“We leave at first light,” he says. “The mountain pass won’t wait, and every day we delay gives Alekir more time to prepare.”
“Food?” Aspen asks.
“There’s a grove in the cavern in the center. The fruit there must be magically sustained — it should hold for travel.”
I remember seeing it on our way in. Strange trees with glowing fruit that smelled like summer despite being underground. Japti provides, apparently.
“The climb itself,” Darian says slowly. “I’ve studied the maps Kieran showed us. It’s… not easy.”
“Define ‘not easy.’”
“Up to a week of travel. Narrow passes.” He pauses. “Avalanche risk.”
“Fantastic.”
“The footing is unstable in several sections. One wrong step—”
“I get it.” I crack my neck. “Deadly mountain. Noted.”
Aspen is already calculating — I can see it in the way his eyes go distant. Planning routes, assessing risks, figuring out what we need. That’s his gift. Mine is simpler: hit things until they stop being problems.
Mountains are harder to punch than most of my problems.
“What about Callum?”
The question comes from Aspen, but we’re all thinking it. The unconscious man a few feet away from us. The traitor who might also be a victim. The weight we’ll have to carry — literally.
Kieran’s answer is immediate. “He comes with us.”
“He can’t walk,” I point out. “He can barely breathe.”
“Then we carry him.”
“For aweek? Up amountain?”
“If necessary.”
I exchange a look with Aspen. Classic Kieran. Protective even when he’s pretending not to care. Even for someone who betrayed us.
“We’ll need something to transport him,” Aspen says, already problem-solving. “A sled. Drag-board. Something we can pull.”
“Can you build it?”
“If I can find the right materials.” He’s already looking toward the curved staircase that leads to the upper levels. “I saw workable wood earlier. Fallen branches, some structural pieces that looked salvageable.”
Darian leans forward. “We’ll need to stabilize it for uneven terrain. Runners wide enough not to catch on rocks, but narrow enough for the passes.”
“Padding for Callum,” Aspen adds. “Something to keep him secured when the angle shifts.”
“Rope,” I say. “Lots of it.”
They both nod.
Look at us. Actually functioning like a team. Finn would make a joke about it if he were here.
But Finn is… otherwise occupied.
The thought makes me smirk.
