The crisp, clean air wiped free the lingering worries and doubts River hadn’t realized she still felt about this project. Gazing up at the mountain above them, River couldn’t help but turn a circle, arms outstretched as she soaked it all in.

“Ignore her,” Bree suggested to Easton as she passed by, camera panning their surroundings. “She gets like this every time we’re away from civilization.”

“Yeah.” Easton nodded at River. “Me too.”

Then he was forced to sidestep, because Bree was going to film where he was standing, and it was either move out of her way or get stepped on.

“So what’s the plan?” River asked, hoping to distract him away from the crew.

“We wait for Ben, gear up, and start for that ridge.” He pointed up the mountain a solid thousand feet above their heads. “There’s a few stops along the way that might make for a good shot for you.” One wide shoulder shrugged. “I’m guessing on that. Not quite sure what you’re looking for up here. I usually take people up and get them back down again.”

“If there’s anything cool you can think of,” River said, “I’d love to film it. Otherwise, we’ll grab what we can get along the way.”

She craned her neck, trying and failing to see the summit above them. The cloud cover was too low, blocking their goal from view. “I can’t imagine having a lack of amazing footage from here.”

River’s theory wasn’t wrong. In the time it took for Ash and Ben to return, both her camera crew had wandered off in opposite directions, filming everything around them. Easton led the way as Ben trailed behind, making sure no one got lost. Ben was a fun, likable presence as they hiked. Unlike Easton, he was happy being on camera, sharing tales of Moose Springs as they headed for the ridge Easton had indicated.

The day’s climb wasn’t easy, but River loved every minute of it. Stuck on a climbing wall in LA was nothing compared to being out here, the wind in her hair and real rock beneath her gloved fingertips. A sea of mountains in every direction, with Veil itself rising above her, taunting her with its elusive summit.

But, man, it was cold. And as the sun drifted lower on the horizon, the cold only increased.

“You can almost forget it’s summer, huh?” she murmured as they set up camp beneath an alcove of overhanging rock.

The new tents she’d purchased for the climb were tricky. Like the rest of her crew, River was struggling to put up her tent, and it didn’t miss her attention that Easton was watching them all with a critical eye.

“I could put up my other tent while blindfolded in a blizzard,” she told him. “Keep your judgy looks to yourself.”