. "You just said I could kill a dogran with these."
"Well," Pierce stalled. "I guess I still didn't think of them as weapons." He shrugged.
"Want to try it?" Sev said.
"Try what?"
"Cutting a forgemaster's skin."
Pierce looked at him dubiously, and the man actually laughed. Pierce smiled.
"You really are crazy, I knew it. You'd try it, wouldn't you, if I let you?" Sev said.
"I mean, I'm a little curious, but I wouldn't do it if I thought it would hurt you."
"And why is that, little man?" Sev said. Were Axebourne and Agrathor rubbing off on him? Pierce didn't mind.
"Well," Pierce said, "We're comrades now."
Sev clapped him on the back amiably and stepped away from the balcony railing.
"It really has been something new," he said, "traveling with Gorgonbane. I was up in my workshop this morning, and for the first time, I could not concentrate on what I was doing. It was not anything big or difficult, just a shade of red, but I found that I had the urge to... be outside. I wanted to feel the sun and the air."
"Well you've missed your share of the daytime," Pierce said. "Probably need to catch up."
"Yes," Sev said. "I intend to do so. This work outside certainly helps fill the void."
The forgemaster began to walk away.
"Hey Sev," Pierce said. The forgemaster stopped and turned. "After your shift, wanna grab a drink?"
Seve gave him a flat smile and thumbs up.
"Alright," said Pierce. "Meet you at Sugar's."
He said farewell and headed out to work his hauling shift, and Pierce looked back out at the land below.
Even the Monstrosities were on the job. They were exceedingly useful for hauling away large bits of wreckage or setting long beams to frame out new buildings. They were not pretty things, but they were far less terrifying out in the light of day, and when they weren't trying to kill him. Pierce wondered if they mourned the loss of their brethren as the humans, gen and even werewolves did. Did they even have minds for anything beyond labor and battle?
Pierce saw
