We had to move quietly to get where we needed to. That meant taking out the Eclipse silently. Rifle slung onto my back, I was armed with a knife, Aloy with her spear, killing quietly as we kept to cover, using angles and height to our advantage, taking the enemy by surprise. There might have been a cry of surprise from most. Thankfully, all that did was draw one or two towards us, and it was only when Aloy suddenly found two on one, backed into a corner, that I had to take out my pistol.

Putting the barrel to the back of one head, I pulled the trigger, watching the body fall, as the second turned to look at me. Pistol to the forehead, I pulled the trigger immediately, watching blood spurt out the back of his head as he dropped. Aloy looked at me and the pistol, rather surprise. The pop hadn't been particularly loud, but would draw attention the longer we stayed around.

"Wow…" she whispered.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the help."

"I'm sure you would have been fine, but I have the weapons available to make it quick."

I holstered the pistol as she gestured with her head. We took out a few more Eclipse before we got a good look at their camp. What we saw scared the absolute crap out of me. It was like no machine I had seen yet. I glanced at Aloy, and I noticed the moment of fear in her eyes at too. "Know what it is?" I whispered. She shook her head immediately. Then a grin slowly but surely appeared.

"It's back!" she stated quietly, "The sac on its back. That's Blaze!"

I returned the grin. "Ah, a couple of bullets…."

"Or a fire arrow…"

"No, you get the Blaze stockpile and blow that shit sky high. I'll look for elevation and focus on that big fucker with the sac. A few bullets and that'll blow up with the Blaze. Better you go for the stockpile, keep to cover. I'm a lumbering oaf compared to you."

"Okay, once it blows and the Nora come through?"

"We'll form a line in cover and kill the rest. If we can take a prisoner, fair enough, but I'm not sure what we'd learn from them here. It's clear this Eclipse, whoever they might be, are not based here. What is clear to me is that they are informed. Someone is giving them that information. That's who we want to find."

"I agree."

As we split up, I quickly lost sight of her as she stayed in cover as I found the perfect vantage point to open fire when needed. Gave me a perfect overview of the camp. No idea how many men there were, but to be honest, considering the robots I could see, plus the other machines that the Eclipse somehow had under their control, I wasn't worried about humans.

The explosion was a real reminder of a few I'd seen and heard fighting the plague long ago. Even in my tank, with all the noises it made, I remembered seeing and hearing explosions that should have stopped most armies in their tracks. As soon as the flames ascended into the sky, I opened fire, aiming straight for the big machine and sac. A dozen bullets had that blowing up, barely noticing the Corruptors that went up in flames, though I knew the wall went down as there was no missing the war cry released by the Nora braves as they flooded in.

After that, it was carnage as flames started to spread, and the Eclipse were left confused as to what the hell was going on. Perfect, far as I was concerned, as I flicked to single shot, making sure each pull of the trigger sent the bullet where it was intended. The crack of the rifle could still be heard over the crackling fire, other barrels of Blaze still exploding, and I heard the shouted comments about the new weapon being used.

The last few Eclipse were killed by Aloy and the other braves as, admittedly, I wandered around with my pistol, putting anyone wounded out of their misery. No chance anyone was going to survive a bullet wound without what was once considered modern medicine.

With the enemy now dead, and the machines on the ground, sparking or burning, Sona whistled and assembled her braves near the hole created by the explosion. Aloy and I joined her, as the War-Chief gave her warriors words of wisdom and thanks for the feat they'd just achieved. Then she turned to us.

"You have my thanks, Seeker. And you too, American. We are not used to help from those not known to us. I will pass word among the Nora upon my return, stating that Shepard is a friend of the Nora, at least."

"Thank you."

"And you, Seeker. Where do you go now?"

"Mother's Crown and someone called Marea. She will have the answers we seek."

"Then I can only wish you good luck on your quest, Seeker. May you return to the All-Mother's embrace once you have found the answers you require. And the gates shall open for you upon your return too, Shepard."

"What will you do?" Aloy wondered.

"Ensure we are prepared for any eventuality. Those who attacked us showed how easy our defences could be breeched. I will ensure that does not happen again."

Sona and her braves departed immediately, stating they would make camp outside of Devil's Grief. I asked Aloy if she wouldn't mind camping in the ruins. To my surprise, she agreed immediately, so after a final farewell, we watched Sona disappear with her group as we walked back into the centre of the ruins. In addition to the buildings, there were signs of our civilisation. A wide road that seemed to have once been an elevated highway. Rusted street lamps and traffic lights. Even what looked like the remnants of vehicles.

Finding shelter in one of the ruined buildings, once it started to get dark, I lit a fire as we nibbled on a few nuts and berries in addition to the dried meat we still carried. Sitting on a log I managed to drag from nearby, she kept looking around at any noise we heard, many of them the groans of ancient buildings probably wanting to collapse. She eventually met my eyes and smiled. "Not used to the noises," she said softly, eventually shuffling closer to me, "It feels like we're being watched. Like there are ghosts of the past still dwelling here."

We ate in silence, though we'd occasionally bump into each other, swapping the occasional glance. It was the first time I saw her turning a little shy. Didn't really blame her as I guess the only man she'd been around was Rost, and he'd been a father figure. I was still a stranger in many respects, and considering I was an Old One, I was fairly sure she still wasn't exactly sure what to think about me.

I figured I might as well bite the bullet regarding one thing. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen. You?"

"Ignoring the time I was in the fridge, I'm twenty-one." I paused and asked myself, "Or was it twenty-two? Honestly, with everything that went on, I can't quite remember."

"I'm not used to be around people," she admitted, "I spent all my time for over a decade training for the Proving. And Rost… well, I would say I'm probably quite like him in many ways, as it was only the two of us the entire time."

"I've already learned you don't tolerate bullshit."

"I spent my entire life being called an outcast, and that was them being nice to me. Sona was trying to be pleasant, but I know even being a Seeker, her opinion probably hasn't change too much."

"But you're now Nora, are you not?"

"Technically, yes. But…" She sighed and finally shrugged. "Are they really my people? I'll be honest, they don't really feel like it simply because of how I've been treated my entire life. I don't want to see them hurt or suffering, and I will help them now, but when this is over and done with… I'm honestly not sure I'll want to stay. I guess it will depend on what we find during this quest of ours. There's a whole world out there to explore." I couldn't help but glance at her with a grin, and she returned the glance eventually. "What?"

"It was people like you who led to the expansion a long time ago. People driven by the thrill of discovery, the urge to explore a new world. I'll be honest, Aloy. You have no idea how large this place really is. Walking from where we are now to the ocean, and I mean in either direction… What you could possibly discover would blow your mind."

"Don't tell me everything yet!"

"I'll try, but it might be worth thinking about, depending on what we discover regarding all this. Who or what are we looking for anyway?"

"A man named Olin. I met him before my Proving. He was suspicious straight away. He had a Focus and never gave a straight answer about anything. He will have the answers I require. He will answer my questions."

We rose at dawn the next morning and began our journey back west, Aloy stopping to find a couple of machines we could override so we didn't have to keep walking. Despite never being outside past the main wall that separated the Embrace from the rest of the world, she seemed to have a good idea where we were going, though we rode our machines side by side, avoiding any other machines that started to show an interest, though she did admit we might need to go hunting for supplies and shards. When I looked at her confused for once, she told me how the economy worked. Basically, you would either trade things you each wanted, if they were roughly of equal value, or metal shards were used as some sort of currency.

At least riding a machine made our travel time quicker, though it still took most of the day to travel from Devil's Grief to Mother's Crown, arriving at dusk to find quite a large settlement and also well defended, noticing plenty of braves on patrol, others in towers on lookout duty. Thankfully, Aloy was recognised so we were allowed within the walls without being stopped, though I still received plenty of curious glances as I wasn't dressed like any of the others.

Asking for Marea, we were pointed in the direction of a female brave, who seemed to be aware that we'd be looking for her. Offering us a seat by the campfire, she asked if we were hungry, quickly finding a small plate with nibbles in our hand. I was finding I was rather hungry all the time as the diet I now enjoyed was completely different.

"Word has already reached us in regards to what you did at Devil's Grief, Aloy," she said, before she looked at me, "And you are the one they call the American, yes?"

"That's me." I offered my hand. "Shepard."

She did the same thing as Varl, so I gently grabbed her hand and shook it. "Unusual custom. Is that how your tribe greet each other?"

"Usually."

Letting go of her hand, Marea looked at Aloy. "What brings you to Mother's Crown? This is the very edge of the Sacred Lands. After this is nothing but corruption before you meet the Carja."

"I was told you know the way to Meridian," Aloy replied.

I found the raised eyebrows amusing, clearly taking the Nora brave by surprise. "Meridian lies to the west, capital of the Carja. I have never laid eyes upon the city myself, but if what I hear is to believed…" She glanced at me, perhaps wondering as to my involvement. "You will not make it through, Seeker. Carja soldiers will stop you long before you make it."

"Why?" I wondered, "I thought there was peace between the tribes."

"There is, but the border is sealed at this moment. There is rumour of corruption on either side of the gate. The gates have been shut to prevent the spread."

"Where is this gate?" Aloy asked.

"The Carja call the place 'Daytower'. It is high in the mountains, giving them a great view of the valleys below either side. The path leading there from here goes past the Forsaken Village."

"And that is?" Aloy wondered.

"It had a name once, not that it matters now. I was born there."

"What happened?" I wondered, "I don't mean to pry but…"

She glanced between the pair of us. "I am surprised word didn't at least reach you, Aloy. It was during the war. The Carja destroyed it in one of their Red Raids. I was fifteen at the time. I got away. Others weren't so lucky. The Nora withdrew to this place, Mother's Crown. Relinquished our claim on the valley. Even now, with the war behind us, we've left the valley be, a kind of... buffer between the Sundom and our Sacred Land."

I wanted to ask about the Red Raids, but I had a feeling that was one wound she wouldn't to talk about, and a look she gave both of us suggested she didn't want to talk about it either. Aloy had the information she wanted, thanked Marea, and asked if there was somewhere we could rest. Led towards a small building on the edge of the settlement, at least it was somewhere warm and dry inside for once. Light was provided by a few candles.

"Reckon there's a place we can wash?" I wondered.

"It's dark now, Shepard. We'll do it first thing in the morning. Freezing water will be invigorating."

I groaned as I took off my boots and socks before undressing down to a simple shirt and underwear, relaxing back on my bedroll. I glanced to see Aloy smirking at me. "I spent most days driving in a machine. I'm not used to all this walking, and my crotch certainly isn't used to all this riding on metal machines."

"I'm aware life is different for you since waking up."

"It is but at least I'm alive and there are still humans about." I laid back, staring up at the wooden beams. "I reckon if I'd been woken up after a decade, I would have been greeted by a world destroyed and life would like have been even more difficult than it is now. Five hundred years asleep? I honestly have no idea what I would have woken up to. I can't really complain. I'm just glad your people didn't kill me when I walked into your lands uninvited. They suggested you usually dealt with such transgressions harshly."

"We do, but you arrived at the right time thanks to the Carja sending an emissary. Any other time, and you might have been summarily executed."

"Great," I muttered.

Aloy must have been used to waking early with the sun, as I was gently shaken awake by her, suggesting she wouldn't mind a wash as well. There was a river on the edge of the settlement and that first dip of the toes into the water had me swearing quite loudly, much to the amusement of Aloy. It took a couple of minutes to get used to, and the water wasn't exactly deep, but it felt good to give myself a good scrub, Aloy handing me some sort of concoction. Smelled quite sweet.

"Rost showed me how to make it," she explained, "You'll smell nice for the next day or so, at least."

"Well, that's something, at least. At least I'm not sweating constantly. World seems a lot cooler than it used to be, though maybe it's because we're technically in the mountains still."

After dressing and collecting our things, we resumed our journey west, though before we made it to the Forsaken Village and what I figured was a mountain pass, we agreed to survey the area for any corruption. We did eventually find two groups of corrupted machines, managing to put them down with just our bows, keeping my rifle for when the situation really demanded it.

It would have been around midday by the time we made it to the Forsaken Village. It was eerily quiet, feeling that shiver down the spine that suggested something awful had happened there. It was rather beautiful, mountains to one side, a river to the other, the huts and homes still in rather good repair considering the settlement had been abandoned for a few years. Aloy looked around for a few minutes, but she knew as much as I did about it.

Beginning our walk up the mountain path towards Daytower, I had to ask what Aloy knew of the Red Raids. It didn't make for pleasant hearing. "I only know what I've heard from others, but the Carja would invade our lands, kidnap our people, and take them back to their lands. The raids began with the Derangement."

"Derangement?"

"Ah, of course, you wouldn't know that either. That is what we call the time when the machines changed. Before the Derangement, the machines were peaceful and did not attack humans. We could freely hunt them for parts. After the Derangement, the machines changed and turned hostile towards humans. And that's when the Red Raids began. The Carja kidnapped many of our people, attacked our settlements. We tried to fight back, of course, but the Carja had better weapons, were better organised."

"When did the stop?"

"A while ago now." She didn't expand on that point and I figured she either didn't know more or simply didn't want to talk about it any further. So we fell silent as we continued to ascend the mountain path. I would turn back every so often simply to take in the view. Aloy would do the same, and we agreed that it was spectacular. "The All-Mother certainly blessed the Nora with the Sacred Lands," she whispered.

I found it had to disagree with that assessment.

We didn't make it to Daywater within the day, eventually needing to stop at a campsite along the path, as walking in darkness just wasn't sensible. One misstep and either of us could end up falling all the way down to the valley below. It was bitterly cold that evening, thankful that snow didn't start to fall, but the wind was biting, and my jacket barely kept out the cold, while Aloy had plenty of exposed skin and, even when close to the fire, I could see her struggling to stay warm. I offered her some of my other clothing, which she declined for some reason. Instead, she got into her bedroll but still seemed to be chilled tot eh core. I wasn't too warm myself, although I would have made one or two suggestions, nothing rude, just the idea of sharing body heat, but I had no idea how she would react so…

"I'm cold," she whispered, hearing her teeth chatter. Considering she was almost asleep on the fire itself.

"Thought you'd be used to this."

"I don't sleep near mountain peaks, Shepard. I have spent most of my life sleeping in a hut, not exposed to the elements."

I sighed and figured I might as well just ask. "You could always join me." She looked at me with wide eyes, no doubt figuring. "Look, I'm probably feeling a lot warmer, so if you lie with me closest to the fire."

She remained silent for a good five minutes before she moved without saying a word, throwing back the top of my bedroll before sliding in. She definitely tried to keep space between us, but it wasn't possible. And I had to put my arms somewhere. I couldn't help start to chuckle. "What?" she asked.

"It shouldn't be this awkward. We're just going to sleep together, right? You're cold, I'm warm. We'll wake up early and leave."

She remained quiet a moment before she shuffled back against me, and when I move my left arm to just go around her, she didn't seem to mind that. "What about your right one?" she whispered.

So I moved that one too. Neither of us said anything after that. To be honest, it was the first time I had shared a bed, bedroll, sleeping bag or anything with a woman since… my girlfriend. I had a feeling she'd always slept alone, though as long as she was warm now, that's what mattered. Still, it was difficult not to be a little distracted by her body pressed against mine.

Waking the next morning with the sun, it was just as awkward as the night before as she got up rather quickly, immediately sitting on her own bedroll, playing with her bow. I woke up and ate a little breakfast, though there were the occasional glances shared, her cheeks a little more colourful than usual. "So… sleep well?" I wondered.

"You kept me… warm… Thank you, Shepard. Don't think I would have slept very well otherwise."

"No worries. Glad to help."

"You've obviously figured out that…"

"Aloy, don't worry about it. We've got a job to do. Neither of us can afford distractions right now."

I wouldn't have minded the distraction myself, considering all that had happened, but I was just living day to day with no real idea of the future. Frankly, surviving was going to be good enough for the time being. I had no idea what she wanted with life. As far as I knew, she'd been devoted to winning her Proving, and now she had a new mystery to solve, which would require equal devotion. I just happened to wake up at an opportune time that I could help her, and she could help me at the same time.

I put it in my mind to revert to what I had called 'soldier mode'. Focus on the objective and ignore anything else.

Picking up our bags and weapons, we continued the ascent up the mountain path, winding its way up between two peaks that towered over us. My father and I had never really been one for hiking, at least through the mountains. We had spent most of our time walking through forests or across sweeping plains. At least I was used to marching, having spent plenty of time doing that during my training, and despite a thousand years on ice, I had remained as fit as I was the day I went to sleep.

Cresting the mountain path by midday, the howling wind had been the main noise in our ears, but we soon heard the sound of fighting on the wind. Our walk turned into a jog, Aloy with bow in hand, rifle in mine, as we followed the path to be greeted by an intimidating fort. And it was nothing like we would have built, not a ruin from our times. It was an impressive building, remembering that what we had called ancients had been capable of impressive feats of engineering, Egyptians and Romans two immediately coming to mind…

"Corruptor!" Aloy hissed, seeing it attacking the fort. The doors must have been thick to withstand its attacks, while soldiers on the fort were busy firing arrows at it. She wasted no time firing arrows while I aimed for the grenade launcher. Disable that and the Corruptor lost much of its offensive capabilities, at least in regards to ranged attacks.

"Need to get in close," Aloy said, "Too far away."

"I'll provide covering fire. Move on three. Ready?"

She crouched behind a nearby boulder, poised to move. "Ready."

"Three…. Two…" I stood out of cover and did something very stupid. "Hey, fucker!" The Corruptor turned immediately in my direction. "One! Go, Aloy, go!"

Opening fire, a single shot with each pull of the trigger, each smacking into the black body of the ancient robot, I didn't see Aloy move, though I heard shouts over my firing and the roar of the robot, mostly about me being an idiot, a madman, and what the fuck was I doing. I was wondering that myself as the Corruptor came ever closer… until fire arrows started to rain down on the Corruptor, both from the fort and from the tall grass far to my left.

That's when Aloy stood up and beckoned the Corruptor towards her. Now with two people to aim for, and finding itself under fire from all sides, it actually wasn't a surprise that the lone machine quickly wilted under our attacks, and when Aloy sent an arrow into what could be considered it's eyes, the Corruptor erupted into flames, and within seconds, almost exploded as it collapsed to the ground.

Picking up my bag, I followed the path to where Aloy was crouching down by the Corruptor, amused that she was immediately looking for salvage, throwing a few small items into her bag of goodies. She suggested I should take a few things, primarily things to trade, seeming to understand I really wouldn't know much about shards. "I used them for arrowheads anyway," she added, "Not for trading. Seems like a waste."

A couple of guards above us called us closer, thankfully not aiming their arrows in our direction. "The girl is quite obviously Nora. Who are you, stranger? You don't look Nora."

"He's an American," Aloy called back.

"I have not heard of that tribe."

"We're from further east."

"What is that on your shoulder?" the other guard asked, "I have not seen a weapon like that before."

"Reminds me of those weapons the Oseram make. Firespitters."

"It's a weapon of the Old Ones."

"What brings you here, Nora?" the first guard asked.

"I am a Seeker of the Nora. My destination is Meridian."

"Open the gates!" the guard called, "The Corruptor is dead thanks to the Seeker and the American."

The gates groaned as they were slowly opened up wide, more than one guard passing us to get a look at the dead Corruptor. The same guards who had been upstairs met us inside the fort. It was an impressive structure, impressed such a fort was built in an inhospitable place, but then again, humans had been building structures in such places for millennia by now.

"Did you say Meridian, Seeker?"

"Yes. We must get to Meridian as quickly as possible."

"The Way of Broken Stones is a hard run, even in the best of times. You might want to have a word with Captain Balahn. He came from Meridian not long ago. You'll find him in the fort, on a balcony to the left, overlooking the valley."

We both had a bit of a nosy before finding the captain as I was left seriously impressed by the building. Aloy asked if it was based on any ruins of the Old Ones. I admitted I didn't know but I doubted any sort of structure like this would have survived intact for a thousand years. And by the time we were at our zenith, we built in metal and glass, not brick and stone.

Captain Balahn was standing on a balcony overlooking the nearby valley. It was spectacular, left wondering what view I would have been greeted with a thousand years ago. Clearing our throats, he turned and seemed to recognise who we were, likely having been told of our arrival outside the gates to take down the Corruptor.

"You have my thanks for taking out that machine. We closed the gates to prevent the spread of corruption, but it seems it has spread to the valley either side of our position."

"Neither of us have been towards Meridian. What can we expect?" Aloy asked.

"Nothing good. More machines are appearing all the time, and our scouts report corruption spreading, as I said. So much for sealing things off," he muttered, trailing off, gesturing for us to join him, taking in the view, "Keep to the roads, they're safe enough. The road from here to Meridian is generally in good condition, and we do have forts and outposts along the way. Though after what you did at the gate, I'll wager neither of you scare easily. It's a good quality to have as only the bravest volunteer for duty this far from our capital."

"What sort of machines?" I wondered.

"Bigger machines than we're used to seeing. Hostile machines are no problem. We remain wary and avoid them where possible. No, it's the fact larger, more dangerous machines seem to be prowling the wilderness nowadays. More than one guard has paid with his life for switching off for merely a few seconds."

"What's Meridian like?" Aloy asked. I had to look away and smile. I was already starting to adore how curious she was. A million questions on her mind all the time, and considering we had spent quite a few days together, I was generally receiving most of them.

"It's a changed place, a living city. Nothing like it was during the rule of Sun-King Jiran. Avad, our new king, has done all he can to make sure of that. Slavery has been abolished. There's a new alliance with the Oseram. And the Sun-Ring, where so many outlander were killed, is now a memorial to the fallen."

"Slavery?" I sighed. "No matter how things change, some things stay the same," I muttered to myself.

"Do you have slavery where you are from, American?" the captain asked.

"We did, a long time ago. Fought a war about it. Slavery was abolished, but wounds remained for a long time because of it."

"Who are the Oseram?" Aloy wondered.

"A tribe north of the Sundom. For a decade, we fought them in war. Now we are allied and peace. They come from an area they call the Claim."

"How the hell are you allied with former enemies so quickly?" I asked.

"Sun-King Avad and his abilities to forge friendships. Two Oseram in particular were of great assistance. Without them, we would never have been freed from Mad Sun-King Jiran's reign. Ersa and Erend. Oseram siblings, bigger than life." He grinned at obvious memories. "They gathered an army to free Meridian. I marched with them. Scaled the north cliff with my men and secured the Temple of the Sun. Sent Jiran's kestrels and priests packing. Now Oseram are a common sight in the city. And a common sound as they sure bicker a lot."

"Last question, then we will rest before we leave. Do you know of a man named Ollin who may have passed through here?" Aloy asked.

"Twice. He was part of the royal delegation to the Nora, and they passed through on the way, then back. They brought back stories of a vicious attack on your people. My condolences, of course. I can sense you are eager to find this man. Be aware that travel between here to Meridian can take a few days."

"I might have a way of making the travel shorter. But thanks for the warning."

"I wish you good luck, Seeker. As it is afternoon, if you wish to rest here before leaving in the morning, I can have quarters made for you and the American."

"Thank you. A soft bed for one night would be appreciated."

"Of course. Don't mention it."

He called over one of his men, asking we be taken to a private room. Walking in to be greeted by a pair of normal beds was a sight for sore eyes, dumping all my stuff on the floor as I collapsed to feel nothing but soft hay beneath me. Aloy watched me and I heard the first giggle escape her in a number of days.

"I'll appreciate comfort when I can find it," I stated.

She laid down on her own bed and I watched the smile appear on her face at the same time. As we laid back, staring at the ceiling, the fireplace keeping the room warm, she stated to explain what was on her mind, including what happened. Not in great detail, but it was easy to figure out.

"This Olin, Shepard. He saw me through his focus. And because he saw me, I saw the image of another woman who looked like me. For some reason, Olin or whoever he works for wanted me dead. That's why I'm on this quest."

"Is the woman who looks like you alive?"

"I don't know, but it must be why those cultists, the Eclipse, wanted me dead. All I know is that they killed everyone, Shepard. Anyone else who participated in the Proving. And they killed Rost. So we find Olin and we make him talk. And if I don't like what he has to say, then he'll pay for all the lives he's responsible for."

"No delays then. We get to Meridian as quickly but as safely as we can."

She glanced my way, a grin appearing. "Thank you for coming with me, Shepard."

"No worries. We're both after answers. Better than doing all of this alone. Sure you would have been more than capable."

"Probably," she retorted, with a smirk, "But after so long alone… well, I had Rost but no-one close to my age. Plus, I can talk to you easily as you have a wealth of knowledge about the old world…"

I met her eyes, a grin of my own. "A-ha! Now I know why you've kept me around."

Invited by the Carja to join them for dinner was a surprise. They didn't ask too many questions, but the food offered was certainly a little more filling than what I'd been eating since I woke up. We stayed up later than most other nights as the guards shared stories of life in the Sundom. It certainly provided us with more information of what we might expect.

Heading to bed once it started to get quite cold, the fire was still roaring ensuring our room was still warm as we closed the door. Heading to our own beds, Aloy said she would like to leave as early as possible but that a good night's rest would be nice for a change. Little wonder I was asleep, feeling all toasty and warm, within a matter of minutes.