The journey up to the mountain was a more strenuous one than Sonder had expected.
During all her travels and adventures, with and without Vell, she'd done little to no climbing.
But now, most of what she did was getting up steep walls by clinging onto them and making her way slowly upward.
She wedged her staff between her and her pack as best as she could manage.
She could climb for far longer than she could float or fly on a barrier or launch herself upward, and at the rate she was going, it was about the same speed.
The dark around her lessened as she came closer to the red glow of the mountain's peak.
The dust-creature floated alongside her. It had grown less fearful of its surroundings since it had been with her.
She still didn't know what it was, but it seemed to have no wicked intent, nor any desire to hurt her.
The rock also grew warmer beneath her hands the higher she climbed and traveled.
It wasn't hot, not yet, but there was no cold left.
Sometimes, there was enough unpleasantness and stinging in the heat that made her palms ache, making her pause and flex her fingers before continuing.
She climbed carefully, choosing holds that felt solid. Once, a slab broke free beneath her boot and fell into the dark below.
She waited for the sound of it striking far below her to fade before moving again, but when the sound came, it sounded far away, and it echoed loudly, being the only noise far and wide, drawing far more attention than a loose rock should.
The dust-creature drifted nearby, circling her head and shoulders in slow, looping paths. It no longer pulled itself tight at every sound. Instead, it seemed curious, bobbing closer to the rock face, then back to her, as though comparing the mountain to Sonder and deciding which felt safer.
"Don't wander too far," she told it, but was unsure if it understood.
It returned at once, brushing lightly against her cheek before settling near her shoulder again. It felt fuller than before, its edges less frayed, its movement steadier. Courage and food had done more than she'd expected.
As she climbed, Sonder's thoughts returned to the shards.
Not with longing, want, or need; not this time, but with caution.
There was no call. There was no pull toward them.
That made her think that neither this land nor the rider's master had one.
Then she would have only wasted her time here, and that was a frightening thought. She had spent days in this land already, chasing nothing and finding nothing.
Maybe, without her knowing, something was luring her toward the peak of the mountain, waiting for her?
She had a desire to reach whatever it was, but she did not know if it was her will alone, or something else.
She thought it was, but how could she be sure?
There were people and creatures in this world that could influence the mind without one knowing. But those were evil and vile things, and Sonder was a strong mage.
If something had invaded her thoughts, then she should be able to tell.
She fought off thoughts of the shards more than once, and she could do it again.
She reached a narrow ledge and climbed up, pressing her back against the rock as she shuffled along.
It was a shame that she had put the expensive clothes from Lady Thiliel through all this turmoil, but it had to be done.
The ledge ended sooner than she would have liked.
Beyond it, and under her, the mountain dropped away sharply, just a sheer mountain wall.
Sonder edged forward as far as she dared and leaned out to look, up and down, to see if she could find a way up.
That was when she saw it.
Set into the mountain's side, several arm lengths away and still far above her, was a dark opening in the rock. It wasn't a cave or a crack in the way most were. It wasn't jagged or torn, but smooth around the edges, as though something had melted its way into the mountain.
An entrance, perhaps.
It wasn't inviting her in. It simply existed.
No handholds. No ledges. Nothing to climb across. Between Sonder and the opening was only empty space and the long fall beneath it.
She studied the rock around her, then the cliff face again, hoping she had missed something.
She hadn't.
There was no path leading to it. She realized one would have to fly to reach it.