Hooves thundered like rolling drums, three hundred strong, each belonging to a horse twice as broad, thick-necked, and muscle-bound as any creature of the surface. Their heavy gallop shook the stone beneath, a stampede of war-beasts surging through an underground road vast enough to let ten carriages drive side by side. At the head of the charge was Asher, cloak snapping like a banner behind him, his hands steady on the reins as Velmorne drove forward with relentless speed, hooves striking sparks from the polished stone.
"His Majesty! Open the gates!" a frontline sergeant roared, his voice booming through the cavernous passage. The shout carried like a battle horn, stirring his men into swift action. Soldiers strained at the massive gearwheels, iron chains clanking and rattling as the enormous double doors shuddered and groaned, pulled slowly inward.
