Noctisardor Bypass entlaufen

mahler did not dare to look back.
the cold wind would freeze silent streams of saltwater along his cheeks.
it was the apex of finality. a finished betrayal. 
he could not bear their scorn. he could not bear their hatred. he could not bear his own weakness.
he did not reach for wylla.
mahler set their course for a wide berth away from the taiga and the valley, heavy, wearied steps moving inexorably toward the last place that they had truly been whole: the sunspire.
eventually he fell back with phaedra, allowing wylla to take the lead with no more than a silent glance.
mahler would go where she led.
he no longer wished to be looked to for leadership.
in truth he no longer wished to be observed at all.
it was the truth of their future that had taken him from rivenwood.
the snow howled. he breathed.