The energy within the wagon changes as we all realize that the road cuts straight through the ghost town, and then again when we realize that it’s not just a ghost town, it’s a ghost city that was once the size of Auremore, and then yet again as night starts to fall and we’re still rumbling past empty stone husks of buildings overgrown with weeds.

It doesn’t feel like Revelnox, like the veil between worlds is thin here. Whatever happened in this place happened a long time ago, so long that rabbits scamper around fearlessly through the pouring rain and deer swivel their heads to watch us pass.

If they feel safe here, we probably are, too.

“See that building up ahead?” Isolde asks. Even though we’re surrounded by buildings, none of us can be snarky about it, because we all know which one she means. It’s a soaring outline with most of a roof still intact over the empty shells of high, arching windows, big enough to fit several houses inside. “I vote we stop for the night in there. It’ll give us shelter from the rain, so we’re not all crammed in here all night.”

Olani’s lips tighten. “Doesn’t this place creep you out?”

“No, I’m with Isolde,” Raze says, so quickly his words clip the end of hers. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he’s staring very hard out the window.

Olani’s eyes meet mine, which dart away to focus on the hair piled on top of her head. If I agree with her, we’ll have to figure out a tiebreaker of some kind, and I don’t like our odds against my sister and Raze. Besides, even though it’s a little eerie, I don’t think there’s anything here that can harm us. “It’s safe,” I say, and that decides it.

The building is just as beautiful close-up as from a distance, even in the fading light. There were probably heavy wooden doors in the front once, but they’re long gone, so we can easily drive right through the enormous entrance. There’s enough space to park at least a dozen Destinys on a floor that was once stone but is now claimed by moss and errant wildflowers peeking between the cracks. A staircase to one side leads up to a balcony, but it’s missing several steps near the top, which sit in a crumbled heap underneath.

I can still faintly hear the rain landing on the roof at least a hundred feet above us, drawing my eye up to rafters draped with climbing plants. The roof is solid enough to shelter our campfire but riddled with plenty of holes to let the smoke out. As Isolde builds a fire and Olani and I work on preparing food, I start to worry about just how long our supplies will last. We make an incredibly generic-tasting stew that is mostly cabbage and potatoes, with a bit of leftover bacon fat to keep it from being so sad we have to season it with our tears. At least we still have leftover bread from yesterday to make it stretch a little further.