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They slept a few hours in a cave, afraid that staying longer in one spot would attract the dakii, before setting out again in the morning, to climb the side of a ridge north of the Yuresh Valley. The wall of ice and rock at their side blocked most of the howling wind, and the vantage let them see far in every direction.

The ground trembled stronger than before, a shudder so constant that Iryana hardly remembered how it felt for the earth to be stable. Iryana was tired after little sleep and being strung so tightly in anticipation. The others were acting like they were on a casual stroll through the snow, chatting animatedly. It was a good way to drive off the fear, she decided.

Vabihn was telling clearly exaggerated stories, as Vaneshta scoffed at each ridiculous detail and Hadima asked well-meaning questions that only set him off on another round of tales. Iryana let the joy and distraction of the others seep into her.

As she looked over them, Pepha contemplated Mezhimar, her eyes soft.

Iryana frowned, sifting through her memories, all the times Mezhimar had comforted Pepha, how frequently they were drawn to each other. They deserved to have that. She knew Pepha pretty well, and with everything she had gone through, Pepha wouldn’t make the first move. Iryana sauntered up to Mezhimar, bumping his shoulder.

“So,” Iryana hedged. “You and Pepha?”

Mezhimar stiffened. “Uh, you know we’re just friends.”

“But is something there? She seems interested.”

A hint of pain flashed across his face. “I just want to be there for her. She’s had a tough life between losing her husband and everything else. I don’t want to push her.”

Iryana walked thoughtfully beside Mezhimar for a while. “I think she’s ready to look forward, but maybe it scares her.”

“I’ll think about it.” Mezhimar sighed.

She leaned a little closer. “And think about whether your hesitation is from worrying she’s not ready, or you being afraid.”

He grimaced slightly, glancing at Pepha.

Iryana smiled to herself. It might not come to anything, but she felt a little better.

The final climb toward the ridge was steep and slippery, some of the team using their forgings to grab onto the snow. Halfway up they paused on a snowy outcrop bordered by thick forest.

“We’re making good time,” Pyetar announced. She hoped it would be enough.

Dashing out of the nearby pines, the fox-serpent half crawled and half slithered over to them. They all tensed, hands out to form their weapons, when Hadima rushed toward it. “It’s okay!” she called back to their team.

“Hadima,” Iryana groaned, following her sister. Why did she like Mhakiza’s little spies so much?

Dropping into a crouch over her snowshoes, Hadima reached inside her pack to offer a bit of jerky to the fox-serpent. The creature snapped it up in greedy claws, ripping into the dried meat and swallowing it after three quick bites.

“Is-is she feeding it like a-a pet?” Vabihn gaped with disbelief from behind them.

Before Iryana could answer him, the creature reared up, balancing on its tail and hind legs, and lunged for Hadima’s face. She jolted as one of the creature’s paws landed on her forehead, body seizing and dropping into the snow.

Iryana tensed, but she threw an arm out to stop the other she could hear starting forward to protect Hadima. Iryana had seen one of the creature’s visions herself and knew it wouldn’t harm her sister.

When Hadima recovered, she faced them, still kneeling in the snow. “It was showing me the temple. I think it’s the one we’re headed to. It’s trying to help us.”

“What did it look like?” Lidishta asked as she approached. “The temple?”

Hadima scrunched her brow, closing her eyes in concentration. “It’s built onto a ledge, great towering pines like a fence around the building. The temple is round, made of stone, with a courtyard in the middle. There’s another courtyard at the back, but it looks like they’ve torn apart the stones, dug a great ditch into the ground.”

“What’s in the main courtyard?” Lidishta demanded, coming to a stop at Hadima’s side.

Hadima’s nose scrunched up as she searched the vision she’d seen. “It’s—a statue. Of a man with a greatsword taller than he is.”

“That’s the place.” Lidishta returned to Vaneshta’s side, letting Vaneshta wrap her arms around her.

“Why did it show you?” Pyetar asked Hadima. “We already know where we’re going.”

Hadima hesitated. “I’m not sure.” She turned back to the fox-serpent. “Can you show my sister?” She grabbed Iryana’s hand and pulled her down.