Page 130 of Grave Situation

“Is this new person already here?” I glance toward the door.

~Yes~

Coryn immediately gets up and goes to peer outside.

“Should we try to find them tonight?”

~No~

“Tomorrow?”

~Yes/No~

I grit my teeth, and Jaimin takes over.

“Will they find us first?”

~Yes~

“Come and sit down, Coryn,” I call. “Apparently, we’re just waiting.”

“Is it okay if I explore the city tomorrow?” Arimen asks the stone. “Can I go to the Temple of Wasianth?”

~Yes~

“Are we going to be here long?” It did say we’d be able to resupply soon, which seems unlikely if we’re staying here. Or even if we’re leaving tomorrow. It’s going to take at least a week or more to get through the hills to a decent-sized village. I don’t even know which direction we’d need to go.

Too bad we don’t have a boat. Once it clears the hills, the Hepalt is lined with villages and towns almost all the way to the ocean. I swallow down my bitterness over having to trek through muddy countryside and along creek beds instead of being allowed to sail here on a nice, clean boat.

“I can guide you to the nearest village,”Leicht assures me. It’s unusually nice of him, and I suspect that’s because he was listening earlier. I can feel the edginess of his mood. We’ve been separated by no less than fifty yards for days—it’s the closest he’s been able to get to me with all the trees around.

“Where are you?”I ask. I was surprised by how unsettled it makes me to be apart from him—a lot like it was with Tia, but different.

“Behind the city. There’s a place that used to be kept clear for dragons to stay on the hilltop there. It’s overgrown now, but still usable.”

A knot loosens in my chest. He’s close, then.“Even if you can guide us,”I say, going back to his first comment,“it’s still going to be some time before we can resupply.”

“You could come and meet me up here,”he suggests.“I’ll fly you there and then carry you and the supplies back.”

That’s not a bad idea. It would mean staying here at least one day longer than needed, but we wouldn’t have to worry about hunting while we trek out. It’s definitely something to discuss with Jaimin and Coryn.“I’ll see if I can find the path up there tomorrow.”

“Talon?” Arimen says, drawing my attention away from Leicht.

“What?”

“The stone’s waiting for your next question.”

Damn. I missed the answer to the last one. “Uh…”

“Remember, you asked it if we’d be here long, and it said no,” Jaimin prompts. They all know I can talk to Leicht, but only he’s aware of how deep the connection truly is and how much adjusting it’s taken for me to get used to it.

“Yes,” I say, as though I knew all that and was just considering what to ask next. “I guess the only other thing you might tell us is, does our new companion know where we’re going next?” I’m being flippant, covering for my lapse in concentration. We all know what the answer to this?—

~Yes~

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

We stareup at the façade of the Temple of Wasianth. “Well?” I ask Arimen. “Is it everything you dreamed?”

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