The inspection took most of the morning. By the end, Rohan's pack had been transformed into something compact, balanced, and, according to Maerin, "less likely to betray you."
He was not sure packs could betray people.
Then he remembered the world he was on and decided not to challenge the concept.
On the fifth evening, Veska gathered the expedition team in a small room near the eastern wall to explain the storm readings.
Veska was old enough that no one seemed willing to guess her age aloud. Her hair was white, her skin dark and creased, and her eyes had a faint milky sheen that made Rohan wonder how well she saw ordinary things. Yet when she looked at the sky, everyone listened.
She spread several thin metal plates across the table. Each was marked with scratches, ash stains, and small embedded chips of silver.
"The eastern route will be ugly but passable," she said.
Rohan waited for someone to ask what ugly meant.
No one did.
He raised a hand slightly.
