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walls.
    “What was that?”
    Taking a breath, Jaax grumbled, “Boarlaque. But don’t worry, it won’t bother us.”
    Jahrra felt a shiver run through her. Hroombra had once told her about boarlaques. They were larger than a bear and had long, wicked fangs and claws meant to tear apart logs and animals that threatened them. She knew they lived in the mountains of Felldreim and Oescienne but she never thought to actually encounter one. She hoped Jaax was right about the creatures not taking an interest in them. Reluctantly, she crawled back to her bed roll, nestled up against Phrym and fell back into an uneasy sleep.
    On the fourth day after they started up the canyon, Jahrra noticed that the oaks, sycamores and cottonwoods had left them long behind and now the only trees that dotted the landscape were scraggly, wind-worn pines and spruces. The trail had also flattened out and the cliffs had seemed to recede.
    When they crested one last incline in the trail and found themselves staring out into a vast high mountain meadow, Jaax breathed a sigh of relief and said, “We are through the worst of it. Now we’ll follow the Raenyan until it meets the Cornaith and from there we’ll follow that river until it takes us to Lake Runess.”
    Jahrra gazed at the wonder before her, noting the large amount of snow that was still upon the ground. They took their time crossing the great meadows for Jaax assured her that they had a sizeable head start on their enemies and that anyone who might be trailing them would easily be seen from this point onward. Many times they stopped to admire the scarlet and blue alpine flowers or to allow Phrym a taste of the new grasses growing where the ground wasn’t covered in ice. The air was chilly but it held the promise of spring. They camped the first night in the wide open and Jaax built up a fire. The stars were so much clearer this high in the Elornn Mountains and guardian and ward passed the time trading the stories of the constellations; the stories that Hroombra had taught them.
    It took them several more days of rough travel through finicky, late winter weather in order to reach the Cornaith River, a wide, turbulent rush of water that, according to Jaax, split the Thorbet Range on its race to the great southern ocean. A few days after that the river, if possible, became swifter. Jahrra didn’t notice the sound of booming water until the falls were nearly upon them. When she did, however, she gasped, jerking back on Phrym’s reins. The semequin whickered in surprise but made no other sound of protest.
    The falls weren’t tall but they were wide, a great white ribbon pouring from a natural rock dam. Jaax nodded towards what appeared to be an old, narrow trail leading up the side of the small cliff.
    “At the top the river smoothes out and widens again, and beyond that, Lake Runess spreads on forever.”
    Jahrra nodded, not really listening to Jaax’s words, but when they reached the top of the trail she gasped. The Tanaan dragon had not been exaggerating. The land was flat for a while, pocked with small pools and marshes where the broad Cornaith River didn’t cut a wide course. But a mile or so off she noticed the great expanse of water Jaax had been speaking of. She couldn’t even see the other side of it and doubted she would be able to once they moved closer.
    Jaax uncovered an old road that followed what Jahrra could only assume was the point of land highest above the lake when it was at its fullest. Overgrown and seldom used like the other trails they had followed, the road hugged the curves of the small hills that rose above the water, twining in and out of shallow canyons lined with old trees.
    That night they camped in one of those small canyons tucked into the hillside. Jaax grunted approvingly at the large rocks scattered about, clearly pleased with their position in regards to the road. They built up a small fire and Jahrra ate wild rabbit, easily caught and roasted by Jaax an