The flight to Ashford took less time than Reidar expected, mostly because the summoned ravens didn't get tired. They didn't need rest, food, or water. They just flew until their time ran out or Reidar dismissed them.
The group landed on a ridge overlooking a valley. He slid off the raven's back, landing on the loose shale. Beside him, Lena and Jake dismounted.
Reidar dismissed the summons. The massive black birds dissolved into swirling mana mist.
"We got there," Reidar said, nodding toward the depression in the landscape below. "Ashford."
The town sat at the bottom of a bowl-shaped valley, surrounded by the scarred earth of an old mine. It wasn't much to look at. Before the apocalypse, it had probably been a collection of prefabs and industrial equipment. Now, it was a fortress.
