The path into the basin looked considerably shorter from above.
An hour into the descent, Nova had reached only the first band of trees. The standing stones behind him had disappeared into the haze, and the suspended ridges overhead seemed no closer. Occasionally, the ground shuddered sideways.
"If the road keeps stretching, I might need to ask it for directions," he muttered.
Lunaris padded ahead with his tail raised. The Auri followed, its recovering wing folded. The old survey groove continued beneath patches of moss, interrupted by paired cuts pointing toward the forest. Nova stopped at the third pair.
The marks hadn't weathered evenly. One cut was smooth and deep, while the other looked as if something had pushed up through it from underneath. Thin pale threads clung to its edges. He touched the stone with his sheathed blade, and a thread withdrew.
"Still following us, then. Or we've been following it all along."
