“I don't know how long we'll have to wait for Emil,” said Wyndham. “We still have food we can share out so we don't have to carry them home. A good meal after what just happened might just be the thing we need.”

“I don't have a problem with that,” said Everett. “Emil will probably want a guard here to make sure one of those beasts don't fly out while we're waiting on him.”

“Ordinary guards won't be able to handle one of those monsters,” said Master Yuen. “We might have to go back down and stop whatever is making the beasts.”

“Our part is over,” said Wyndham. “As soon as Emil sees your model and we turn you over to him for your protection, Mister Shanahan and I are going home.”

“Emil is going to want your input on what we should do about the frogs,” said Everett.

“They're extremely hostile and I doubt that the release of the dragons is a chain of accidents,” said Wyndham. “I have no idea how they should be handled.”

“Nuke them until they glow,” said Shanahan.

“I doubt Emil is going to start a war over this,” said Wyndham. She spread out a blanket on the ground and arranged cold food for them to grab and eat at their leisure. “He might use the phoenix to do a tactical strike like blowing up their monster maker if he can.”

“The real problem is how many of those underground people are there,” said Master Yuen. “Are they present in other hexes? Is there more than one monster maker? What other things should we worry about now that they know we're here and know they're there?”

“Emil will be able to figure all that out with his abilities when we tell him what we saw,” said Wyndham.

“The Wu Chi council will have to meet and decide what we want to do,” said Master Yuen. “I'll have to issue a call when we return.”

“I already sent a messenger to let them know we're safe for the moment,” said the assistant that Wyndham had sent ahead with the stone she had taken from Vassily. “They may be waiting for us to return under our own power, or sent a wagon to take us home.”

“If they send a wagon, that will save us some time,” said Yuen. “We might have to send people down into our own hex after we consult with Master Grandview.”

The council might want to send him into danger to map the caverns in the hex. He didn't know if he wanted to do that so soon after the risk they had already beaten.

He decided to wait to see what the council wanted to do. He knew that the two warriors wouldn't want to help him, but he would ask for their escort.

He would rather have two people who could help him navigate danger, than a squad of bodyguards who could be killed before they could ready their weapons.

“I wonder if Morehull would like to do one of these mapping expeditions,” said Everett. “His sword could cut through most anything in the way.”

“I will be glad to recommend him to take our place,” said Wyndham.

“It will be easier if you can get the teleporter to help out,” said Shanahan. He chewed a brownie as he watched the area around them. There was still a chance of minor danger.

“Whitehouse could use some experience in a hostile environment,” said Everett. “The Door allows him to run too easily.”

A pop of displaced air heralded Emil Grandview's arrival. He stroked his mustache as he looked around. Wyndham threw him a bag of something with a picture of ripply slivers on it.

“It's chips,” she said. “Just pull the top of the bag apart.”

She demonstrated on a bag for herself.

Emil did as he was told. He tasted one of the chips and then chewed it. He had never had that much salt on food in his life.

“So what did you discover?,” he said as he took another chip.

“I think Master Yuen can show you better than any of us can tell you,” said Wyndham. She gestured at the Wu Chi.

Master Yuen pulled out his banner and unrolled it on the ground. A model of the cavern sprung into existence out of the paper. A model of the frog city appeared beside the other.

“This is the route we took down,” said the Wu Chi. He took a leaf of grass and pointed along the trail they had blazed. “When we came back up, we used the central shaft the dragons are using to overfly our hex.”

“What's this other thing?,” asked Emil. He pointed at the paper city.

“There are a species of people that hunt and live in the caverns,” said Yuen. “We couldn't get close enough to check, but we think the dragons are coming out of this city, flying up the central shaft, and exiting the original hole to take to the air. We don't know what kind of mechanism is in place.”

“The dragons are about fifteen feet long, have wings, have claws and big teeth,” said Shanahan. “They spew acid that cuts through the local stone easily. If you can set that acid on fire, you might be able to cause it to explode.”

“That's good to know,” said Grandview. “You couldn't find out how they are growing the things?”

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“We think they are growing them under the city somehow,” said Master Yuen. “They had an army on patrol to keep us from getting close to this wall.”

“They hate anyone going into the underground on their territory,” said Wyndham. “The one party we tried to negotiate with tried to kill us for food.”

“I'll have to think of a way to deal with this,” said Grandview. “I hadn't expected a whole city of hostile peoples under mine.”

“We thought that a meeting of the council should be called,” said the second master. “It's possible that there is more than one city.”

“It's possible,” said Emil. “The city that you found stands out now that I am looking for it. I don't sense another one close, but that doesn't mean there isn't one there.”

“Have we satisfied our part of the bargain?,” asked Wyndham. “I would like to be square so I can go home.”

“The Master Carver wants to talk to you about Vassily,” said Emil. “He wants some kind of restitution for what you two did.”

“Vassily got what he deserved,” said Wyndham.

“Old Piotor Klaschikov doesn't see it that way,” said Emil. He stroked his mustache. “He wants whatever you looted, and some kind of satisfaction.”

“I suppose you want something to smooth things over,” said Wyndham.

“I told him I would notify him when you reached the surface,” said Emil. “He also knows that you aren't staying when our deal was done. I expect him to arrive at any moment, shouting for justice.”

“That's horrible,” said Wyndham. “I suppose we should go now instead of waiting for everything to be sorted out.”

The air bent and three figures in stone armor appeared out of the empty air. One was Piotor Klaschikov, pointing a gauntleted hand at Wyndham. The other two brandished weapons at the spirit users and the paper masters. Emil raised his hands to look harmless. No one was fooled.

Emil Grandview was the most dangerous man on any hex he stood on.

“I think you should come with me, Eye,” said Klaschikov. “You and your protector.”

“Why?,” asked Wyndham. She didn't reach for the rifle hanging from its sling. The Master Carver would do whatever he wanted before she could aim it and pull the trigger.

“I want justice for Vassily,” said the Master Carver. “You murdered him and stole his belongings, destroying his home and shop. That has to be answered for in blood.”

“He owed me,” said Wyndham. “He robbed me and tried to cause me a lot of pain for no reason. He got what he deserved.”

“What did you say?,” said the Master Carver. He flexed his hand, lighting it up with lightning.

“I said he was a thief and oathbreaker like all stone shapers,” said Wyndham. “Your kind is nothing but a waste of the skills you possess.”

Klaschikov narrowed his eyes. One bolt of lightning would serve this lying sow what she deserved. Then he would deal with her guard glaring at him out of a wild beard and mop of gray hair.

“I told you what happened,” said Emil.

The Master Carver turned and pointed his gauntlet at the other faction leader. Lightning lanced out. He had enough of Grandview. Now was the time to add the man's hex to his own.

“That was the wrong move, Piotor,” said Emil. An aura of light redirected the attack away from him.

A shot rang out. Piotor Klaschikov fell over. He had neglected his own defense, and the bullet struck him in the side of the head. His armor took the impact against the ground and made it louder.

Shanahan fired twice more. Blood spurted from the leg wounds he had inflicted with his pistol. He walked over and kicked the stone weapons away from their wielders. He didn't know what Grandview was going to do about this, but the man had looked ready to engage with his counterpart after the stunt with the lightning.

“Poor, poor, Piotor,” said Grandview. “I told him he should take things a little slower than this.”

“Are you going to take over their hex now?,” asked Master Yuen.

“Why would I do that?,” asked Grandview. “I have too many problems feeding my own people.”

Shanahan put his pistol away when he saw that the Master Weapon wasn't going to attack. He thought there was a moment where he would be fighting, and losing against the bigger man.

Grandview had just deflected a bolt of lightning. A bullet wouldn't cut it against something like that.

“I want you to go back to the other stone shapers and tell them that they should elect someone a little calmer to lead your faction,” said Grandview. He stood over the wounded shapers. “Right now, I am assessing a threat to my and the Wu Chi's hexes. I don't have the time to rip you up out of the ground and kill all your people where they stand. If you want to end the treaties, I will be glad to do something then. Otherwise, you should go home before you bleed to death and I have to report things in person to whatever remains of your faction.”

“Teleporter,” groaned one of the men. He pointed at their dead leader.

“Remember what I said,” said Emil. He went to the dead Master Carver. His Eye told him what he needed to do. “All I want is peace, but that can change if you want to push. I will meet anyone who is elected your leader any time to settle things like thoughtful men.”

He activated the teleporter. The shapers vanished as the Master Carver's armor took them home.

“That's a problem for another day,” said Emil. “Good shot with your outlander weapon. I thought I would have to do something myself.”

“We're going to have to report this to the masters,” said Yuen. “The shapers might have one of those cities under them, and they won't like us exploring for it now that their leader is dead.”

“We still have to figure out what we're going to do about the one we know is present,” said Emil. “Every time one of those monsters appears, it eats up more land. I don't want to keep killing them as soon as they appear.”

“There's a possibility that the dragon farm is flammable,” said Shanahan. “I don't know what would happen if a fire decided to burn inside your mountain, but it's an option to consider while your groups are trying to figure things out.”

“Thank you for your consideration,” said Emil. “I would appreciate it if the two of you did not go anywhere until I figure out what I and the Wu Chi can do about this.”

“Sure,” said Wyndham with a sigh.

“It'll only be a couple of days,” said Emil. “We might be able to to have your status reviewed with the new Master Carver. After all, Shanahan put him in his office.”