"What are you suspecting?" Daphne asked, astute as she had always been.
"I think that there is more to the Pyme mountains than we know. I think that this place," I encompassed our entire surroundings from here to the forest, including the mountains, with my sword, "this entire place was once a big city. I think something happened, and it was all buried under debris. And I think that with the digging that has been done for the magrail, we've opened an old, long-forgotten grave that should have never been opened."
"Snyg," Myccael cursed behind me, having listened to my words.
I realized I was taking a giant leap here. I had no reason to believe that the mountains were anything but mountains, but deep in my gut, I felt the truth of my words.
I had to slow myself; I didn't want Daphne to fall, but it took some self-restraint. It seemed to take forever until we were back down at the base of the mountain, where Tovahr stood flanked by Major Stafford.
"Is this the only place you drilled down?" I asked before we had even reached the foreman.
He looked confused. "What do you mean?"
My patience was running thin. Daphne's heavy breathing next to me made me feel bad for dragging her like this, but this was important. "I mean, where else did you drill down?"
"Every few thousand paces. I had to make sure there was no groundwa?—"
"Show me," I barked, interrupting Tovahr and already striding toward a nicta.
"There was nothing out there," Kavryn called, returning from his scouting excursion. He was back way too quickly and looked way too smug.
Kavryn’s tone grated against my nerves like a dulled blade dragged across bone. I turned slowly, cold fury rising from the base of my spine. “Nothing?” I echoed. “That’s what you found? Nothing?”
He gave a careless shrug. “The legion and I went around the mountain. There was nothing, not even a trace of anything.”
“You didn’t look hard enough,” I growled, stepping closer.
His mouth twisted into a sneer. “Maybe you’re just seeing ghosts, Mallack. You’ve always had a weakness for the past.”
I closed the distance in two strides. “And you’ve always had a weakness for doing the bare minimum.”
His posture shifted, defensive, and his hand brushed the hilt of his sword. “Careful,” he warned, his voice low. “We’re not in Hoerst anymore.”
I didn’t care where we were. My fingers curled around my own blade, every instinct honed by decades of war telling me to knockthe smug look from his face and remind him what real warriors did to cowards who put their pride before their duty.
But before I could speak—or swing—Myccael stepped between us. “Enough,” he said sharply, eyes locked on me. “Both of you.”
I didn’t look away from Kavryn. “He claims he didn’t find anything."
“Go look again,” Myccael snapped at Kavryn. "There were Eulachs there, I saw them myself. I want the entire site turned upside down, and come morning, I want to know why the Eulachs seem to be crawling out of the rocks. If there are passages, I want them found."
Kavryn took a step back, visibly irritated but wisely silent. "Zyn, as you command, Susserayn."
I sheathed my blade with a hiss of metal. “We need to scout those other sites. Tonight.”
“Ney,” Myccael said, calm but firm. “Not tonight. We’ll check them in the morning when there is light.”
I exhaled sharply. “We don’t have time.”
“You think I don’t feel that too?” Myccael’s gaze met mine. “I do. But charging into shadows when we’ve just discovered the Zuten walked this ground? That’s how we lose good males. We’ll get more answers with the sun at our backs.”
I didn’t like it. But I didn’t argue, because he was right.
Daphne squeezed my hand gently. “We’ll go in the morning,” she said. “We’ll find what’s hidden.”
Myccael nodded once. “Good. Then, for tonight, you two will take my tent.”
I blinked. “What?”
