Mira put her hands on her hips, stared at the spot that should allow them to return to the ground above, and cursed. Then she cursed some more.

  Of all the rookie mistakes to make, this was right at the top. They hadn't scouted ahead. Hadn't even discussed the chance that this might be a one-way trip. And where was the ferrokin, Triolux, to help them right now? He was off at the capitol with Varix and the dragon.

  The gnolls set out to explore the cavern. Their hunched forms disappeared into the shadows. Mira called out to them. Her voice echoed off the stone walls, but Grix'gnash turned and assured her that everything would be safe.

  "But you don't even know where we are," Mira replied.

  "We will be fine, warrior-woman. The scent is in our nostrils. We must follow."

  "The scent?" she asked.

  Urzan and Moktar walked around the enormous cavern, their heads tilted back as they stared around it. They seemed just as awestruck as Mira. The cavern was vast, and endlessly stretched out before them.

  Mira picked up a sharp rock and used it to mark the larger stones with their path so they could find their way back, in case the portal magically opened up again.

  She, Caden, and a couple of local guards had been stuck down here for what had felt like an eternity, but it had been in a cramped tunnel, and an unseen threat had harried them. Now they were out in the open, and it was somehow bright enough to make out the ground, rock features, and the city itself.

  As they walked, Mira wondered how this entire location was lit. It wasn't the warm glow of torches or the flickering light of a fire, but something else entirely. She couldn't quite place the source, but it seemed to emanate from the walls themselves as it cast an eerie glow over everything.

  Hundreds of feet ahead of them, Mira made out the outline of the underground city. It had to be where Triolux was from, the one he had called home. The air grew colder as they approached, and Mira shivered despite her layers of clothing. The ground beneath her feet pulsed with a rhythmic thrum that came from the earth itself.

  Lady Churl stayed close to Mira as they walked toward the city, her hand resting on the hilt of her oversized chef’s knife.

  "You ever fight with a mace?" Lady Churl asked, breaking the silence between them.

  Mira shook her head. "Can't say I have. I prefer a sword and shield, or a bow."

  Lady Churl grinned, revealing her sharp teeth. "Maces are good for crushing bones. Swords are good for slicing and dicing, but sometimes you need a little more oomph, ya know?"

  Mira chuckled. "I can see the appeal. I once fought a group of bandits with a war hammer. It was heavy as hell, but it sure did the job."

  "Reckon it did," Lady Churl said, and nodded. "Wouldn't want ta face one 'a those, meself."

  The gnolls suddenly rushed toward the city with Grix'gnash in the lead, waving excitedly for them to follow.

  "Wait!" Mira called, but the gnolls paid her no attention, their hunched forms moving with surprising speed across the cavern floor.

  Lady Churl tugged at Mira's sleeve. "Reckon we should follow 'em before they get themselves into trouble."

  Mira nodded and gestured to the others. "Come on. Let's not lose sight of them."

  As they approached the outskirts of the underground city, a small group of metallic-looking dwarves came into view. They had to be more ferrokin, like Triolux. The short figures gestured excitedly at the gnolls, then at Mira, the orcs, and Lady Churl.

  The gnolls stopped before them and bowed deeply. Their muzzles nearly touched the ground.

  The ferrokin chattered between themselves in a strange language Mira didn't understand. Their voices rang like metal striking metal but were somehow pleasant to the ear.

  One of them, a female with copper-toned skin and hair that flowed like liquid bronze in a braid that fell over her shoulder, held out a hand. Grix'gnash, seeming to understand the gesture, approached and touched his furry hand to the ferrokin's.

  Within seconds, the ferrokin had gathered around the one who’d touched Grix'gnash and began speaking. To Mira's surprise, she understood what they were saying.

  "They come from above," the copper-skinned ferrokin told her companions. "From the world of light."

  Lady Churl scratched her chin. "Reckon that's a good trick. How'd they start speakin' our tongue so quick?"

  Mira shrugged.

  Moktar and Urzan stood off to the side with their thick arms crossed over their chests as they took in all the sights around them. The orcs looked uncomfortable but remained silent.

  The ferrokin group consisted of five individuals, each with skin resembling metals—copper, bronze, iron, silver, and a dark metal Mira couldn't name. Their features appeared carved. They had the same vaguely dwarvish faces as Triolux. Each had gemstones where humans had pupils. They moved with fluid grace despite their stocky builds.

  The one who had touched Grix'gnash introduced herself. "I am Solbaris," she said, her voice melodic and resonant, almost like a harp with metal strings. Mira found her voice soothing.

  "I'm Mira," she replied, placing a hand on her chest. "These are my companions: Lady Churl, Urzan, Moktar."

  Grix'gnash bowed low and said, "And I am Grix'gnash. We are gnolls, and we seek the birthplace of one who was known as Chromidus."

  The name set the ferrokin babbling.

  Solbaris smiled gently, revealing soft lines in her metallic skin. "Welcome to Terravault, the last city of the Ferrokin. You seem at ease with our kind. Has one of those who walked into the light managed to prosper?"

  Lady Churl stepped forward, and said, "Reckon we look strange to ya. That goes both ways. We made friends with one 'a yours. A ferrokin named Triolux."

  Solbaris laughed, the sound like tiny bells. "Yes, we are all strange to each other. It gladdens my heart that Triolux is alive and well. Is the above ground safe?"

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  "It is. It's vibrant and alive and has been for thousands of years." Mira broke the news.

  "Another reason to be happy on this day. I have many questions." Solbaris looked at each of them in turn. "But what has brought you to our city?"

  The other ferrokin moved closer, curiosity evident in their eyes. They began peppering Mira and the others with questions.

  "Why are some of you so tall?" asked the silver-skinned one, pointing at Urzan.

  "And why are some so green?" asked another with iron-colored skin, staring at Lady Churl.

  "Why are you so pale?" a bronze one asked Mira.

  Mira chuckled and said, "I'm a human. Many of us are pale. Others are darker. The elves are taller and skinnier than I, and they have big, pointed ears." Mira held her hands near her head and stuck up her index fingers, her eyes suddenly wide.

  The ferrokin's laugher pealed all around them.

  Mira found their curiosity sweet, almost childlike despite their appearance. They reminded her of children who had never seen strangers before, except for Solbaris, who remained somewhat impassive. Mira wondered how old she was.

  "We came here by accident," Mira explained. "Triolux created a portal over there." She pointed to the wall in the general location they had come from. From this distance, she could no longer make out the outline. Her eyes narrowed. This place was pretty enough, but she wanted to go home.

  Solbaris tilted her head. "The passages shift and change, sometimes with a will of their own. The earth breathes, and with it, the paths grow and shrink."

  "That doesn't sound promising for our return journey," Mira said with a frown.

  Solbaris placed her copper-toned hand on Mira's hand in her cold grip. "We will help you find your way back," she said, her voice like gentle chimes. "But first, we wish to escort the gnolls to their goal. Their quest seems important to them."

  Mira glanced at Grix'gnash and the other gnolls. They shifted from paw to paw.

  "How far is this place they seek?" Mira asked.

  "Not far," Solbaris replied. "It lies within the heart of Terravault."

  Grix'gnash's ears perked up. "We go now? See birthplace of Chromidus?"

  The other gnolls yipped and pawed at the ground.

  "Yes," Solbaris said with a nod. "Follow me."

  As they walked through the underground city, Mira paused every few minutes to look back, marking their path in her mind. Rock formations jutted up around them, each chiseled straight from the bedrock. Peculiar runes adorned the surfaces. Their radiance fed the otherworldly glow that bathed the cavern. The source of some of the chamber's light became clear at last.

  Solbaris turned to the gnolls as they walked. "You wish to know of Chromidus?"

  Grix'gnash nodded vigorously. "Yes! Tell of great one!"

  "Chromidus was one of the first to walk into the light," Solbaris explained. "After the Cataclysm, when our world changed forever, most of us remained slumbered. But some, like Chromidus, chose to venture upward."

  The gnolls listened with rapt attention.

  "He was a master craftsman, skilled in the art of creating life from metal and stone," Solbaris continued. "His creations moved and thought, almost like living beings. He believed the surface world needed his gifts."

  "He make gnolls?" one of the smaller gnolls asked, his voice hopeful.

  Solbaris shook her head. "Perhaps"

  The gnolls murmured among themselves, clearly disappointed, but still intrigued.

  Mira noticed Moktar and Urzan had positioned themselves on either side of their group, hands resting on their weapons as they scanned the surroundings. They grunted occasionally as they communicated with each other in Orcish.

  She almost laughed at the sight. Their protective stance seemed both endearing and entirely unnecessary in what appeared to be a peaceful city.

  "Look at our orc escort," Mira whispered to Lady Churl. "Isn't it cute how they've taken up guard positions?"

  Lady Churl snorted. "Reckon it's best to keep 'em busy. Leave orcs alone too long and they'll suck others into their ridiculous game of bloody knuckles, or get into some other form of trouble."

  "Bloody knuckles?" Mira asked.

  "Aye. They toss carved knuckle bones with numbers on 'em. Loser gets punched by the winner until their knuckles bleed," Lady Churl explained with a grimace. "Orcs think it's hilarious. Watched Urzan play once. Took seven punches before his skin broke."

  Mira laughed and shook her head. "That explains why they're always sporting bruises."

  "Aye." Lady Churl nodded.

  Urzan turned his head toward them. "What you two whisper about?"

  "Nothing important," Mira replied with an innocent smile. "Just women stuff."

  The orc narrowed his gaze suspiciously but returned to his watch.

  "Will we truly be able to find our way back?" Mira asked Solbaris, returning to her primary concern.

  "Yes," Solbaris said firmly. "Before the long sleep, we lived here for hundreds of your years. The city is well known to us all."

  Mira nodded. What choice did she have but to trust the ferrokin to watch after them?

  "We approach the Hall of Chromidus," Solbaris said, and pointed to a structure in the city's center. "That is where Chromidus crafted his works before venturing to the surface."

  "Truly?"

  Mira gazed up at the building. It was rounded, with a circular door and shuttered windows that followed the same curved design. By her estimation, the building dwarfed even the largest mansions she'd seen in her travels.

  The ferrokin approached the round door and began to chant. Words flowed from her lips in a metallic melody that rose and fell in a steady cadence. As the last note of her chant faded, the door rolled to the side as if on a greased runner. Lights came on inside the structure and illuminated the entryway.

  Solbaris turned and gestured toward the open doorway. "Please, enter."

  The gnolls moved forward. Mira and Lady Churl followed, ducking their heads to pass through the doorway. Moktar and Urzan lingered behind and took up station on either side of the entrance.

  "Never seen anything like this," Mira said. "No corners anywhere."

  Lady Churl nodded. "Reckon some 'a theys don't believe in right angles down here. Makes for a nice change from all them square human buildings."

  "You don't like our buildings?" Mira asked with a smile.

  "They're fine enough," Lady Churl shrugged. "Bit boring after a while. All them straight lines and pointy roofs."

  Mira chuckled as they moved deeper into the building.

  The hall was filled with sculptures, each one unique. Some were beautiful, others strange and unsettling. A creature with six legs and a long, sinuous neck seemed frozen mid-stride. Another resembled a large cat with scales instead of fur and delicate wings folded against its sides.

  "What are these?" Mira asked, moving closer to examine a sculpture of what appeared to be a turtle with a crystalline shell.

  "Chromidus's creations," Solbaris replied. "Some existed only in his imagination. Others, he brought to life through his craft."

  In the center of the hall stood a statue of a ferrokin, slightly taller than Solbaris and the others. Unlike the rest of the sculptures, this one was covered in a faint shimmer.

  Solbaris approached the central figure and gasped. She clapped her hands together, her face transformed with delight.

  "Grix'gnash," she called, her voice ringing through the hall. "This is not a statue. This is Chromidus himself! He returned to us and entered hibernation. I am shocked—somehow, he returned to us!" The gnolls moved as one, then dropped to their knees before the shimmering figure and lowered snouts to the ground, paws extended before them.

  "Great Chromidus," Grix'gnash whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "We have found you, at last."

  Mira moved closer, curious despite herself. Next to the hibernating ferrokin, she noticed a dog-like creature made of the same coppery material as the ferrokin themselves. It sat in a position of vigilance.

  "Well, isn't that something," Mira muttered, studying the metallic canine.

  Lady Churl moved next to her. "Reckon that's what happens when a master craftsman has a pet. Too fancy to just carve its name on a rock when it dies."

  Mira laughed, earning curious glances from the ferrokin and disapproving looks from the kneeling gnolls.