The only light they had to see by was that of Angel’s eyepiece, and it was far from enough to illuminate the dank hallways. Water lapped at their heels and the heavy smell of mildew hung in the air.

As they grew deeper, the tunnels grew larger and more decrepit. Every noise felt like it was magnified by a hundred. The splash of footsteps and the group’s breathing echoed around them eerily.

Several hours of walking later, a mote of torchlight greeted them around a large bend. The light source hung above a large, stone door reinforced with metal bands. Jonas let out a relieved sigh. “They’re here. That torch wouldn’t be lit if the rebellion hadn’t set up in the canal.”

“Good,” Silver said. “I’ve got enough water in my shoes to start a garden. I sincerely hope you all had the good sense to make your secret hideout on an elevated platform.”

They slowed as they reached the door and Jonas slammed his fist against it several times, pausing in between strikes for a few seconds. A click echoed through the cave and a metal plate slid open, revealing a pair of dark eyes.

“Private Jonas reporting for duty, joined by a civilian and a combatant force,” Jonas said, placing a fist over his chest.

“Reports said you were dead or imprisoned,” a gruff voice replied. “How did you escape?”

“The combatant force rescued me.”

“Why?”

“Ah, my niece asked them to,” Jonas said, breaking composure and rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “They were looking for any remains of Blackstone’s guards, and I told her about the congregation point.”

The metal plate slammed closed. A second later, a grizzled man with a white beard pushed the door open, forcing them to all take a step back. He had a heavy black sword strapped to his hip and sported a jagged scar along his cheek.

“It’s good to see you alive, Private,” the man said, letting his gaze wander over the party. He paused as he spotted Jake, but only cocked an eyebrow. “You’ve picked up some interesting company.”

“We’ve been chasing the Reawakening for some time now,” Angel said. “We believe that we can aid you with removing them from the city.”

“At this point, we’ll take any help we can get,” the man said, stepping to the side and waving for them to enter. “Come in. I’m loathe to leave this torch lit for any longer than needed. A scout saw you all coming, and I know Jonas enough to know he shouldn’t turn against the city.”

“Then why was the door closed when we arrived?” Lilian asked.

“Shouldn’t isn’t the same as won’t,” the man replied. “But I do know he’d never put his niece in danger, so she’s proof enough.”

“Thank you, Major Brod,” Jonas said.

“Don’t thank me yet, soldier,” Brod replied, snuffing the torch and pulling the heavy door shut once they’d all entered. The inside of Blackstone’s last sanctum wasn’t particularly awe inspiring.

It was an enormous cavern built atop a slightly raised metal platform. Enormous stalactites hung from the ceiling, and lanterns hung from the walls and from metal ropes crisscrossing above the area.

Several dozen square buildings sat around the cavern. Guards sat around them in small groups. Several men watched the group curiously as Brod led them toward a building near the front of the sanctum.

There was no door in this or any of the buildings. Angel supposed there wasn’t much need for one when the only people in the area were dedicated Blackstone soldiers. The building only had a single, rectangular room with a large table and several chairs sitting around it.

Atop the table was a perfect metal replica of the city. Magitech lights of several colors blinked across it, mostly gathered near the top and two other locations. Brod pressed a button at the base of the city, turning the lights off.

He nodded to the chairs, then leaned against the wall. “Sit, please. Tell me who you are and what you’ve got to do with the Buried Gods.”

His tone brooked no room for argument. All of them sat – aside from Jake, who perched on the edge of the table and cocked his head to the side, examining the captain like a large snack.

“I’m a seeker,” Angel said. “Well, I was. I haven’t done any seeking in some time now. The Reawakening and I have come into conflict about methods in bringing back Old World Magic.”

“That’s enough to make you chase them around the Barren?”

“It’s enough for me to kill one of them,” Angel replied with a grim smile. “Their methods are the reason they’re sacrificing people to power the Buried Gods.”

“Wreched rat f–” Brod started, then paused and glanced at Jenny, who was rocking back and forth in her chair, watching him with rapt attention. “Never mind. I had my suspicions about what they were doing with all the people they kidnapped, but the intel didn’t line up. Why would they specifically want to sacrifice Tinkerers?”

“They probably don’t,” Lilian said, adjusting her voice volume to be more appropriate for the situation. “We believe they severely damaged an artifact, and are trying to repair it. It’s unlikely they’ve done so yet, or there wouldn’t be any reason for the Buried Gods to remain at this city.”

Brod rubbed his chin. “I see. And how do you know this?”

“We were there when the artifact was damaged,” Angel replied. “And before you ask, we were there because my students were kidnapped by the Reawakening.”

“You make a habit of stealing people out from under their noses?” Brod asked with a small grin. “And what was the fate of your students? Is it the boy?”

“We’re the students,” Tilly said, nodding at Alison.

“You? You can’t be much younger than the seeker,” Brod said. “Speaking of, please share your name.”

“It’s Angel. And experience speaks louder than age.”

“I see,” Brod said. “And the rest of you?”

“I’m Lilian, a Hunter of sorts,” Lilian said, indicating the large sword on her back. “And I’m also an infiltration specialist.”

Silver didn’t bother saying anything. He just drew his sword halfway out of its sheathe, allowing the captain to get a good look at it.

“A Serpentine Blade,” Brod murmured. His gaze shifted to Silver’s hand and his eyebrows twitched up. “And together with a control bracelet. You’re well equipped.”

“That’s Silver,” Jenny said happily. “He stole my hat.”

“I did not steal anything,” Silver snapped, his mysterious aura banished. “It was a business transaction.”

Brod’s face twitched as he tried to repress his smile. “You’re an interesting crew. How is it that you’ve managed to stand against the group that attacked us? Jonas should have been held within the prison and not the Buried Gods if you were able to rescue him, but the prison is incredibly well fortified.”

“The Reawakening soldiers are really, really incompetent when they don’t have direct orders to follow,” Angel said. “They’re clones controlled by one of the members of the Reawakening, and it appears like he loses control over them as the number of clones increases.”

“Interesting. How did you come by that piece of information? You seem very well informed about the Reawakening.”

“I’ve interrogated a member and killed two of them,” Angel replied. “You’ll have to take my word for it.”

Brod pursed his lips and scanned over all of them. He didn’t seem to find whatever it was he was looking for. “You seem almost too good to be true. Tell me, then. How can we deal with the Buried Gods if these clones are weak? The only reason we lost the city is because of those damned beasts.”

“We need to get inside them,” Lilian said. “But it’ll be borderline impossible for us to get in on our own. Before, we’ve been able to sneak in or surprise the Reawakening. Now, the Buried Gods should be on high alert, as will the clones. We need some sort of distraction to get in. It’s very likely that the clones can transmit anything they learn to the rest of the Reawakening, so this will be a war of information.”

“They can transmit what they see? Before we go any further, I’m going to need you to tell me everything you know about this group,” Brod said, crossing his arms. “We’ve been shooting in the dark for too long. Anything you can remember will be of help.”

“We’ll be more than glad to share,” Angel replied, and he launched into another retelling of his journey since leaving Bronze city – the same abridged version that he’d given Jonas.