‘Not unless they’re hostile. It might just be some poor refugee from the town, taking shelter in here; but be ready, just in case.’
They entered the first cavern. It had a ceiling so high that any single one of the dragons could have fitted inside. On the opposite wall were several other openings, but Sable walked over to a pile of refuse to the left. She leaned over, pulled away a tattered cloth and picked up a lamp that she had placed there months before. She lit it, angled the shutters to point ahead, then strode to the second tunnel from the left.
‘Follow me,’ she said.
The tunnel was just large enough to take Deepblue, though she had to stoop low to fit. They emerged into another cavern, and Sable lit a couple of wall lamps.
‘This is where we leave you, Deepblue. Millen, you stay here as well. Maddie and I will descend into the depths together.’
‘Why do I have to go?’ said Maddie. ‘Isn’t Millen going to be carrying anything?’
‘He’ll be needed, all right, but first I want to bring up some samples to show Blackrose, and take a count of how much is down there.’ She glanced at Deepblue. ‘We won’t be long. Twenty minutes at the most.’
The dragon nodded, then Sable led Maddie down a flight of stairs burrowed through the rock. The lantern lit their way, and they descended into the heart of the cliffside, passing side chambers and junctions.
‘Am I supposed to remember the way?’ said Maddie. ‘I’m already lost.’
‘We’ll mark the floor on our return journey,’ said Sable. ‘Right, here’s our first stop.’
She turned into a landing and they entered a wide but low-ceilinged chamber that stretched back into the distance. Sitting on the ground were row upon row of large bins, each filled to the top with grey ingots.
‘There you have it,’ she said; ‘several thousand tons of pig iron. Each bin would probably take us a day to move up to the forecourt, unless, of course, you want to use the Quadrant to do it. Think of your poor arms and legs, and how tired you’ll be after each trip.’
‘Knowing my luck,’ said Maddie, ‘I’d end up appearing in the middle of the cliff.’
Sable put her hand out.
Maddie frowned. ‘Blackrose would not approve.’
‘I’ll show you how to do it; that’s all.’
Maddie withdrew the Quadrant from her shoulder bag, then hesitated. ‘By the sacred breath of Amalia, if you vanish when I give you this…’
Sable laughed, and took it from her hand. ‘Alright,’ she said; ‘are you watching?’ She hovered a finger over the copper-coloured surface. ‘You’re not travelling far, so you just need to indicate direction, and then distance; like this.’ She moved her finger. ‘That will take you into the cavern where Deepblue and Millen are. And you know how to get back here, yes? Just indicate that you wish to return to your previous location and you’ll turn up down here again. Got it?’
‘How do I take a bin of iron with me?’
‘Just grab onto it with your free hand; I haven’t the time to explain the complexities of transporting other objects to you.’
Maddie nodded, and Sable gave her the Quadrant back. ‘Thanks. Eh, please don’t tell Blackrose what just happened.’
Sable looked shocked, and placed a hand to her mouth. ‘You’re asking me to keep a secret about the Quadrant from Blackrose? What a disgraceful suggestion; are you trying to get me into trouble?’
‘Shut up,’ Maddie muttered.
She walked to the nearest bin of ingots and placed her left hand on it, then her thumb moved over the surface of the Quadrant and she vanished, along with the bin.
Sable sat on the steps and lit a cigarette.
‘You can come out now,’ she said; ‘I know you’ve been following us.’
Naxor emerged from the shadows of the stairs above her. ‘Hello.’
Sable patted the space on the step next to her. ‘Cigarette?’
‘Yes, please.’ He trotted down the stairs to join her. ‘I ran out a couple of days ago.’
She shook her head at him. ‘There is literally tons of tobacco sitting in one of the lower caverns; what have you been doing with your time here?’
‘Hiding,’ he said, taking a cigarette.
She lit it for him. ‘It goes without saying, of course.’
‘Yes, yes, I get it. If I try to take Maddie’s Quadrant, you’ll do something awful to me. How long have you known I was in here?’
She shrugged. ‘A few minutes. I sensed your battle-vision. At first I thought someone might attack us, but then I realised it was only you.’
‘I needed it to see in the dark.’
‘So, you’re in hiding? Did my nephew finally threaten to kill you?’
‘Might I say how kind it is of you to refrain from dragging this information out of my head? You weren’t quite as accommodating the last time we met.’
‘How did Belinda react when she found out that you’d propositioned me?’
He shrugged. ‘I’m still alive.’
‘That was very forgiving of her.’
‘It was a close run thing. So, what are five dragons and three humans doing in the Falls of Iron? Apart from stealing iron from my dead cousin, of course. Actually, it could be my iron. If I remember correctly, when I obtained the Falls of Iron for Count Irno, I’m sure I added a clause to the contract that stated that the county would revert to me in the event of his untimely death.’
‘I’ll fight you for it.’
‘Is that how things are done where you’re from? You disregard laws and contracts, and take what you want by force? I don’t begrudge you a bit of iron, but I would like to know what you intend to do with it.’
‘We’re taking it to Dragon Eyre.’
‘How odd.’
‘Not if you consider that Dragon Eyre has a shortage of metals. That iron would be worth an awful lot there.’
He smiled. ‘I knew you would have an ulterior motive.’
‘I don’t – I was perfectly honest with Blackrose. Let’s go back to my earlier question; did you and Corthie have a falling
