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 edra opened her eyes and sat up slowly, cold and stiff from sleeping on the ground for yet another night. The sun was teasing the horizon but had not yet risen, and all around her was bathed in shades of gray. She drank a few sips of cool water from her flask and dug through her pack for her comb and hand mirror, vowing that once this adventure was over, she would spend a week pampering herself.
Dry skin and leaves in her hair were the least of her concerns. Kedra looked at the dark circles under her eyes, the wrinkles in her robes that were beginning to hang a little loosely, and the dirt beneath her fingernails with a sigh. It was not that she was spoiled or soft; but she was beginning to miss her home and the friends and family there.
She splashed a little water from her flask onto her face to freshen it. “Hey!” grumbled a voice beneath her as Keith rolled out of the way. The magess blushed a bit. “Sorry Keith,” she said softly, “just trying to wake up.”
Keith rubbed his eyes and sat up. “If you thought I needed a bath, you could just tell me,” he complained as he ran his fingers through his tangled hair. Kedra chuckled at his hair, which was sticking out at all angles, and silently handed him her comb.
“Thanks,” he mumbled. “Dawn comes too early on a day like today.”
Indeed, the sun had just started its ascent into the sky, and the others were stirring awake as well. Shahrressa and M’Ladyhawke both produced combs and mirrors from their packs. Kedra noticed that they, too, were beginning to look as ragged as she, but they appeared to be more used to long campaigns in the forest. Only Feather seemed unaffected; indeed, the forest seemed to invigorate her more each day that passed.
Arana stretched with a loud groan, and Gladstone fastened his kilt about his waist with a great pin. Peacefrog grimaced at them all.
“The way you people rise in the morning, it is a wonder we have not been ambushed,” he complained. “You make enough noise for an army.” He had already begun turning his blankets into a roll to stuff into his pack, then exchanged blankets for biscuits and plopped down on a fallen log to eat.
“Grouch,” Arana teased him. “If we all woke up as sullenly as you, my friend, we would never get anywhere.” He accepted a roll from Raggot's hand with a smile. “Sleep well, Rags?” he asked the boy, who nodded and produced another roll for Shahrressa.
She took it gratefully as she combed the dust from her alabaster hair. “Thanks, Rags,” she told him with a smile. She turned to Gladstone, who was lacing up his sandals. “So do we have any idea how to get inside that mountain?”
They all turned to the west. The Fire Mountain loomed heavy and large over the tops of the trees. It looked ominous and red in the early morning light, as the rising sun bathed the mountain in a deep red glow. It looked as if the mountain really were on fire.
Gladstone shook his head. “Well, I know how t’ reach the foothills,” he told them, “but as for getting inside, I’m nae certain until we get there. Surely there is a cave or a tunnel… but any cave or tunnel big enough t’ hold us, is also big enough t’ hold whatever is inside.”
“We’ll need torches,” M’Ladyhawke mentioned, “and some oil for light.”
Kedra and Keith shook their heads. “Nay, we can use the spell. Bring the torches only for an emergency.”
They finished packing their things and mounted, hoping to reach the base of the mountain before noon.
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