BOOK 2

The Whisper of Iron 2

Ch. 1

I wiped the sweat from my face, the air around me sizzling with heat and smoke. I turned to the side and let out a long deep, barking cough. To my left, three humans in robes watched me work. They seemed immune to the fire and heat, with no sign of discomfort on their faces.

I turned back to the project at hand. I was smelting down ore that I had taken in from the mines of Fulgar, the city of fire and lightning. I had arrived sometime during the night after the mages had saved us from the Shadowalker attack, and the teleportation mage had gotten us out of the demolished Fekan city of Dunbar.

Well, more like kidnapped me. When I arrived, I was taken into the grand palace at the city's center, then sent directly to my rooms to rest without stopping and talking to anyone. I had no idea who any of these people were, but they seemed to know me.

I heard a lock click outside my door after I entered my room.

Sleep didn't come to me as I played the day's events in my mind again. I had done everything possible to save Dee and hoped it was enough. I had so many questions...mainly about the status of my friends.

I tossed and turned but couldn't fall asleep. It was really dark in the room, the only light coming from a tiny torch. I saw a few twinkling stars through the small window near the ceiling. It looked like one of those horizontal windows people sometimes have in their showers back on Earth.

Once morning came, the door unlocked, and I was given a meal of potatoes and something that looked like Spam. It was horrible. I had gotten used to Dunbar's fresh fish and corn mixture, and this was like being served prison food. The juice was a hot beverage reminding me of coffee, and at least that was good. Much to my mother's dismay, I had just started drinking coffee about a year ago and enjoyed it.

After breakfast, I tried the door. It opened, and I walked into the hallway and looked around at the gleaming halls. They were constructed from grey granite filled with red and yellow streaks. Flickering torches lined the long hallway, and I saw guards assigned to each room standing at attention. They saw me but glanced away quickly.

A skinny man in a blue onesie rushed up to me, a worried look on his face. "Excuse me! You cannot be out yet. We are not ready for you!"

I looked at the man, appraising his ridiculous outfit. I tried going with friendly. "Good morning. Can you tell me how much longer it will be? Or what I'm even doing here?"

He glanced away. "No, I cannot. For now, please return to your room."

I didn't move at first, and the guards shifted in their stances. I held up my hands and backed away. "Alright, relax, everyone. I'm going." I turned and went back into my room.

The door shut behind me and clicked again, locking me in. Am I a prisoner? What the hell? From one servant situation to another?

I looked around my room, seeing it better in the morning light. It was simply furnished, with a bed, a dresser filled with the same onesie the man outside wore only black, and a washing area and toilet. My boots sat to the left of the dresser. I left the onesies in the drawer and kept my overalls on even though they were stained red from the battle, uninterested in such a ridiculous outfit.

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I decided to try to sleep again and lay back on the bed, staring at the white ceiling.

***

A knock came from the door, jarring me awake. I groaned and rolled over. "Noah, you must be in the hallway in five minutes." It was the same voice as before.

I pursed my lips. "Alright," I answered back through the door.

I got up, slid my boots on, and walked to the wash basin. The reflection staring back at me from the mirror looked horrible. I still had blood smeared on my left cheek and bags under my eyes.

I had come a long way from being the overweight kid from Earth. I was now a skilled blacksmith apprentice with unique creation abilities and magic powers. But now, as I looked out into the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a sense of hesitation and uncertainty.

I washed my face and used my fingers to comb the mess of hair on my head, then walked outside my room.

Three other humans stood at attention outside their doors, all wearing black onesies. No one looked at me, only straight ahead. The man in the blue hurried over to me. "No. You need to wear your new outfit. This one is...unfit."

I looked back at him. "I would really feel more comfortable for now, if that's OK."

He paused, unsure. His blue eyes narrowed at me. "Fine. We will bring you down like this for now since you're just arriving and didn't have time to change. Yes. That's good. That's good." He started mumbling to himself as he turned and walked down the hall, waving a hand over his head to signal us along.

The other people near me turned and started walking down the hallway, passing me. I saw one girl dart her eyes at me with a slight smile, then continue looking straight ahead.

I followed in the back, curious about where we were going. We took a few turns down other hallways, picking up other people standing outside their doors. They had other colored onesies, and I started getting the same servant vibes as the Fekan cities. Strange.

The group of us followed the blue onesie man to the front of the palace, everyone's boots stomping loudly on the polished stone. Finally, we all stopped in front of the large double doors as he walked up onto a small stage and turned to address us.

"Assignments today. Yellow team, you will be in the northeast quadrant to assist in road duty. Supervisor is Lucas. Green team, you are on the western wood gathering. Supervisor is Haley. Blue team, you are at the water well repair project. Supervisor is Nicholas."

He continued through the group of colored outfits, finally getting to mine. "Black team, you are in the mines. Supervisor is Craig."

The other people in the black onesies walked through the doors and I followed them. A man in a black robe greeted us on the street. His head darted back and forth and he mentally counted how many of us there were. Finally, he spoke. "Let's go, crew."

Craig looked like a stern, no-nonsense man. He was a burly man with a grizzled appearance, and his face was etched with the marks of years of hard labor in the mines. He led our group with authority, setting a brisk pace as we walked through the city.

The streets were crowded in the early light as people began going about their day. No one paid us much attention as we walked. The entrance to the mines was pretty close, and we were there in around ten minutes. The snowcapped mountains gleamed white in the city's background as the sun peaked over the hills. I saw the magical city around me a bit clearer, looking slightly different than when I got transported here last night. Mages walked around, but the lightning had stopped. However, the mages that walked around here still pulsed with dangerous energy. Many eyed me warily as I walked past.

Once inside the entrance, Craig barked out orders to the crew, assigning us to our respective tasks. Some were to extract the iron ore from the mine walls, while others were responsible for hauling the heavy carts filled with ore to the entrance.

He pulled me aside, looking around to ensure the workers had gone to their jobs and no one was paying attention. "I have a very special task for you, boy. I heard you can pull special ore from the walls without using equipment?" His eyes gleamed in the torches like a man who saw a treasure chest.

I didn't know how he knew that, but I played along. "I can get a few pieces of ore, yes."

He smiled a predatory smile. "Yes, I've been briefed on your skillset. Once we get some ore from the walls, we will return to the forges to watch you smelt it and make us some creations. We want silverstone today. Now off with you!"

With that, he shoved me hard in the back and into the caves.