“Are we here?” Aloisia asked, her voice low.
“Close,” he answered. “We should tread lightly from here on. We are still within Tolmach lands, but they could be watching even now.”
Fear pricked at her. What would they be walking into?
The rangers advanced silently before them with the huntresses close on their heels. Inari clutched his chains closer, quietening the rhythmic clinking which accompanied his every movement. The trees ended abruptly, as did the rocks beneath their feet. Morag and the rangers dropped to their stomachs, and the others followed suit, creeping closer to the edge of the cliff.
“There she is,” Morag murmured. “The Vale of Poppies.”
Far below, a blanket of red stretched as far as the eye could see. The cliffs rose high on either side, sheer drops to the field of poppies at their feet. A gale whipped Aloisia’s hair from her face, her beads chiming behind her. She searched for a way down, yet could find none.
“That’s great, Morag, but how do we get there?” she asked.
His shoulders shook in a silent laugh. “There is only one way down from here.” He pointed to their left.
At the top of the cliff, there was a short ledge winding down the cliff face. A rope marked the way down.
“You can’t be serious?” Aloisia stared at the ledge, barely the width of her foot.
“It’s either the ledge or scaling down the cliff face. And, as we have no rope with us, it looks like that’s your best option.”
Inari lifted the shackles around his wrists. “I cannot see this going well for me in my present state.”
“We’ll be out in the open,” Oda added.
“You will.” Morag shrugged. “It is designed as such. No matter which way you approach the vale from, there is no cover to be found. The Shadow Sisters wish to see all who enter their domain. There is no way for you to go unnoticed, whether it is scaling the cliff, walking this ledge, or entering from the start of the pass between the mountains.”
“Divines help us,” Aloisia muttered. The poppies were so small from this high up, they melded together as a sea of blood. “Well, onwards we go.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Oda scoffed. “This is a suicide mission.”
Aloisia whirled on her. “We cannot go back now. How many times must I say that?”
“She’s right,” Inari said. “We’ve come too far. And likely we have already been spotted. The longer we remain here, the longer they have to prepare for us.”
“True enough.” Morag peered at the rocks above them. “I do not wish to remain here too much longer, myself.”
“Thank you for your help, Morag,” Aloisia said. “We appreciate the aid your clan has provided us.”
“I shall extend your thanks to our chieftain.” Morag retreated from the edge, and the rangers followed, still on their bellies. “This is as far as we dare go, so we shall leave you now. Once you set foot on the ledge, you are within the territory of the Shadow Sisters. And I would rather not end up with a poison dart in my throat. Again.”
Kaja blanched. “What about us?”
“Say Cathan sent you.” Morag shrugged. “Should deter any darts for a while.”
“And whilst we are on the ledge? Do we just shout it at them?”
“Hopefully their curiosity will get the better of them.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then it was a pleasure meeting you all.” He grinned.
“By the Divines,” Kaja muttered.
Morag and the rangers disappeared back into the cover of the trees.
“We can’t sit here all day.” Aloisia crawled closer to the ledge. Her ribs protested, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
