This chamber was altogether different. It was a huge circular cavern hundreds of feet across. The walls were made of iron but had not been hammered. They looked almost like intertwined Tangle trees. Tubular veins of rusty iron grew from the floor up to the ceiling high above her, snaking back and forth through each other. Fire tubes were jammed into crevices between the veins here and there, but the majority of light-as well as the blasting heat-came from the furnace in the center of the room.
The furnace looked like a massive knot of iron tubes growing from the floor of the chamber. Hundreds, if not thousands, of the iron tube-veins came from the floor, intertwining, branching, and reaching up at least thirty feet. It was as big around as Tel-Jilad, the Tree of Tales. Smoke and fire belched from the tops of the tubes at irregular intervals. Most of the room was bathed in a red glow from the fire and the rusty iron, but the ceiling was pitch black from flare knew how many cycles of fire.
Glissa stood above the floor of the furnace chamber. The door she had come through was carved right into the tube wall. There was a hammered path in the uneven floor leading down to the furnace. Paths had been leveled throughout the chamber. Some of the paths looked like ledges or bridges spanning a dark trench. She could see goblins moving about performing tasks, but it was almost impossible to distinguish Slobad from any other goblin working around the furnace.
That’s one advantage Slobad has here, thought Glissa. He can blend in. She dropped to her knees to avoid being spotted while searching the cavern for her friend. She spotted a goblin with a satchel amidst a large pile of debris near the back of the chamber. Many of the goblins had satchels, so she couldn’t be sure. They all looked so much alike. But this goblin seemed to be looking for something in the pile. She moved around to get a better view.
As she got closer, Glissa saw the figure lift some debris and toss it aside. Underneath, she could see something large. The goblin tossed shards of metal aside to uncover more. Glissa crept even closer until she could see that the large object was Bosh’s chest.
The elf looked around for a way down. A path led to the furnace floor over near the pile, but Glissa decided to stay hidden and not draw attention to Slobad. She would watch for danger from above. With any luck, Slobad could activate the golem and ride it out before the other goblins guessed what was happening.
By the time Glissa arrived at her new vantage point, Slobad had uncovered most of Bosh. Glissa realized the golem was in pieces. Worse, several goblins seemed to have taken an interest in Slobad and were heading toward him.
CHAPTER 17
Glissa crouched and watched the approaching goblins. They didn’t seem in a great hurry and weren’t brandishing any weapons. Unless they recognized Slobad, he was probably better off if she stayed hidden. She slid her sword from its sheath and readied herself.
Slobad looked up as the trio of goblins approached. His hand slipped inside the satchel. Take it easy, thought Glissa. Smile and stay calm. Just get rid of them and get back to work. We don’t have much time before someone notices the cultists are missing.
All the goblins in the chamber were busy with other tasks. One large group worked on a ruptured duct, while several smaller groups hauled metal toward the furnace or picked through similar debris piles strewn about the chamber. Glissa looked back at Slobad and saw that he had moved down the pile away from Bosh’s body to meet the approaching group. They were talking. Slobad pointed at something, and the trio scrambled over the debris in that direction. Two of them lifted a goblin body off the pile and began hauling it back down the pile. The third goblin patted Slobad on the shoulder, then followed the other two.
Slobad sauntered up the pile toward Bosh. The three goblins moved off toward the furnace, burdened by the weight of the body. As they crossed one of the bridges, the lead goblin tripped and lost his grip on the body. The dead goblin dropped onto the path and almost bounced over the edge, pulling the second goblin with it. The clumsy goblin caught an arm, diverting the disaster, but the third goblin ran up, smacked the clumsy one in the head, and shouted at him.
Slobad, meanwhile, had gotten Bosh’s head and body put back together and was now working on the legs. As Glissa watched him attach the golem’s leg, she wondered how they were going to get out of there. Slobad had to lead the cultists through the ducts, but Bosh wouldn’t fit-a fact that had gotten the metal man in this predicament in the first place.
Glissa glanced back toward the door to the cells and saw a group of goblins heading up a ramp toward the holding area. They looked different from the ones working around the furnace, clad in long leather shirts much like the one Dwugget wore. The one in the lead had an ornate fire tube that looked more ceremonial than functional. It seemed to have several iron tubes twisted around each other and welded together, reminiscent of the look of the walls and furnace.
Something told Glissa these were the shamans. They must be coming to escort Dwugget and the cultists to their trial … or perhaps straight to their executions. Either way, Slobad and Bosh were out of time. As soon as the shamans found the empty cage, the alarm would be raised.
The elf left her hiding spot and ran down the ramp toward Slobad and Bosh, hoping nobody would see her. The last thing she needed was to draw attention to Slobad, but it looked as if their luck had run out. The goblin who had dropped the body earlier was now walking backward with his load. Glissa glanced at the trio just as the lead goblin looked up. Their eyes met.
“Flare,” muttered Glissa as the three goblins turned and started back toward the debris pile, pulling out their fire tubes as they ran. Glissa hurried, but the pathways were narrow, and one misstep would send her flying to the rough floor, or, worse, down into a pit.
The alarm sounded just as she reached the floor of the furnace chamber. The shamans ran from the holding area, screaming and banging the iron walls with their fire tubes. The noise echoed through the cavern. All around her, goblins hammered the walls and floors in response. It was an odd alarm system, but it certainly was effective.
Glissa veered toward the goblin trio to divert attention away from Slobad for a little longer. The three goblins were too busy running to hammer the floor. They seemed intent on taking the intruder on their own. Bad decision, thought Glissa as she noticed where they were standing. She sheathed her sword and sped up as much as she dared.
The goblins did just what she hoped they would do. They stopped where they were and took up a defensive stance-right in the middle of a bridge. The leader of the group pushed the two carriers in front of him. As Glissa neared them, she dived forward into a roll. She stuck her elbows out as she moved through the front two, swiping their stubby legs out from under them. Both goblins flew off the side of the path into the darkness. Glissa barreled on past them into the leader of the group. He toppled over backward from the impact, and Glissa rolled to her feet over him. She casually kicked him over the side and watched his fire tube fade into the inky blackness.
The elf turned and ran back to the debris pile. The clanging echoed around her as she scrambled up and over the pile to hide behind it.
“I’m back,” she called to Slobad.
“I noticed,” huffed the goblin.
“How much longer?”
“A while,” said Slobad, grunting. “Stupid goblins. Tear apart amazing machine like Bosh.… Not know what they have.… Stupid.… Take a while to fix.…”
“We don’t have much time,” Glissa reminded him. She peeked over the top of the pile to see Slobad pressing on a tool wedged into the golem’s knee joint.
“Working … as fast … as I can, huh?” grunted Slobad. “Much to fix.… Stupid goblins-”