"What rank does your guide hold?"112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvwRljmLyv
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBj77NlJdW
The question hung in the air between them.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQWQhikZH8
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxFdGAZlDs
Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3H5DDROHL
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOmZkcpo2M
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhN0d13QaL
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBG8Ev8tXW
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGN6oTeqZv
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfTzxguSWZ
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3RPkW8lIo
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklMmPwMvdT
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqrXWFGJa7
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5mZeZPFRk
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRn7joU23fi
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluTg8BT4Z1
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3w4AKsd0Iu
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4IjG9WlVO
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfNDnDCFDR
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fAKeWumbr
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Lie3zZhJr
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfP92PjQmv0
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXxNEuKZ0T
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekeWPI9Bxn
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhW2joSqXD
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtedrKyGyl
'What was that about?'112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEog3vQYcg
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡms6I9gcnfP
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. 112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfFo0UAvfx
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBC9VWWJ0SP
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQyODf5eZK
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsJiH9npBO
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8S1CVHBOkH
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RgoiWznqG
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30utUgsKPH
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZl57vNS8k
But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1VyFxoaUZ
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkINMTNspr
For now.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs11w7QzYfM
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoN51vCx71
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sMg11XZv6
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxVUMqygjT
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WROqaHYlQ
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPtk4uhbDs
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRO3Euj0aFC
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybJTqoxHvz
The Ember Stalker.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgNH8p4Mzw
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnoJVFPRyX
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhv2wsNbfX
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1HAqU44hd
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6XaE7KCmG
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHb3QcXAD2
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5n7MpsaxSk
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34GHRwgb5G
Raven's stride never faltered.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1XPXgig2T
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOeVGtbxIK
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMY8rbjGgFe
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gWetPT7l1
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHToiGhREh
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWFbAKSBxQ
Not because he trusted Raven.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj30mJCAVN5
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgV5UWha2QW
Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJHZl0SEDq
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLpevc6ODB
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS55RTtwhBL
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbKZ4GxR59
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1UYMdeaeB
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OrGavRGUS
Cel's shoulders remained tight.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBdheqULA9
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlG0hOwIscD
"It's following us," he said quietly.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7n8mYM8IO
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsnWnLCuXF
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5ebguKXhK
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdri9ptwbjf
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHxJjaiEw7
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KcXzTrcwP
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fbla5suVY
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYzcDeruOu
The peak was wrong.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpitmrufwI
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMM69GRpRh
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVffH4Hgice
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Onzs2keZZ
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcYh23lgQR
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRW9cOnjE4K
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsQ6IWy4uo
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicjoO8oyxF
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMXMgnDop6
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrFRhTPvy9
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBAzNgJkgj
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0qeWA8HHe
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZTPCe0rM0
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlyODdmSTx
The word made Cel's chest tighten.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0FB9yW39E
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDdUCEekV3
"That's a volcano."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Igv07PKpi
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSsRojUMML
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrO7IgVAvS
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTLpjXBvuE
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCgA6dYRyR
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmifwehU8J
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPJV2WACam
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3F1LIW2a3
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnn7Hh2PKj
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryLt3jE4Yp
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQuu32JRsi
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELlrLMbr8I
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4EIdzqEMG
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hfjVPK6Oz
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SmU7zhqy1
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZGtWlfU8N
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLNDwolYtv
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvN5f8fkNAU
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7LwfXTB0g
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGC4LGlSnrN
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jA9hfgnzA
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDng2ZDIIBW
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYK5r1lDhd
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4SDBeSo7v
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GqbJOR54j
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8WQJqhdUb
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJvHJ5yNi8
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxbYbx5DCN
The light began to shift.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUova3imBWb
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGKbOPF5jw
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbMoDDH3aR
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡku81Tdoxqc
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCeAGDteAY
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUACNwwhzR8
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIsDIU6BuK
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbRv1VFTdb
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09w5menqXo
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvogJO6uaF
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXIpNXstZn
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbC2hZ8KlUO
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3K7dEu00j2
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmnUWx0Kq1
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKAWfLlFTt
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXml7xk27v3
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrswdhxJU0
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxyeSxw28V
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZcjfgiCjo
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWR0FOweNO
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoS7LmkHmHa
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAkbHDfbZ9
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡro7oQwgulf
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVUxXboPSX
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTF6UcTo0f
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Em53ypW49
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Ul6ezRgiw
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVx7f4CYvm
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjctutuUG86
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmduxzMKXa
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjYuwzqYqG
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmzf1jU9oj
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7U4ds6zKQ2
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVB1RgLc4Cr
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtx857slEii
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8Fq1pVCcl
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpNWXKyoMQ
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyCOEAJwZT
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14MNR1SDAc
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfE21Hcjhqq
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FXoSXwVhT
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJumImFgtQ
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4ct53F3gV
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ421OtiMqNg
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZrMER5oDd
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wBSKoZQGm
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEv0ZCLqgR
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84AhnfZZl3
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rt7uLsvx9
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeuFpgkq4D
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.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8KAxB5qzX
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahMPylWjy3
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLsyU4zLjo
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9wKAwZdTW
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe65PWD85M7
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2b2L4OvcR
Waiting for dawn.112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTmAuKgqKC
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMU9ECgJwDr
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.
and then Add to home screen.