Page 167 of Silverbow
Liam followed the demi-elves through the wide stone corridors of the palace. Their footsteps rang down hallways lined with suits of armor. In others, they were swallowed up by the plush rugs lining the floors and the tapestries adorning the walls.
“Where are we going?” He asked in wonder as they passed through a room full of white marble sculptures.
“To Drozia,” Colm answered.
“Is this not Drozia?” He asked, waving a hand at the splendor.
“This,” Colm chuckled, “Is only the palace.”
Bade shouldered through a heavy door flanked by two suits of armor. Liam gasped as he stepped out into the hollow belly of the mountain. Hewn from the rock itself were winding streets and stairs that led up to the houses and shops stacked along the rough stone walls. Warm light twinkled from thousands of windows that peered down at them and the gas lamps lining the street. Voices and laughter echoed through the cavern as dwarves bustled about, spilling out of shops and market stalls. It was acity.
Beneath the quiet bustle, his ear picked up an odd mechanical clicking sound. It drew louder as a wooden cart full of dwarves lumbered around a bend ahead. It slowed, and they piled out, calling their farewells to their companionsas they darted in different directions. Liam leapt out of the way as the empty cart lumbered by on iron rails set in the floor.
“What is that?” He marveled.
“Minecarts. They will take you anywhere you want to go in the mountain, if you know which levers to pull.”
Levers.
“Wait until you get a load of the plumbing,” Aiden snorted.
“Plumbing?” But the question went unanswered as they arrived at a narrow landing that led to a low door they would have to duck through to enter. Colm drew a heavy key from inside his cloak and fit it to a lock as Liam stared down the row of matching doors. It was a townhouse, he realized, like the ones in the upper streets of Westforks.
“What is this place?” He asked as Colm pushed in the door.
“My home.”
The demi-elves kicked off boots and dropped bags in a narrow hallway lined with dark wood paneling. Colm pushed through another small door that led into a sitting room. A leather sofa and matching armchairs were drawn up around a fire crackling in the hearth. Beyond it, Liam glimpsed a dining room where a spread of tea and sandwiches sat waiting.
Colm gestured to the fire and the food. “This is why we send word ahead.”
“The gnomes did all this?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Colm laughed.
“Ridiculous. Right,” Liam muttered, as he followed Aiden to where he was stuffing a whole sandwich into his mouth.
Liam helped himself and followed Colm up the stairs to a small, cozy room with an attached bathing chamber. He pulled a tap, grinning, as water flowed from the wall. “The mountain provides all,” Colm said. “We’ll find you something to wear.”
“For what?”
“Dinner, of course.”
Enya
Enya followed as Leon led them through winding halls and corridors, all of the same polished stone. They emerged in a damp, dimly lit cavern where two metal tracks lay in the floor and a heavy chain clicked.
Enya’s eyes went wide as a light appeared at the end of the dark tunnel. A lantern hung on the front of a wooden cart that lumbered slowly along the track. It was large enough to seat eight on its wooden benches, with a large open box behind it like a wagon. Prince Leon swung a door open and jumped on the front bench to work a system of levers. Oryn gestured for her to follow and closed the door before seating himself in the back.
“What is it?” She marveled.
“It’s a minecart,” Leon answered as it rolled on into the dark. “They were originally built to haul stone out of the way, but they run all through the city now.”
Enya ran her hands over the worn wood and realized that the bar before her was for holding on as the cart began to pick up speed. She cast a look around at Oryn who seemed to lounge against his bench even as her stomach somersaulted and her knuckles went white.Bloody gargoyle.Down and down they plunged, faster and faster, the cart rattling as Enya’s braid whipped behind her. She clutched the bar for dear life as Leon casually rested a hand on a lever.
“Look up!” Oryn called over the wind in her ears.
She tipped her head back. Somewhere high above, little blue lights twinkled like thousands of stars. “What are they?” She asked.
