The one thing that kept creeping back into Kraghtol’s mind was his dream from the start of his ship journey. He hadn’t told Valir about it yet, because it was just a dream — even if it hadn’tfeltlike one — and he didn’t want to look naïve. But everything here in Bronzebreak reminded him of it, specifically the part where he had seen beyond the pillar of stone.Within. Everything he had felt, no, absorbed, when he had understood that Principle reflected in this city. The architecture, the materials, even the inhabitants. Would a dwarf who were to make a similar experience be drawn to that Principle, feel themselves resonating, like he had with both Order and Chaos?
It was frustrating. Kraghtol felt like he was on the verge of a mind-shattering insight, but all was based on a wild dream he had after almost passing out after a sleepless night. Taking that seriously was madness, but he also couldn’t just let it go.
Just as he was contemplating letting Valir in on his musings while climbing one of the many narrow stairs near the metalworks, something else caught his attention.
“I think we’re being followed,” he whispered.
Valir stopped so suddenly that Kraghtol nearly bumped into him and spun around.
“What do you mean, followed? More kidnapers?”
Kraghtol had nearly forgotten about the incident in the el Greylune mansion, but the fact it was so readily on the noble’s mind sowed doubts regarding his explanation of the attackers’ motives. But it was just as likely that Valir always assumed everything was about him.
“I don’t know. But I think we’re being watched. There’s someone in that mineshaft over there, always ducking away when I look over.”
Valir squinted his eyes in the direction the half-orc had subtly indicated with his wide chin. “The mineshaft up there, half a city away? How do you notice this kind of stuff?”
Kraghtol shrugged. “Do you expect me to look at the stairs or your backside the whole time?”
The human just looked at him for a good second. “Yes.The formerwould be wise. Perhaps you’d stumble less that way.”
It was true; Kraghtol’s natural tendency to run into all sorts of things had even increased here in Bronzebreak, and he blamed it oneverything being lower than usual. But just looking at the ground in front of him couldn’t keep his mind occupied for long.
“Anyway, what are we to do about it? Even if we sprinted up there, they’d be long gone by the time we arrived.”
“Yes, it’s not the first time I’ve noticed something. I kind of felt watched since we left the docks. But I wasn’t sure until now. Truth be told, I sometimes felt that way in Winterstone as well, but never like that. How about this: we agree on a codeword, and when either of us notices…”
He let his voice trail off, not sure how to continue.
“We run; I’m just not sure which direction.”
Valir nodded slowly.
“If it’s just one. Do you think you can take them in a fight?” he asked.
Kraghtol gritted his teeth.
“Yes, probably. If they’re not armed. But I don’t want to fight.”
“Chances are we don’t have to. If we can surprise whoever is following usandwe are in a position of strength, they might be willing to negotiate. And I would rather know what we’re dealing with than have an unknown danger at our backs.”
The opportunity didn’t arise until after a fruitless day of asking around. They had changed tactics and resorted to asking about famous inventors instead of mentioning a ‘Voldrik’, but that didn’t make things better. Inventors, as they were told, were a thing of the distant past. After the unification, a consensus was reached to shun them, and consequently, there hasn’t been an inventor in the last one hundred years or so.
Just as Kraghtol was about to explain to the shopkeeper with the long beard — which was hardly a unique feature here — that perhaps the inventor they were looking for had left the city before becoming famous, Valir nudged him.
“Clock tower!” he whispered. It was a stupid codeword, but it had been the first they had come up with.
Immediately, Kraghtol spun around and spotted the movement in the open door of the stone building just as it disappeared around the corner. Not paying the shopkeeper any further attention, he burst into a sprint, taking chase after the silhouette now running from him. It was a compact figure, definitely smaller than the attackers in Valir’s mansion. Probably a dwarf, or a small human. Perhaps a child.
Had he had the opportunity to just follow in a straight line, Kraghtol’s longer legs alone would have been enough to catch the shadow in a matter of heartbeats. Apparently tough, the chased one knew that as well, and dived into one of the maze-like tunnels at the first opportunity, making sharp turns as often as possible and using their small size to their advantage.
Still, although he bumped his head on the low ceiling, the half-orc slowly made ground and just turned around a corner, almost able to see the back of the runner clearly, when something hit the ground in front of him with a metallic clanking sound. Kraghtol had hardly any time to identify the item clearly before a spring sprung, a cogwheel turned in a sharp, snappy quarter turn, and a fizzling sound emanated from the small contraption. Seconds later, the whole tunnel filled with thick black smoke that made Kraghtol cough and his eyes tear up. He had no choice but to break his pursuit, feeling his way back until hecould breathe and see freely again. When Valir arrived half a minute later, panting, he was still coughing.
“Have you ever seen something like that?”
Thankfully, the contraption had stopped spewing smoke after a few minutes, and Kraghtol had retrieved it from the tunnels. Now, half an hour later, it was sitting on the tavern table between them, and Valir was poking at it with a fork as if he was afraid to touch the bronze metal. The whole thing was ball-shaped with a few mechanical parts on the outside. It didn’t look particularly complicated, as far as clockwork was concerned, but Kraghtol still shook his head before hesitating.
“Nothing like that, no. But I’ve seen clockwork that looked similar — only a lot more sophisticated — up in the clock tower of Winterstone. Admittedly, I don’t know any other clockworks.”
