19
Base Camp
It was difficult to determine how long Raedrick and Selam followed the path through the gloom. Without the moon overhead, Raedrick had only his own internal clock to figure the passage of time, and he knew well how imprecise that could be. Also, very soon after setting out, the cliffs again vanished from sight. Without a reference point, it soon became impossible to judge distance either. It was almost as if time had stopped and distance had lost its meaning. Even though he knew it to be an illusion, Raedrick still found that notion extremely uncomfortable to consider.
So he was relieved when, out of the gloom ahead, shapes appeared: two columns flanking an open doorway were set into a rock wall. At first, Raedrick thought the wall was just another part of the cliffs, but i
