52

He glances up from the map he's reading. He seems to divine your intent immediately, as if he had expected it, and bites his lip.

"That sounds wonderful," Alexius says, but his tone is sad. "Sometimes I wish I could bring myself to stay here, the way you plan to. But I can't. I'm sorry, I just can't. Don't think about me, Crowchar. We're going to different worlds." With a final, pained sigh, he gathers his maps and slips out of the planning room.

After a few minutes, you realize that the night is no more than half over. With the gray mountain hanging huge in the sky, you can see well enough to get more work done.