There was an observation deck that had been built into the rock face, twenty meters above the cavern floor where Rhydder’s army trained. Gawaine made himself halt at the deck level, to gaze upon the groups of soldiers training, down below. This was a natural cave deep beneath the villa, reached by winding, uneven stairs that had been carved out of the rock in a time long forgotten by history. There were man-made, ancient catacombs punching into the walls everywhere along the edge of the cave itself and most of the army Rhydder had recruited lived in the tunnels, down among the Roman dead. The observation deck was the newest addition to the cavern and there was an office off one end of it with a glass wall for observation. That would be Rhydder’s office, Gawain assumed. He wasn’t here for Rhydder, though. The tall vampire was down among his men, involved in some sort of training that seemed to involve holding up giant rocks in one hand while fighting with a sword in the other. It didn’t make a lick of sense to Gawaine, but he’d never taken an interest in fighting or the military.
