Stair after stair, after stair, after stair. My god, this was bad. The question mark on the map had led us toward a mountain, and apparently, getting to the top meant climbing a ridiculous number of stairs carved into its side. The path zigzagged along the mountain face, with each section leading us higher than the last.
The farther we climbed, the colder the air became. The mountain rose sharply beside us, its rocky surface stretching upward on one side while the other dropped into a vast open view. A wooden railing and occasional stone walls kept us from getting too close to the edge, but there was still plenty of open space between them. Far below, the forest spread across the land like a green blanket, with the occasional road cutting through it.
I glanced down and could see Froken clearly now. The village looked tiny from this height, with its handful of houses clustered around the well and the larger tavern standing out among them.
