Harmony and Alex share a brief moment, glancing at one another, testing the other's response as they follow their chosen companion for the evening, leaving Carlos all on his ownsome (at least as far as other demigods are concerned).  Instead, the master craftsman gets to enjoy the quiet and focused admiration of the rest of Sophronia's fan club for as long as he's willing...and more than a couple of them hint at being quite willing to do like their queen mother and worship.<br/><br/>+ + +<br/><br/>The next morning, having left the relative peace and safety of the improvised shelter far behind, our band descend the twisting mountain highway and get their first glimpse of what lies inside that rune-marked circle on the map.  The first indication of trouble appears when you reach the roadblocks near the base of the mountain and the eerie, empty traffic jam stretching back toward the grim and blackened landscape beyond.  There are a number of police and National Guard vehicles on this side of the barricade, and it looks like there are a lot of bullet holes in some of the cars up against the far side.  Here and there, further up the line, you can see burned out hulks that might have been hit with tank fire.<br/><br/>