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The trip to Egas happened very quickly after his last meeting with the Sandlords. Hector was able to sleep the whole way there, but Garovel stirred him awake as they neared the seat of Hahl Duxan’s power.

‘They call it Sununeash,’ said Garovel. ‘In Mohssian, it’s known as the Swallow’s Nest.’

Still a little bleary-eyed, Hector hadn’t even gotten a good look at Egas itself yet, but he was already seeing the buildings all around them fall away as a hulking structure came into view.

Another castle, Hector abruptly realized.

Instead of having one large outer wall, the Swallow’s Nest had three--each one rising up and then sloping smoothly back down at different points, creating a waving, layered formation. Because of the design, the foremost wall had obvious gaps, but they were all covered by lookout installations built into the second and third walls.

Hector found himself gawking again, and he was reminded of all the other castles he’d visited in the past few weeks. Mostly, though, it made him think of Warrenhold, of its reconstruction. Maybe there was something to be learned from all these visits. He only wished he’d had more opportunity to examine each castle in greater detail.

As he passed through the front gates of Sununeash, he tried his damnedest to take it all in. Four towers, by his count, all constructed from the same brown stone as the walls. Not as tall as the ones in Warrenhold but definitely broader. There was also no garden to speak of, but sparse foliage did exist in the form of gangly tall trees with big, bulky leaves. Covered walkways were abundant as well, and Hector was thankful for them as everyone exited their vehicles and stepped out into the punishing heat again.