They left the city quickly after finishing up their fittings at the blacksmiths', heading towards the Syheris Canyon which Kaelen estimated to take an hour on foot, if the climate stayed as tame as it was currently. Packs replenished and armed to the best of their resources, the team headed out of Redgorn's towering walls and into the sandy dunes of Seraveth.

With most of their checklist solved, only one obstacle - the most daunting of them all - was to find the location of Lore's Grotto. Thom and Darius had debated going directly to the palace first in case Alistair would be found there, but Kaelen, Aryn and Cassien shot that plan down quickly. Their group was too large and the men had decided that a direct assault into the palace would be a death sentence, especially when it meant needing to release Radriel. If Alistair's final plan was to resurrect the body, their best shot was to find it first.

According to Radriel, the grotto was secluded in the winding depths of the treacherous Syheris Canyon several miles from Redgorn. Very few travelers risked descending into the Syheris past the midway point, as the switchback road eventually narrowed to thinner than a knife's edge, and the bottom became littered with sinkholes. On the rocky walls near the bottom, if one were able to avoid said sinkholes, there were dozens of cave entrances scattered like ant holes into a delving labyrinthine maze within.

Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't know the correct path until they reached the bottom - and only Radriel knew the markers for the right entrance.

"I'm telling you, we should get it over with," Darius said in a low voice, staring holes into Radriel's back as he trudged ahead with Thom and Kaelen. "We'll figure it out on our own."

Naomi gave him a pointed look.

"What? I'm just saying," Darius mimicked a shoving motion. "Over before you know it."

The sun beat down on the group as they trudged on, eventually spotting a dark seam in the horizon - and as they got closer, the seam appeared to expand into an endless wound. It was wide and yawning, as if the pressure of raging waters had ground itself into the sandy rock over and over, gouging the earth till the sides fell sloped and impossibly deep. But the bottom was bone-dry, with dozens of open cave mouths that appeared as small as specks from where they stood. Beneath the rocky ledge of their feet was an open path that descended into a switchback path, rocky but otherwise sturdy - for now.

No one spoke as they began their way down the path, and Cassien kept his arm firmly wrapped around Naomi's waist in support with each step. The hot wind blew mildly around them, grits of loose sand biting at their ankles and hissing along the rocky edges. Eventually, the path became more and more narrower, precariously so, and Thom stopped to double-knot the rope around Radriel's wrists.

"No offense," Thom eyed him carefully. "I mean, I don't really care if you take offense. Not going to risk you shoving me off."

"And how am I supposed to climb without the use of my hands?" Radriel nearly squealed, a slick of charcoal hair drooping.

Thom merely pointed at his back. "Better get comfortable."

The group began to move in single form along the narrowing path with Thom and Radriel leading the pack, where they eventually stopped at the first ledge that no longer had a safe path to descend on flat foot from. Kaelen unpacked the first length of rope and the first large iron spike from her pack, and Cassien reluctantly released Naomi to begin the set up.

As the others assisted Cassien in the anchoring, Radriel shuffled inconspicuously towards Kaelen, lowering his volume to avoid being heard by anyone else. "Getting closer to the boss."

Kaelen reluctantly nodded.

"You know, your acting skills are much better than I thought," Radriel smirked. "Kudos. I'd actually think you were one of them if I didn't know better."

"Yeah."

"Aw, c'mon, no praise for me?" Radriel whispered, taking advantage of the few seconds that they weren't being watched. "I should get some points too. I've been bound and treated like a prisoner for almost a week now."

She chose not to respond. To her relief, Darius turned back then - and Radriel swiftly stepped away in a nonchalant manner.

The others assessed the rocky wall carefully for splits before Cassien dug the tip of the nail into a deep crevice and hammering down with the hilt of his sword. The crack rang outwards that seemed to echo endlessly throughout the canyon, and he threaded the rope around the head of the nail. He gripped the rope as close to the iron head and pulled down with all his weight, testing the strength of the anchor; it wiggled slightly, and a bead of sweat broke on Naomi's neck.

Cassien cursed. "It won't go in deep enough without either snapping the nail or cracking the rock. We need to find another spot to anchor into."

"You sure you hit it hard enough?"

"Shut up, Thom."

"I have an idea," Naomi said, stepping forward. Cassien raised a brow, holding out his hand to steady her walk towards him.

She stopped in front of the anchor and tested it with her own pull - he was right, the nail wiggled ever so slightly, and Cassien could only hammer it in so far without splitting the actual rock wall and ruining the foundation. Naomi took a deep breath and hovered over the metal with both hands - careful not to touch the rope that wrapped around it - and began to emit a radiant heat. Without direct contact, it took longer than expected, but eventually the metal began to sizzle and bubble, a burnt acrid scent filling the air.

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Aryn clapped quietly. "How resourceful of you, Naomi. That's quite impressive."

"What is she doing?" Kaelen craned her head to watch, confused yet curious.

Cassien nodded approvingly at her ingenuity. "She's melting the metal to fuse onto the rope and into the rock."

"Like forge welding," Thom breathed in awe. "I take back anything bad I've ever said about you."

Naomi turned her head without stopping to stick out her tongue at him. "I'll keep that in mind."

Once the now red-hot blob cooled down, Cassien tested his strength against it once more - and it held firm, not budging in the slightest, and the rope still remained flexible.

He turned to Naomi, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Very clever of you. Great work."

"Maybe you should thank me for every anchor I do on the way down," Naomi giggled, reaching up to brush his cheek.

"That sounds like more of a reward for me than you," Cassien said, a dimpled smile spreading across his face.

Before she could respond, Darius cleared his throat, though it was unserious. "Don't mean to interrupt, but…"

"Sorry," Naomi blushed, but she didn't pull away - too enthralled with Cassien's playful demeanor.

Even Kaelen, for once, didn't have a nauseated or annoyed expression at their exchange.

Thom and Radriel were up first; Kaelen took the initiative to begin the wrap on Thom - passing the rope diagonally across his chest, around his hip and the thickness of his thigh, and finally back over his shoulder, where the free end was held firmly in one hand - the other hand wrapped around the length that was slack against the rock wall.

Thom looked defeated as Kaelen pushed a disgruntled Radriel against his chest, tying a second length of rope around them as if they were a bundle. "Anyone else want to volunteer to be the human transporter?"

Darius and Cassien shook their heads in unison. Aryn almost snorted. "Your size is both a blessing and a curse. Thank you for your sacrifice."

"I thought sacrifices were supposed to be voluntary," he grumbled, and began to lean into the rope's cradle, controlling his descent inch by inch by gently sliding his hand down the rope.

The first few steps were both daunting and a learning curve - more than once, Thom let out a yelp of pain as he released the rope too quickly through his palm, the thick braid biting into his skin and leaving a red welt. His muscled legs shook even with his feet planted firmly against the sloped rocky wall, repelling downwards in a clumsy shuffle.

"It helps if you go slowly," Cassien called out after him.

"Now it's my turn to tell you to shut up!" Thom yelled back, voice echoing. A pause. "Alright, I'm at the next ledge now, you can pull the rope back!"

"How's it looking down there?" Darius hollered.

Thom looked around, Radriel's body swinging like a rag doll while strapped to his chest. "Looks good. The ledge here is steady, wide. This is a good route."

Cassien tugged the rope back up into a wind around the crook of his elbow, and to everyone's surprise, Naomi stepped up. "I'll go next."

"Are you sure?" he asked, voice low. "If I go first, I'll be at the bottom in case anything happens."

A flash of memories of falling and being caught into strong arms rippled through her. "Is that right?"

"Yes," Cassien murmured, and he felt himself melt in the depths of her twinkling eyes. "I told you: I'll always catch you."

She brightened like the rays of the sun at its highest point. "You remembered."

"I remembered," he confirmed, and kissed her softly. "See you in a minute."

Cassien wrapped the rope around his body and descended with ease, as if he had already done this a thousand times, though it was no surprise to Naomi. When it came to anything involving athletics or physical prowess, he was always more than exceptional. She glanced down and saw him waiting below, body as small as a keyhole from his distance, head tilted back to watch her with a half-smile. Thom and Radriel stood side by side, temporarily detached from one another.

Kaelen moved closer, looping the rope across Naomi's chest and shoulder. "Need a second?" she asked.

Naomi shook her head. "I'm ready."

She took the rope from Kaelen, beginning the descent downwards, careful to follow the same motions as the others before her. Thank Lunare that her new armour was fitted as pants rather than a dress - it would've made for both an impossible feat and embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. The rope held her weight steadily, the prickling heat of the sun ever so slowly dipping as she lowered into the cool depths of the canyon. As she neared a few feet from the bottom, Naomi loosened her grip slightly, feigning a slip and an exaggerated gasp.

Cassien's eyes widened, rushing forward with outstretched arms. Naomi landed right into his waiting arms bridal-style, falling no more than a single foot and erupting in a fit of laughter, arms wrapping around his neck.

"My hero," she joked, giggling into the crook of his neck.

"I told you I'd always catch you," Cassien let out a deep laugh, brushing back a strand of silver hair from her face. He squeezed her tightly against him, brushing his lips to hers. "I love y-"

Behind them, Thom began to gag - all too exaggerated - and his body hunched in a fake heaving motion. "Hurrgghhhh…!"

From above and in the far distance, both Cassien and Naomi heard Darius's bark of laughter at Thom's theatrics. "You tell 'em, buddy!"

The two of them rolled their eyes playfully, but stayed suspended in the warmth of their momentary delight for just a few heartbeats longer before Cassien lowered Naomi to her feet.

It didn't take long for the rest of the group to descend, with Darius landing in a dramatic flourish of black shadow in an attempt to mimic Naomi - who erupted in a fit of giggles. Once everyone had safely gathered on the lower ledge, they surveyed their remaining supplies - they still had several lengths of rope and a dozen nails, though there was no telling if it was enough. If they wanted to reach the bottom, they had to be smart with their resources.

Cassien's eyes flickered back up to the first anchor, where the length of rope hung loosely in the air. There was no need to waste it. He lifted his palm outwards, focusing as much accuracy onto the distant thread as possible, and let loose a slender shard of ice. The crystal sliced through with ease, severing the attachment, and the remaining rope fell to a soft thump on the earth.

"You two complement each other's abilities well," Aryn remarked, tugging it into a neat bundle. "Rivain and Monroe working in unison. That's one for the history books."

Naomi could almost see her mother throwing a fit at his words.

The group's revitalized spirits pushed them through the grueling, repeated efforts of hammering in anchors, sealing them, and precariously picking their way down from ledge to ledge. The sun's heat baked into the canyon walls, the scorching heat of the rocks even humming through leather gloves; Cassien extended his aura of cold to maintain their energy and pace. Though the descent was not without snags - more than once, they had to switch paths due to loose grounds or the angle of the wall was too steep to repel down.

The shadows of the canyon grew longer with each passing hour, the sky melting from cloudless azure to blooming nectarine to signal the mid-evening. By then, the group could see dozens of visible sinkholes - some as wide as a horse carriage and deeper than the eye could discern - scattered across the rocky earth like holes in a yellow sponge.

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