But no; by the faint starlight illuminating the opening, the larder appeared empty of any living presence. The supplies stacked within it had been diminished, but not stripped. They fell upon what remained, tearing with cracked and broken nails at the burlap wrapping on a wheel of cheese, gnawing raw tubers for the moisture within them. They stuffed their packs with what scraps and remnants remained. The kegs of wine alone they left untouched, fearing that breaching one would leave evidence of their presence behind.

Only after they had assuaged their hunger and the worst of their thirst did they dare peer forth from the opening of the cavern onto the Vale of Gorgantum.

“Uru-Alat!” Dani felt sick. “That’s Darkhaven?”

The scale of it was unimaginable. For as far as the eye could see, the Vale was encircled by a massive wall, broken by watchtowers. It vanished somewhere behind them, blocked by the swell of the slope, reemerging to encompass a small wood of stunted trees. A broad, well-trodden path led from the larder-cavern to the rear gates of the fortress itself. It was huge; impossibly huge, a hulking edifice blotting out a vast segment of the night sky. Here and there, starlight glinted on polished armor; Fjeltroll, patrolling the gates.

“Aye,” Uncle Thulu said. “I don’t suppose they’re likely to let us in for the asking. Any thoughts, lad?”

Dani stared across the Vale. He could make out the Gorgantus River by the gleam of its tainted water. Other lower structures squatted alongside it, lit within by a sullen glow. He could smell smoke, thick and acrid in the air. “What are those?”

“Forges, I think. For making weapons and armor.”

“Do you reckon they’re guarded by night?”

“Hard to say.” Thulu shook his head. “They’re not in use or we’d hear the clamor. But the fires are still stoked, so they’re likely not unattended. It’s a long scramble, and there are guards on the wall, too.”

“Aye, but they’re looking outward, not inward. If we don’t make any sound, move slowly, and keep to the shadow, they’ll not spot us. It’s the armor that gives them away. At least it would get us closer.” Dani studied the fortress. Darkhaven loomed, solid and mocking, seemingly impenetrable. He wished he knew more about such matters. “There has to be another entrance somewhere, doesn’t there?”

“I don’t know.” Uncle Thulu laid one hand on Dani’s shoulder. “But truth be told, I’ve no better ideas. This time, lad, the choice is yours.”

Dani nodded, touching the clay vial at his throat for reassurance. “We can’t stay here forever. Let’s try. We’ll make for the river and follow it.”