The Coleridge border loomed, a colossal wall of weathered stone that scraped the bruised belly of the dawn. Hope flickered in Taran's eyes as he approached alongside Mara and the twins. Being Coleridge-born granted them automatic entry, a code drawn on their palms to enable them pass through the wall.
Taran reached out a hand, expecting the familiar sensation of rough stone yielding under his touch. But the wall remained stubbornly unmoving. Panic gnawed at him as he pushed harder, his knuckles white against the cold surface. Mara and the twins mirrored his attempts, their faces etched with disbelief.
"Open up! Lance!" Taran bellowed, his voice echoing off the silent wall. "It's Taran, Mara, Gaius, and Finn! We have good company, open up!"
Silence. The only response was the mournful creak of the wind whipping through the desolate landscape.
