Even inside the cave, Joachim could feel this slight tug that drew him towards the south. It was the natural sense of direction that couldn't be taught or really learned, an internal compass that pointed the way as surely as a piece of magnetized iron in a cup of water. A ranger didn't get too far if he was wandering in circles all day. Even one extra hour out there in the wilderness could be one too many. Danger was everywhere.

Joachim stubbornly resisted looking at his arm, and forced himself not to try and hide it beneath his robe. It was a struggle. "The same stories my grandmother told." He agreed faintly. "She spoke of it as a graveyard, with sadness in her eyes. South, past the long mountains, into the valley of sweat. Insects as big as your head that will feed on your blood while you sleep. Heat that suffocates you. Living trees that reach the moon. Ground that tries to swallow you whole..." He trailed off, then looked up at Sef. "She did have a habit of exaggerating, though."