He’d also replaced his long blade and packed a couple of spares. Kit’s banter aside, plaguespawn were no laughing matter this deep in the mountains. One thing they hadn’t been able to afford was a spare sunsplinter for Kit’s blaster, which had an unknown but probably small number of shots remaining.

In spite of an early start, it took all afternoon just to reach the bottom of the steps. By the time they got to the relatively flat ground of the valley floor, Gyre’s knees ached abominably. If Kit was fatigued, though, she didn’t show it, hurrying ahead to find the loosely marked path that paralleled the narrow river. Gyre muttered to himself but kept walking.

At least the scenery was spectacular. The valley floor was low enough that it was clear of snow at this time of year, and a narrow belt of stunted trees and tough grass survived by the banks of the river. A few hundred meters to either side, the slopes of the neighboring mountains rose steep and unforgiving, shrouded in white. Streams flowed down to join the Brink at regular intervals, some emerging from the rocks, others tumbling down from on high in streamers of spray. Big brown birds wheeled and called out overhead, and now and then Gyre saw a few goats in the distance.

“See?” Kit said, her breath puffing into steam as she walked. “It’s not so bad. There’s not even any snow.”

“People really live out here?” Gyre had made the ascent to Deepfire safe in the confines of a caravan. Like the majority of the inhabitants, he’d never ventured outside the crater.

“A few,” Kit said.

“Why?”

She shrugged. “Scavengers pass through. They’ve got money, and they need food, booze, and bed warmers. There are worse ways to make a living.”

“It’s hard to think of many.”

“There’s this little … not a town, really, but a couple of buildings next to each other. It’s not far from Snowspear; we could pass by. They might even remember me.”

“Just as long as you didn’t kill anyone the last time you came through.”

“I don’t … think so?” Kit looked at the sky. “Maybe—no, that was farther east. It’ll be fine.”

Gyre snorted a laugh, and they walked on.

The sun vanished early, hidden behind the mountains to the west, and they walked for a while in the long twilight. Eventually, though, the light drained from the sky, and Kit found them a spot to camp in the lee of a rock outcropping, which would provide defense on two sides and keep them out of the wind.

“Risk a fire?” she said inquiringly.

“What’s the risk?”

“They say it attracts plaguespawn,” Kit said. “Though I don’t think anyone really knows for sure.”

“We’ll be all right,” Gyre said. “Go ahead.”