"I had heard rumors when I was in the work camp," Emilian mumbled with a furrowed brow. The miserable days he had spent at the camp seemed like a lifetime ago. He had been so consumed with rescuing MeiLan that he had not thought much about the implications of the iron ore that was secretly being smelted in the mountains, virtually right under the emperor's nose.
MeiLan looked in disbelief from one man to the other. "This is all very nice," she said, between gritted teeth, "but now what are we going to do? If Lord Shizi plans to make his move in just three days, there is no time left! We must go to the palace immediately to inform the emperor."
