"The Valley of the North Wind lies far away from the Great Steppe," says Svarog. "Keep your eyes open, and remember the way."
He claps his armored hands together, and you sense your consciousness begin to drift backward, away from the gods, out of the Valley of the North Wind. You pick up speed, and the images you see come in fragments. First there are mountains, sharp and jagged spires of rock. Then, an ice-covered tundra, followed by rough, rocky moorland that lies beneath a stormy sky. A bustling city by the sea comes next, its streets thronged with people, and then a stagnant and misty marsh.
That image, in turn, shifts and changes, this time into a region of green, rain-sodden hills and woodland. Finally, you are shown a place you know: the cool, dry grasslands of the northern part of the Great Steppe. You skim over the ground as the palisade of Tar-Domos enters your vision. An instant later, you are through the gates.
"A rider!" someone shouts as you pass, the sound seeming to come from far away. "No, more than one. Quickly, to the gates!"
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