The path downward curved like the spine of some ancient creature, thin and jagged and coated with pale dust that shimmered faintly when the wind touched it. Isabella walked ahead with her fan in one hand. Osiris walked behind her with the same silent worry he always carried now, even if she refused to acknowledge it.
The mountain stretched endlessly above them. Endless stone walls. Endless jagged peaks. Endless cliffs that dropped into nothingness. It was as if the world was daring her to fall.
But this cliff, the one near the mountain's entrance, was different.
It was huge. Open. The sky curved across it like a giant dome of silver. The wind here was quiet, almost respectful, like it knew this cliff held secrets.
Isabella stopped when her map blinked the glowing word:
Location Reached
She inhaled slowly. Her heartbeat was steady at first.
Then it wasn't.
She looked at the task again.
Ghostshade Bark.
Found on the bark of the translucent Ghostshade tree near the cliff edge.
