He scanned the shore ahead and the cliffs above, leading to the mountainous heights, but so far he’d seen no sign of wildren. Even so he remembered the furies that took Riko and Otus, and used the memory to remain vigilant. Glancing at Chloe he saw that she was also performing her own inspection. Dion had his quiver over his left shoulder, his satchel on his right, and the composite bow in his hand, ready to draw at a moment’s notice. He had to be ready for anything.

He frowned as Chloe suddenly ran to the water’s edge, but then realized what she was doing when she returned with a stout piece of driftwood she could use as a cudgel. ‘Good idea,’ he said softly.

They continued to walk in silence.

The beach suddenly ended. Cliffs ahead rose directly from the water, blocking all further access. Dion followed them with his eye and saw a broken cleft in the escarpment.

‘There.’ He pointed. ‘We’re going to have to climb.’

Chloe nodded as her shoulders slumped. ‘And then?’

‘If we can make it to high ground, my guess is there’ll be a plateau on the other side.’

‘No,’ Chloe said. Dion frowned as he looked at her. ‘Not a plateau. A swamp of ash. That’s what Kargan called it. He said that past the ring of mountains is the heartland that gives Cinder Fen its name.’

‘Perhaps there’s a better way,’ Dion muttered as he continued to examine the cliffs ahead.

‘There is no other way. I can climb up if you can. Come on, it will be dark before long. The sooner we start the better.’

Chloe led the way to the cleft, placing one foot in front of the other as she began to climb. Dion followed her foot and hand holds, realizing she was a better climber than he was. There was no continuous path to follow; the slope climbed and then leveled off, becoming easier to navigate, then it rose again, steeper than ever.

Soon they’d gained an appreciable height, and looking back Dion could once again see the island of Deos and cratered summit of Mount Oden. He stopped when he saw that the way ahead was impassable, but Chloe found a path around the jagged peak. Darkness crept over them as they climbed around to reach the far slope, the peak behind them now blocking their view of the sea. The strange clouds were directly overhead, and although there were still some hours before sunset, it was almost as dark as night.

They descended into a gully and then climbed the far side, ascending yet another slope. There were cliffs and ridges all around; they were in an eerie landscape of jagged black rock, desolate and forbidding.