The surrender of the dwarves was a great relief. Not all was well, since not all of the city of Gothol'gathrak was under our control yet, but it was a good start. Most of the army would remain camped outside the city in the camp we had already set up. They would be well out of range of the city's siege engines there while still capable of controlling the roads leading east and west away from it. Only a relatively small force entered the city at my side. First they would oversee the disarming of the militia, then we would take the royal quarters and at good last they would eventually serve as a garrison force. At least temporarily.

The dwarves in general seemed quite happy to return to their usual jobs after surrendering their arms and armor. It probably was to be expected. That they did not actually own their gear worked in our favor as well. Arms and armor were stored in large armories instead of at home. This way we had an easier time keeping it all under lock and key. Some, especially, the wealthy had some weapons at home as well. These were mostly family heirlooms though and I decided against collecting them. I didn't want to alienate them like that. As far as I was concerned it would be in everyone's best interest if they cooperated willingly. I didn't want to leave them entirely helpless either in case something went wrong.

Not all of the city's defenders had been disarmed though. Princess Pirgrimma and her personal guard led the way deeper into the city and thus deeper into depths under the mountain as well, while my brother oversaw the disarming and my sister had been left in command of our camp outside. They would see about providing some relief supplies to the citizens as well. We probably would need to relocate some of them as well, but that was something we could worry about tomorrow.

I had trouble keeping focused as so much was going on all at once right now. I shook my head. Worrying right now wouldn't help anyone. I could only trust in my decision to delegate most of the work. And I had to trust in the people I had delegated it to. Everyone would do their job. I had to focus on the battle that still lay ahead of me. And of course I had to trust the people who would fight at my side.

Gash'zur and her brother Yath'zur were the most prominent of those who followed our dwarven guides alongside me. They weren't the only ones though. Leumina for one was there as well, making herself understood best she could using the scouts sign language. None of the harpies had followed us beyond the grand halls behind the city's gate though. They felt decidedly uncomfortable under the mountain. I didn't hold it against them though. Even I felt as if the whole weight of the mountain was resting on my shoulders.

We passed through the mostly empty merchants' quarter and the living quarters. The latter weren't exactly empty but they still felt too quiet. Mostly because everyone seemed to keep of the streets. Only the faces of the young ones staring at us through windows at times suggested that there was still some life left in these halls. The princess apparently noticed my curious glances. “Plenty of these people have never seen people other than dwarves. Foreigners, traders and even dignitaries are usually not permitted beyond the merchants' quarter.”

I could only shake my head. That sounded stupid. It explained why the people did their best to stay out of our way. That we came armed probably didn't help either. It did not explain though, why the tunnels serving as roads were all wide and high enough to allow me and the two giants to move freely. Finally we passed another abandoned checkpoint with another incredibly sturdy bronze gate and left the living quarters behind.

The halls that awaited us beyond this gate were even grander. The smells of fire and hot metal were heavy in the air. The quiet of the place sent chills down my spine once more though. One of the princess's guards spoke up. “The foundries and forges have mostly been shut down in the past weeks. It makes little sense to keep churning out more weapons and armor if your storehouses are already overflowing. Only a few, a little deeper in, are still working to keep us supplied with the things a city needs.”

I nodded. Even dormant the foundries, forges and rolling mills were more than just impressive. Even Gash'zur who was familiar with the workshops of the capital couldn't help but look around, craning her neck to take it all in. I elbowed her lightly. “Maybe some of them will want to move to the capital? Skilled metal workers are always in the demand there after all.”

She seemed to ponder the idea for a moment. Then she shrugged. “Maybe. If some of them can get used to working with other people.”

Pirgrimma must have overheard us. “Some of the younger ones probably. Their minds are still more open, not chained to these halls by tradition and habit quite as firmly as the older ones. I just hope you don't make off with too many of them. We will need them to breathe fresh life into these halls.”

I nodded. Depopulating the city, or rather making matters worse than they already were wasn't my goal. “We will see about all of that. One way or another we will find a place for everyone. Here, back home, at the capital at Bleak Peak or maybe where Gothol'uin once was. There might be plenty of Star Iron to be found at the bottom of the lake forming there after all.”

The latter got a rise out of some of the dwarves accompanying us. Even the princess raised an eyebrow as she led us off the main path and down some hallways that were a little more narrow. We still didn't have any trouble moving through them though. Finally we slowed down and the princess motioned for us to take cover behind a gargantuan mechanical hammer. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of things might be forged using this thing. Thick layers of rust and grime that seemed to be hard as rock suggested that it hadn't seen use for some time though.

The dwarven princess let us know in a whisper. “It is a relic from days long gone. I don't think there is a dwarf left alive that still saw it in use. Supposedly the whole mountain shook though, when this hammer came down though.” Then she pointed at something beyond the mechanical hulk we were hiding behind. A narrow bridge was leading across a deep gorge there. On the other side and ornate door blocked our way. “This is one of the entrances to the royal quarters and it will be our way in.”

Leumina raised an eyebrow and made some gestures. I translated for her. “A servants' entrance? Guarded?”

The princess blushed a little as she shook her head. “Not quite …”

One of the other dwarves finally spoke up after clearing their throat. “Its for the tax collectors.”

The princess took over again. “I doubt it is guarded, although it saw more use than usual in the past years and especially months. It might be locked but even if it is, that shouldn't pose a problem, since I have a key.”

There were some good natured chuckles. “Is that the way you got out?”

She shook her head. “No, I actually used one of the servant gates to get out and into the city.” She pulled a ring of keys off her belt, making them jingle a little as she shook them slightly. “I have keys to all of the gates leading to the royal quarters.”

I eyed the narrow bridge again. Then I shifted my gaze to look over the cliff face into which the gate in question was sunken. “I don't see any defenses or traps but we probably should try to cross quickly and preferably unseen. Just in case.”

Leumina gestured again, shooting me a questioning look, and I nodded. “Invisibility.”

Before I could say anything else she put her bow down and started taking off her armor. I had wanted to go myself but apparently she had other plans. I sighed and motioned for the dwarven princess, who had averted her eyes and was blushing fiercely, to hand her the key she would need. All the other dwarves were studiously looking away as well.

I couldn't help but think of the armor and helmet the princess wore. Armor that completely obscured just about every bodily feature. I still couldn't tell if any of her guards were women. Could this be some kind of cultural taboo? Well, that was a topic for another day. I took the key and handed it to Leumina. The only other piece of equipment she seemed intent to bring along was a dagger. A rather small one at that.

I squeezed her shoulder. “Be save.” Then I could feel her drawing in Mana. It wasn't as much as my sister, my brother, I or even Eld'tide could use but it was enough. Within the blink of an eye she was gone and only the soft patter of bare feet on rocky ground let me know that she was already off.