Hud stopped. “For major structures like this, we put the ward in a room in case it needs to be maintained. Even wards with resonant enchantment loops get checked on.”
“If the ward was in a room, why wasn't it simply brought out? You wouldn't have had to dismantle the bridge.”
“The bridge was already crumbling when the King ordered us to remove the enchantment.” He shrugged. “The room was buried under rubble. We were working on clearing it when the bridge fell.”
“Is it clear now?”
“Yes, would you like to inspect it?”
“Indeed, I would.”
“This way.” Hud went forward, his thick, glimmering, gray arms bulging out of his sleeveless tunic.
It didn’t surprise me that most of the construction team, or rather, deconstruction team, was Ricarri. The mountain folk knew stone and had Metal Magic. There were a few humans on the team as well, but no other races.
“Clear a path!” Hud shouted. “I've got the King's Alchemist with me.”
“I'm Alchemist to the King, nothisalchemist,” I muttered.
Orro chuckled. “Big difference, eh?”
“Yes, it is.” I glanced at Leera, adroitly moving among the debris. Her breed was from the mountains as well.
The Ricarri men backed away, many smiling at Leera. The dog yipped happily at the attention, stopping for a few quick head strokes before dashing ahead. She found the uncovered room first and sat by the door to wait for us.
Hud chuckled. “She's special.”
“Yes, she is. Thank you.” Orro opened the door.
“Wait!” I called out. “You need a mask.”
“We need masks?” Hud scowled. “No one told us that.”
“I informed the architects who were supposed to advise you.”
“They didn't tell us.”
“Have any of you experienced any eye pain or other health issues?”
“Uh, no.” Hud looked around at the other workers. “Not even the humans.”
“Huh.” I chewed on my lip and looked at the door. “Have any of you been inside the enchantment room?”
“Not yet, sir. Not our job.”
I nodded. “Good. The masks are merely a precaution, but if you come in contact with the rot, you need to wear one. Anystrip of thick fabric will do. As long as you don't burn the rot, your eyes should be safe.”
“Burn it? We ain't gonna burn it.”
“I didn't bring anything,” Orro said.
“Stay up here then.” I motioned at the horns. “Do any of you have fabric you can use?”
They shook their heads.
“I guess I'm doing this alone.”
“We have dust masks,” Hud said. “Would those work?”
