The plateau was a wasteland of ash and soot. The ground was scorched black, cracked, and steaming in places.
The air was thick with the faint smell of smoke, and faint embers glowed in the shadows of jagged rocks.
Colin lay on her back in the middle of the devastation, still and silent. She was wrapped in a tattered jacket, its edges singed and blackened.
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, unfocused and hazy.
For a moment, she stared blankly at the darkened sky above her. She blinked, confused, as she noticed the heat still radiating from the ground.
Then, her senses sharpened, and she felt the weight of the jacket covering her.
She sat up slowly, her head spinning. Her clothes were completely burnt, leaving her wrapped only in the jacket. Before she could process more, her eyes fell on Eratz.
