Ror stormed into the room. He had been drilling with a squad of new recruits and was covered in a mist of sweat. His brother was already there, along with Gund, his father and mother, and his uncle Lobuhl. Neri and his Owl Guard were covered in gore with three of the soldiers were lying on gurneys. Neri had a blood soaked bandage over his right eye. Halfi was dabbing his head with a wet cloth, while the three older men stood with arms folded. Halfur leaned against the wall in the corner.

"Did you kill it?" Ror asked.

Neri nodded. "We tied hempline to arrows and the roots of trees to trap it. It took three of us before we stuck it through the eye with a spear. We hacked the body to pieces and burned it before any of the pieces could reform."

One of the other soldiers, a young man with his arm in a sling named Jem, stood and went to Neri's side. "The monster came climbing through the trees," he said, "like a spider. It took Beos, Marud and Jor from above before we had a chance to shoot it. Captain Neri kept it from killing any more of us. It was him who pierced its eye."

"And the elves?" Ror asked.

Neri shook his head. "We never saw them. Nor the Janissaries."

"There's more Janissaries?" Halfur asked.

Neri nodded. "Argus and Vallus. There were some humans from Corn Hill as well. I think they fled when the centaurs first howled."

"There's more than one?" said Halfur, leaning forward and stepping away from his corner.

"Why else would the Janissaries and Dathenyn's elves be elsewhere?" said Ror. For all the thinking and listening he does, Halfur misses some important things. "How close is Idana?"

"Two days away," said Gund.

"Can we trust the elves and the Janissaries to kill the other two?"

"It's not a matter of trust," Ror said, "it's a matter of time."

"We can send more men," Lobuhl suggested.

"Wasn't Grandel in the clearing?" Ror asked Neri.

Neri nodded. "He followed us, along with another goblin. I didn't recognise him. They left a day before we caught up with the centaur. He said he had to meet with his boss, and something about the orc dagger."

"Did you find the other three orcs?" Ror asked quickly.

Neri shook his head.

"Likely stuck in the trees," said Lobuhl, "tied to the branches by the centaur's spit."

"Why would the goblins leave?" asked Halfi.

Ror shrugged. He too wondered what could have drawn as deadly a killer as Grandell Ixix Grandell away from the centaur hunt. A centaur was a threat to everyone, and if there were more than one then surely killing them would be a far greater priority than any job, no matter the pay. The older dwarves discussed plans to hunt the other creatures down and ensure their death. His father agreed to send more troops, and left the details to Gund. When everyone began to disperse, Ror found a scarcely used ohr-tempus. Before he could leave, his father called him to stay.

"Going to see your goblin friend?" Grar asked.

Ror nodded. "I want to know why he called Grandell off the hunt."

"So do I. There's good money in monster hunting. If Grandell Ixix Grandell is half as deadly as I've heard..."

"He's even worse, trust me. I know you think me foolish to keep such friends..."

Grar waved a hand, "They have their uses, I’m sure. Just be careful when handing out your trust. Oh, I have some news for you. I haven't told Gund yet, but Buri's returning."

"Buri?"

"He'll be back up tonight. I'd wait until the morrow before approaching him, though. Best to let him get settled in. He'll be welcomed to the wedding feast. I doubt he'll come, but I'm hoping you can convince him. He's suffered greatly, though he's triumphed more."

"It's been twenty years. I, well, I forgot about him I guess."

"There's something we've kept from you, son. If we had told you at the time, it would have been overly distressing to you. Buri was sent to the Underguard."

“Gund told me he was sent to train, and with an elite legion. I assumed he was training with the Sunderers."

Grar nodded thoughtfully. "He was sent to train with an elite unit, just not the one you thought. He's been through a great deal, son, take things slowly with him."

Ror nodded. When Grar had left and Ror was making his way to one of the upper doors to the mountain, Halfur caught up with him, a pair of fur-lined cloaks draped over his shoulder.

"You coming with me?" Ror asked.

"I'm tired of being in the dark. How do you know these Janissaries? Why are all of Magni's telescopes pointing upward but the master lens?"

"You're not the only one kept in the dark. Dad just told me Buri's back. He was with the doomed all these years."

"The doomed? I thought he was sent to train with a special legion."

"That's the line I was fed too. The doomed are a special unit, for sure, but no one trains with them."

"It doesn't make sense. What do you think really happened?"

"I aim to find out. Whenever I'd think of Buri, I'd find myself remembering that night with Valung. Now I learn Buri's been taking orders from that coward for the last twenty years? Is that a coincidence?"

"I wouldn't call Valung a coward."

"I call anyone who fears change a coward."

They found an ohr-tempus that wasn't being used and stepped on it.

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"Ror!" Yemi came running behind them. Halfur sighed.

"Fustylugs!" Ror opened his arms and his little sister leapt giggling into them.

"Buri's coming back!" Yemi shouted when Ror set her down.

"How did she..." Halfur threw his hands in the air and turned his back.

"Are you going to meet him?"

Ror mussed Yemi's hair. "No. He won't be back until tonight. I'm going to show Halfur the new star."

"It's so amazing!" Yemi's entire face had come alive.

"A new star?" Halfur seemed unsure how to react to the news.

"You're always hiding and telling people to leave you alone," Yemi scolded him, "so you can't be upset for not knowing anything."

Halfur rolled his eyes.

"Yemi," said Ror, "can you do me a favor? I want to know how Gund reacts when Papa tells him Buri's back."

Yemi lifted her hand in a mock salute and then ran off, her long black hair bouncing all over the place.

Halfur was quiet during the ascent to the access door. When they emerged from the kingdom and donned their cloaks, Ror went straight down the mountainside and found a spear of rock jutting out of the snow. A light green goblin in a sleeveless leather duster was waiting for them. Under his jacket was an indigo gambeson and black wool breeches. His head was bald, his ears were pierced full of rings, gauges and studs, and he had a scar over his clouded right eye, noose marks around his neck, and bloodstained bandages shone through a tear in his gambeson.

"Fellas!" The visitor flourished elaborately.

"Ridzak!" Ror said as he shared a hearty embrace and headbutt with his friend.

Ridzak looked at Halfur through predatory eyes and licked his lips, then smiled and pointed to the faint red orb glimmering overhead. "So, what does the Red Wolf think of this?"

Halfur tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "The Red Wolf?"

"Allow me to rephrase; what does the Clueless Clod think of this?" Ridzak produced a spyglass from his duster pocket and handed it to Halfur, who in turn extended the glass and looked at the star.

"How long has it been up there?" he asked.

"A few days," said Ror, "three or four. Not sure exactly. Gund woke me early that morning. Trying to wake you early usually has consequences, so we didn't bother. So, what do you think?"

"Has it grown in size since it first appeared?"

Ror took the spyglass. "Can't tell with this. It's brighter in the sky, I can see that much. I’m eager to hear what the dwarves of Cloud Hammer have learned. Gund sent a thrush and a pair of bear riders."

“A thrush and two bears? He must be eager to learn more.” Halfur looked through the spyglass again. "It's two colors, red and blue. The air smells strange too, like blood."

"Aha," said Ridzak, "that would be me. I had to retask Grandell, so I took his horse-man for him."

"It clawed you?" Ror asked. He pressed his fingers gently against the bandages on Ridzak's chest. "Is your wound corrupted? I've heard their claws are venomous."

"Naw, they're just filthy. Get you a nice fever from one of their pinpricks. Fortunately, it was me own spear as went through me. The blasted bandicoot took it out me hands and tried to stick me with it. Naturally, I countered with a most impressive series of defensible ripostic maneuvers and mostaways dodged the impregnability of my turn-cloaked lance."

Halfur shook his head and extended the spyglass to its maximum. "I smell something else, burning metal. It's faint."

"Can you smell a star?" Ror mused.

Halfur rolled his eyes and handed the spyglass back to Ridzak. "It’s on the wind coming down. You can’t smell it?"

Ror shook his head and shrugged. Ridzak stood up tall and took a long whiff. His long, pointed nose wiggled and his nostrils flared. "Smells like a forge," he hissed. "Imagine that; a dwarf mountain smelling like a forge."

Ror sat down on the jutting spear of rock. Thick flakes of snow began falling lazily; one, then two, then one and one again.

"Is that the orc dagger?" Halfur asked, patting Ror's improvised seat.

"It's a big mountain," said Ridzak, "bigger than even you lot know. Helps to have a few places pre-obfuscated."

"How do you understand him?" Halfur looked at Ror.

Ror laughed. "If I don't know a word he says, I don't worry about it. He always makes sure to tell me what I need to know, such as where he sent Grandell."

Ridzak climbed onto the orc's dagger and seated himself. He was almost spilling over onto Ror's lap. This fool... Ror thought fondly. Ridzak nodded his head and opened his eyes wide, even the clouded right. "Yes," he said, his voice a peculiar blend of raspy and smooth, "where Grandell went is important. You definitely need to know that. He's on a mission so impeccable, so indelible, so infinitesimal, that it begs me to differ."

Ror layed back on the rock, pushed Ridzak's elbow away with his head, and closed his eyes. "I imagine," Ror folded his arms as he spoke, "that to send your best killer away from a centaur hunt, you must have either wanted to sell its head and pocket the money for yourself, or there was an even worse monster elsewhere that needed Grandell's skill set."

Ridzak stretched his leg out, displacing Ror's elbow. "Oh yes, there's worse monsters out there. You've got one deep down. I expect you'll be facing him soon enough. Valleybung? Volleybood? Volibear?"

"Valung!" Halfur blurted. "So, where's this best killer of yours?"

"Ooh! Now that's a fun question. I'm starting to think he's right here,” Ridzak pointed a long, bony finger at Ror, “tryin' to boggart this here piece o’ mountain, even though it ain't rightfully his. So, Valung, that's your monster, eh? I hear he spit some phlegm back up at your papa. The White Bull's little nephew? Valung's glad to be rid of him, I bet. He's as cold as the moon, that one. And just as far away."

"You've seen Buri?" Ror asked, opening his eyes. "What can you tell me about him?"

"He's big, he's inked, and he's got this tall hedge of hair and a long, pretty braid. Not sure what it's all about, but some of your misfit brigade get all drawn on and have those pretty braids. I stayed far from him. We never spoke so don't bother askin'. I just saw him do some killing while I was slinking around. He's good at it. I might have to open a spot in the gang for him. Maybe me brother will catch poor Grandell in his spying and his vacancy will be open."

"So, that's your monster?" Ror asked. "The Goblin King causing you trouble again? I thought he favored you and your gang."

"Oh, he favors the Grim Whimsey well enough. Does he favor me? Well, nuthin' he can do 'bout me, so I suppose he pretends I'm just another clink-ear for hire. It's the army he's got marchin’ that worries me. That's why I retasked the Ixix. He'll be hidden deep for a bit, findin' out what I need to know. For the meantime, you lot keep your beards wet. There's fourth a million greenskins on the move. Topside and downside, dimroads, deeproads, leafroads, riverroads, dirtroads, they're moving like they don't care. Half of them passed right under the eaves of Moonveil. That got the Bladedancer's nickers in a big old twist."

"He sent his daughter after the centaur," Halfur said, "though I suppose you know that already. Where are your people moving to? Why would they trespass through Moonveil?"

"I hope they're coming here," said Ror, cracking his knuckles. "It's been years since we've had a good row with your kin. Fourth a million is lot though. It almost sounds like they aim to take some place for good this time."

"These ain't me kin, mate," said Ridzak. "The Whimsey's me kin. Those jackanapes trolloping about through elfland are me brother's, and nothin' 'bout what they're doin' smells right. It smells like blood and burnt metal. You want me help, little gatebreaker? Use your princely powers to have mean ole' Obrus turn all his eyes back to the ground. Don't worry ‘bout that red candle up there, me brother's much closer. He's sent all the troops in Goblin Town out all at once, and in the same direction. If they head here, you're in for more than a row."