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J ai hefted the woman over his shoulder, letting Winter carry the male devotee, hanging by his shirt between her teeth, feet dragging in the snow. Jai took a moment to appreciate her beauty – she looked for all the world like a cat with her kitten ’twixt her teeth.

The trail indicated by the Caelite guardian was barely more than a knife’s edge, flanked by sharp abysses on both sides. The path led unmistakably towards the grand summit that pierced the heavens.

It was terrifying to walk it, especially with this unfamiliar weight of the devotee on his back, and a thick layer of snow hiding what lay beneath. Each step, he felt out before putting down his weight, for what looked like a smooth ribbon of powdered path was likely treacherous beneath its frosting.

Now, though, he could see the roqs’ nests in earnest, each one larger than his own royal chamber, the enormous birds silently watching him with piercing eyes. It seemed they were used to humans. Or at least, they simply had no reason to fear them. Both knew instinctively which could eat the other.

At the end of the long ridge, Jai saw an opening in the base of the tallest peak, and he staggered for it. He had envisioned a bustling enclave, teeming with the whispers of the Caelite, yet this realm was more desolate than any he had ever witnessed.

Stepping into the sheltered embrace of the cave’s shadow, Jai beheld a wonder. The exterior bore the marks of the wind and snow’s ravages, but within lay a touch of pure artistry. It was as if generations of craftsmen had dedicated their lives to perfecting every facet, every surface, sculpting the interior into an intricate helix reminiscent of a snail’s shell. This spiralled chamber narrowed towards its zenith, tapering above an enigmatic abyss. At its heart lay a chasm, whose depths seemed to expand the longer Jai observed. At its bottom, countless tunnels spread in labyrinthine complexity, merging and converging in patterns that echoed a mathematical obsession.

For all that, there were no people here. Not plural, at least. Only a man. That same hairless man that had led him to the flock, adorned in nothing more than a simple cloth girded around his loins. With meditative repose, he sat near the precipice of the spiral on an ancient stone pedestal, his gaze lost in distant contemplation.

As Jai approached, dragging the weakened woman with him, he felt the weight of exhaustion, and dropped to his knees. Winter, with all the gentleness of a new mother, laid the male devotee beside him, who let out a pained whimper, curling in on himself in a ball.

‘We’ve made it,’ Jai said. ‘You must help them. Their time grows short.’

The man snapped his eyes to Jai, a momentary ripple of irritation crossing his visage. With an agile motion that belied his serenity, he sprung to his feet, so fast Jai fell back in surprise. The Caeliteman leaned over and picked the pair up by the scruffs of their necks. His strength was immense, for he held them with arms outstretched, his face impassive.

Jai stared, aghast, as he turned to the edge.

‘No!’ Jai cried out, lunging.

But it was too late. The two forms were released, their descent eerily silent before making a muted impact against the slopes. Then their limp forms slid, twisting and bouncing in a grotesque dance, until they vanished into the gloom of the tunnels beneath.

‘They’ll live,’ came a careless remark from the bald guardian. ‘If they’re worthy of another chance.’

Jai leaped to his feet, meeting the man’s gaze. The Caeliteman’s eyes were unnaturally dark, and Jai knew to fight him would be folly. Gradually, he calmed, and settled for spitting to the side to mark his displeasure.

‘They had better,’ Jai said, his threat weakened by the shaking in his voice. He was trembling uncontrollably, and Winter stepped forward unbidden, wrapping him in the warmth of her leathery wings once more, her great head resting warm upon his shoulder.

‘They were tested,’ the man said, almost confused by Jai’s concern. ‘And they failed.’

Jai crossed his arms, but bit back his retort. He was not here to throw away his people’s future for the sake of two that had in all likelihood tried to kill him. But now he knew what this place was. Unforgiving of weakness. As cold and hard as the stone it was made of. And he didn’t like it.

‘I brought you an Alkhara,’ Jai said finally, motioning down at the plinth far below. ‘A gift, for the Caelite.’

The man sniffed, and gave a soft nod, as if forgiving Jai’s trespass.

‘A fine gift,’ he said. ‘Your father’s symbol, sacrificed in our name. Yes...’

His eyes drifted, standing in his strange nakedness amid the snow.

‘I must speak with your leader,’ Jai said.

The man shook his head slowly.

‘That is all for today.’

Jai resisted the urge to curse. He had clawed his way up here by his very nails, against all that nature and man could throw at him. And now... this?

‘Who are you?’ Jai asked, stepping in front of him.

‘They call me the Speaker,’ he said.

Jai waited, but the man remained silent, content to wait amid the freezing cold. Some speaker he was.

‘I come as an envoy,’ Jai said. ‘Who will receive me?’

‘We receive no envoys.’

‘You lie,’ Jai said. ‘My father made a deal with you. I know it.’

The Speaker sniffed.

‘You tread the same path as your father,’ he said. ‘But he was no envoy.’

Jai ground his feet into the snow, resisting the urge to punch the cryptic, strange man.

‘What was he, then?’ Jai demanded.

The Speaker bowed his head, wincing in soft admonishment.

‘One of us, of course.’

Jai shook his head, disbelieving. His father, a member of this strange sect? The lie was so obvious, Jai could not understand why the man had made it.

‘You may go,’ the man said.

He leaped back into his sitting position, ignoring Jai completely. His eyes went blank, his face slack once more. He was soulbreathing... that much was obvious.

Jai clicked his fingers in the man’s face, to no avail.

‘So what, you expect me to just climb back down, after all that?’ Jai shouted.

He knew he was letting the man get the better of him, but the rage was the only thing that seemed to be holding the freezing cold at bay.

The Speaker ignored him. Jai cursed, rubbing his hands together, a chill wind gusting through the gaps in Winter’s makeshift shelter.

Jai entered the half-trance, ready to take a few hummingbird breaths, to let the mana warm his bones. Instead, his vision blazed golden white.

The cavern was full of mana. Swirling higher and higher, painting the world with such gilded brilliance that Jai staggered back, near blinded for the light.

Drawn like a moth, he stepped closer. Just a sip... a taste.

The Speaker’s hand slapped Jai’s chest, sending him tumbling back into Winter’s side. The dragon let out a roar, the noise shattering the still silence, her open maw stippling the man’s face with spit. He remained expressionless, locking eyes with her until she finally withdrew, letting out a final grumble of discontent.

‘Only those deemed worthy may sample the bounty,’ the Speaker said.

Jai grounded his feet, and took a deep breath to centre himself. That raw energy in the cavern, the tantalising lure of mana, had momentarily overwhelmed his senses.

‘Where is the Dansk woman?’ Jai asked. ‘At least tell me that.’

‘She endures,’ the man said simply. ‘As your father did.’

Jai cursed long and hard, such that he thought he saw the Speaker’s lips twitch in response. Finally, he calmed himself. There was no going back.

‘Then I will too,’ Jai said, throwing caution to the swirling winds around them.

The first hint of an expression touched the man’s face, a faint tugging of the corners of his lips.

‘Come with me.’