Chapter 39. Fangspire Summit

Celeste’s POV

The following morning, we found ourselves already drawing near to the mountain. Even from this distance, its jagged silhouette gave away the reason for its name: Fangspire. Three immense, toothlike spires thrust skyward from its summit, as though someone had rammed great pillars of stone into the clouds. My breath caught at the sight, and I realized I could feel the mountain’s icy presence long before I felt its wind.

We broke into a run, our boots crunching over frost-hardened earth. An unexpected chill swept through the air, sharper even than the dawn breeze I’d grown used to. Goosebumps rose on my arms. What was that? I turned to survey the others: Nora’s brow was knitted in confusion, The Goddess’s lips parted as if to ask a question, and Eryndor’s grip on his sword tightened until the metal hilt creaked. He seemed ready to draw at the slightest provocation.

For what felt like five silent minutes, we halted in our tracks. No birds sang, no