The woodland gradually thinned as they continued north. Fallen leaves gave way to longer stretches of coarse grass, and the trees became scattered clusters occupying the shallow folds of the land.
The ground began rising and falling beneath their feet, drawing them across low ridges from which they could see increasingly far ahead.
Behind them, the leaning spire slowly disappeared among the distant treetops.
Farther still, the enormous mountain where they had first arrived remained visible against the horizon, its lofty outline softened by a pale veil of haze. Elion glanced back at it once, finding it rather strange that the caldera had already become such a distant landmark.
They crossed a narrow watercourse shortly before midday. Its clear current slipped between rounded stones, shallow enough that most of them stepped across without much difficulty.
Eva lingered at the bank for a moment, studying the gaps between the stones, before Nora offered her a hand.
