The Sorrows.
The Rhoyne grew especially wide here. Fertile plains no longer lined its banks; instead, thick gray-white mist lingered without dispersing.
The air carried a peculiar scent of accumulated magic power.
Even high on dragonback, Liu Qian could clearly sense that the concentration of magic power here far exceeded that of the outside world.
"This is it, the place where Valyria's dragon legion was wiped out. They say the water magic Prince Garin unleashed buried over a hundred Great Dragons here."
Liu Qian spoke to Jelena, who rode the Silver Dragon beside him.
Liu Qian possessed the True Dragon bloodline, while Jelena had gained her dragon bloodline by becoming a Flame Knight.
That was what gave them the confidence to set foot in this cursed land.
Otherwise, being touched by a Stone Man or straying into some corner where the curse still lingered would very likely infect them with greyscale.
Blooddance and Silverfall descended. The gales raised by their enormous beating wings briefly dispersed some of the thick mist below, revealing the scenery it concealed.
Sunlight seemed especially scarce here, barely penetrating the heavy fog to cast a pale, dim glow.
Below lay an immense expanse of ruined city.
This had once been Chroyane, the great city of the ancient Rhoynar.
But after the flames of the Valyria Dragonlords' legion had licked across it, nothing remained but broken walls and rubble stretching beyond sight.
Many buildings looked as though they had melted under intense heat, like enormous candles whose dripping wax had hardened.
Countless indistinct figures moved among the ruins.
Stone Men.
Their skin resembled rough rock, and most moved stiffly and clumsily, like puppets on strings, wandering aimlessly among the ruins or huddling in corners.
Three times each year, the triarchs of Volantis made a token gesture of