The staircase looked considerably less welcoming up close.
From the plain, Nova had mistaken its ledges for a single path. Up close, gaps separated the landings, and some sections required climbing rather than walking. The upper steps vanished beneath an overhang that darkened the cliff.
"Well, that's disappointing," he said. "I was hoping someone had invented a staircase that didn't try to kill its visitors."
Lunaris meowed from his shoulder. The Auri pressed a hand against the first landing, more interested in the markings beside the steps than in the height.
Nova followed its gaze. Shallow grooves covered the cliff at different levels, some straight and others grouped into diagonal strokes. Many were worn smooth. Unlike Bracken Span's survey marks, there was no interrupted circle.
