CHAPTER 16

Finding Friends in the Worst Places

In the past, traveling on the Stream had always been an adventure to Fin. But in the time of iron, it was drudgery. Below, no hint of life existed. No grasses swayed, no waves crashed, not even a breeze stirred. The only view was of destruction, an overwhelming reminder of just how much was at stake. It was hard to even know how much time had passed, as there was little difference between night and day here. Just a dim and a glow in the eternal dusk.

Onboard the Enterprising Kraken, the crew was growing restless. The Naysayer hunched at the stern, glaring into the distance and grumbling about there not being any water to fish in. Remy slumped by the wheel, letting the Ropebone Man steer. Minutes trudged into hours, with no means of telling one from the next.

And then, finally, Marrill perked up from her perch on the bow and pointed. “I think I see it!”

Fin’s mood jumped from bored to lively to tense. Up ahead, cast iron mountains scraped at the sky. At the heart of the range, five peaks towered above the rest, arrayed like the prongs of a savage crown. Smoke billowed from the tallest among them.

The world around the peaks danced in red light and shadow. Deep valleys that had never seen the sun were lit from within by waterfalls of molten metal pouring down from the high cliffs. Red-yellow rivers of flame sliced through sheer canyons, meandering out onto the plain beyond. Each peak was a volcano, somehow both dead and erupting all at the same time.

Fin felt his shoulders tighten at the thought of confronting Vell. Though it was the thought of having to ask for his help that made his stomach truly turn sour.

He didn’t have much hope that Vell would willingly help them. He’d spent the trip trying to come up with a plan to persuade him, but so far he was drawing a blank.

Fin was about to suggest that they forget it. Then he saw the first of what looked like strange trees, scattered amid the smelted rivers that oozed across the flat plain. He squinted. They were too small to be trees, he realized.