Page 125 of Grave Situation

Sighing, I pull my coat on and leave the tent. All I can do at this stage is follow the path the stone has pointed me on, keep my eyes open, and learn to ride Leicht so I’m not murdered when this is all over… assuming I live that long.

Jaimin looks up from where he’s sitting beside the fire, his expression softening when he sees me, and some of my tension flees. He—and Coryn, and even Arimen, but especially Jaimin—is the one part of this whole fiasco that I don’t want to forget about when I finally get home. I’m basking in every second I get to spend with him, and I’m planning a long and very happy future. It’s the only time I refuse to let myself acknowledge how slim the chances of my survival are.

“You only fell once today!” Arimen says proudly. “That’s great!”

I gingerly sit beside Jaimin. “I’m getting better,” I agree, and Leicht snorts in my head. He’s off finding his dinner but will be back to rest near our camp before we go to sleep. “The day I stop falling will be one of the best ones in my life.”

To my credit, I can keep my seat most of the time now. Sharp maneuvers still send me flying, no pun intended, but I can mount and dismount almost as well as an actual rider, and I’m fine for most turns and all level flying, even when it’s fast. I’ve also worked out that unless I want icicles to form on my extremities, it’s best to use magic to insulate myself. Tia always swore by her leathers to stay warm, but I’m not sure I’d be comfortable wearing them. Aside from the nature of the fit, which isn’t my style, riders’ leathers are a statement. Nobody would wear them who isn’t a rider, and though technically being bonded to Leicht does make me a rider, I’m a mage first andforemost. I don’t want to mix messages or give people the wrong idea.

Honestly, I’m not sure how I’m going to handle all this when the time comes. For now, I’m dealing with the essentials and leaving everything else for future Talon. He’s going to hate me.

I compliment Coryn and Arimen on dinner, which leads to a beaming smile from Arimen and chatter about how much fun it is to cook only with what can be found. Coryn thanks me, but the accompanying worried expression tells me he understands how dire our situation is becoming. Tonight we’re eating well, but we’re completely out of oatmeal and hardtack, so our meals are going to get sketchier and sketchier from now on. I prod the stone again, hoping for permission to deviate from our route and find a village, but it stubbornly clings to the same direction.

“We’ll reach the hills tomorrow,” Jaimin says when Arimen winds down.

“I saw them today,” he replies, face lighting with excitement. “We’ll be at the floating city before you know it! I can’t wait to commune with the spirit of Wasianth. It must be one of the most holy places on the planet.”

Holy. That’s just what we need. “We’ll do our best to give you time to… commune,” I promise. “But we don’t know what to expect at the city. Itshouldbe completely abandoned, but abandoned places are often used as hideouts for brigands.” Jaimin and I discussed this a few nights ago. We need to be ready for anything.

“Brigands? You mean like… pirates and highwaymen?” Those green eyes go wide.

“I mean like thieves and murderers,” I correct. It’s essentially the same as what he said, but he has a fondness for stories, and I want him to clearly understand that these aren’t likely to be nice people who are simply misunderstood. “Which is whyLeicht is going to reconnoiter from the air, and we’ll approach cautiously.”

Arimen nods solemnly. “Whatever you say. I hope nobody’s despoiling Wasianth’s favorite city.”

I hold in my sigh and remind myself that he’s still a child.

“I’m sure they’re not,” Jaimin says diplomatically. “Now… once we reach the hills, I’m assuming we’ll find some kind of path? I know there isn’t a proper road or anything, but there has to besomeway for small groups of travelers to reach the city other than by boat.”

I shrug. “I don’t know. The stone might.”

“Dry creek beds,” Coryn says. “And some animal trails—goats, mostly, and deer. Some Camblish soldiers told me once, when we were in Josanin on a state visit. They do training exercises in the hills sometimes.”

“Are we likely to run into them?” I can’t decide if that would be good or not. The last time I checked in with Master, he said the nations of the continent were still strongly supporting our mission, especially since the City of Knowledge has sent out its resources in force, but it would be stupid to underestimate the hold the temples have on individuals. People are committed to the gods.

Coryn shrugs. “Any other year, I would have said maybe. Late winter’s a good time for training. But whatever forces from the Camblish army that aren’t scouting and patrolling should be making preparations for a campaign against the zombies. I’d be surprised if they sent soldiers on a training exercise now.”

That’s not a no, and I don’t know enough about how army commanders think to rule it out.“Leicht, keep an eye out for any military activity, please.”It’s bad enough we already need to be on the lookout for bandits. Dodging soldiers would be a nightmare.

Leicht acknowledges my request. He’s been grumpy today, because we scouted ahead and it looks like once we enter the hills, there isn’t going to be anywhere he can comfortably land that will be easily accessible to us on foot. Especially if we’re using creek beds and game trails. That means he’s not going to be able to get to us if we run into trouble.

It also means he’s going to miss out on his daily conversation and petting with Coryn, but it might not be the best idea to tease him about that right now.

“Can I talk to the stone?” Arimen asks. “We need more information.”

For a split second, I consider telling him I’ve been begging the stone for more information for days. Instead, I fish it from around my neck and hand it to him. Maybe he’ll have more luck than me—and even if he doesn’t, the petty part of me likes the idea of someone else taking a turn to irritate the stone.

His questions get him nowhere, however, and eventually, his face falls into lines of frustration. “Here.” He holds it out to me. “We need to find this path on our own.”

“Stone,” Coryn says as I take it, “are we going to be able to resupply soon?”

~Yes~

I freeze, and Jaimin’s head turns in my direction. I’ve been asking the stone if we can detour to resupply, but I never phrased the question quite like that.

“In Caimae?” Jaimin asks.

~Yes/No~

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