The three of them left the warm underground passage once more. The passage was made of black stone, which legend claimed was the lava of hell.
Ser Barristan held a torch for the King, while Gendry and the red priestess followed behind him.
"This heat and sulfur smoke are truly no place for men," the old warrior Ser Barristan Selmy said as he walked, still shaken.
There was still sweat on Ser Barristan's face. Merely breathing in a little of the sulfurous smoke had made him feel terribly unwell.
He would rather fight ten wars than become a roasted pig deep inside such a volcano.
The closer they came to the depths of Dragonmont, the more unbearable the layers of high heat and sulfurous smoke became. His lungs felt scorched by the heat.
No man could remain long in the depths of Dragonmont. The poisonous, sulfur-rich smoke would severely damage the heart, lungs, and windpipe, and even a man's eyes and teeth would be corroded.
"This volcanic heat feels like the Dragon Horn when it is activated. Blood for blood, fire for fire," Gendry thought.
The sound of the Dragon Horn was like a thousand souls screaming. Those who heard it felt as if their bones were about to burn, as if searing flames were roasting their flesh from the inside out.
Whoever blew the Dragon Horn would die. When the corpse was cut open, the lungs inside would be found burned like charcoal.
Only life could awaken life. Valyrian magic was blood, and it was fire. The Dragon Horn too held fire magic.
"So a Pyromancer must have taken in a great amount of fire element and poured it into the Dragon Horn," Gendry guessed. Runes were runes, and vessels were vessels.
"Old knight, this is not the harshest fire. The harshest flames come from the Fourteen Flames," the red priestess said in a delicate Jade Sea accent.
"May the Seven protect us. These places are not fit for ordinary people to survive."
Fire and thick smoke. If Dragonstone's Dragonmont was already so hard to approach, then Crow's Eye claiming to have visited the ruins of Valyria was even more terrifying.
The Fourteen Flames had more than fire, poisonous gas, and smoke. They also had strange and terrifying insects capable of contending with dragons.
"Skinchanging, and the power of wind," Gendry thought. If Crow's Eye could summon a storm to temporarily scatter the poisonous gas, then rely on others to go ashore, he could obtain treasures as well.
"Between you and Moqorro, the priest of the Red Temple, who is stronger?" Gendry asked the red priestess curiously.
Melisandre the red priestess came from Asshai, while Moqorro came from Volantis.
"We came from different places, but all paths lead to the same end, all for the glory of the Red God. R'hllor has revealed to us that when the Long Night bleeds, Azor Ahai will save mankind. The world faces a great war: light against dark, fire against ice, the Lord of Light against the unspeakable ancient gods," Melisandre said.
Ser Barristan listened carefully. He was naturally a devout believer in the Seven, but the Lord of Light could not be underestimated either, for this was a god who truly showed miracles.
"We serve the Red God, so our powers inevitably overlap. After the Red Comet, all mages benefited from the tide of magic, and their power grew stronger. But from what I sense, my magic should be deeper than Moqorro's. As for the Hand of the Red God behind Moqorro, I cannot be certain."
Gendry nodded. From what he knew, the knowledge of red priestesses and red priests followed the same path, with many overlaps, such as prophecy and fire sacrifice.
However, Melisandre clearly had more kinds of magic than the red priest Moqorro. The red priestess could also use glamour, and could burn men and eagles to death with magical fire.
"Your Grace, Priest Moqorro is still waiting to lead your fleet back to Volantis. The people of the Red God are all waiting for your golden banner. Many are sewing the stag and dragon banner for you at night."
Gendry looked at the red priestess. He had to admit, the red priestess's persuasion was very tempting.
But Gendry had opened three fronts now: the Westerlands, The North, and the Iron Islands.
Gendry simply could not devote all his strength to support a fourth front. He had merely ordered Myr and Tyrosh to prepare for war, while the Lyseni, Volantenes, and the city-states of Slaver's Bay were locked in a bloody struggle for power.
In particular, he also had to consider Braavos's feelings. He could not truly treat Slaver's Bay as his own back garden.
"Once I have defeated the Kraken and the lion, I will free my hands to support the Volantene army," Gendry said.
"Long live the Storm." The red priestess nodded and proclaimed, "You are the savior of legend."
The three left the underground passage again, crossed the arched bridge, and returned to the Stone Drum, then to the Chamber of the Painted Table.
The attendants and the red priest Moqorro were waiting outside the Chamber of the Painted Table.
Gendry stepped onto the raised platform in the Chamber of the Painted Table and looked toward Oldtown and the Shield Islands across the table.
"My friends, we are resting and gathering strength on Dragonstone, but the battlefield is The Reach, a thousand miles away," Gendry said.
"Kill the Kraken," Anguy the Archer said, clenching his fist.
"Crow's Eye has seized the Kraken's seat, and his first move will be slaughter," Ser Barristan Selmy analyzed coldly. "That is decided by the Kraken's blood. House Greyjoy has always been obsessed with the Old Way."
"Is Crow's Eye certain to win the seat?" Ser Robar asked curiously.
"The Seastone Chair does not follow the same laws of succession as the Andals. Balon has only one son and one daughter. His son has little prestige and is now trapped deep in The North. According to their order, his eldest younger brother has the greatest chance," Ser Barristan explained.
Balon's rebellion of those years was still vivid in his mind. Balon had once had several sons, and all had died because of their father's rebellion.
"The belly of The Reach is open to the Ironborn. If the Kraken truly comes, I am not optimistic about how the war will change."
Gendry drew the black sword Orphan-Maker and placed it over the Shield Islands, then moved it down to Oldtown.
Crow's Eye's choice of Oldtown was carefully considered. First, Oldtown stood by the sea and was close to the Iron Islands. Second, it had a large population, and massive amounts of blood could be sacrificed there. Of course, there were also the sphinxes and stone beasts that might be hidden in Oldtown.
The key was how to interrupt Crow's Eye's blood sacrifice ritual.
"The Redwyne fleet and the Oldtown fleet are currently enough to hold their ground, and I will order the Twin Cities fleet to stand by near Tyrosh and the Stepstones," Gendry said.
"As for the rest of you." Gendry looked at Anguy, Lothor, Robar, and the others. "Once I have recovered, the cavalry will pass through Storm's End and reinforce The Reach by land."
Oldtown would become a white field, a battlefield between two fates and two powers.
The only thing that could deal with Kraken was fire.
...
Gendry slowly climbed Dragonmont. In his hand was a golden chain.
The golden chain bore ancient First Men runes.
The golden chain came from ancient House Roxton, whose arms were a golden chain crossed diagonally on sky blue.
This house had also once held Orphan-Maker, but it had long since died out.
"My luck is good." Gendry looked at the worn and dim runic chain. He had not expected the second type of rune to come not from beneath Storm's End, but from an unremarkable gift brought by a Pentoshi envoy.
Still, this made sense. Pentoshi liked works of art, and ancient statues of the Seven were said to sell for fine prices in Pentos.
"The second rune: Chain." Black-red flames danced at Gendry's fingertips. Gendry had already grasped the order and symbols of the Chain rune.
The flame gathered at his fingertip into the shape of a tiny Bronze Shield. A moment later, it changed into a series of connected rings, with different symbols flashing upon each ring.
The rune "Bronze Shield" represented defense, while the rune "Chain" represented endless extension, a kind of wisdom and inspiration.
Greater wisdom, sharper senses. Wisdom like a chain.
Gendry climbed the rough road on the eastern slope of Dragonmont, and the sound of a dragon's roar entered his ears.
Only some distance behind the King came the white knights, guards, and attendants following him.
"Balerion," Gendry called the dragon's name.
A long-winged shadow appeared in the sky. Balerion flew out of his dragon lair and circled down beside Gendry.
Balerion's color was black as jade, while his eyes, spines, and horns were blood-red. He could breathe black-red flame.
Compared to the others of his kind, Balerion was the wildest, and the best vessel for Gendry's rune experiments.
The black dragon had now claimed a dragon lair of his own, living there from time to time rather than in the courtyard. This dragon lair had originally belonged to the Cannibal, high on Dragonmont, where the fire concentration was very strong.
"Come, good fellow." Gendry felt the heat around him. Fire element gathered at his fingertips and condensed into the shape of runes, shields or chains.
Gendry carefully carved the runes onto the black dragon's body. It was a warm flame. The black dragon roared, sensing that this was goodwill.
The runes would protect the dragons, mainly their eyes and other vulnerable places.