The Old Road Revisited

After passing through the southern entrance of Ancient Frost Pass, which was as narrow as a mountain pass, they came to the long, winding old road.

This ancient road cut all the way through the Iceclaw Mountains. The straight-line distance between its southern and northern entrances was nearly eight hundred miles, but the actual route stretched for more than two thousand. That meant that even if Lux and Ashe drove Yukal at full speed until the poor beast dropped, it would still take at least three days to get through the pass.

The narrow, winding road climbed steadily from south to north. It was less an old road than a twisting passage through the central Dragon Ridge Mountains, formed by a series of valleys and mountain saddles.

As they traveled along it, all they could see on either side were steep slopes and cliffs buried beneath thick snow. The rolling thunder and howling winds that echoed through the pass made it hard not to worry that the snow might give way and trigger an avalanche.

Of course, avalanches couldn't happen on the old road through Ancient Frost Pass. The snow had been packed solid over countless years. Shouting and shaking wouldn't budge it—not even an earthquake might be enough to bring it down.

But even after Ashe explained this, when Lux looked to either side, she couldn't help recalling the avalanche she had witnessed on the Western Freljord Subcontinent. Once again, she found herself marveling at how different Freljord's landscapes could be.

They continued winding their way along the old road. By the time Yukal was breathing heavily and slowing down, clearly in need of a rest, Lux and Ashe had finally reached their first stopping point.

It was a rest stop connected to the old road by a spur.