"What rank does your guide hold?"149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73wtCr7ilA
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDb6QylNzSG
The question hung in the air between them.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxR65wkk8q
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtV6SDTuBNY
Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfVOBeJa64
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdYhWZsmPI
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuaGnj2EAX
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQT7UuW0bNl
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYq1jNICrHC
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOhPqJDLBT
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDHfUHZUAY
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHDisC8uJm
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgqRxVyZMa
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEm8KtgR8Dh
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPhsGzgkBF
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FP841BpdN
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPo329CdgqY
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnZby3R8gG
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5DweFuBpv
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vx8PgvcZb
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2o4THjEfs
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKF3BlLM2vJ
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OpFbIkruO
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJMI0ToWOk
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPFHXZ31b8
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9tJGxSnnc
'What was that about?'149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4G91bbHfmR
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVAlwpVcb0
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. 149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGlEU2VxOd
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiBvcF9hCH
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8sAZ8tss6
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SNlVQYD6Z
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2L4p7pxhzw
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpagzIGVtN
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxePXWWLcFy
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhiCVmu8I6
But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvo46PtKRhN
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZbw8JuwMo
For now.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23gGE2sopf
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMZWtmKVab
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCiWoqrMX4
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpe7B4wLYg
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjbDDcauzl
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBMNrVPmzG
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvugu6L0DM5
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRt2nbGDOIr
The Ember Stalker.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAq1CFfauQB
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcbREhLqIb
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwWtSL8Wiu
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGhgYq3Niu
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2B01duo52
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LPzMHycOt
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMCDb51UeK
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTBLYOalgS
Raven's stride never faltered.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtD1C2CuAF8
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4PCIkovfT
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXpQcrKNLk
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbFWDNKR7k
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLCbMy1cEP
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbS2VxLit6F
Not because he trusted Raven.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaL56nOtDA
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNw4FMpsI8
Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4TjZceBXc
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuL4viTvkig
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypRUmS2g2D
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYT20rGs4X
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RZpexTfAv
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFMaeGChP9
Cel's shoulders remained tight.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCU9PIGf0Z
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYEvrfK8Z3
"It's following us," he said quietly.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡST1OgM9ykV
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYU4ByyJoq
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6BoGlieWz
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPyKKvkWDG
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM25Rap55nz
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9P0f49WKu
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84IyLMx5aB
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSi4U7JpJg
The peak was wrong.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJENKrQfLU
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PaH19xSYr
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqoDADO7MT
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROxppaSyaE
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstPUADhJak
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikWQKGFdGh
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtr6J6wRg0
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYf3d8SeCB
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjMMZ784yL
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWKTn7mlTB
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQZKF0Y58N
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARY4d8bnUJ
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjPztfi0oF
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNm13hSfUo
The word made Cel's chest tighten.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNHVCk70wg
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3HDWrIFgN
"That's a volcano."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqDztY6oTd
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ31Wq6LmsL
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWBa0SGIg6
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpS4dTZfuzR
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6SJGA1mMn
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafIdk3yF1e
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QmCeNFUhC
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKSpay2wZm
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp1h54XHzS
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIpuRfghfi
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclycYvMiFi
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMvDNGJQG4
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubXAefGjym
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpf3j5OQKha
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWUhXuEf3r
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBz8epcvxOb
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGq3ciwUUat
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdT3JY8Xa7F
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqXfcml0JY
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYY7kVcrsni
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hXgC2Z9yn
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXr220pG5a2
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJGjv0T82H
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkgSevPJz1
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MuSfUNCMM
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8roI4egEH
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9rpCX8tYX
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRaH1zktba
The light began to shift.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbHrNiro1q
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcos2aNSPH
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQujtVNN9UK
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdlVpd7smR
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMRKcfJ4KZ
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnNRjELqZp
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVMt0TbvBq
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaXxAMXajQ
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9Hb2lovs7
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JKhnxjRKw
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWiNPOMMvB
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwuY0bcz1L
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPMKBKVJbJ
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdcKe0J1Bz
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8ENykWVpR
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dxF9JV5Nv
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBuPhnmMoV
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzecOXcPWp
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHyip2rKxe
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKr6iu9vdAh
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSMBdifQwU
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DXZAiBTXr
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RVL5jPxT6
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfQ7cNb5D7
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDsdQQ6sNQ
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5CW3Yw1DI
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8phqRBNeu
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPnZvLXFAU
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80KnM4gpg3
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5Ikqdksr7
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDB3qyiYp3
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzQYPR5TnJ
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcEWuJ3DJU
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTVnFZNZn7
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIvHdOfnki
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFslLayXkb
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKBtbiiYXl
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZd4V405zu
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDE3y1KJ6xh
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjN3mjMOO5C
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16KDqW2rHg
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8v7tCeAIg0
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIPbBIiaoK
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4G1nwIPvZ
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYxSPZ42Jy
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqj3qEJbvK8
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOpB32LvBa
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWbmrDS5L4
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoL0XwWPbYr
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2MG398xGs
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.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93sbyJdHv9
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KH7K06e6X
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZwhlCR1zf
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQA5ivVC3p2
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlsNSDE3eS
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6NBLSw7OE
Waiting for dawn.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3f6aQQs8jA
149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEffAnTdPuz
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.
and then Add to home screen.