They sat at the table until evening, wracking their brains, building the plan, and time and again proving the truth of the saying: two heads are better than one, but eleven are even better. The final version was ready just before Ashley laid out dinner on the table. But even after that, no one thought of resting: preparations began. There was no time to waste.

  Tepei-Kuon lay southeast of Onklag, separated from it by a plateau border and the Flyliene River. In fact, Saelin’s country stretched as a forested expanse from the river all the way to the salt flats at the foot of the mountains dividing Aktida from the Desert Lands. The Citadel was located one hundred and fifty miles deep in impenetrable jungle from the southern coast, and nearly twice that far from Estogil. That entire distance had to be crossed by narrow forest trails and swamp paths, where Saelin bred his army of arachnids, through territories thick with their webs.

  The journey was to end a few miles north of the Citadel, at a spot where, according to Atgard, who had last wandered those lands back in February, there should be a temporary hideout for the group.

  "It’s a cave," he explained, unfolding a huge map of the Eastern Province. "There’s a spring nearby, though I wouldn’t advise drinking the water. In general, in the jungle, only drink from a source if you’re sure it’s clean. Joanna can help with that, she was born there and moves through it like a fish in water. We’re taking her with us, right?"

  "Like we have a choice," Viggo muttered.

  "The walk from that cave to the castle will take, at most, three hours," Atgard added. "Unless some arachnid has made a nest there, it’ll be a reliable shelter."

  But the most dangerous stretch was the forest crossing from Onklag to the cave, as Kairu soon discovered firsthand.

  The morning of departure was brief. They had only three days to gather supplies and gear, and it all happened so quickly, so unexpectedly, that even while leading his horse at a slow pace beneath the twilight shadows of the sprawling trees, Kairu still hesitated: was he really doing the right thing? Just before they left, Ashley gave them her blessing and added:

  "Your salvation is silence. Move quietly, and you’ll reach the Citadel without incident. Once you cross Onklag’s border, be careful not to get lost in the swamps. Trust only the maps. Don’t rush into a fight, you’ll have that chance when you’re at the Castle gates. And… try to come back alive. Honestly, I’m not sure this insane mission has any hope of success. Good luck!"

  "To hell with it," Kairu grumbled, turning away and nudging his horse forward down a path paved with gray cobblestones.

  ***

  The Nielder estate disappeared behind them, and only the tower’s spire, like a needle piercing the dazzling blue sky, remained visible on the horizon for a while longer. The weather was fair, bathed in the light of the massive burning sun and the whiteness of scattered cumulus clouds. It hadn’t rained in a long time; Onklag was scorched by drought. Farmers rarely ventured into their fields, more often seen around their homesteads painting shutters, repairing crooked stalls and barns, or fixing broken plows. People watched the travelers with indifferent eyes, reluctant to speak unless it was to sell food or water. The last villages disappeared at the border of Tepei-Kuon, after they descended into the misty valleys surrounding the Flyliene River and then plunged into the wild depths of the Eastern Province jungle.

  The road twisted through dense forest shadows. They barely saw the sun. By the fifth day, the darkness thickened entirely, the occasional glimpse of the sky had turned gray, and then a fierce thunderstorm erupted, lasting all day. The horses’ hooves sank into mud and mire, and the safe trail was barely distinguishable from the swamps, which reeked of rot and steamed with yellowish fog. The travelers pulled up their hoods, soaked to the bone, angry at the world; only the horses chewed their bits calmly, shook their manes, and searched for the path in peace.

  "Back before the Man-Made Mountains, I lived right on the edge of the jungle," Joanna remarked the next day. "I heard legends… They said there used to be a centaur capital here. Then dragons burned it down, and the centaurs fled north, leaving a shadow over these woods. Now only arachnids live here, along with chimeras, chupacabras, and similar monsters… Oh, and nightwings. I was always afraid of them as a child, but honestly, they’re the best-case scenario of what we could run into."

  "The worst are the arachnids!" Viggo grumbled. "If they spot us, we won’t get away. The rest is just fairy tales, Joanna. Except the nightwings."

  "Not true!"

  "Wanna bet?!"

  "When we get back, Ashley will prove it to you! You uneducated oaf!"

  "Quiet," Kairu scolded them, chuckling. "You’d better watch the road instead. Honestly, like children… Viggo, she’s right, centaurs really did live here. Woody can confirm it; they told us that story themselves when we were in the Enchanted Forest."

  "Fair enough," Viggo admitted grudgingly, then added, "We’ve got centaurs in Vaimar too, you know. You alvens aren’t the only ones."

  ***

  They rode under open sky one last time a week after leaving Estogil, at sunset. The trail climbed a hill and brought them to the forest’s edge, offering a stunning view of the Flyliene River flowing into the Ilvion, the plains of the Northern Province far to the left, and the dark forests of the Eastern Province to the right. The hills dropped steeply into a gray-green lowland, hazy in the twilight. Wisps of steam rose over the swamps, and further east, the sparse woodlands stretched along the river, fading into the horizon, where oppressive darkness crept in and the first stars blinked into existence. Thick ashen clouds hung motionless above, like the outspread wings of giant dragons gliding silently over the land. Behind the travelers, the sun was still setting, casting a pale blue sky. Down below and slightly to the left, the river twisted and turned, disappearing northward out of sight, its water black in the fading light. On the distant horizon lay a city on the riverbank, long docks lined with ships, small galleys, and fishing skiffs. A pontoon bridge spanned the river, and a road packed with wagons led south, toward the looming mountains directly ahead.

  "Those are the Man-Made Mountains," confirmed Atgard.

  "Yeah…" Norton muttered. "And there are the forges… See those lights on the peak?"

  "Can’t see a thing through the smoke from here," Atgard said quietly. "Even here, the air smells of soot. I don’t even want to imagine who works inside those mountains, loading coal and ore, forging weapons… Yes, they make weapons there too."

  Kairu stared silently. The mountains looked like giant black basalt slabs piled together and dusted with ash. Between them were cleverly carved roads, balconies, and watch platforms. Compared to the Olmaer Range, these mountains were small. Even from the height where the group stood, they could peer past the peaks into the misty forests stretching endlessly to the east.

  "He’s got himself a fortress, all right," Viggo muttered. "Even the strongest army couldn’t break through a barrier like that. I’ve got a feeling Emerlun’s going to break his teeth on these mountains… Unless they manage to take Boreain, and then there’s only one gap left—" he pointed downward, to where a strip of forest lay between the end of the ridge and the hills.

  "That’s Saelin’s gap," Yuf said lazily. "And I have no doubt he’s watching it. The mountains are a barrier for him too—he can’t move troops freely. That’s where he keeps his reserve regiments on alert… and that’s exactly where we’re planning to sneak through."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Well, if a full army tries to pass through there, they’ll definitely be noticed," said Atgard. "But you have to understand: before the war, there were a lot of people living in the Eastern Province. And there still are. Saelin’s forces are garrisoned in Boreain, and I’m sure every village has a small squad keeping order and hunting partisans. But overall, no one stops ordinary travelers going from Onklag to Tepei-Kuon and back."

  "Let’s go," said Kairu. "Enough talking. We need to get down before dark and camp in the woods, so tomorrow we can head as far southeast from the mountains as possible."

  And they descended along the narrow path, disappearing into the deepening forest.

  ***

  The Man-Made Mountains were now to their left, and the road led into deep marshy lowlands, where mist swirled and there was a smell of rot, despite the fact that the bogs were off to the side of the road. Saelin had apparently made an effort to drain the area in order to station an army here. The ground was scarred and torn, constantly crisscrossed by steep ravines and high earthen embankments, seemingly built specifically to hinder cavalry.

  At one point, Kairu caught sight of a giant spiderweb stretched nearby between fallen tree trunks. He involuntarily remembered the arachnids and shuddered with horror and disgust; even in a nightmare, he couldn’t have imagined their webs being so enormous.

  "Yeah," Yuf said quietly, catching up with him and also staring at the web. "That’s Tepei-Kuon. Get used to it. I’ve heard that in their homeland, those creatures weave webs tens of times larger."

  "They didn’t always live here?"

  "Before Saelin, there were no arachnids in these forests at all. There’s a place, very far to the east, roughly in the same region as the Desert lands... Marlok. No one has ever lived in that forest except the arachnids. People don’t go there. Actually, you know, the world is much bigger than the largest maps show. And there are places so distant and terrifying that just thinking about them makes your blood run cold..."

  The farther they went southeast, the more webs they encountered, and while standing night watch, Kairu flinched at every rustle. He forbade them from keeping fires burning all night, they cooked quickly over flames and then ate in total darkness their stew, made of chopped wild bananas and dried meat by Viggo. They carried salted beef and hardtack with them, but the forest was full of fruit, which Remiz and Joanna helped gather, being the group’s local flora experts.

  Occasionally they passed villages along the road. Then a few people would go scouting while the rest of the group hid in the jungle. Sometimes they managed to buy some food and water, though the locals were usually reluctant to part with their supplies. Saelin’s soldiers collected tribute from them thoroughly.

  At night, the forest came alive with its own hostile life. It was filled with eerie sounds that could drive a person mad with fear—rustles, creaks, cracks, and the faint shimmer of eyes. Or maybe Kairu imagined it all, driven by the dread the jungle instilled in him.

  Ruring the day the worst nuisance was the mosquitoes. They swarmed over the swamps and spared no one, including, perhaps, the arachnids. The buzzing was quiet but constant, maddening and relentless. Despite the heat, they rode wrapped in cloaks and were grateful to have brought mosquito nets for their faces from Estogil. After a while, the people and the Hellsteeds somewhat got used to it, stoically enduring the bites. But the regular horses, ridden by Atgard, Woody, Norton, and Joanna, would often neigh in panic, rear, and kick, threatening to throw their riders.

  A few days later, Yuf had had enough.

  "We need to dismount. There’s no point riding into Tepei-Kuon on horses, they can’t be hidden and could betray our position. The Hellsteeds will follow us. The other horses will either follow the Hellsteeds... or die here," he finished, giving Woody and Norton a cold look. "Their oats are just extra weight. I say we sell them. We’ll take two Hellsteeds, load them with gear... I think mine and Viggo’s are best suited. We’ll trade the others for supplies."

  And so they did: with heavy hearts, they traded four horses and some oats at the nearest village for food and water, transferred their gear onto the two Hellsteeds, and continued on foot. Kairu’s, Rita’s, and Remiz’s steeds were left in the forest—there was no concern about their fate.

  Kairu had long since lost count of the days they spent making their way into the heart of Tepei-Kuon. Now they had to travel off the paths, hiding from Saelin’s scouts combing through the forest. A couple of times Kairu saw them while they held their breath, hiding and forcing the remaining Hellsteeds to lie still—men in black mail, guns at the ready, and judging by their skin tone, Alvens. Once, a regiment of several dozen arachnids with riders passed by on the road toward Onklag. The group had to quickly dive into bushes nearby and watched as the many-legged creatures with their huge hairy limbs and twitching mandibles looked even more grotesque up close than when Kairu had first seen them in the Battle of Mainor.

  The closer they got to the Citadel, the more frequently they had to hide from armies marching from the east to the northwest toward Boreain. It was becoming clear that if Emerlun’s army was approaching the Flyliene, it would face serious resistance. No one believed the city would fall quickly. Viggo and Yuf argued that Emerlun’s and Geonar’s forces would remain stuck outside Boreayn, spread along the Flyliene River, shelling the opposite bank without taking decisive action until they manage to break through towards south. Kairu, skeptical by nature, expressed the opinion that the armies at Boreain were doomed—they’d be crushed after a long and terrible battle, and either Emerlun would retreat at the right moment to minimize losses or lose his entire force at the river. Rita agreed with him. Joanna and Woody believed the troops would repel the fleet, block Saelin’s route, and besiege Boreain, buying time to move warships to Mainor. As always, Remiz didn’t join the debate, and Norton listened to the older ones with genuine interest, though he had no opinion of his own.

  But the closer they came to the Castle, the more certain their doubts about Emerlun’s success grew. The roads were increasingly crowded with banners and divisions moving north, not just spider-mounted cavalry but also heavily armed infantry, carts with cannons and weapons. Once, the jungle crackled, and the group barely managed to hide in the thickets before a massive gray creature stepped onto the road—huge white tusks curving outward and a trunk swaying like a rope.

  "Holy mother of—!" Viggo whispered in awe. "What the hell is that monster?!"

  "I know," Yuf murmured. "Petros once told me. That’s an elephant. And look at its back: those are goblins. Real goblins from the Desert lands."

  The elephant stomped on legs like pillars, flapped its enormous ears like giant leaves, and bellowed angrily, goaded by the driver on its back. The driver was man-sized, in iron armor, with a musket slung over his back, a grotesque gray boar-like face with tusks, long clawed arms, red eyes, and earrings. He sat on the elephant’s withers, with about half a dozen tusked freaks behind him, clad in colorful cloaks over armor, holding muskets and shouting in their own language so loudly the whole forest shook. The driver lashed his whip mercilessly, and the elephant trumpeted furiously and stomped harder.

  They didn’t encounter any more goblins after that—apparently, their main forces had already gathered in the north.

  ***

  Kairu tried to count the days and realized it was already June when they veered off the main path, using the map Atgard had given them to navigate through wet mud and swamps, forcing their way through giant ferns. That was when, far to the right beyond the trees, the tops of the Citadel’s towers came into view for the first time. It was lower than Estogil but still quite tall. There was no trail here; they relied on rare glimpses of the sun and the jagged silhouettes of the black towers to guide them southward. After an hour of wandering, they reached a small pond hidden deep in the forest. Moss-covered ancient rocks surrounded it, and in one of them yawned the mouth of a small cave. A tiny stream trickled from it down the stones into the pond and then disappeared into the undergrowth.

  "Welcome to our temporary refuge," Atgard muttered, looking around.

  They ate some fruit and hardtack, unloaded the Hellsteeds’ packs, and carried them into the cave. Kairu glanced at the sky, trying to guess the sun’s position behind the clouds and estimate how much time they had.

  "All right, ladies and gents, get inside, pull out your sleeping bags, and try to get some rest before evening," he said after a moment’s thought. "We’ll move out at sunset, reach the Castle, and wait there. For now—rest while you can."

  "Sleep like marmots here, in the very heart of Tepei-Kuon?" Atgard asked mockingly. "I’ll stand guard. I’m used to it, I’m not tired at all."

  "Thanks," Kairu nodded gratefully. "We’ll go in then..."

  They went inside, descending into the cramped, damp cave, where there was barely enough room for them all. They laid out their sleeping bags and lay down. Kairu lay closest to the entrance. He could see Atgard’s dark silhouette sitting in the entrance, smoking his pipe and blowing smoke rings into the air. The forest rustled softly, a calming sound, and Kairu was no stranger to a hard bed.

  Behind him, Joanna stirred in her bag, and when he turned, he saw that she too wasn’t asleep, just staring thoughtfully in the direction where the black towers of the Castle should be.

  "Why aren’t you sleeping?" he asked quietly. She gave a faint smile.

  "Just... looking forward to finally meeting the old man Saelin."