As they drew closer to the cliffs they were able to get a closer look at the vampire vine creeping across it and the butterflies fluttering around them, rising from their fiery blossoms like embers, fluttering from each to each before finally taking shelter from the storm among their petals.
The mesmerizing dance drew their gaze up across the slope of the cliff, from the lowland where they were beaching to the walled civilization above. A cross-crossing of stairs and decrepit tiered gardens overgrown with vampire vine formed a path.
A carved cliff wall rose up before them. A carved stone archway led into a dark spiral stair which wove up, up, up, to the cliff above. Water flowed down the steps from the rain.
They found themselves on the inside of the walls atop the cliffs. This appeared to be some sort of abbey, squat buildings circled an empty plaza, an the spire of a belltower watched over all.
Allarah recognized it as plainly Haimarchy, a fact which wasn't lost on the others, either.
A squat wood hit watched them through the mist, roof pulled low in a scowl as smoke plumed from its chimney. Shadows moved around on the other side of a thick cut of glass.
The door opened and a woman, a Sauthei, stepped out with a crossbow. The wind tugged at her brown-blond hair, and her eyes went wide.
"It's true..." she gasped, looking at each of them in turn, as though savoring them like lost family. "You're... you're alive!"
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