Page 28

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

IN WHICH THE PARTY RESUMES THEIR CROSS-COUNTRY JOURNEY

Knowing we had a lot of time to make up, we were packed and ready to go by dawn.

Cantal surprised us on the way out with homemade sweets—bite-sized pieces of a sticky, chewy substance that reminded me of brigadeiro with a harder bite. The nostalgic flavor coated my tongue and gave me flashbacks to my last birthday in Brazil.

“A northern specialty,” he said with pride, “to give you strength for the journey ahead.”

If I thought they would keep, I would have demanded another dozen. I had to settle for stuffing my mouth and giving Hohem a dirty look when he took the last one.

We said our goodbyes at the door. Stumbling across Cantal when we did was a blessing, and it was a crying shame that we didn’t have any way to thank him.

I expressed as much, but Cantal assured us that he had things covered, wanted for nothing, and was happy to see us on our way.

The last, at least, I believed wholeheartedly.

So we hit the road once more. Resting over the last couple of days made it difficult for me to get back in the groove, and I flagged by the time we stopped for lunch.

Part of it may have been due to the fact that I was trying to draw and hold mana while walking, but I wasn’t sure how I’d find any time for my magic practice otherwise.

Walking all day left few options. I could squeeze in an hour or so of meditation before bed, but I’d be dead on my feet.

That evening, I picked at my food. Is this worth it?

We could turn around. The others would be disappointed, but they trusted my judgment.

Things were only going to get more convoluted from here on out.

Adventuring was for adventurous people, people who had experience with the pitfalls and were well-armed.

Not a random group of homeless young adults with light purses, lofty goals, and a lack of common sense. That was fair, wasn’t it?

Something poked me in the side, causing me to jump. Images of being smothered in man-eating bugs flashed through my mind, but when I turned to look, it was only Luthri.

“What sorts of thoughts are ruminating in that delightful brain of yours?” he asked, eyes twinkling.

“Honestly?” I sighed. “I’m wondering if it’s too late to give up and go home.”

Lu made an expression of mock outrage. “The Mar I know would never!”

“You don’t know me,” I pointed out, not in the mood to entertain his eccentricity at that moment. “We’re barely acquaintances.”

“But we’ve slept together.” His shameless statement had even Yrra’s head swinging around. Daethie gasped and clapped her hands together in delight.

Thank heavens I hadn’t put anything in my mouth, or I would have choked. I was quick to correct him. “We’ve slept next to each other. Very different.”

“We’ve all slept next to Mar,” Vyrain grumbled. His brother gave him a friendly shove.

“What do you miss most about home?” Lu’s question was directed at me, but judging by the thoughtful looks that resulted, it got us all thinking.

“Jük, Vee, and Ked,” I admitted. “They were fine before I came around, so I’m sure they’re still doing fine, but they’re family, and I can’t help but worry.” When no one else responded, I poked them with a, “What about you guys?”

“I was trying to think what home is for us,” Hohem said slowly, looking to his brother.

Vyrain appeared equally lost. “It’s been revolutions now since we left Wysalar in search of work, and we haven’t made as much headway as we hoped.

We appreciate being able to tag along, but…

camping on the outskirts of Vhalder was never a long-term plan. ”

“What do your plans look like now?” I asked.

Vyrain shrugged. “Haven’t thought that far. Maybe we’ll go see what our parents have been up to. Or maybe we’ll keep traveling the world, going wherever we’re needed. A hero’s job is never done, right? If the money is enough, we could retire. The world is ours.”

“Isn’t that the dream?” Luthri mused. “Kick back on a beach somewhere for the rest of our lives. Build a fancy treehouse. Keep a shrine out in the middle of nowhere.”

Vyrain’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not getting a share, remember?”

“I remember.” Lu put up his hands. “Just giving you some ideas.”

Yrra made a small, dejected sound in his throat. All eyes went to him. “I haven’t found home yet,” he whispered. He didn’t say it outright, but the way his shoulders slumped hinted that he didn’t believe it would ever happen. My heart squeezed in my chest.

“It’ll happen,” I stated, reaching out to set a hand on his knee. “Until you find it, you can stay with us. We’re happy to have you.”

“If all else fails, you could go back to your family, couldn’t you?” Vyrain asked. “Or your clan, or whatever you’d call them. Wherever your parents are now.”

Yrra winced. “That’s not possible. I’m an adult now, a threat to my own father. He would sooner…” His lips pressed together, ke eping himself from saying something more. After a beat of silence, he finished on a quiet, “It’s not possible.”

“Who needs a home?” Daethie hopped onto Yrra’s knee with a short pump of her wings. “I don’t look back anymore, only forward. That’s the best way to do it.”

The non-answer from Daethie was no surprise. She didn’t like to talk about her past—to this day, I had no clue what happened between her and her clan. Something to do with mismatched personalities, if I had to guess. She wasn’t the type to take direction well.

“And you?”

Luthri blinked, realizing his initial inquiry had turned on him.

“Oh! Home, huh?” He studied the ground. A crease appeared between his brows as he formulated an acceptable answer.

“It’s complicated. My family came to this continent a long time ago from across the sea.

I grew up in Wysalar, and my mother’s still there.

My siblings are all over the place, living their lives.

I suppose after this… I’ll be back to my usual shenanigans. ”

Going from place to place, spending his money and sleeping around, he meant. Not sure why disappointment was my first reaction to the statement—it had nothing to do with me.

I took pity on him. “That’s fine. If there’s anything I’ve learned from life, it’s that home isn’t always a place. It can be with the people you love, wherever they are.”

“Well said.” Lu gave a soft smile. Was it my imagination that it seemed… sad?

“Need a pick-me-up?” Daethie chirped, vigorously rubbing her hands together. “I lifted some curious things off the old man. They’re in Yrra’s pack.”

My eyes widened in horror as Yrra’s hand shot to his bag.

“Daethie, you didn’t!” I exclaimed.

“Heaven help us,” Hohem muttered. Vyrain’s mouth opened, but he had no words.

“Bunch of fusspots.” Daethie exaggerated sticking her tongue out. “I’ll have you know I did him a favor. As it turns out, strong wine wasn’t his only vice—not everything in that garden was innocent, and I’m pretty sure his precious Goddess would not approve.”

I’d opened my mouth to tell her off when Luthri laughed, an unfettered, head-thrown-back, slapping-his-knee cackle. Wiping tears from his eyes, he announced, “Well, it’s too late to return them. Who knows, maybe those souvenirs will come in handy.”

Vyrain’s face had taken on a decidedly green tint, but he found his voice. “You can’t seriously think it’s okay to steal from a holy man.”

“Of course not. But what’s done is done.” Luthri shrugged.

He had a point. I wasn’t about to turn around and waste a day because of Daethie and her sticky fingers, no matter how much I appreciated Cantal and what he’d done for us. Anything she’d taken from his garden would grow back.

I shoved the rest of my paltry lunch into my mouth. “Let’s get a move on, then,” I said through the mouthful of bread. “Adventure waits for no one, and we’re behind schedule.”

“Hear, hear!” Daethie crowed, taking to the sky as we packed up.

The terrain changed gradually as we walked.

Where it was once firm and rocky, the ground became spongy underfoot, and the trees fewer and farther between.

The road became harder to follow, so I kept an eye out for markers that could reassure me we were on the right path.

The next day, we passed the train tracks going from north to south on the map.

When night fell, we were still out in the open.

We slept on our tents, using them as a layer between us and the moist earth, and took turns keeping watch in case of hungry predators or worse.

Humidity struck like a damp blanket thrown over our heads before the swamps came into view.

The sea of rich pinks, greens, and browns all around gave way to stretches of tan mud and wild grass dotted by spindly trees and sorry excuses for shrubs.

From the height of the plateau, we could make out the wetlands below us and the city beyond that, a jagged shadow against the pale blue sky.

“We’re almost there,” I stated, relieved, as we paused to appreciate the view and catch our breaths before descending into the penultimate stretch of our journey.

“That’s Munarzed?” Vyrain eyed the horizon dubiously.

“Well, no. That’s Solfarin, the coastal city.” Its name literally meant “oceanside.”

“Haven’t you been paying attention?” Daethie rolled her eyes. “Munarzed is an island, skair . If we could walk there, we wouldn’t need to take a boat, now would we?”

“It’s big.” Luthri sounded delighted. Likely imagining being in proper civilization again.

“Yeah,” I agreed, no less enthusiastic. “We should be able to stock up on some necessities while we’re there. Start thinking about what you might need. I know I ran out of zanna root. Be sensible, though—anything that’s not urgent, we can pick up on the way back.”