The howls of the wolves were a continual irritation as they moved along the line of craggy hills. The near perptual darkness made the task easier as they wormed their way across the ash shot wasteland. Camilla was trembling with weakness as hunger gnawed at her belly. THey were all hungry of course but she had almost no reserves of body fat and had undergone the rdeal f kidnapping before this latest misery. She tried to keep it to herself although she occasionally caught Cydric looking at her with concern. It wouldn’t be fair to admit to weakness when they were all here because of her. In any case, either they would be out of here soon or it would cease to be of real concern.

“They will catch us certain sure,” Konrad moaned as they took cover amidst an obsidian outcropping. Below them a column of wolves ridden by ragged fur clad goblins padded past, snapping and snarling as their masters hauled at the reins. Camilla pressed herself against the rock and tried think small thoughts but there seemed no immediate danger. THe wolf pack passed them by heading towards the ziggurat. After perhaps a day of walking the red structure was much closer. Large watch towers of black iron rose at its corners and strange geometric designs ringed its walls. It hurt Camilla’s eyes to look at them too long. The column passed through its grim gates at a gentle lope.

“I think… that so long as we move closer to the city we are safer,” Camilla ventured. A slight smile fought its way through her hunger fogged brain. 

“After all, who would be stupid enough to try to get in there?” Ivan snorted a laugh at that, blowing ash from his mustache as he did so. Camila felt filthy, her skin covered with ash and grime. They had all suffered on the trek and she was beginning to regret not turning back, mysterious prophecy be damned. 

“Ha! I see vat you did there,” Ivan said with a rumbling laugh.

“Speaking of idiots trying to get in,” Yantz put in as he peered over the outcropping to look down at the city.

“Does anyone have any idea of how we get into this place?” the Imperial asked.

“Oh aye,” Skaldi grumbled. The dwarf had been unusually silent and foreboding since they had entered these dark ash stained land. Camilla could only guess at what was going in the dwarfs mind as he went over ancient grudges with these apparently dark dwarves. Camilla hoped he was going to be able to keep a handle on it. Looking down she saw her hand was clasping and unclasping the hilt of her sword. Irritable she pulled it away.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to share that information with the group?” she asked acidly. If Skaldi noticed her tone he didn’t remark it, but merely pointed to an irregular pile of rocks a quater of a mile off.

“The Dawi-zharr might be chaos loving scum, but they still need to breathe. A ventalation shaft like that will serve to get us in, though I’ve heard they often have guards,” he grumbled. Camilla looked skeptically at the pile of rocks. It looked no different to a hundred they had passed to her, but experience had taught her that when a dwarf told you a thing about mines or caves, you could take it to the treasury.

“So what are we waiting for?” Konrad puffed.

“We should rest,” Dietricha put in, the first words she had spoken since her conversation about propecy. Camilla’s stomach grumbled in protest but it was an open question as to whether exhaustion or hunger were bigger problems right now. After a brief discussion the bedded down amongst the great spike of obsidian. She snuggled close to Cydric, her hands trembled slightly from fatigue and weakness.

“I’m afraid,” she whispered to the Ostlander, unable to find the emotional energy to amplify the statement further than that.