The Chapters

Chapter Fourteen

The bike we have doesn't hover in any way, so as Keon and I drive - or bike, you could say - through the grassland, we leave a trail of flattened grass behind us.

No, duh. That happens when you bike through tall grass.

Really. I suppose you know what happened when we paused to eat and let the bike recharge.

Ugh, you took another major skip, didn't you?

Yes.

I really wish you'd stop doing that.

It's not like I have any control over it. Maybe you're just subconsciously skipping to more interesting parts and I just can't tell when that is.

So you're saying that neither type of skips are your fault.

You did make me fall asleep once remember?

That was one time! And I have no idea how I did that anyway.

That's beside the point. The point is that you did it, not me.

Fine, whatever. I still don't know how this book works. You pause. If there's grass everywhere and you two are still speeding on a bike, what am I writing on?

Keon's back. It's turning out surprisingly small, but still easy to read.

I'm writing on a person's back.

You really need to stop making question-statements, because I don't always know how to answer them.

Pretend it was a question.

Then yes, you are.

Great. So you guys are still driving?

I'll take that as my cue to get into present action, then. We are, in fact, still driving. Keon's doing the actual maneuvering and running the engine. I'm just behind him, using what little balance I have to stay on. I was a bit nervous about falling off the back at the start, mostly because I refuse to hold on for dear life. So I'm kind of just sitting here, across the wider part of the seat, my hands clasped together on top of my bag. The dried fruit I'd had is long gone by now, the folded bag in my pocket. My hands don't really have anything to hold onto.

Are you guys close to the Kin?

I can't see it from here, but we should be. It's almost the middle of the evening, and though the bike might be a bit slower than Last Orders, we should still get to the Death Tower Kin before sunset.

In fact, I think Keon is starting to slow down. It's getting a bit rockier, too, making the bike jolt as we go along.

"Are we stopping already?" I ask him.

Keon doesn't turn around when he answers. "Better to quit before it gets dark. We'll hike a but more and then camp out."

"If we're camping outside the Kin, don't you think we should be brought more supplies?"

"It slipped my mind."

You guys are idiots. How exactly can you camp out with just a foldable motorbike and the clothes on your back?

Obviously this plan wasn't very well thought out. I'm sure we can improvise something.

Keon brings us to a stop, placing a foot on the ground. "Alright, get off so I can pack this up."

I swing my leg over the seat and dismount to the side. "If you drive off, I will hunt you down."

He cracks a grin at that. "Good luck. It's not like I can make myself blend with my surroundings or anything, making me incredibly hard to find." He doesn't drive off, of course, but dismounts, kneeling so he can disassemble the parts keeping the bike together.