The Heart Ravine was an ancient, sunken sanctuary cut deep into the granite core of the mountain.
Unlike the desolate outer woods, the floor of the ravine was carpeted in thick, luminous silver moss that glowed like starlight. Massive crystal stalactites hung from the high cavernous ceiling, dripping pure water into a circular lake so calm it looked like a sheet of dark obsidian glass.
In the center of the lake stood an island of pale stone.
Elena stepped out from the rocky tunnel onto the shore of the subterranean lake. The air here was warm, vibrating with a divine, ancient pressure that made the hair on her arms stand up.
Across the water, on the stone island, a massive creature rested.
The White Mist-Stag.
The beast was towering, twice the size of a war horse, with a coat of imma
