The ascent was a grueling ordeal. The trail rapidly narrowed, air growing impossibly thin as we climbed into the jagged peaks. Blinding white snow and black ice swirled beneath Titan’s iron-shod hooves. I sat pressed against Callum’s massive chest, using the journey to begin my silent investigation. Gripping his muscled forearms for balance, I actively cataloged every fiber of his being. I waited for a flinch or a momentary lapse in his unnatural heat. I traced the thick scars running along his wrists, searching for nerve damage. There was nothing. His body was an impenetrable fortress of hardened muscle. He navigated the lethal pass for hours without a hitched breath, unbothered by the freezing temperature.
By midday, the storm intensified into a howling blizzard, forcing the vanguard to
