The small group headed east out of camp, pushing through dense forest until a single stone spire rose from the earth ahead of them. It climbed a few hundred feet straight up on all sides—sheer, smooth, and bare of handholds or vegetation. From a distance, the top looked flat, and trees were visible crowning the summit.
Telo whistled softly. "There's a plateau up there. But that climb…" He shook his head. "I don't see us making it."
Dem nodded. "Which is why I'll climb first and lower a rope."
Telo grinned. "That we can do—at least, I can." He glanced at their two companions.
"No problem," the shaman said calmly.
"Don't worry about me," Mamar added with a smile. "Ropes and I go way back."
Dem and Telo exchanged a look but said nothing.
Dem stripped quickly, stowing his clothes in his storage ring. Having seen this more than once, Telo and the shaman didn't comment.
Mamar, however, turned her head away with a small huff. "Not a shy one."
The air thickened around Dem as he shifted. His claws bit into the granite as if it were soft cheese, deliberately gouging footholds as he climbed. The black rat scaled the cliff as though it were a level path, moving steadily upward.
After a short climb, he paused, scanning for threats, then shifted back and dressed.
The plateau above was heavily forested, stretching nearly a mile across. Dem secured a rope and dropped it over the edge, bracing himself.
"Everyone up!"
Telo climbed first, accepting Dem's hand as he hauled himself over the lip.
"Oh… magnificent." Mamar's full lips curved into a smile as Dem helped her onto the plateau. "It's been a while since I've done anything like that."
Telo whistled again. "I knew there were trees up here, but this is something else."
The trees were massive—wagon-wide trunks rising hundreds of feet into the sky. They dwarfed the forest below as Dem led them beneath the canopy.
The bark was gnarled, the needles fine and lace-like, unlike anything Dem had seen. A faint floral scent hung in the air.
"Anyone recognize these?" Dem asked.
When no one answered, the shaman spoke. "I don't. It could be mutation from isolation… or something brought here deliberately. Planted, perhaps."
With no clear destination, Dem aimed for the center of the plateau. Though no trail was visible, the spacing between the trees made travel easy. Instead of grass, the ground was carpeted in thick moss that yielded underfoot like a well-worn bedroll.
The shaman knelt, peeling back a strip of moss. She lifted it to her nose, then bit off a small piece and chewed thoughtfully.
"Hungry?" Dem grinned. "The moss and the needles smell the same."
She nodded. "It's part of the trees. It connects them—shares nutrients between roots. Remarkable." She glanced around. "Now I understand why we don't see this forest below."
Telo snorted. "I don't. What am I missing?"
Dem ducked beneath a low branch. "If the moss is essential to the forest, animals feeding on it would slow growth—maybe even kill it. With no wildlife up here, nothing keeps it in check."
Nephira slipped free of Dem's storage ring, coiling briefly around his upper arm before dropping to the ground. Her nostrils flared as she bounded ahead, slithering easily across the moss.
"Beautiful," Mamar said. She'd heard stories of the tatzelwurm, but this was her first time seeing one. "Does she have a name?"
"Nephira," Dem said.
Mamar laughed softly. "After the Night Thief?"
Dem nodded. "Ai heard the name in one of your stories."
The Travelers' tales often filled the nights. The Night Thief was said to be a princess who slipped from her castle each evening, unseen and uncatchable.
They traveled a few more minutes before Dem stopped abruptly, staring at the ground. He scuffed his boot across the moss, scraping it away to reveal stone beneath.
"This is a cobbled path."
The disturbed growth exposed careful workmanship—stones fitted with deliberate precision.
"Now we're getting somewhere." Telo brought his spear forward, tapping the stone with each step. "Probably safe, but stay sharp. Watch for traps."
Dem walked beside him, the air around him thickening as his senses spread outward. He halted suddenly. "See that?"
Telo followed his gaze. "Yeah. Moss on those trees—but not the others."
He prodded one with his spear, then frowned. "Never mind. Those aren't trees."
Dem looked up. Six pillars rose in a loose circle, each several dozen feet tall. The forest had grown over and around them, branches and needles masking their presence almost perfectly.
"The scent of magic is stronger here," Mamar said quietly.
Light flared upward through the moss-covered path, instantly incinerating the vegetation as archaic symbols ignited beneath their feet.
In the same instant, three of the companions were forcibly shifted into their beastkin forms.
Mamar staggered back, tracing a symbol in the air just as something lunged at her with inhuman speed.
A massive maw filled with razor-sharp teeth snapped open—aimed straight for the Traveler.
Before it could strike, the creature was casually knocked aside as a large black rat appeared in front of her.
Dem landed lightly, his beastkin form settling into place. The attacker charged again—dark as night, the size of a desert lion—ignoring the others and focusing solely on the lone human.
The air around Dem thickened, compressing until the creature froze mid-stride.
Telo's spear slammed into its spine.
The thing howled—and shattered.
Stone fragments collapsed into dust, and the runes beneath their feet dimmed and vanished. In moments, all three were released from their beastkin forms.
"What was that?" Telo demanded, spear still leveled as he scanned the clearing.
Dem nudged the remains with his boot. The stone crumbled instantly. "Whatever it was, it's ancient. Brittle with age."
The shaman knelt, lifting a fragment that disintegrated between her fingers. "A construct?"
"A golem," Mamar said. "Bound to the runes."
"Clever," Dem said quietly. "It was a trap for humans. It ignored all of us and went straight for you."
Mamar exhaled slowly. "Thank you. That thing was unbelievably fast. I'm guessing it wouldn't have activated if I hadn't been here."
"Found an entrance!" Telo called, hacking moss away from a stone wall. Thick mats of vegetation fell aside until a doorway emerged. "Hey—why didn't we lose our clothes when we shifted?"
"No idea," Dem said. "What I don't like is that we were forced to shift. Even me. Whatever that spell was, it's stronger than Escadomai."
A chill ran through the shaman. "If magic like that still existed openly, mages would use it against beastkin. The clans would be exposed—and wiped out."
Dem ducked through the doorway. Telo followed, spear probing ahead.
Blue fire flared to life.
One torch ignited—then another, and another—until the chamber was bathed in eerie blue light.
"Same as the maproom entrance under the bay," Telo said.
"There." Dem pointed to a dais beside a smooth stone wall. He crouched, studying the engraving, then grinned. "Pine marten."
"Pine marten?" the shaman asked, her white painted face showing amusement. "Did you know this would happen? Is that why I'm here?"
"That—and we like your company, dosu," Dem replied. "The Red Fox site had a fox dais."
"Which is my beastkin," Telo said. "When I stepped on it, the door opened. But I don't see one here."
The shaman stepped onto the dais.
Nothing happened.
"Do I need to shift?"
Dem nodded. "Escadomai."
Crimson mist burst outward as the shaman vanished into a pile of clothes. Her pine marten form wriggled free—and the dais flared to life.
Stone ground against stone as the wall before them sank smoothly into the floor.
Dem gestured. "Lead the way."
The pine marten darted forward. Yellow torches ignited in sequence, revealing a circular chamber beyond.
Dem and Telo exchanged satisfied smiles.
Another maproom.
Dem approached the raised platform displaying the continent's relief map. "Identical to the one beneath the bay."
He produced the circular tool and aligned it with the slotted ring.
"There," Telo said, pointing. "The bay location is glowing."
"We activated it earlier," Dem said, inserting the tool and turning it until it locked. The torches shifted from yellow to blue.
"I'll check the dais," Telo said, trotting back. "Same runes as before."
Mamar knelt to examine them. "These are transport runes."
"We thought so," Dem said. "You're certain?"
She nodded. "Absolutely. So—are we going through?"
Dem shook his head. "Telo is."
Telo grinned. "I figured you'd say that."
"If it fails, you'll need to activate it," Dem said. "The first dais was fox-bound."
Telo accepted the tool. "Right. If it goes wrong, I'll just ride back, though that will take a few days."
They returned to the entry chamber. The torches glowed yellow again.
"Careful," Dem said.
Telo stepped onto the dais—and vanished.
Moments later, he reappeared, grinning widely. "There and back. Smooth as glass."
"Good," Dem said. "Let's move."
Telo led the way. One by one, they stepped onto the dais and disappeared.