Page 53 of Grave Situation

Tia pulls a face. “I suppose.”

“No, it is,” Jaimin says, putting down his cup. “The newly dead are the most likely to be missed. The zombies who attacked us were all healthy before they died… I think. They didn’t look emaciated or dirty, anyway, which they would have been if they’d been buried in paupers’ graves, so they likely have family or friends who would visit their gravesites.”

“And notice them missing,” Tia finishes.

“I’ll get the word out to the kingdoms,” Master says. “Perhaps we can find reports of graverobbers, narrow down where the bodies came from. That may lead us to the necromancers involved.”

Grateful none of that ismyjob, I continue, “Tia thinks we need more fighters, but the stone was very specific about who could travel with us.”

“We’re too dependent on Leicht,” Tia adds immediately. “Our whole plan was that he and I could protect Talon and the stone, and Jaimin could mostly look after himself, with us as backup in an emergency.”

My jaw drops at the insult. “Excuseme? I’m not a useless ornament! I killed two men last night!”

“I have questions about that, by the way. Let’s get back to it later,” Jaimin says. “I agree with Tia. I had to make a decision last night that impacted everyone’s safety, and I still don’t know if I chose correctly or not. Either way, a zombie is unlikely to give up simply because I fight back, so I’m going to be a liability in a fight.”

“Not a liability,” I insist. “You killed a man too. And you have other skills.”

“The point,” Tia says patiently, “is that Leicht was unable to help us because of our location. Not without setting half the forest of northern Lenle on fire, anyway. And frankly, I waslucky. If Talon hadn’t blinded them and knocked a few out, I would have been overwhelmed. Nine-to-one odds aren’t good.”

“And they may send more next time,” Master says. “Stone, can we hire some additional fighters to escort them?”

~No~

Fuck.

“Can we recruit some?” Jaimin asks suddenly. “Not hire.”

~Yes/No~

We exchange glances. “We’ll be adding to our group?” I check.

~Yes~

“Soon?”

~Yes~

“Here, in the village?”

~No~

“Well, fuck. When, then?” I grimace. The stone can’t answer that. It said soon, though…

“In Lenledia?” Master asks, his brain following the same path as mine.

~Yes~

My hopes soar… and then plummet. If the champion is in Lenledia and I hand over the stone to them, then there’s no reason for us to need an escort of the fighter kind. This must mean the champion isn’t there… or they are, and the stone is going to make me stay with them. I was really hoping to be back at the academy before winter set in properly.

“Where are you, exactly?” Master asks. “How far from the city?”

“Maybe two days,” Tia says. “I’d have to check on the name of the village, though.”

“The inn’s called the Boar,” I volunteer. “And the highway runs through the middle of the village.”

“Hmm. Maybe we can have the king send some soldiers to escort you the rest of the way to the palace. Experienced, loyal veterans whose only job is to keep you safe on the road, a temporary escort, no knowledge about why needed. Stone, would that be acceptable?”

~Yes~

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