Chapter 8 - The Ascent into the Divide
The all-terrain rovers roared through the dense, snow-dusted pine forests of the Front Range, climbing higher and higher as the paved roads gave way to treacherous, ice-packed logging tracks. The night sky above was a vast, glittering ocean of stars, untainted by city light pollution, casting an eerie, pale glow over the towering cliffs of the Continental Divide.
In the passenger seat of the lead rover, Ethan studied his mother’s faded map by the dim illumination of the dashboard console.
"We're approaching the timberline," Marcus said, keeping his eyes fixed on the winding dirt track ahead, where towering pine trees crowded close to the vehicle. "According to your map, the Heart of الدرة—the Divide—is located just beyond the old Summit Mine shaft, about three miles up this ridge. After that, the terrain becomes impassable for vehicles. We hike the rest of the way on foot."
"Good," Ethan said, tightening the straps of his pack. "Vehicles make too much noise anyway."
Suddenly, the encrypted comms unit on the dashboard crackled to life with a burst of heavy static, followed by Vance’s voice from the second rover trailing behind them.
"Captain! Leader lead, check your six! We’ve got movement in the tree line! Multiple thermal signatures tracking parallel to our position at high speed!"*
Marcus slammed his foot on the brake, the rover sliding sideways across the frozen mud before coming to a jarring halt. He grabbed his binoculars and scanned the dark, dense forest flanking the road.
Through the magnified lenses, the shadows between the pine trees seemed to twist and stretch. Long, scaled limbs blurred through the darkness, moving with terrifying, inhuman speed, easily keeping pace with machinery traveling at forty miles per hour.
"They didn't lose our trail," Marcus cursed, dropping the binoculars and reaching for his tactical rifle. "They tracked the resonance of the blade."
"They're not trying to stop us," Ethan said, his voice unnervingly calm as he opened his door and stepped out onto the frozen ground. "They're herding us."
"Herding us where?" Marcus demanded, stepping out beside him, his breath pluming in the freezing mountain air.
Before Ethan could answer, a massive, deafening roar echoed down the canyon, shaking loose a cascade of snow and ice from the surrounding pine branches. High above them, perched on a jagged cliff overlooking the trail, a colossal silhouette detached itself from the rock face and plummeted toward the road.
It landed with a tremendous crash directly in front of the lead rover, cracking the frozen earth.
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As the dust settled, the moonlight illuminated the creature in full detail. It stood nearly eight feet tall, its body covered in thick, armored black scales that shimmered like obsidian. Its head was reptilian, crowned with jagged horns, and its single yellow eye burned with malicious intelligence.
"Welcome to the end of the line, Miller," the creature hissed, its voice echoing like thunder across the canyon. "The Heart of the Divide is a tomb. And you brought us the key."
