Chapter Five, Reading 5-5

They finally intercepted a game trail within a mile of the cave. The crystal directed Flindra to turn north along this pathway. This way was more or less sheltered by a rock ridge so the snow was less drifted here. The surface of the snow was also softer and thus made it a little easier to traverse for Deru was spared the work of breaking through the hard crust of the drifted snow.
As they worked their way up the slope, the trees around them thinned in number as they climbed in elevation. The few trees, which managed to hang on to existence were gnarled and twisted into fantastic shapes. Only the hardiest plants and animals could survive here.
Flindra looked up the mountain and couldn't imagine where the path led. The way up and over the mountain appeared to be blocked by a continuous cliff, which loomed above her. However, she could feel the warmth of the orb in her pocket, which meant she was moving in the correct direction. She remembered King Meldh's words in her dream and trusted the crystal orb to lead her safely to Kewero.
After several hours of struggling up the trail, they reached the base of the cliff. Now she could see the path led to an entrance of a narrow pass. A massive boulder nearly the size of a house stood in front of the entrance, which obscured the view of the pass from the trail below.
This defile sliced through the ridge and led to the top of the mountain. The slopes on either side of the trail rose steeply from the path and soon merged into rocky cliffs above. The steep cliffs rained rocks down the slope nearly blocking the trail in several places.
Flindra slackened her hold on the reins to make it easier for Deru to carefully pick his way along the talus-choked path. The rocks protruding above the drifted snow were coated with an ice crust for this pass lay within the perpetual shadows cast by the towering cliffs. The horse struggled with the uneven and slippery footing and stumbled several times.