The second door shuddered again, harder this time, and a thin line of dust fell from the stone above the frame. Everyone inside the supply chamber reacted at once. The hidden residents pulled back toward the shelves, the lantern in the young woman's hand trembling badly enough to cast wild shadows across the walls, while Tomas and the infantrymen spread into positions without waiting for instructions. Rolf moved to the left side of the doorway, rifle raised, and Marcus took the right, keeping enough distance that whatever came through would not strike both of them at once.
The armed man from the tunnel settlement tightened his grip on his short sword. Fear had drained the color from his face, but he did not run. "You have to close it," he said. "If they reach this room, they'll know the upper passages are still being used."
Marcus kept his eyes on the door. "What are they?"
The man looked at him as though the question itself was difficult to answer. "Collectors."
