By nightfall they made camp in the shelter of a shallow cave. Caelyn took first watch as Vladimars tended the fire. Markos welcomed the dark stillness of a dreamless sleep with Sintija nestled at his side. However amorous he felt, in the wake of the prolonged battle and ride, he did not have the energy left to do more than to embrace her.
Any promise of an explanation where forgotten in the mesmerizing flames and the siren call of a well deserved sleep.
Morning came without incident, They welcomed the dawn and resumed their journey. By mid-day, they descended around a bend in the mountain pass and rode down onto a broad, barren plateau. Wind howled over blackened rock and molten veins of magma through deep fissures. Heat wavered in the air, filling the plateau with steam. As they scanned the plateau, an immense archway of ancient basalt shimmered into view. Something called them toward it.
