Taker Of Skulls (Book 5) by William King

The light was no greater than that of the full moon.
    “A moon-lantern,” Kormak said. “You raided the vaults of Aethelas before you came.”
    Karnea made a noise of mock outrage. “Of course not. This is one I acquired for myself.”
    Kormak inspected the lantern. It would produce light for an hour after being rubbed or even after being breathed upon. It seemed to feed on heat, rather like the rune Mankh. It would begin to glow even if only held close to the body. Master Malan has possessed one. The light would not affect the Old Ones in any way, which was hardly surprising for the lanterns had been made by their servants, the dwarves, to illuminate their way in the very darkest places of the world.
    Sasha was looking at the lantern. A gleam of avarice had appeared in her eye. “A functioning moon-lantern,” she said. “Those are worth a lot of money.”
    “The light will be worth more to us in the darkness,” said Karnea. “Let’s try not to lose it.”
    “Are there many such objects in the vaults of Aethelas?” Sasha asked. Boreas stared at her sidelong. Kormak laughed. “Aethelas fortress is guarded by hundreds of warriors, by magic, by all manner of cunning traps. The vaults are probably the most secure place in the world.”
    “I was just asking,” said Sasha. “I am curious about dwarf artefacts. Always have been.”
    “That’s understandable,” said Karnea with her glowing smile. “I have spent hundreds of hours inspecting the collection myself.”
    She looked as if she were ready to expound on all the hidden treasures collected in the vaults so Kormak cut her off. “If we’re going down below, we’d better make a start.”

    They made their way down the stairs. It was a narrow spiral, obviously made for defensive purposes. It had not been made for people as tall as men. They all had to stoop. Kormak maintained a good pace. He was in the lead, Boreas was bringing up the rear, with Karnea and Sasha between them. Karnea was holding her lantern high. They corkscrewed down a long way into the earth and emerged on what seemed a vast landing that receded off into the distance, curving away to left and right. The ceiling here was much higher, more like the inside of a cathedral than a mine.
    The moon-lantern’s glow formed a pool of light around them. Massive arches supported the ceiling, every twenty strides or so.
    “Which way?” Kormak asked. When he spoke his voice seemed to carry a vast distance in the darkness. It sounded deeper than it normally did and louder. “Which way?” he repeated, this time speaking much more quietly, not wanting to give them away to anyone who might be listening.
    “Going left will take us to the main gate,” said Sasha. “If the goblins are waiting for us, they’ll most likely be there.”
    “What happens if we go right?” he asked.
    “We come to the Eighth Bridge. That will take us into the Hub. It’s longer though.”
    “How much longer?”
    “A few hours,” said Sasha.
    “It won’t make that much difference then, particularly if it’s safer,” said Kormak. “Anything else we should know?”
    Sasha shook her head. “Normally it’s pretty safe on these levels but keep your eyes peeled. You never know. The goblins are a lot more active than they used to be.”
    “Last night is proof of that,” said Boreas. He was standing taller now that they were out of the stairwell.
    They followed the road to the right. Kormak glanced through a huge archway. He saw vast empty halls, sometimes with a scattering of debris in them, sometimes bones gleamed oddly in the lantern light.
    “Duncan reckoned these were all warehouses,” Sasha said, although no one has asked her. She was whispering. Something about this place seemed to demand it.
    “According to Toplen and other scholars, they were,” said Karnea. “Huge chambers and silos for storing food and trade goods were hollowed out from the walls on the upper levels of the city. The dwarves shipped goods