After days in the forest, it was disconcerting to be creeping out into the open clearing dominated by the ruin. The sun was now beating down overhead, its harsh light bouncing off the flat surfaces and artificial angles of the ruin, flashing into their eyes and across the glade in a dappled pattern, like light playing across the shadows.

  "Not very ruined, is it?" remarked Eisen, one hand holding his crossbow against his hip, the other shielding his eyes from the harsh reflections.

  Stahl led the pair, scanning the area of strange light and shifting shadow. “I’ve never seen anything like it either. Do you think someone polishes it, or does it stay like that naturally?”

  Eisen just shook his head in wonder and followed silently. Neither of them wanted to speak; there was a feeling in the glade, an almost tangible presence in the air. A sense of importance or pressure, like you would find in the grand chapel in the second carriage—a strange religious monument, deserving of a respectful silence.

  Their destination dipped in and out of view as they clambered over and squeezed under the giant conduit cables blocking their way. But soon the slither of darkness they were heading for became clear, resolving into a human-sized corridor. An entrance?

  Stahl gestured for Eisen to follow him along one of the conduits, cutting closer to the wall of the ruin where the cables met the stone and offering a narrow path around the perimeter if they ducked. Behind his brother’s back, Eisen paused a moment— uncomfortable getting so close to the strange ruin— but Stahl was already moving forward. With a quick check of the area, Eisen picked up his pace to catch up.

  The metal was cool beneath Stahl's fingers as he ran his hand along the surface, ducking under the conduits every few meters. Flawless, Stahl thought, feeling for the familiar bumps and scratches common in his clan’s carriages, but finding none. Not a single blemish. Even dirt refused to stick to the surface, sliding off when he tried to touch it.

  Finally, they approached the entrance and Eisen pushed up next to Stahl trying to see down the corridor. “Damn and derail you!” Stahl shouted, startling Eisen into sending a bolt skittering down the wall of the corridor as he looked around for the threat.

  After seeing nothing moving and no immediate threat he looked down at his brother “What on the rails was that? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

  “My hand” Stahl replied, raising his hand to show Eisen. Crossing across the grimy calloused palm was a thin straight line of blood gently beading up as he watched. “The damned wall is sharp as anything” Stahl spat, rooting in his backpack for the first aid kit all Hunters carried. Or at least the ones who came home did.

  The corner where the corridor cut in was another artificial angle to the strange metal surface but looking closer Eisen could see that the corner wasn’t tapered at all, instead it had a wicked edge that gleamed in the light.

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  “Now that would be some binding. Imagine a sword made of that!” Eisen was already imagining himself slicing through hordes of trainbeasts as the clan cheered behind him. Well at least Mel. Not that he would admit that to his brother.

  “Yeah and maybe you would go really shiny and I wouldn’t have to see your face any more” Stahl teased as he pulled out a bandage and began dressing his hand. “It also looks like you wouldn’t smell any more if the dirt doesn’t stick to you. That would be grand!”

  “Yeah well I for one am looking forward to you spinning all the time like a loose cog because of your stupid binding” Eisen laughed back with a smile, the familiar banter reassuring him that Stahl’s would was light.

  Finished his binding Stahl cut the unused bandage with his knife and neatly packed the remainder back into the pack. “Let’s keep moving, there is bound to be something good in there.”

  As their eyes adjusted to the gloom in the corridor they saw that it descended at a gentle angle leading down to what looked to be a doorway. With no door in sight.

  Coming up to the threshold they noted the keypad against the wall and small modules in the walls that might have been for audio. It certainly seemed like a doorway but as Stahl poked a stick that had rolled down the ramp into the portal nothing happened.

  Trying a toe next he kicked his foot in and out, almost daring the dead doorway to try something. Looking at each other and shrugging Stahl led the way, gingerly stepping through into the hallway inside.

  Much like the corridor down this was a smooth walled corridor of the same mysterious metal. There was a gentle glow illuminating the inside, though the source was not obvious. Even looking around for shadows all Stahl could conclude was that it was the metal itself that was glowing with a gentle golden light.

  Stahl was holding his hand against the wall, trying to judge how the light was coming from the metal when the bolt whizzed past his eyes. Turning to his brother ready to tease for being jumpy he saw Eisen’s attention was on something behind him and whirled around his arms up to protect his vitals.

  It was the glowing metal that gave away the nightfang away to Eisen. Used to having shadows and cover in the forest its usual tactic of sneaking up on prey had failed I when Eisen had spotted the shadowy blob edging around a corner ahead of them.

  His bolt had flown true, striking the front leg of the beast but it didn’t cry out. Nightfangs were famously silent, some even theorised that they entirely lacked vocal cords.

  Its usual ambush tactics foiled the nightfang pounced forwards, powerful muscles rippling underneath its black fur. Coming up to his hips it presented a low target for Stahl who was now facing down his assailant hands raised defensively.

  With practiced coordination Stahl stayed where he was, presenting a barrier between Eisen and the threat. Eisen was moving to the side, loosening another bolt when he had clear angle past his brother.

  Stahl only had a second to register that the second bolt had only grazed the nightfang—a line of red appearing on its flank—and then it was upon him claws outstretched as it pounced. In a practiced move he twisted, punching out as he did aiming ti send the beast flying away at an angle. He felt a crunch from his hand as it connected with the beasts shoulder and cursed reinforced gloves still in his backpack.

  The force from his blow did knock it to the side where it hit the wall and scrambled to find its feet. But even that delay was enough for Eisen as his third shot speared into the head of the nightclaw. The scrabbling slowed and then stopped as the life left it and finally it slumped, dead.