"What rank does your guide hold?"235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosfyTJ9igQ
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvs9yccG4Hj
The question hung in the air between them.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbELBooSOKg
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXnLeS5Awq
Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcjKB4eD59
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCya43voq5g
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1a0qqOpgk
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0hT0jVJR3
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GecGFbBkV
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NHMHCRGrN
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrg2MhqMJzf
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVrHu6cdGz
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgUdJixtcJ
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CMFeP10SS
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ewQuL6flG
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CuwtsA6b9
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIuDyyyBRx
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjyFwDpp1J
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaYYOpgJqL
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi53a9KRCD1
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPmy7wmZfD
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TMdm8tlH8
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyz6zfYz8Q
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrZyRnlh9Y
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqdnhzEC6b
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5iOjqKpE3V
'What was that about?'235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHB5n9bsGf
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3M0d6pf9GG
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. 235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VLazICGdl
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3N7bn0lw5e
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEMMEUKsBA
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzJnf4EX7S
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokRjQwoMEW
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkWQlQzccK
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulkHOphJOq
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGZNR4RtXY
But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaZpBOD0Nf
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmnYdRmgLl
For now.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedBoMEt1yA
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9deXDJtMy
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11AMjHWgEO
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFie626SIhN
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSp1VPjf2K
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjzY5XiY2m
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlK9Hz4byTp
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4a3kxQpwz
The Ember Stalker.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSYtf8K3qx
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIQVkkHQL4
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pucRJrbDA
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX07QS25PVw
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDNrKKTEll
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5uunIlrDo
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzP6ACBvQwV
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNa2FXSsYXO
Raven's stride never faltered.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HPHb8iWhI
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvNxRrrm4j
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgqAu7NJs7
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgd2jdmcLQ
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHVwTjGXmh
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSz2EfWDrdP
Not because he trusted Raven.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08xKxWuFeU
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8TLxKBrpi
Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3Yez49kEy
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHM4EFjkZD2
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCl1Jx6GV7I
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwZZLwLnUv
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJC4UZt1c3i
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUVgS37RsQ
Cel's shoulders remained tight.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZuMEC5BJb
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyqjCc6R0f
"It's following us," he said quietly.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOIlKSjY1I
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9pGWPB0ou
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPTML22eyV
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzpEmtRMqd
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY93Ubtmk0O
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpFFaHrZYq
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz46Hbpu7jG
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4CTCEfR4B
The peak was wrong.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAfcRafl8o
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzupuYunBUA
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMCvbEcyRn
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFo6ZPyUvN
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6uFY2IqqI
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64TljvfW8T
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5ra8cbnKE
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlaZNZfJcH
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU58ida0xJM
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKwCiUTxSM
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBWM7wd3jO
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZyZ4RiZOR
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HuFqRlTah
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpTjVfsmQS
The word made Cel's chest tighten.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZ6XANchKg
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLAXVVmlMu
"That's a volcano."235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnk2jKdJJl
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi95Kf41CwC
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCMZObOOG5
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSJ2iEyAPl
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOb0xw5JyF
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tTv5e4NrZ
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9I7B5YSIL
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvu3sPugkx
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3uC7nttmt
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiaPb7lM5d5
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7EfFuTgOj
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkm5yXxwIo
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6KEa4cJhs
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxAfyeZtqj
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwau6TRzn6T
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVD0g4ooJH1
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwFTqBKUhk
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcN9iwXioUu
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aydaJ8ULc
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2w3WlSYkBY
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDLgM4QJxM
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBorEJa8LRx
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxizkGaFHgt
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsr5lAz01R
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqj4WC0lNy
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlNCPziO3T
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf51WYHEWB9
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvN6Gp1lf6H
The light began to shift.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXOnUIatK1
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sKTJ3Z411
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi96yFJdcmj
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR7WhEmpSR
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeke2dAd5M
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYFLwSYhCO
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxTAlyUntT
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFZvKZh1Wk
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKCEaEExck
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2XtwJvc44
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7180fKnDP
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqxJfEsQAZ
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrk0BOAP1Qd
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5ZYwZI0BJ
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ca4XPWziA
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqmBo3qLyl
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpPXCABILX
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvweVR12ms4
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1xh7lHm4n
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfyZC4kDgq
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4GiadAFpV
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9GQNEyJEn
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrimqUZNpj
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMY7z3cRZ2
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtAjU37ubQ
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfEUmcOP95
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbRFiHxp3X
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVErI5Va1K
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLotAQnde5
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OqTIKHtn7
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjctlmXTwN
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIDCW12zmg
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFTxeN05JT
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCZJUH3d9r
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1fPmI8oia
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4y4vVqqEi
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNlgZ05zjs
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkknoKJHyn
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHGDUQXkNq
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyZOUKk2Oq
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHZ1tcLM5B
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDASiKiu9uQ
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoQQRlfRGW
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKD3ghLVW0
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUKo3rlRV8
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHY2owfR7y
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzc1nNumK3
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtBpLbdOZW
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtWNMlMioO
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYDYvouJJ1
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.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59fODUkdf0
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqUx6FKA1u
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fkgVQ1DhJ
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwW1TJlzp3
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jJk5IRqAM
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFE7d5uLJsK
Waiting for dawn.235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdhdms8S1n
235Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpi0gyUcGt
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.
and then Add to home screen.