(June 2)
Knock
Cliffs of Easvolin
Autumn 49 – 50
Door Jamb constructed and immediate danger to the village headed off, they go back to deliver on their promise to the Deeplurker.
They arrive at the cliffs and get the Deeplurker’s attention, and then Esmund (after a false start) uses the Door Jamb to rip open a Door large enough for it to exit. As it passes through, it tells Xalati something along the lines of Follow the day until it meets the night to find the first of what you seek, or some bullshit like that. Incensed, she tries to follow it, but the cold is so punishingly subzero that her limbs stiffen up and ice crystals start to form; Esmund has to shout and grab at her to bring her to her senses to come back. As Esmund closes the Door, they see a serpent the size of geography moving toward the portal, its head alone the size of all of Shepherd’s End; the Door closes before it can reach them.
They race back to shore to warm up the two frozen swimmers, where Kaisi comes in handy.
Camping that night, Peach and Salinger discuss Xalati’s weirdness after seeing the Deeplurker. Peach suggests leaving her grief alone and not poking at it.
Xalati wakes later and discovers a stranger at the campfire with the face of an Ixtalan who never existed—an Ixtalan who grew up alongside her and reached 18. Salinger distracts her, and “Ixtalan” vanishes. Xalati has a mini-breakdown and Sal talks to her, where she says the pain of losing Ixtalan was like having frostbite: she had gone numb over the years, but now that there’s a possibility she’s still around, the loss is coming alive again and hurting. She also prods at him about Peach’s crush, but he evades answering, which she concludes as a probability he’s well aware and potentially interested.
Once home, they discuss next plans and decide to head to Myrwood as it has a higher chance of finding survivors and supplies and also helps the Verdict, as they’d agreed.
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