The cliff face rose so high that even the clouds couldn't hide its peak. From where Kai stood, its sheer wall of jagged stone vanished into a white haze above, as if the world simply ended somewhere past the clouds. Wind hissed through cracks and ledges, carrying with it the scent of rain and cold rock.
Kai squinted upward, already feeling his shoulders ache at the thought of climbing it.
"You're telling me," he said to Seyren, "we really have to climb all of that?"
Seyren didn't even glance at him, checking the straps on his satchel instead. "Unless you've found a hidden staircase in the past ten minutes, yes."
KKai exhaled slowly and let every thread of magic drain from his body. The faint shimmer of shadow energy bled away, leaving him feeling almost naked without its constant hum. If they can't feel me, maybe they won't look for me.
"You should wait down here, Vep," he said without turning.
