They did, going from one island to the next and from one bridge to the next. As they crossed each time, they got closer to the floating structure and Hammy's distant chirping.

The weapons kept moving around in strange ways, and occasionally they got close enough for Greg to see how they were made in great detail. A spear floated by with a shaft that looked like it was made of starlight that had been compressed. Axe walked by on what looked like crystallized shadows that made rough legs.

There was a bow in the air, and the string made a sound like singing from far away. Each one was a work of art made by someone who was much better at metalworking than most people.

Greg said, "These are wonderful," forgetting for a moment how dangerous they were.

His blacksmith instincts were telling him to stop and look at these things to figure out how they were made. "The level of skill needed to make something like this..."

"Greg," Lylia said in a warning tone. "Don't forget what I told you about not bothering them."

Greg said, "I'm just looking," but he sped up.

She was correct. He shouldn't have let his curiosity get the best of him. Things went wrong when they were halfway to the structure.

A giant sword, at least twelve feet long, suddenly appeared on one of the islands in front of them. It hadn't been there a second ago, but now it was stuck in the stone like it had grown there. The runes on the blade glowed an angry red, and the heat in the air around it made it look like it was shimmering.

"Stop," Lylia said, putting her hand up. "Don't move."

The sword slowly turned, as if it were looking around. Greg held his breath, knowing how vulnerable they were on these narrow bridges where there was no place to hide.

The sword turned to face them, and for a long time, nothing happened. It then pulled itself free from the stone with a sound like metal ripping, and it started to move toward them.

Greg said, "Shit," in a clear way. "Any ideas? Does anyone have any ideas?"

"Don't try to run," Lylia said quickly. "Running makes them want to chase you."

"We need to prove that we aren't a threat. Move slowly to the side, and don't make any sudden or aggressive moves."

They did what she said and carefully stepped aside on their islands as the sword got closer. It got to the island Greg had just left, set itself down again, and turned as if it were thinking about whether to keep chasing him.

Greg didn't even want to breathe. He was so scared that his heart was pounding that he thought the sword could hear it. Hilda was shaking next to him, and the silver markings were pulsing in time with her quick breathing.

The sword pulled itself up and floated away in a different direction after what seemed like an eternity. It seemed they had lost interest in them.

"That was too close," Elwen said softly when the sword was far enough away. "Are they all that sensitive?"

Lylia said, "Some are worse, but we were lucky."

"That one was pretty stable. We'd be fighting for our lives right now if it had been one of the unstable ones."

Thereafter, they were more careful and kept an eye out for weapons that might be interested in them. The structure was getting closer now, and Greg could see more of it.

It looked like a training center or barracks, and it was big enough to hold hundreds of people. Stairs made of the same dark stone led up to giant doors that were slightly open. And there was Hammy, jumping up those stairs with determined excitement.

"Finally," Greg said under his breath as he sped up.

They built the last few bridges quickly, and in a few minutes they were at the base of the structure. There were many steep stairs, and everyone except Elwen was out of breath by the time they got to the top.

The doors were open, and beyond them was a hallway that was lit by what looked like normal torches. The warm light was almost shocking after the dark void.

"Hey, Hammy!" Elwen yelled as they came in. "Where are you?"

A chirp from deeper in the building answered her, and they followed the sound through twisting hallways that looked more like they were made for defense than comfort. Greg saw weapon racks on the walls, but most of them were empty.

There were training dummies in alcoves, and many of them looked like they had been through a lot of damage. The hallway led to a big room, and Greg stopped in his tracks.

They weren't in the dark pocket dimension anymore. Although they were still in the pocket dimension, this area had changed completely.

The walls, ceiling, and floor were all replaced with something that looked exactly like a sunny meadow. Underfoot was real grass, soft and green with small white flowers all over it.

There was a blue sky above with fluffy white clouds slowly moving across it. Greg could see what looked like rolling hills and a few trees in the distance.

He could only say, "What the fuck...?"

"Another pocket inside the pocket," Lylia said, her eyes wide as she looked around. "I didn't even know that could happen."

"The amount of power needed to build and keep something like this is unimaginable..."

Hammy was in the middle of the meadow, bouncing around in circles like it was looking for something. The slime looked confused, even though the compass was still inside its body and spinning wildly. It would bounce in one direction, stop, chirp in anger, and then bounce in the other direction and do it all over again.

"I think we lost him," Elwen said as she jogged over to Hammy and picked up the slime. "I mean Veldway... The trail went cold."

Greg looked around the meadow for any signs of where Veldway might have gone. No footprints were in the grass, and there were no clear paths or doors. The meadow seemed to go on forever, with no way to get out. It faded into a soft haze at what must have been the edges.

He said, "There has to be something," more to himself than anyone else. Veldway came this way. Hammy went after him, and he probably must be here somewhere."

"Maybe it's hidden," Hilda said, and then she sat down in the grass with a grunt of pain. It was clear that climbing the stairs had worn her out. "Like a hidden door or passage."

"That makes sense," Lylia said as she started to walk around the room. "Veldway has been hiding for three years."

"He clearly knows how to stay hidden."

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