Val was gone. The Grim Whimsey were breaking into every chest, cupboard, pantry and box in the whole place, and had filled several bags with valuable loot.

"Wherever he went, he went in a hurry," said Ridzak's mother.

"He clearly wanted to get away from you," said Spetz.

"Or he wanted to stay away from who they're after," said Ronnkonn.

Ror threw Malgond into a wall. The hammer left a hole a serpent bull could have fit through and crashed through the wall in the next room. Buri was standing close to where it landed. He picked it up and brought it back to Ror. "I'll kill him!" Ror thundered.

Halfur rolled his eyes. He knew this would happen. The goblins must know something. "You've no clue where he went?"

The few that paid attention to him looked stupidly and shrugged.

"But you knew he left," Halfur said. "You've been here for hours, clearly. Why did you think to come here?"

"To rob him blind, obviously," Noxi said. He was sipping anciently old whiskey from an onyx grail.

"Someone told us he left," said Ridzak's mother. Halfur had a hard enough time keeping track of the goblin names he already knew. They all ran together in his head after a while.

His dream the night before put him in a wary mood. The shapes were mostly lost to memory, but her remembered a white mist obscuring a gold light that danced away when he moved toward it. Black shadows moved in the edge of his view, and he remembered seeing something made of red metal. He imagined it had something to do with not trusting the strangers they were unavoidably dependant on, and perhaps something to do with Ror's persistently growing rage, but the shades and hues of the dream told him something else, and he was watchful.

Ridzak's mother and unrequited love had formed an uneasy pact to keep the rest of the Whimsey in sway, but he'd observed Noxi and the Other Two maintaining a quiet autonomy. Halfur wasn't sure what to think of the dynamic he was seeing unfolding. He conceded trust to Ridzak due to his trust in his own brother, partly because of the circumstances of how their friendship formed. It came at a time when all was well, and he and Ror were looking at many ways of expanding Thrond's already inclusive vision. Ridzak had a trove of forbidden knowledge and a vile reputation, qualities that made him useful, and his friendship with Ror seemed to have softened him while it tempered the young prince. Halfur only scarcely admitted it to himself, but he was jealous of such a friendship. He longed for an older man who'd been through a few fires to teach him wisdom hidden from youth. He'd quietly observed many of his father's Chieftains, and while they were generally capable men and women, they were too... Throndian. Ridzak was his own creature, defined only by his own whimsey.

These thoughts caused Halfur to lean towards trusting his mother and longing love, especially since they had what could be perceived as a native impetus to protect Ridzak, but he had to remind himself he was judging the matter based on his own experience, and he knew nothing of romantic love and not all mothers were Halfi. Even she, as sensible and fair a woman as she was, would likely have serious complaints toward he or Ror if they were to abandon their roles and realm. Ridzak's brother was the King, and he was off playing a child's fantasy to no apparent end. And this other woman, Vivi, Noxi called her, to all that Halfur could see had been spurned by Ridzak. So he tried to see through his own prejudices when observing the Whimsey. But it was all for nought at the moment. Without Val, they were at the mercy of these goblins, as no one else would be likely to help them, and the Whimsey knew things. Knowledge was there weapon. Knowledge of secrets, knowledge of truth and lies, and knowledge of how to use these things to bend the thoughts of others to their needs, or, their whimsey.

"Who told you," he asked Mother.

"His woman," she replied.

"That drow scum!" Ror sneered. "I'd sooner trust a hinterlander than one of them.

"They didn't all attack us, boy," Gund grumbled. "She may be worried about him. She helped us earlier. She wouldn't do that if she didn't favor us, for whatever reason. If this Val has dealings with our Val, she has good cause for concern, and we are the only people like to deliver him."

"If he's worried over Valung's response to helping us," said Koll, "than he's most likely running from him as well as us."

halfur thought for a moment while the others spoke. He kept an ear half trained on their talk, in case something new was said, then looked Mother in the eye.

"Where?" he asked her plainly.

"The dead city," she said.

Halfur raised a brow and thought. Such a name could apply to several places, after recent events. His impulse was to guess she meant Cavanal, but again he had to remind himself of his biases. The same fire that blackens wood will whiten stone, he'd read in The Inward Lamp. I can't keep wasting time thinking through these impulsive assumptions, he counseled himself. I need to dwell in a place passed those thoughts. The answer dove out his lips the moment it sounded in his mind.

"Solstice," he said.

Mother nodded. "Promise, it's called by others. And Lie by some of them. You're walkin' into a storm, me boys. The trees tried to chase the rats back into the ocean, but the rats are gnawin' at their roots, and there's a proper war brewin'. You're best to go below, as much as you can. You might find some rats and dogs under the earthen sky, but there's no trees growin' underground."

"The gnolls keep under the hills," Ror said, still seething but calmer than before. "If we find any in the dimroads they're most like to ask us for directions to the surface. But she speaks sensibly. The last thing we need is to find ourselves amidst a battle between gnolls and elves. Poor Neri would have both armies appealing to him for our aid."

Gund liked that comment. He laughed heartily, and slapped Neri on the back. The Daughter of Doom liked it less. He smile was slight and feigned.

"Solstice is a long way south," Buri said. "And the dimroads are broken passed the Alembic. We'll have to cross above ground until we're almost to Solstice in order to find any dimroads that head our way."

"You're forgetting your kingdom's history, nephew," Gund said. "We built a sizeable fortress for old Provosa, long ago, for reasons forgotten. Out in the middle of nowhere, in case Ronehelm were to invade an unclaimed plot of land, Alon forbid.

"The Rambasl," Ror said.

Halfur found himself nodding. The Rambasl was out of their way, but they could reach it quickly enough through the old tunnels that lead there from Eruhal. There were portals into those roads, for those who knew where to look.

"I'm for it," he said, looking at his brother, then to Gund. He didn't want to say it in front of the Whimsey, but Derrion had made a comment that caught his attention during their audience. The meeting went very smoothly, boring even, thanks to how disarmed Ror was after his surprise encounter with Cara. It was a cold and heartless maneuver, but effective. Halfur couldn't fault Derrion for it, though it caused his brother a great deal of pain. The negotiations went quickly, to the desire of both parties, and Halfur knew Ror would have made Derrion beg and plead for the mannarim, had he not been so distracted. But Derrion made a comment about Idana's necklace that made Halfur suspect he'd been manning fortresses outside his kingdom's borders. The Rambasl was as likely a fortress as any to ward off the Netherclaw from, and mannarim armor, even diluted with other less pure metals, would give their soldiers a vast advantage over a tribe of naked orcs, despite their size and ferocity.

"To the Rambasl, then south." Gund nodded. "We'll need to stock up on some things. Wound dressings, mostly, and some food fit for a long journey."

Ror somehow seemed less convinced. He strode to Mother and planted Malgond heavily into the floor between them. "I trust your son," he said quietly, "but he's earned it. Give me a good reason to trust you."

She threw he arms in the air incredulously. "What! He's never told you what a great mum he has?"

Ror was unconvinced.

"I taught him every good trick he knows, and I gave him the good sense to stay out of Goblin Town. If Nuno woulda listened to me on that count, he'd have been spared a world of hurt."

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The Whimsey finished their looting and were now gathering around the two, as if they were expecting a brawl. From the tightness in Ror's jaw and the constancy of his burning glare, Halfur almost expected it himself. Mother was playing dumb right now, but she didn't strike Halfur as the sort to be pushed very far. But she was facing off with a son of Grar, not some recruit in need of a lesson. Ror could be mean and impossible to sway when he was pressed, and right now, he was pressed.

He's right to be, Halfur thought. I'm accepting her word too readily, even if it's true. As is Gund, which I find strange.

"All right, tough guy," Mother relinquished, "you win." She made a quick gesture with her hands as she continued to speak. It was hard to follow, but it seemed she held her hands apart at first, then spread out all her fingers, then folded them together, then tightened them into a doubled fist. "Dark days are here, a blackness that was hard formed. A white and cooling wave comes, leading to a red sunrise, and then a golden victory, but we'll need to march as one to achieve the work."

Whatever that meant, it worked on Ror. Some code of Ridzak's, perhaps. Ror hefted Malgond up and over his shoulder, then head out the door of Val's house. "Will he suspect you learned his whereabouts?" he asked Mother as she followed him out of the house. She looked to Noxi, who grinned cruelly and shook his head.

"The information wasn't exactly volunteered."

Halfur would have rolled his eyes at Noxi's implications, if it wasn't for the clink in his ear and the Whimsey's well earned reputation. Every mercenary made the same claim, but some lived up to it. The Whimsey wasn't called grim for nothing. Ridzak may have been a useful ally, and entertaining in an odd and pitiful way, but he was one of Konistra's worst people, with the blood of hundreds on his hands. Halfur had reflected much on the question his father asked him after chastising both Balvor and Salimod. Halfur meant his answer, that there was nothing he wouldn't do for Thrond. But there was nothing Ridzak hadn't done for the Grim Whimsey, or whatever his fabled purpose was. His Great Work, Halfur heard him call it once, though he never offered any details as to what it was. He'd said something to Ror about righting another's wrongs. It seemed a noble claim at the time, but after disappearing during the invasion of their realm at the hands of his own brother... Well, Halfur wasn't feeling inclined to trust anyone at the moment. He really just wanted to be moving forward with their search for expendable soldiers, and whatever doubts Ror may have had about Mother's information, the surest thing they knew was that they wouldn't find the doomed hiding in Val's house.

They exited the house to regroup and plan. Ror exchanged a few quiet words with Mother while Lightning and Thunder; the names Halfur thought up for Spetz and Ronnkonn, waited nervously by Lover. The other goblins were divvying the vast amount of loot they found in Val's true dwellings deep below the house. The Whimsey apparently had no carts or beasts of burden.

"More than the stars are turnin' to dust," said a voice from very close behind. Halfur turned slowly and saw Noxi's nefarious grin lurking over his shoulder.

"How do you mean?" he asked.

Noxi stepped forward and turned his back toward Mother. "You think the killin's gonna stop with you takin' back yer mountain? Nah! You'll wanna strike back at Primus. That'll make two kingdoms gone over just your little mess. Next is this place, if the orcs aren't sated enough. And then what? Take a good look at your maps, while they're still accurate."

"I'll be sure to acquire a few of Goblin Town," Halfur said.

Noxi laughed quietly. "I'll give you mine. I've got loads of them. Three apiece for every secret room behind every hidden door. If Grandell pulls off his assignment, they won't do anyone any good."

"This Grandell..."

Noxi raised both his hands and shook his head. "Don't ask! Believe you me, when the boss gives Grandell a special task, it's best not to know what it is. He only sends that little worm off to do things even a centaur wouldn't do."

Halfur nodded. "I assumed as much. I was only going to ask if he's as dangerous as he's touted to be. I find myself wanting to become more acquainted with the Grim Whimsey. I'm feeling jealous of my brother's friendship."

Noxi looked over his shoulder and flashed a thin smile out of the side of his mouth facing Halfur. "I'll give you what tidbits I can, but we're a different bunch when mum's around. Vivi's all right, though. Just a little bossy at times. But that's all goblin women."

"Is that why you're not married?" Halfur made sure to keep scanning all the others as they spread the load of Val's hoarded goods and hefted them in packs. Ror and Gund were nearby discussing the minutia of their trek to Solstice, while the Daughter of Doom chatted with Buri and her father. Neri was out of sight, likely in a tree somewhere. Halfur's esteem for Neri grew each day, so long as he didn't let himself get distracted by Nava. He noticed that Noxi hadn't answered his question. "Or is there a sad story to that?"

Noxi sighed. "I wasn't always murderin', heart breakin' spy, mate. Let's leave it at that."

Halfur nodded. "Do you think we'll find what we're looking for in Solstice?"

"Your brother will," Noxi said with a delighted grin. "I can't speak for all of ya. If was in yer troupe, I'd be after that turncoat sellsword."

Halfur shrugged. "He has no ties to us. I'd probably have done the same if I was him. Seems strange of him to leave this house unguarded, though, with all these priceless belongings waiting to be pilfered."

"Bah," Noxi spat. "None of these is his by rights. We may as well be the thieves that got 'em. Between you and me, I think he's nearby still, waiting for yous to leave. He'll come back and see his pilferages have been re-pilfered, and he'll wish he'd been true to his word."

Halfur smiled and rolled his eyes. "You'd still have robbed him. You just would have waited til he left with us."

Noxi smiled and nodded vigorously.

"Come on Nox," said Mother. Ror looked ready to be away as well. Noxi extended his hand and Halfur clasped it.

"Looks like I have my own Ridzak," Halfur said.

Noxi laughed, then shook his head as dramatically as he nodded. "There's only one Boss."

"But there's two of you." Halfur held Noxi's gazed and searched his eyes. He searched his eyes and found only a mocking grin.

"Theres millions of me, mate," Noxi said. The gave Halfur a bow and twirled his fingers in a mock salute, then joined the rest of the Whimsey as they vanished into the forest.

They were on their way as well shortly after. They'd left their cart along with Audun, along with the goods they'd brought as part of their cover. Gund had suggested they give the contents of the cart to the Esperian for looking after Audun. Halfur agreed heartilly. Anything to keep Audun far away. Besides, if there was any place where he could be useful, it was in a building full of books. Halfur hadn't forgotten Audun's help in saving some of their soldiers from the eels of Ceti. And of all things to save their warriors, it was Ror's liquor.

"What did you learn from Nox?" Ror asked as they made their way under a dense patch of low hanging boughs. Their deep apartments within the Heavenly Keep were a welcome respite for the others, but Halfur found himself embarrassingly nervous, as if the roofs might collapse on them as they did in the Tall Hill. He kept the reason for his nervousness to himself, though he suspected Ror had guessed it.

"Nothing just yet," Halfur answered. "He said he'll be feeding me information about the Whimsey as he can. A little at a time. What do you think?"

"Hopefully he doesn't take as long as his boss. If I were to keep a log of everything I've learned of the Whimsey since we first made their acquaintance, you'd think I'd known Ridzak for an afternoon. But I trust him. Mother, though..."

Halfur looked about him quickly, as if she were stalking him through the woods. They could be. They're crafty, and always show up at curious times.

Ror laughed. The sound irritated Halfur. "They're not following us," his brother said. "They did their bit to help us out, and now they're off to find Boss. If my guess is right, the Goblin King will get what's coming to him soon enough."

"And you agree with that?" Halfur asked.

Ror was slow to reply, and when he did he sounded confused. "It won't matter if I do or don't. The Whimsey does what the Whimsey likes. But why wouldn't I?"

"You don't feel retribution should come from us?"

"The drow brought the goblins, Halfur. Along with the trolls and... those other things. The drow brought the storm, so we strike at them to end it."

Halfur sighed. "Striking at the sky. Terrific idea."

"We'll be bringing the storm, Halfur. Our clouds our billowing while theirs disperse. By the time we have the Doomed with us the goblins will be broken or wander off out of boredom, and we'll light the greatest fire that's ever been lit. When our foes flee from the mountain's own ire, they'll run through a gauntlet of us and our allies. I can think of no sweeter return."

"You're no longer bothered by my plan, then?"

Ror smiled. "I'd prefer we didn't destroy half the kingdom, but there is no other way. We're outmatched and outnumbered, but Thrond is ours to nurture or to burn, and whatever we destroy we can rebuild. Before Salimod's treachery we were a bear with the world under our paw. Now we're a wolf gnawing off our own leg to be free from a trap. We'll lick our bloody stump, tear our enemy's throat out, and in time we'll be a bear again. But we'll be a bear that doesn't invite a vulture into its den among its cubs."

Halfur nodded. From the corner of his eye he saw Ror's knuckles whiten as he gripped Malgond. He carried the hammer over his shoulder as if ready to swing, and he walked like an angered bull, chewing the ground with his feet as he readied for his charge.

"Well," Halfur said, "I'm glad your spirit's returning."