10. A God of Threes

Nine days after leaving the brigands’ lair, Kinch and Galva snowshoe toward the mountain called Three-Head. Under a hard blue sky they spot an immense plume that might be a distant volcano, trade terse banter, and press west despite glare, fatigue, and doubts about which peak is their destination.

Hungry and unsure of their course, Kinch shoots a mountain goat. The wounded animal flees with its companions over a ridge; Kinch’s shouted frustration echoes and triggers an avalanche. The wave of snow sweeps them over a cliff, separating them onto narrow shelves. Kinch claws free and locates Galva partly buried below, where a young goat headbutts her as she struggles.

Kinch distracts the goat with convincing bleats, giving Galva time to seize its leg; the animal tumbles to the rocks. Kinch climbs down to Galva, who is bruised and swelling around the eye. With the cliff impassable, they notice a cave opening off the shelf and enter.

Inside, Kinch improvises a light cantrip on an arrow, which smokes and sputters but illuminates a small, regular tunnel likely cut by kynd. As they stoop deeper underground, the passage splits into three. With no airflow to guide them, Kinch leverages his notoriously poor luck in reverse, eliminating left and middle by touch and choosing the rightmost way.

As the brand dies, they debate turning back, but Galva prefers facing threats in a tunnel to dying on the cliffs. Pressing on, they spot a faint glow ahead, ready weapons, and peer through a doorway. They behold the God of Threes—beautiful—and the chapter closes on this discovery.