Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 427: Ants in a hive(4)

Chapter 427: Ants in a hive(4)

Torghan's room was as spectacular as all the things that he had seen. The walls were smooth stone, painted in deep red, and the ceiling arched above him with intricate carvings that he could not begin to decipher. A large brazier in the corner cast a warm glow across the chamber, its flames dancing behind an ornate metal grate.

Of course, he had been given the finest accommodations—he was the one they had to impress, after all. The others had been given their own rooms, but none as grand as this.

The bed alone was a marvel. It was not a simple pile of furs as he was accustomed to, nor the hard wooden slabs travelers sometimes used. No, this was a great, cushioned thing, covered in thick blankets embroidered with swirling patterns in gold and silver thread. The mattress, impossibly soft, swallowed him whole when he lay upon it, a cloud beneath his weary body.

His hands traced over the clothes they had given him. The fabric was strange, smoother than anything he had ever worn, lighter than leather yet warmer than wool. It clung comfortably to his form without being tight, the tunic a rich shade of blue, the embroidery at the collar and cuffs glinting in the light. Even the trousers were different, made of something softer than hide yet just as durable.

He had expected discomfort in wearing the garments of outsiders, but instead, he found himself marveling at their quality. These people did not only drape themselves in finery for the sake of appearances—they had perfected the art of comfort itself.

Lying back against the pillows, Torghan let out a slow breath, staring at the ceiling. Everything about this place, from the walls to the bed to the clothes on his back, whispered of power. Not just the power of war, but the power of wealth, of skill, of control over their world in a way his people had never imagined.

And that thought unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

A sudden knock at the door pulled Torghan from his thoughts. The room had no gaps in the walls like his home, but there was a window, and through it, he could see that the sky had darkened into deep shades of blue and purple. The fires of the city flickered in the distance, small golden lights dancing against the night.