“Carflunte?” I croaked. “I’m not even going to pretend to know what that means.” A shadow passed over the cloud as a loud screech was heard. It seemed to answer my question. That was a Carflunte.

I began scaling the side of the mountain. It looked a lot steeper from there. Sweat poured as the sun reached its peak. Just a little while longer to the grotto waiting above. With a decisive breath, I found myself reaching into the cave’s expectant mouth.

But, rather than the normal hard surface, my hand met a slimy, black bile-like substance. “Crap,” I whispered. I sniffed the tips of my fingers. The smell was not unlike a salty liquid. I raised my eyes to find skeletons of sky people watching from overhead.