[Day 5 — Eastern Road — 7:30 AM]
Maya had the map on the ground before the team finished breakfast.
Not Viktor's original map. Hers — the one she had been copying, annotating, and updating since Imperial City with handwriting so small Raven had to lean in to read it.
"The secondary route at kilometer eighty is no longer viable," she said without preamble. "With four weeks instead of six, the detour leaves us no margin for unforeseen issues inside the Catacombs."
The team watched her eat and talk simultaneously.
"The alternative." She pointed to an area on the map. "Here. Aelhart Shadow Forest. Active dungeon zone — no formal entrance, creatures moving freely through the terrain. Level fifty-five to sixty-five."
"We go through it?" asked Raven.
"It's shorter than going around. We gain a day and a half."
Kira set down her bread and looked at the map.
"Can we go through it?"
"We can."
"With what certainty?"
"High."
Kira waited.
"Number?"
"Eighty-five percent."
