At last, we decided to camp for the night. So I erected a few walls and a roof to make a quick shelter.
With no tinder in stock, there was no way to start a campfire. So we let it go and simply went to sleep.
Well, everyone else did.
I went for a walk instead.
Once out, I found Juliana leaning against one of the stone walls.
Her coat fluttered faintly at her waist, otherwise unmoving, as if she hadn't noticed the cold at all.
She was staring back toward the caldera again.
"Couldn't sleep?" I asked, stopping a few steps away.
She didn't answer right away. For a moment, I thought she might ignore me entirely.
Then she did. "No. I can sleep. I just didn't want to."
That made me frown.
I moved to rest my back against the stone wall right beside her.
From here, the Valley looked endless — layer upon layer of broken earth, all bathed in the same dull crimson glow.
"You've been staring that way all day," I said. "Are you expecting Kevin to crawl back out of the caldera?"
