Chapter 2645
The igloos stretched across the valley like white honeycombs, their sharp silhouettes blending into a sky the color of molten lead. Thin threads of smoke rose from cooking fires, weaving a gray net that hung low and heavy above the snowbound land.
Matthias followed Batu all the way to the Snow Tribe.
The ice beneath their boots gleamed like polished glass, worn smooth by countless feet. It reflected the faint glimmer of snow falcons circling overhead, their cries echoing against the jagged cliffs.
On both sides, the snowmen stopped to salute, and children peered through windows of solid ice, their wide amber eyes glittering with curiosity. Necklaces of animal bone hung from their throats—each unique, some inlaid with turquoise, others wrapped in a resin the color of dried blood.
“This is Snowfang Valley,” Nikolai murmured in a low voice. “The tribe has 8,300 people, divided into twelve hunting teams.” He raised a gloved hand toward a colossal ice sculpture looming on the cliff ahead—a three-eyed figure, its sockets blazing with embedded crystals that pulsed with an eerie glow. “That’s their sacred image. The highest point is the Ice Temple for sacrifices. The tribe leader lives near the reindeer pen on the east side.”
Matthias noticed that the igloos were arranged with purpose. They spiraled outward from the totem in perfect symmetry. The closer to the center, the taller and more intricate the structures became, their walls carved with coiling spiral patterns.
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