The Iron-Gate Pass was a jagged wound in the Earth, a narrow canyon where the mountain winds howled like dying spirits. It was the only land route that connected the North Star territories to the uncharted Dead Marshes, and it had been abandoned for centuries—until now.
As Elara and Kaelen ascended the winding trail, the air grew thin and tasted of burnt copper. Elara no longer glided through water; she walked the dirt, her iridescent armor clashing with the drab, grey stone of the cliffs. Beside her, Kaelen moved with the silent, predatory grace of a wolf who had regained his scent.
"The wind is wrong," Kaelen whispered, stopping to sniff the air. His hand went to the hilt of his silver blade. "It doesn't carry the scent of pine or snow. It smells like... nothing."
"The Void," Elara sa
