CHAPTER 4

The giants rattled like giants pounding the hill. The smell of smoke and hot metal filled Ragnar's nostrils. I wondered if he was the only one in the crowd thinking about the noise and the smell. They crossed the square to match the size of a large building. "This is the Steel Temple." Lanecte Wolfpriest said softly. — And this is where we come from now.

Ragnar looked up at the large building. It was the same big, big fortress, but it dwarfed all the surrounding buildings. A hole pierced the wall and glowed like the eyes of a hungry beast. At the top of the building was a huge metal flower the size of a dragon boat. Ragnar could not guess what the target was. A large iron gate blocked the way forward at the beginning of the road. Ragnar's softness and blows made it possible to say that many feet have passed this way over hundreds of years. Above the door are carved strange runes that Ragnar has never seen before. Two guards, armed with iron harpoons, guarded the road. They seemed to b