Page 11 of The Healing Dragon
My father’s man said I knew where to find him and this would be the first place I would look.
“I can’t be sure he will be there, but it’s my first guess.” I slid the backpack on and tightened the straps. “No time to waste.”
“Can I carry that for you?” He asks, gesturing to my backpack.
“No,” I say.
He nods like he expected the answer, then moves next to me as we start the path. “Since we have all this time to talk, maybe you can tell me who that was?”
I don’t let the smile that fights its way to my lips win. Jesse is curious, but I can’t allow myself to take it as anything more than that.
“The more breath we waste in talking, the less we have for walking.” I don’t care if that makes little sense.
I don’t expect Jesse to be quiet for long, but I’m surprised at how long he actually makes it. We cover far more ground than I expected us to. The hike made in silence becomes a comfortabletread after a while. Using a compass and my knowledge of the river banks, I play guide.
We have been hiking for over seven hours now. This spot is just as good as any other for setting camp while we still have daylight.
“Do you know where you are going, Lady Janelle?” Jesse asks me.
The title sounds like a taunt. It has always sounded like that coming from his lips. It felt playful back when we were friends, but now it feels like a reminder of my place and debt.
“Yes, Prince Jesse Oscuro. Far more than you know.”
His eyes narrow. “I have been searching these woods for your father for months. He is nowhere near here.”
I sigh, in part because I’m tired and in part because he is about to feel so stupid for not seeing it. My father is a cunning person. Jesse shouldn’t feel bad. No one would’ve been able to find him. Not if they didn’t know where to look.
“You probably never found him because you looked on this side. Not that one.” I gesture deeper into the woods on the other side of the river. “His hideout is in the human lands.”
“Impossible. Magic cannot function in Paz.” His eyes widened in realization.
“His secret hideout is in a small town called Divina.” I let the words drop heavily between us.
I say nothing after so he can make his own conclusions about the implications. My father’s idea of setting his hideout in that town was both bold and crazy smart. Divina is the only town in Paz that allows magic to function at its full potential.
I personally refuse to believe the entire realm is magic-free. There are rumors that the King of Paz himself descends from powerful magic. There is no way his bloodline has completely cleared of that. However, not being as powerful in the magic spectrum, living in magic-free territory is safer.
“Divina is where angels land in order to access the human lands,” Jesse says, more to himself than to me.
He is working out the details in his head. I can see it in his eyes.
The small town isn’t visited very often by angels, but at least a few cross through the downtown daily. It’s the only access point to cross into and out of the Human Lands. Their angelic magic ceases to work the further they go into Paz.
“Exactly,” I say.
My father knew the location would be perfect. Due to its access to magic, few ordinary humans actually choose to live there. The town is so small that bribing the few locals to turn an eye wasn’t hard. However it remains complicated to make sure no angel would pick up on what was going on. My father acquired a mansion that appears more like a farm from the outside.
“It makes so much sense,” he says at last.
We set camp on the Fierno side of the river and eat pre-packaged dry food Jesse brought. There’s not a lot of talking before it’s time to rest. Sleeping under the stars is not as romantic as people make it out to be in books. It’s my least favorite way to sleep. When I left Puerto Quinn, I had to do it a lot before I found my cabin. I thought it was the fact that I was alone, and I felt so exposed to the elements. Tonight, even with Jesse a few feet away, a feeling of unease passes over me.
“How did you come to get the cabin?”
I don’t turn to look at him, and I know he isn’t looking at me. The sky has both our gazes captured amongst the view full of stars.
“I gambled my way to ownership,” I say.
“You won that cabin gambling?” His disbelief is evident.
