The solution wasn't as simple as it had initially appeared, however. While the Hell would likely take them far away from the ravens, who knew how far away it would take them? They could be sent to the northern end of Ireland, they could be sent to a place not even within the island, for all they knew.
And so Rowan, Nadia, and Aoife had come to an agreement regarding how they would escape. Only one of them would flee to the Hell, either Rowan or Aoife. Nadia couldn't be on her own, as without people around her to utilise her ability, she would be too weak to survive alone.
Aoife hadn't reacted in any particular way upon finding out Nadia's ability, which left Rowan confused as to why Nadia had insisted on it being secret for such a long time.
While one of them escaped into the Hell, the other two would use the opportunity to run away, putting as much distance between them and the ravens as possible. Ideally, there would be enough distance between them and the ravens for them to make it the rest of the way to Cork, or at least find a stronger awakened on their way there.
It had been another day since the sighting of the Hell, and Aoife had finally been teaching Rowan the basic history or Ireland, after they had found a map in one of the drawers. The memorisation of different cities and rivers and mountains had been painful at first, but compared to the endless boredom of waiting for his aether to replenish, it was pleasant.
Apparently, they had been just over a third of the way home, and were close to approaching the city of Clonmel when the ravens had swarmed. He was now mostly confident in his knowledge of Ireland, and how to find roads were he somehow lost in the mountains after the Hell.
Rowan seemed the most likely person to go in, as Aoife would be strong enough to protect both herself and Nadia, while Rowan was only at the level of being able to protect himself. His regeneration also meant he could sustain injuries and continue fighting, something Aoife couldn't do.
And in the sprint towards the Hell, the ravens likely wouldn't let them escape unscathed. Rowan sighed as his eyes continued to pore over the map, wondering how far away he would end up. Of course, neither Aoife nor him had said that he was going into the Hell, but they all knew.
"So when do we go? Today? Tomorrow?"
Rowan would prefer it if it were tomorrow, but he knew their best chance at survival would come from them if he was able to lure the ravens far enough away.
"At the end of the day. It'll be best if we do it before dusk, otherwise the ravens will be invisible in the night, which will make it tough for the runner."
Nadia didn't join in the conversation, she had been increasingly quiet over the course of their journey, and if Rowan had to guess, it was likely since Avery's death that things had been getting worse.
He wondered if they had known each other outside of the tests, and how much heavier his death must have been weighing on her mind. Avery had been a friend to him, but how much more had it been for her, or for Aoife?
"I can run for long enough, my ability lets me ignore most of the muscle strain. If I just eat a bunch now, I should be able to make the distance."
Aoife nodded, and Rowan noticed that she had understood what he had said. He had admitted that he would be the one to run towards the Hell, and Aoife hadn't objected, only turning to Nadia who was watching their conversation.
"We should eat as much fruit as we can as well, we don't know what the ravens will do after Rowan makes it through, we'll need as much energy as possible."
And so the group ate the remainder of the fruits in silence, red scraps littering the floor. Opening the door as the others began adjusting their gear, Rowan saw the sun hanging in the sky, just after noon. The birds shifted as they always did when they saw them, and Rowan felt his muscles tighten in anticipation of what he had to do.
He sat in the doorway for nearly an hour, trying to calm his nerves in the face of the sheer amount of birds that were observing him. He didn't bother trying to count or guess their numbers, it was well beyond any number he could conceptualise.
Finally, the time came, and Rowan slid the map they had found in his armour, wanting to protect it from the onslaught of beaks and talons he was about to endure. He tightened the straps of his armour over and over, knowing they didn't need adjusting but needing something to do with his hands.
He had faith he would survive, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to being attacked constantly as he ran towards even more danger. Finally, it was Aoife who broke his nervous fidgeting with a pat on the back, as the sun started to approach the horizon.
Exhaling in a rush, he nodded and looked to where the Hell was. It still seemed as though it was a speck on the horizon, but it was substantially larger now, and they had been able to confirm it was indeed a tier 1.
Rowan grit his teeth and stepped out of the office, and heard the door shut behind him. Immediately, the ravens started to screech, and a few took off to the sky, warily beginning their circling.
Not wanting to give them too much time to prepare, Rowan started up his run, pressing forward towards where he saw the Hell on the horizon. As he moved further and further from the building, more and more took to the sky, until they formed a thick screen overhead.