Large bridges stretched over the canyon, linking one side to the other. This is where the companions split into two groups. Huldain and Olaf made their way across the bridges and down to the hanging block to investigate how Myrian had escaped, while Orei, Alun, and Marius headed down towards the library in search of Luther.

Luther sat translating Dwarven runes into the common tongue. Teaching himself the Dwarven language had been his obsession when Alun left. He had needed something to keep his mind off of the peril his friend was going through, and found it in the books and scrolls of Doflhiem. He had learned so much; the Inquisition had kept lots from him, but here in this library, the tomes he had read and the information he had gathered blew the propaganda away. The gods, the wars – everything was clear to him now. He doubted that even some of the Dwarves who fought against the Eldar knew as much as him.

Marius opened up the lift, and followed Orei and Alun out onto the scholar's tier. Orei walked with her axe as if it was a staff, and occasionally a Dwarf would stop and bow. But on this floor, everyone was too busy to notice the three of them. Both old and young Dwarves ran about, holding arms full of scrolls or piles of books. They all seemed to be wearing robes of some sort; the younger wore shorter robes, whilst the elder wore full flowing robes with different coloured sashes.

Orei and Alun smiled at Marius's expression. He was awestruck by the busyness and the architecture. The scholar's tier rivalled the palace, and its grand pillars and golden carvings dominated everything. The canyon walls were carved out further here than any other tier, and knowledge lay at every corner. From the library to the museum, artefacts littered benches and cabinets encased in glass and crystal, some large gems and minerals spiked out from the floor encasing swords, armour and scrolls all of which shimmered in the subterranean light. Carved tablets were strewn across benches with swathes of ancient scrolls and books. Marius got the distinct feeling that if Bartholomew ever found this place, he would never leave.

Marius and Alun followed Orei into the main library, and Marius's jaw dropped at the size. The library seemed to continue up into the palace, cut out of the mountain. Shelves and balconies spanned all the way up, with winding stone steps on each level. A giant dragon's skull hung from the ceiling, and green flames sat in its nose and mouth, lighting up the higher reaches. Marius could just make out a golden sword sticking out from between the dragon's skeletal eyes, and assuming that this was the blade that had killed it, he continued to look about.

The floor they were on seemed to be the largest. It spread on indefinitely, and as Marius made his way around the desks and shelves of the first floor, he realized that the high, dragon ornamented balconies leading into the palace was just the foyer. A large circular desk, piled high with scrolls and books, sat in the middle of this foyer. An ancient Dwarf slept with his head resting on a book, whilst five young Dwarves moved about around him, organizing and positioning each book carefully.

Orei walked up to the desk and cleared her throat softly. One of the younger Dwarves looked up, and saw Orei, then saw her axes. He stopped and bowed to his princess before one of the other busy Dwarves bumped into him, sending books flying in all direction, thumping down beside the sleeping elder.

The old Dwarf woke up and yelled out in Dwarvish. "Val bon ist fur duchten?"

He saw Orei, and his anger fizzled away into a smile. In a thick accented tongue, he said, "Orei, mine little diamond! how are you?"

Orei smiled. "Hello, Tavium. I was hoping you could help me find a friend. His name is Luther, and according to Saurin, he has come to spend most of his time in your library."

Tavium dipped his head. His beard was so long that it rolled off from the table and onto the floor, and his hair fell behind him in a long braided ponytail.

"Is true, princess," he said. "Luther spends much of his time within mine shelves. He seeks knowledge and to learn the ancient tongue of our people. He tries to talk to me in it – one of the few who do these days. Last I saw, he was three shelves back on a desk to the east."

nodded, and thanked the old Dwarf. Together with Alun and Marius, they set out into the eastern shelves in search of Luther.

He sat behind piles upon piles of scrolls, books, and tablets. His own notes littered the desks about him, and he smiled and muttered to himself, occasionally straightening a new pair of spectacles. He had traded his Dwarven jacket in for the flowing robes of the scholars that surrounded him. Occasionally, a younger Dwarf would come and place a particularly large or ancient tome before Luther in exchange for some information. They had been gone for just a week, and now Luther seemed to have become a true scholar of Doflhiem.

Alun approached his friend, and cleared his throat. Luther looked about him and clapped with excitement.

"Alun! How have you been? Saurin told me you had left on a mission. I've been here ever since, studying the truth. Who is your friend?"

Alun stepped aside and introduced his brother. "Luther, this is Marius, my brother. Marius, this is Luther Quail. He was with me in Stonehill; I carried him to Doflhiem."

Marius shook Luther's hand, and smiled. "Pleased to meet you."

Luther nodded, and then looked at the sword on his back. "Likewise, I'm sure. Nice choice of sword by the way. Nurlin's blade if I am not mistaken?"

Marius nodded, astonished. Alun looked at Luther with a strange look. "Since when have you been so knowledgeable about Dwarven blades?"

Luther turned to Alun and smiled. "Since you left me by myself for a week with nothing to do but study the largest library in Mortaholme. Did you know that if you slay a dragon, you are instantly imbued with all of its years, both past and future? And due to the fact that no one has ever recorded a dragon to die of old age, I would say that you could live indefinitely."

and Alun looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Marius felt that they didn't know what to do with their friend.

Alun looked at Luther and decided to take a direct approach. "Luther, we are heading back to Alturine, hunting Myrian. I was wondering if you would want to join us?"

Luther was taken aback by such a request. He clearly thought of himself as a desk man, and to be asked to go back out in the field, especially after last time, he didn't know what to say. If it hadn't been for his books and clothes in the Capitol, it would have been a straight no. He thought about where he was and how happy this place made him, and then he thought of his home, his possessions. He could get Alun to retrieve them for him, but he knew that Alun would be busy. He sighed, making up his mind.

Luther looked up at his friends with a resigned look. "I would like some of my old books and my clothes are there, as well as some other trinkets. I will go as far as the Capitol with you, but then I will return here. Is that fair?"

Alun had no idea why Saurin had said that he would be useful. The old Dwarf probably just wanted to be rid of Luther, but now he was coming with them, at least part of the way.

Alun sighed and nodded. "That’s fair."

Luther stood up and stretched. He looked about him, and gathered up his notes, placing them in a neat pile beside a few old scrolls. Together, they made their way out of the library, beneath the giant dragon skull, and out into a lift which carried them high up onto the ground floor. Luther left them, as they crossed the bridge, descending into the Military tier to change and grab some equipment, promising to meet them at the southern gate soon. Alun, , and Marius continued on into a cart station, and strapped in as Orei pulled out, and onto the southern bound tracks towards the gate.

...

Huldain and Olaf made their way down to the Hanging Block. Olaf had not been here since it was built. Saurin had alerted the guards that the two heroes were coming down, the bridge was extended with two guards stood waiting. They came to attention as Huldain and Olaf drew near. Huldain waved them at ease, and then walked past them with his brother. The steel gates, wrought by Huldain's own hand, swung open for their maker. The warden stood inside. His jet black hair and beard was in contrast with the silver woven within his forked beard, and he stood still waiting for the heroes, clearly anxious about who he was about to meet.

Olaf looked down at the warden with a stern face. "Are you the one responsible for Myrian's escape?"

The Dwarf swallowed and nodded, not making eye contact with Olaf or Huldain, but instead staring down at his feet in shame. Olaf sighed, and shook his head. Together with Huldain, they stalked deeper into the labyrinth with the warden in tow and came to their younger brother's cell.

Huldain stood back, and waited for the warden to open it. The Dwarven guard’s bodies had been removed, but everything, the warden assured them, was the same as the night Myrian had escaped. Huldain went over to the chains that lay strewn across the cell's floor and picked them up. Running his hands over the white and gold metal he felt the single chink where something had hit it. He stood up and dropped the chains upon the ground behind him, and turned to Olaf.

"He used a small piece of the same metal to open the locks. My guess is that someone slipped it in through the food tray. He shouldn’t have been able to chip off any from these chains. Let’s have a look at the weapons lockup and see how he got his bow."

Olaf and Huldain left the cell and strode out with a purposeful pace, aware that time was dwindling. They traced Myrian's steps, and found themselves outside the weapon's compound.

Myrian's bow had been left in a metal box of the same white and gold steel as his chains. Huldain inspected this as he had done the chains and frowned.

Olaf looked at his brother with a worried expression. "What is it?"

Huldain lifted up the box. "This was not forced open. Someone used the key."

Olaf shrugged. "So what? Myrian must have taken it from the guards."

Huldain shook his head, and put the box down with a thud. "The key has been in my workshop ever since we built this place. No one knew of its whereabouts."

Olaf gave a low growl, anger seeping from him as his tattoos flared. Someone had aided Myrian in his escape.

They left the prison, realizing that time had almost ran out. They made their way up to the ground floor, and took a cart to the southern gate, here they saw Orei, Alun, and Marius waiting for them; sat about next to their packs and the supplies that Saurin had left them. Olaf walked over to them, and slumped next to Marius still brooding about what he and Huldain had found in the prison. He let out a long sigh and pulled out his pipe, closing his eyes in thought as he lit it and allowed the smoke to drift across the courtyard. Huldain had gone over to the barracks to secure some horses for them to take into Alturine.

Orei yawned, and looked over to Olaf. "How long does it take to get to civilization in Alturine? I have never taken the southern gate before."

Olaf opened one of his eyes. "The nearest town is called Cornerstone, and that is a full three day’s hike on foot. We should be able to half that time on horses. From there, we shall investigate, see if there are any signs of Myrian. If there are, we shall follow them; if there are not, we shall wait."

Orei nodded and flicked some dirt off of her breastplate. Luther appeared at this moment, clothed in his Dwarven jacket and boots, complete with leather padded trousers, and cotton shirt – identical to Alun. Marius looked up from oiling his blades and smiled.

Beckoning Luther over to them, he turned to the others. "Our scholar has finally arrived."

Huldain arrived shortly after with Saurin, five horses, and a pony for Orei, who didn't look too impressed by any of their steeds at all.

The companions and the Dwarven stable hands saddled and packed the horses, then bid their farewells to Saurin. He embraced each of them individually, and wished them all luck before they mounted. Orei was clearly not adept at equestrian activities. She hopped about as the pony began to walk off, her foot in one stirrup, the other thumping against the floor in a desperate attempt to gather balance and jump into her saddle. Alun turned, and burst into laughter as he saw his friend’s red face bobbing up and down. Eventually, a stable hand ran over to the pony and held it for Orei as she pulled himself up and over into the saddle. Just as Olaf quietly directed Marius in the basics of horsemanship.

Saurin waved to them as the southern golden gates of Doflhiem opened. The six of them turned, and headed out into the thirteenth kingdom: The Empire of Alturine.