Mordo waited outside the dungeon for several hours without seeing either the Emperor or the Praetorian Guard emerge. As the temperature dropped, the sky grew ever dimmer, and the blizzard in the mountains worsened, he had no choice but to turn around and follow the stone-paved road, buried under snow year-round, back to the lower-altitude relay station.
Teleportation spells were completely forbidden in this region. Mordo would rather endure the wind and snow than test whether the seal was secure. He greeted the family that had guarded the relay station for generations, then led an XZ Horse from the warm stable, hitched it to a sleigh, and leisurely headed back to Kamar-Taj headquarters dozens of kilometers away. These horses were exceptionally well adapted to the plateau; snow could not stop the sturdy beasts. Before long, he would return to warm Kamar-Taj, leaving the frigid air beyond its shields.
The horse that had brought him here was resting in the herders' stable. This time, he took another brown horse with a white spot on its forehead. The family had received Kamar-Taj's support for generations. A century ago, one of their ancestors had even entered Kamar-Taj to study spellcasting. Because of their loyalty, they had taken on the responsibility of guarding the dungeon relay station, along with further duties assigned by the Sorcerer Supreme.
As an apprentice instructor and Kamar-Taj's steward, Mordo was nowhere near as familiar with this family as the Emperor. When he returned here, the little wooden cabin from his memories had become a small fortress and permanent defensive position concealed within rock walls and reinforced concrete—the family's treatment had risen another level after the Emperor gained greater authority. The Emperor had equipped the place with vast quantities of military supplies: man-portable Anti-Tank Missiles, Explosive Rounds Cannon weapon platforms,