Page 40 of Grave Situation

~Yes~

“That’s a good start,” Jaimin comments.

Tia pulls a face. “Is it? I don’t know the names of every single person on the continent, and even if I did, we don’t have time to list all of them.”

I’m still ignoring them, mulling over my options. It knows the champion’s name. What else?

“Do you know where they are?”

~Yes~

“What they look like?”

~Yes~

This isn’t going the way I thought it would. “Why can’t we just send for them, then?” I demand in sheer frustration, knowing it’s too complicated for the stone to answer.

A sense of helplessness is the only response.

“Let’s approach this differently,” Jaimin suggests calmly. “The stone obviously can’t just tell us who we’re looking for and directly where to go. Are we on the right road?”

~Yes~

“We bloody well should be, since this is the road it said we should take,” I mumble. My head echoes with the distinct sound of someone blowing a raspberry. I guess the stone heard me. “Do I need to stop every person we pass on the road?”

~No~

“You’ll tell me if I need to stop someone?”

~Yes~

“Well, that’s something.” Tia sounds relieved. “Leicht and I would be constantly rescuing you if you had to accost every traveler.”

I’d argue that I can take care of myself, but I’ve seen the armed guards that travel with some of the merchant wagons.Unless I wanted to seriously harm them—which I don’t—I couldn’t fight them all off.

“Do we need to stop in every village?” I’m hoping it says yes to this one—if we have to stop at every village, I’ll have more reasons to suggest we stay the night there instead of camping by the roadside.

~No~

Tia snorts. “There goes that plan, hey.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Stupid stone. Never on my side. “You’ll tell me when we have to stop?”

~Yes~

Remembering what Master said last night, I ask, “Are we going to Lenledia?”

~Yes/No~

I resist the urge to throw the stone deeper into the quarry.

“Let me try,” Jaimin says, taking it from me. “At this point in time, do we need to go to Lenledia?”

~Yes~

“But that may change?”

~Yes~

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