"What rank does your guide hold?"49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4Pr212xEA
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHFqKwVmHq
The question hung in the air between them.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2APkZnDrwt
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrdI2b0tfu
Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3UmrbTdjX
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgg6sSh9qLk
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7x8uwWLAE
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbJIT1WyLT
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySnTBKWy8F
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAmiMX1Jpn
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64uSUgYtgl
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZoctLkpCF
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQA60YHYYuu
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QosvB9MJv
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21ErJFxliW
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrY396tFnC
The admission felt like throwing himself off a cliff. But it was true - viscerally, undeniably true. And perhaps that truth would explain away the nervousness that had crept into his voice.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyP2Pnp1at
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGVBNkiadE
Raven went still for a moment. Then something in his face changed - the hard line of his mouth eased, the sharpness in those crimson eyes softened. It happened fast, a flicker of something unguarded before his expression settled back into place.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsb7pj33Rc7
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBHTyZRlFs
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKwvJBep6Z
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJCkIkvcuU
He turned toward the mountain without another word. But the tension that had been coiled in his frame was gone, replaced by something that almost resembled satisfaction.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdJc0ELce5
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLY50UcjW4n
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqFlFIuh9o
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2LupR8Oic
'What was that about?'49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnTV1oAFkC
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vjmLb9698
The thought circled through his mind, but dwelling on it wouldn't help. Whatever Raven had been looking for in that question, Cel could only hope his lie - buried in obvious truth - had been enough. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElTc3Yrcda
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevfVXpEaPy
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbna3TZUUa
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVYSqj17S3
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYouGwe4TR5
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKde7rccrK8
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFMhSh5cab
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hrzDGmvbQ
But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyEP4kTaom
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzWaJWCQH9
For now.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ERRC2pPmo
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkHZ7FoveB
Cel resumed his scanning pattern he'd developed over hours of walking. Scan left. Center. Right. Searching the wasteland for movement, for threats, for anything out of place.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVF7odXMqmy
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6UUFjzj8E
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t5o02wvRL
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5N0QUO7HmZ
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcwIBfGWTK
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkimmiSG3PV
The Ember Stalker.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbrBMGKPNi
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgunm9Ykvva
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7snE5JSf4
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08W8KTHVtN
Cel's hand drifted to his side, ready to summon Silent Moon. The bird's previous behavior meant nothing. It had ignored him while feeding on the Ashlurker's corpse - that didn't guarantee it would continue to ignore him now.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVxA3SkQHx
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0bJ44YJX5
The creature landed perhaps thirty steps ahead, its too-thin legs finding purchase on an obsidian fragment. That elongated neck bent, and a single crimson eye fixed on them with disturbing intelligence.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzlv9hs4dg
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbMTxeKttS
Raven's stride never faltered.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFHlZNLCzs
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsQsk56hPn
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRM17YhOs5D
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvfaff372I
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBlLtpdLp4
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutJUZe9JJX
Not because he trusted Raven.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrPtQZXNfI
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXxhXlabvP
Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXA1UdjnZJ1
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcl11zz7Bk
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BJHI2bGLn
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOoEbqz5W5
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCkZZSNaxz
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTUFotkHZg
Cel's shoulders remained tight.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcimqXWpocv
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULXo15CY1O
"It's following us," he said quietly.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8RnRieDTH
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVv1J1ytpQs
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88e81uN0De
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKo976fVBS
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADsddgP76f
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoc7YLqdNC
They walked in silence. Minutes stretched into an hour, then longer. The mountain grew steadily, details emerging from what had been a distant smudge - dark stone weathered smooth in places, and something else that made Cel slow his pace.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKxlTk6HSV
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajMkCpgXqz
The peak was wrong.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcvxAVM0kz
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51UkU1NU6o
Not the sharp summit he'd expected, but a flat line cutting across the top. And below it, dark trails carved down the mountainside in branching patterns that looked almost organic.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdb3BmpfQl
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IWq6RGSmc
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEOfciHBZQ
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwouwYguxi
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwmB5XVFP7
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7riipEQIDc
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynALVyGFar
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNz9fZjIvH6
The trails became clearer as they approached the mountain's base - solidified flows hardened into permanent scars that wound across the slopes, some as wide as roads, others thin as veins. The surface had a glassy sheen where it caught the light, black with hints of deep red bleeding through cracks.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXiIeNl2Ih
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBC0pgixMeJ
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiFtQST4fE
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqIkky5Pn7
The word made Cel's chest tighten.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06aLvviI3i
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbf5GubBO4
"That's a volcano."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QlJC5oJHn
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIhtrmM2M5
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kQEB982bN
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6SH7IUVGZ
Cel stared at those black scars, his mind supplying images of molten rock fountaining from the flattened peak. The earth opening to vomit destruction across the wasteland.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjdWnNiNP5
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBakkqdbgr
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYs7Subvg9
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpt43YIfx5
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwsKvfrgBH
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKvTBnhjho
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvCE0KFnrE
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXvoPJw6Pi
Cel's gaze tracked up the mountain's slopes toward that flattened peak. From that height, any rift in a wide range would be visible.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQG2oueaQZU
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1CIKJu2ez
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJ2u5lDoMn
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIumiVLOtxo
The transition from ash to stone was abrupt. One moment his boots crunched against the wasteland's familiar texture, the next they scraped against volcanic rock - rough and pitted with tiny holes where gas had escaped during cooling.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIR34Fcn2z
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HNcvsJuoK
Raven gripped the stone and pulled himself up with practiced efficiency. His movements were fluid despite the exertion, muscles working beneath his clothing as he found holds and tested weight before committing.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnhyHb0QBi
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrGOwU2ez9
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDkQgJM0Dh
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmaIx9F0mN
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOb89pmpii
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qYzIH057P
After perhaps half an hour, Raven's breathing had grown noticeably heavier. Not gasping, but labored in a way that suggested real exertion. Sweat darkened his collar despite the cooling air.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkaqJu6YQZ
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91VJg6ULJb
Cel's own breathing remained steady. Easy. His muscles worked without complaint, showing no sign of the fatigue that should have set in by now.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9ZwVWbeVk
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrHRrggvpJ
The light began to shift.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSE0xsFs9j
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4jdWiZp6R
Crimson bled toward deeper red. Shadows lengthened across the mountain's face. Day transitioned to evening, and with it came the moon - pale light washing over the darkening sky.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyTYK53eKf
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8P60U3y71O
The change rippled through Cel's body as Lunar Vigor awakened. Energy flooded his limbs, washing away the last traces of exertion. His movements became easier with each passing minute. Every handhold felt secure, every foothold solid.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAFZkYhLPU
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjb99igy0w
Ahead, Raven's pace was slowing. His grip on the stone looked tight enough to hurt, shoulders rising and falling with each breath. He moved with the same efficiency, but the ease had vanished - replaced by visible effort.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1V3aRh4wS
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghuuv4dYC4
The contrast grew more pronounced with each passing minute. As the moon climbed higher, as true night settled over the Ashlands, Cel felt himself growing stronger while Raven's movements became increasingly labored.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnHEnaJim5
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcu61GUfz0
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8kRDCakxS
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0ZilNun0F
The peak wasn't a summit at all - just a flattened ring of stone perhaps fifty steps wide, forming a perfect circle around the volcano's throat.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdir8BZrpk
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Za1M5nThk
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPINGhRN9HP
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxZRNOLMmd
The crater yawned before them - a circular pit dropping into darkness. But even without seeing the bottom, the dried magma flows were visible along the inner walls, frozen mid-cascade in overlapping layers that spoke of multiple eruptions over time.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LxXIQRXwD
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBervoYUyaw
No heat shimmered above the opening. No steam rose from the depths. The air was no warmer here than it had been at the base.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgWWx5vsfv
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0la3kEK1Z2
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2L3xrcdIF5
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWLcYZewgo
Raven hauled himself over the rim with visible effort, his chest heaving. He moved away from the edge and sank against an outcropping of stone, sweat coating his face despite the night's chill.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9KfZNUMLn
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipbUOKRnQj
Cel remained standing, feeling the moon's light wash over him like liquid energy. His wounds still throbbed, but distantly - as if the pain belonged to someone else.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5I8N3pgB2
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AiEpXQcSm
The bird appeared, landing on the rim's opposite side. It folded its wings and settled into that same watchful stillness, crimson eye gleaming in the moonlight.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEK5mRTlR4G
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdzaImu35s
Cel ignored it, his attention tracking across the flattened peak. The stone was mostly barren - volcanic rock weathered smooth in places, jagged in others. But near the crater's edge, where the rim curved inward slightly, a section of stone had collapsed into itself, creating a shallow depression perhaps three body-lengths across.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOElu358Ch2
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sICZTAHJd
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XnCF64lZU
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuKOKcd4G9
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIv7b2TZRj
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvlymtmAGL
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDn6SxWf5FJ
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsw5J69vRhW
The depression was deeper than it had looked - perhaps waist-high at its center, the walls formed by broken stone that offered some protection. The floor was relatively flat, covered in a thin layer of ash that had accumulated over time.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3X1Y2yFIps
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWXOLWBfc9
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogu7P3i3UV
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsh3khpByV
Cel remained standing, his gaze sweeping across the Ashlands spread below. The wasteland stretched endlessly in every direction, bathed in pale moonlight that turned the ash silver. From this height, he could see for leagues - every ruin, every scattered stone, every shadow that might hide danger.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFezgKxFhya
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikVI1ZEdf6
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcicYemnHMV
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTrjLJjEP9
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnt6aaavbch
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZP0GoPnRlk
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzZrwalwiO
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsObKPpWwV
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahTzkIqKrR
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6PZtbgfAF
He moved to the opposite wall and settled against it, letting Cinderward's cloak pool around him. His body felt ready to run, to fight, to do anything except rest.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtAV3koVYs
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIHbXggN9d
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qpo3ij34x
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7LpNiQyWs
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDLvAICuAt
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLC6Pmz10Gb
Waiting for dawn.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrx3ghcexsE
49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqZtfAu5Ko
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.
and then Add to home screen.