“Uncomfortable?” The nightstalker woman closed her eyes. “You know that’s not the way those raugs see it.”
“They will see past what you have done as Hand of the Night and Circle, hinya.” Foltr nodded and thumped his staff on the ground. “They will not forget, but they will understand.”
Lumil snorted. “Yeah. Raugs understand with their fists.”
“Just like you, eh?” Foltr pointed the end of his stick at her legs. “Don’t make me use this.”
“I’ve been to Hirúl Breach,” Corian muttered, giving Maleshi an apologetic smile. “It’s a good idea, and it’ll help us, whether or not they enjoy a visit from General Hi’et.”
Maleshi grimaced. “Fine. What’s done is done, and everyone’s made up their minds.”
Corian nodded. “I’ll open a portal.”
Foltr looked at him. “You can port that far, eh?”
“I’ve connected two spaces a lot farther apart than that, Grandfather,” Corian said, “Though I’d be a lot more comfortable with it if we got away from this cave first. The last thing I want is a Sorren Gán feeding on my trail.”
“Excellent point. It would follow you and ask for more.” L’zar chuckled and stepped out of the bowl-shaped clearing to trudge through the slowly thickening forest on the other side. “Things are already looking up. I can feel it.”
Cheyenne nudged Maleshi with her elbow. “I don’t need to know the details, but if I got sacrificed on purpose to make a point, I’m pretty sure you can handle a few raugs who recognize you and might hold a grudge.”
The general scoffed. “You just keep broadening your horizons, don’t you, kid? Here’s hoping you’re right.” Maleshi stalked after the others, and Cheyenne sighed.
Ember leaned toward her. “Talk about mood swings.”
“Right? I think I understand a little better where they’re coming from now.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“I mean, most of it’s still ‘cause he’s losing his mind, but there’s a reason for that too.”
Ember folded her arms and eyed the halfling. “When we get more than a minute, you have a hell of a lot to tell me, don’t you?”
“More than I can even think about right now, Em.” Cheyenne stepped onto the lip of earth above the clearing and headed after the others. “I might need a little more time to sort it all out in my head.”
“Sure. While you’re doing that, how’s your face?”
Cheyenne snorted. “You hit like a fae.”
“Huh. I have no idea if that was a compliment, but thanks.”
“It definitely was.” The halfling cast her friend a sidelong glance. “Good thing I have you to slap some sense into me, right?”
“That’s exactly why I’m here. Friends don’t let friends kill their crazy-ass fathers.”
“Ha. Hopefully it won’t be a thing again, but you might have to remind me of that once or twice.”
Ember raised her hand and shook it in a goofy wave. “I’ll be ready.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
After a half-hour hike through the mountains, Corian stopped to open a portal for them into Hirúl Breach. They stepped through the dark window of light and found themselves on a stone plateau at the edge of a mountainous canyon. Natural rock walls stretched high all around them, and in the center was Hirúl Breach.
“Well.” Foltr frowned at the rising towers of stone and dark metal tech. “The place has certainly changed since I last came through.”
Corian nodded slowly. “Tell me about it.”
“For a tribe opposed to technological advancements, I’d say they’re doing pretty well for themselves.” L’zar bowed to Foltr and gestured toward the wide staircase carved into the stone of the plateau, which descended to the front gates of the city. “How about now, Grandfather?”
“If it gets you to stop making a mockery of yourself, Weaver, I’ll lead the fell-damn way.” Foltr thumped his cane with each step as he approached the staircase, and the party moved from their vantage point toward the raug city below.
“Not sure what he means by technological advancement,” Cheyenne muttered. “There’s tech here, but it’s not like anything in Hangivol.”
Corian looked at her over his shoulder. “For Hirúl Breach, it’s a huge step forward. They’re stonemasons, or at least they were. Looks like they’ve taken it upon themselves to add old-world tech to the mix. The buildings are a lot higher, and they have front gates this time, so it must be doing something for them.”
Ember peered over Corian’s head to look down at the whirring, rumbling machines of black metal rolling slowly across the open area in front of the gates. “Old-world tech as in war machines?”
“Same look, different purpose.” Corian chuckled. “It’s pretty ingenious of them. The Crown can’t hack into their machines with her fancy new gadgets that won’t sync up. They’ve made themselves as autonomous as anyone can get out here.”
“They’re protecting themselves.” Cheyenne eyed the machine of black, glistening metal passing in front of them when they reached the bottom of the staircase. That one looks way too much like those diggers.
“That’s what it looks like, doesn’t it?” Maleshi gazed at the high metal gates in front of them. “And they built a city.”
“A trade city, looks like,” Corian said, “It wouldn’t house nearly as many magicals, but if something did happen to Hangivol, we might be looking at the runner-up for a new capital.”
L’zar scoffed. “Right. Everyone in Hangivol will throw out their activators and come swarming out here to live in the dark ages of O’gúl tech. Brilliant analysis.” He thumped the back of his hand against Corian’s chest and shook his head. “Hangivol will be fine.”
“Sure.”
“Salut!” The gruff shout came from atop one of the towers beside the gate. “Qui êtes vous?”
Foltr extended a hand toward the traveling party and nodded. “Let me speak to them first, eh? Just a few minutes, and I’ll get us inside.”
Cheyenne and the others waited halfway between the bottom of the stairs and Hirúl Breach’s front gates.
“A word, brothers!” Foltr shouted at the towers.
A lot of banging and clanking came from within
