The smith woman, who introduced herself as Kaela, pointed a thick finger toward a jagged ridge of black rock in the distance.
"Iron Hammer City," she said, her voice a low rumble. "Built in the belly of Old Smokey, a volcano that's been sleeping for a thousand years. If you want real answers about the Sea, you start there. The elders keep the old maps."
She and her crew hoisted their wounded companion, gave Lin Tian's group a final, appraising nod, and began trudging back the way they'd come, following a nearly invisible path through the fissures.
Lin Tian watched them go, then turned his gaze to the ridge. From here, it just looked like a broken wall of stone under a hazy, orange sky.
Doesn't look like much of a city.
"Lead on," he said to Lu Cang, who had taken point.
