Echoes of Asphodel

Chapter 21 - Pursuit of Answers

June strode into the hallway, tightening the straps of her newly-cleaned shoulder armor as the sun came up over the foothills. Dreary gray clouds still covered the sky, heralding what would likely be a cold rain later that day.

Glancing to the alcove she and Jasper had spoken in the night before, she saw Doc sitting asleep on the old sofa, head slumped awkwardly against his chest.

That was odd.

As far as she knew, Doc hated sleeping upright.

Reassuringly, she could sense his breathing on the air currents, but it still struck her as strange that he hadn't gone back to his cot.

A creaking came up the stairs, followed shortly by Emra, who was glancing around with a mildly frustrated expression. She caught sight of June and paused at the top of the stairway.

"You seen Virnwath?" the swordswoman asked. "I've been looking for the kid all morning."

A sinking feeling began to pull at June's stomach.

Jasper...

"You haven't seen him at all?"

"I was up before dawn. No sign of him—or his things."

"He's going to try and cross the mountains," she realized. "Go ask the guards if they've seen him—he probably snuck away in the night."

"Cross the mountains...What the hell is he thinking?! Our extraction party is on the coast!"

Extraction party?

"He doesn't think there's time!" she replied, ignoring this new detail and hurrying to the alcove to check Doc over for injuries.

"He told you?! When exactly were you planning to make this information known?"

"I thought he'd wait until his leg healed to decide," June said, finding—as she'd suspected—a developing bruise on the back of Doc's scalp. "Apparently that was too much to ask for."

"Kid's going to get himself killed," Emra muttered, glancing towards the window. "I'll see if the guards can tell me what direction he went in. Maybe I can catch him before he gets too far."

"Wind at your back," June wished her, as she hurried back down the stairs.

Doc stirred after a few moments, blinking blearily up at her with a confused expression.

"Morning, Tannen," she smiled, relief washing over her.

"Morning," he mumbled in response, closing his eyes tightly against the light. "Gods, my head hurts."

"Jasper knocked you out."

"He knocked...oh. Bastard."

"Yeah. Come on, let's get you to a real bed."

Good as it was to see him awake and alright, a spark of anger ignited in her chest.

He saved you from that fire, Jasper, and this is how you repay the favor?

"Did something happen?" Pelian asked, watching curiously as June helped Doc back into his cot.

"Jasper's missing. Emra's gone to see if she can track him down."

The dragon's eyes narrowed. She uncoiled herself from the floor, moving for the doorway in one fluid movement.

"Not by herself, she isn't."

"Is your wing well enough to fly after her?"

"Doesn't matter," Pelian responded with a short growl. "It would be too easy for both of them to 'go missing' unsupervised."