the cliffs.
“There must be a trail. Maybe it’s an old service road from when they were building this place. It’s probably not even used any more.”
“But how can we reach it?”
“The elixir will help. Keep your masks tight.”
I pulled out the vials Damien had given me. We’d already used at least half of the elixir. “We had two drops earlier. Two more drops now should be enough?”
“Four drops still isn’t that much,” Camina said. “Not if we have to fight.”
“Then let’s try to stay quiet.”
“Just two or three of us should go,” Jazmine said. “Use more elixir, and see what’s up there. It would be safer.”
“I’m not letting you go up there alone,” Trevor said.
“Fine by me,” Luke shrugged. “I’m not too keen on heights anyway, or falling to my death.”
“How about getting skewered by a dozen arrows?” Jazmine said. “They probably have guards sweep the area every few hours. Good luck fighting them off without us.”
“We should all go,” I said. “You’re overthinking it. Maybe the climb isn’t even that bad. It couldn’t be too hard or nobody would use it.”
28
Twenty minutes later, I was dangling from the cliff face with sweat dripping down my brow.
“Not that hard, huh?” Trevor grumbled from behind me.
After sweeping the edge of the mountains, we found a scalable portion of large boulders. Blackened roots twisted into sharp brambles, that would have drawn blood if we weren’t already covered up in dark clothing. I tucked my scarf into my jacket so it wouldn’t get in the way as I hauled myself up the rocks.
Once we were up high enough, we stumbled onto a narrow path that wove between the jagged cliffs and around the great pillars of stone. Where the path got too steep, narrow planks of wood had been secured to the wall, along with ropes to hold on to as we inched our way across the narrow incline.
Every time we seemed to face a dead-end, there would be a hidden staircase or hard to see handholds just out of reach, cut into the wall. It was almost fun at first, but after a few hours, my muscles were shaking and I was out of breath. I began feeling nauseous and dizzy because of the toxic ash. The elixir was keeping me moving, but my muscles and lungs ached for oxygen, and there wasn’t enough in the harsh environment.
I wanted to tear off my scarf and choke down air, but I knew breathing in this much ash could be fatal. Camina gave me a hand up to a narrow ledge and then made room for the others. I pulled out my canteen, which was nearly empty, and dripped water down my parched throat.
From this vantage point, we could see into the heart of the city down below us. It was a vision of white marble and gold statues, with sleek glass and gray buildings and storied apartment buildings that formed a moon shape before the gate, almost like a shield. In between the buildings were lush gardens and fountains, and a commercial district marked by outdoor stalls. People moved like ants. Rather than the colorful blues of Crollust or pink and teal of Algrave, these people were in gray and black. A few older women wore purple dresses and coats of black fur, despite the heat. It was blistering out here in the open, but perhaps the fountains kept the temperature down in the compound.
Further up, the compound rose into a near vertical city, carved into the rocks, connected with tight steps, long ladders and an electronic cable car system.
Most of the men carried some form of armor and many wore swords or weapons. The actual guards were easier to spot, in full suits of armor, carrying large double-edged axes.
“They’re armed,” Luke said.
“No shit,” Jazmine sniped.
“No, look at their belts.”
I was surprised he could see so well from this distance, but squinting through the ash, I realized the dark shapes at their hips were pistols.
“I thought the elite didn’t allow guns in their compounds.”
“They don’t,” I said. “At least not in Algrave.”
“There were guns in Iklebot,” Camina offered. “The men rarely needed them, despite the harsh conditions. It was looked on as a weakness to use them in battle, but they were there for our protection. And... many of the guards carried them on patrols, for the slagpaw.”
“To shoot them?” Trevor asked.
“No. If the slagpaw took you, a pistol would do little good. It was so that you wouldn’t die a slow, painful