The EARTH story - February 7, 1372


The night is spent quietly...and warmly. When you emerge the next morning you find the sun shining low over the mountains to the east through broken clouds. It has been almost a week since you last saw it, and you feel heartened. The temperature dropped to 3F overnight, and shows little sign of moving up much today. With the steady breeze out of the east, the wind chill is -15F.

You break camp and set out, moving as briskly as you can in your snowshoes. Farad retreats into the border ethereal. Luckily, your backs are pretty much to the wind, as you head west-northwest.

Midmorning comes, and you arrive at a signpost, sticking up out of the snow by a few feet. It reads -

The Devil's Road: East: To The Long Valley Road and Yeti Pass.

West: To Dead Man's Pass, Dortleburg and Demon's Neck.

South: To The Witch's Dale.

Leslie smiles at Laurie.

"Demon's Neck...we won't be too far from your home. Maybe we should go and visit."

Laurie nods.

"I'd like that," she says. "It's been too many years. I wonder if my parents are still alive?"

You continue along the Devil's Road. As the day progresses the road curves steadily more northwards and the mountains close in on either side. You are climbing slowly but steadily along the south side of a narrowing valley. By nightfall the road is running northwest, and some miles off to your right and below, you see a large, frozen river running down out of the mountains.

The night passes quietly.


Next day

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