The heat of the Ironwood District hit Alden like a physical blow. The captain limped past the newly constructed brick walls of the blast furnaces and coughed. The air smelled of sulfur and burning coal. He carried his chipped broadsword in his right hand. The metal felt heavier than it ever had before.
Fifteen of his men were dead in the mountain pass. He had to deliver the news to the king.
Alden walked into the central staging yard of the forge. The noise was deafening. Massive pneumatic hammers pounded red hot iron into flat sheets. Valorian laborers shoveled coal into the roaring fires. The primitive village of Ashguard was gone. In its place stood a roaring mechanical heart that beat with the rhythm of raw industry.
Silas walked beside the captain. The former Valorian officer suppo
