"Isn't this great?" Kira called to Jason. She lifted up enough to look down and back. The searchers, both human and drone, were rapidly dwindling in size as the Roc flew higher and angled west toward the pass. "We made it!"

"Yeah," Jason said, his voice quivering. "Great."

Kira laughed again. You would think Jason had never flown before.

All the rest of the day Swift bore them westward, gliding among the peaks of southernmost reaches of the Northern Ramparts, the great mountain chain that lay across the land north of the Sea of Bakre. Wind currents battered them as they swooped past immense mountains, steep slopes of living rock sweeping by just beyond Swift's wingtips. They caught sight of occasional high mountain valleys and glades forming unexpected patches of green below them, then a mountain lake surrounded by peaks like a vast jewel in the most majestic setting imaginable.

Jason got over his initial fright, gazing around as the air grew cold and thinner, snow resting on the peaks that Swift flew past. Kira clutched her coat tighter about her and felt happy. It surprised her to realize that part of that came from having Jason nearby, being part of the experience. Had it only been a few weeks ago when she could barely tolerate his presence? But he wasn't the same person he had been then.

They cleared the last of the mountains as the sun settled toward the western horizon. As the final outliers of the mighty Ramparts fell away, ahead and to the north and south stretched the expanse of the high plains.

Swift angled down, coming to a landing just before the sun set. The plains here were dotted with bushes and only a few trees.

Kira helped Jason get his straps off and helped him down. "Thank you, Swift," she called, petting the feathers before sliding off as well.

Mage Alera stood near Swift's head as Jason and Kira tore apart some dead bushes for firewood. Kira got a fire going with her fire-starter, clicking flint against steel until the sparks caught in the wood. After offering Alera part of their food, Kira and Jason settled down to eat as darkness settled on the land and the stars came out in countless numbers above. Neither the moon nor the twins were up, but Kira was glad for that. The twins, remnants of the ship that had brought people to this world, would have been an unwelcome reminder of the Urth people.

Jason sighed as he finished eating his portion of the trail food. "I was never big on camping, but this is nice."

"Much nicer than last night," Kira agreed. "So how did you like riding on Swift?"

"Nobody back home would believe it." He looked outside the ring of the fire. "Where is Mage Alera?"