Ayla stayed there, silent and breathless, staring into the abyss. Her fingers gripped the broken edge of the ice, knuckles white. Serena reached her side, placing a hand on her shoulder, but Ayla recoiled at the touch.

“He was… I didn’t even check… If I had just… I should’ve,” she whispered.

“You couldn’t have known,” Serena said gently.

“I should have,” Ayla snapped. She stood and turned to face Serena; her body unsteady. “That’s my job. I’m the scout, I’m meant to know better. I just…” her voice trailed off. “I was just worried we were running out of time.”

She bowed her head, eyes shut, as hung her head in silence as Serena gently wrapped an arm around her and guided her away from the chasm’s edge.

Rohan stepped up beside Ayla, his face grim. “You made a mistake,” he said, not cruelly, but not gently either. “Own it, learn from it. Make it mean something. Don’t let it be in vain.”

Ayla looked up at him, her eyes red. She swallowed hard, then nodded.

“Let’s see this through then.” Ayla took her bow from her shoulder, knocked an arrow turned to lead them onward into the dark.

 

The trio stood around the glowing rune, studying it silently. Its light pulsed beneath the ice. Serena stepped forward, placing her hand gently upon it and closed her eyes. A soft glow formed beneath her palm, and the rune responded with a low, resonant hum. She opened her eyes and stepped back.

“We’re close. Very close. This one holds more power than any we’ve passed.”

Rohan nodded. “Stay sharp. Watch each other’s backs.”

They pressed on, moving as quickly as caution allowed. Before long, the ground began to slope downward, first at a gentle angle, then steepening into an icy descent too treacherous to walk.

Without hesitation, Serena dropped her pack and pulled out a length of rope, several pitons, and a hammer. She handed the tools to Rohan, who began driving the pitons into the frozen wall with heavy, deliberate strikes. Ayla took the rope and worked quickly, tying sturdy knots and securing it through the anchors. Once the line was taut, the trio began the slow, painstaking task of rappelling down the slick incline, vanishing one by one into the deepening gloom below.

 

The rope creaked as they descended, boots scraping against the ice. The ice pressed in around them until, at last, the tunnel opened into a vast, domed chamber. They dropped the final metre, landing with soft crunches on snow-dusted stone. At the centre of the room stood a colossal prism of ice, unnaturally perfect, its surface etched with glowing runes that pulsed like a heartbeat. The trio cautiously approached the towering monolith. The ice wasn’t clear, but within it something massive loomed. Ancient. Terrifying. Coiled and sleeping. A dragon, encased in crystal frost. Its wings curled around it tightly like a shroud, horns curved back like a crown of stone. Its eyes were shut, but even frozen, it radiated power. Ayla’s breath caught in his throat.

“By the gods…”

Serena took a step closer, staff trembling in her grip. As she neared the ice, the runes burned with a sudden intensity and the ground rumbled beneath their feet. Cracks began to slither across the block of ice, fracturing the surface with violent speed. The dragon’s eyes snapped open. Serena’s breath hitched. “We’re too late,” she whispered. “We can’t stop it. Only witness it.”

Rohan stepped up beside her, his face steeled. “No. We’re still here. It’s not over.”

A ferocious crack split the air as shards of ice erupted outward in an explosion of frost and light. The shockwave slammed into them – Serena fell to her knees, Ayla was thrown back, and Rohan staggered, shield raised against the blast. Then, silence. The air stilled and the powder began to settle. With the sound of an avalanche crashing down a mountain, the dragon unfurled its wings and stepped forward. The ice beneath its claws shattered with every step. The dragon’s eyes locked onto the insects that dared stand before it. It reared its head and roared, a sound they felt in their bones. The cave walls trembled; stalactites cracked and fell. Rohan helped Serena to her feet, before raising his shield once more.

“You two keep your distance, I’ll do my best to keep its eyes on me.” He rolled his shoulders and gave his hammer a few warmup swings, its head beginning to glow with radiant energy. Serena rushed to Ayla’s side, helping her up. Ayla found her and knocked an arrow to her bowstring. She met Serena’s eyes, voice firm.

“For Torgan. We end this here.”