"What rank does your guide hold?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQt8qgPgNW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJKZaoPxqb
The question hung in the air between them.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwFS9nO3tl
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAOMDEAUQh
Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu80HiJUbnY
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BYa7gTVPK
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJMSBwPtd3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Lv1IUK3hI
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9xhTeme60
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADzXtr6DXy
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvvJGlanSZ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthIOsoSbzf
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6c09thqak4
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0lrAA5R4V
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31eDcgb4QK
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUf1WPKRzH
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduuGbyPqNs
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOy541UFUWt
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7dzpgMEjL
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmbF0ZHQYc
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiR9uDJg7E
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BN2m1sB6n
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpYkhptAYC
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIfnQ1Hrpg
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PEztD8JE3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfKHlGIpFE
'What was that about?'107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qJHRJEORk
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgXfM9mm1K
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. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMwbPEusty
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ajna1w0EM
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkbdIyb3wC
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6i43SEEHG
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDil300VZT
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhCyWmfjzl
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgC9SltdbJ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTG94TER5E
1234 copyright protection103ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqcLw7Pfl3 尼

But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yNjAUXItA
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgr7ZMCYiAM
For now.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxKK1P2xl1
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyO5OunBfq
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKl4THLlZI3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLu2zVCFV7
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzT880IQAw
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhamb4mrXU
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLccl3bWr6T
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimzF1y11jm
The Ember Stalker.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSrbiAcEtK
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mIB0oeuPu
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3iWdnHJKB
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbS0wePN3A2
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wlmFnZPQx
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuk0HDN91G2
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz64VU9Ugxb
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzy27vebARl
Raven's stride never faltered.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJbe018K7Z
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4iETBcAZZ
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQ7KSVz5rw
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViZuysURnN
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IvPnv6FVr
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDT7mERresT
Not because he trusted Raven.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtCeVxUlhL
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEcaSF5Qvr
Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQl36TeKQn
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbZ5gTNSy3
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZQtHr8fDB
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcQwLcCScD
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQU6wReDMF4
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXElLbzvVyI
Cel's shoulders remained tight.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv68P88gjum
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEuwhdR2xA
"It's following us," he said quietly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSHBjqSeXw
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fdwTgbMP2
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEKvMN2RVD
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIUNKCDkGv
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEC5hd7Cu88
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFpEztPXh2
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXvy82W5MG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVeoHYBZcz
The peak was wrong.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nazFTlvx1
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQyu3KBjGH
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQ0grWFVRb
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVIRQvLNvd
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWWFzr9I91
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYlVswcfEe
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtv1lKZEa3C
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO17ZIfGj8o
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyJbE5B6bP
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ387GzCmrrY
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdKwxRGI5c
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnR7d99oP9X
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRgfGIaXZk
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNQOs2nmnZ
The word made Cel's chest tighten.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQumDiwNsO6
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGxBGaXQsE
"That's a volcano."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IVLaJpdYI
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6NyvEN8br
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aSbcEPKaJ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgN2bCeosG
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8PhmTWC01
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyQfo49PIW
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFyBG2Hqsd
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5qgg2DI0R
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6cTRZ4cA1
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GB2d7k7yC
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89EgYo3Ji2
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDKhu3LXPS
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nkyCx1kbm
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlBhLSMylk
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCoYbeYBjg
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lzd0cN4Vo
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRnzdEZknz
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9IEh0H2TS
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4UjEurhm7
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYxFhzi5Q0
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjNhqWvyiW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRK3uHdjRX
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4L9X9KCx2a
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8C0spbjCKY
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYS6GoQvog
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszYtBzJraZ
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3wNIqGBaM
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcdFxV57Q4
The light began to shift.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8lZT1rUp1
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13kJt5LMZ7
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWnaYhYGCI
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuA2CfS96Hj
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLe2wf8vjd
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26iu0ym3p9
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5czetT5ni
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRJuo9PCG2
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCd9oxkaf3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vdrqkYKWy
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAWECEalMa
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjFVf2Aj66
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRtltkQrY8
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7Mky8bY7E
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvO2TOe31d
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyas7hMB5hA
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjO2ZobQHH4
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvPFbDJy1G
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEpv7DgG8u
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EpQcsLQlP
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPzaElV4tW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRZKtoUsJB
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKoXmsAiLF
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSqXoWSiBf
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWcqpRLA3E
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3YrVKstfU
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmBLBqonEb
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLfriI0UQi
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjomgAnha3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqSJwcP8aC
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpAROzXy6m
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx4oYQRg1p
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdk0WM2pdh
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbvf7KUv3P
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCa2GEjaIa
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2vwUyJJBq
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbangofwbY
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAm8IDWfmi
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1J7bKA3Ru
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHAHP3Wbty
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnXiZBBPbn
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cWbJgOol4
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMt4eVVVY6
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXf5RvvG9V9
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JzFYuSudP
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkr859kGRvN
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL95kS2YLKO
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxhbrvOPZT
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggDzFncGP1
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaaNI5Gxfy
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.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31qJGdNE9u
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5Ob9pHpCx
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmX8Gy31T2W
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1aUR8p59j
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPcgDfCTYN
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEeit11r6W
Waiting for dawn.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9SCqQfl8z
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpbm0vKotw
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.1234 copyright protection103ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfWi4KOGbK 尼

216.73.217.128