Passenger

Chapter 17

The night passed and morning came, the fire having gone dark sometime late in the night. I'd had plenty of time to myself to think – really trying to mull things over internally. The night had left me with a lot on my mind.

One thing in particular was Krys. I couldn't help but remember him singing. And I kept going back to one moment in particular, when he had been looking out in the rain. There had been something strange in that moment...almost a sort of pain, or regret. I couldn't figure out what.

But soon enough the sun was rising, and I noticed that Jacob had been awake for some time. He really did live up to the title of a Wraith – he moved around the pavilion without a sound, and several times I actually lost sight of him when he stepped into a patch of shadow. Definitely not the type of guy you'd want to meet in a dark alley.

I watched as he inspected the roof of the pavilion for any leaks, then went around the back to check on a stockpile of firewood and make sure it was dry. Then he went over to a crate and pulled a book and a few pieces of parchment out of it, before tucking it into the folds of his cloak and heading back over to the others.

He nudged Krys' side with a boot. "come on, you lot. Sun's up." He ordered in a loud voice. "time to get started on the day."

Blearily, the three groaned and mumbled about wanting more time. Jacob sighed, and I nodded in understanding. "some people just don't have the discipline we do." I told him. "just gotta live with it."

Jacob ignored me; probably just being a jerk or something and definitely not because he couldn't hear me. By now Krys was awake, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he got to his feet. Neb was following suit, but Elania had rolled over to avoid the sunlight. "no...I don't wanna get up..."

Krys opened his mouth, but Jacob raised a hand to stop him from speaking. "shame. You'll miss the crocodile on the hill over there." He remarked casually, turning away.

"what?" Immediately, Elania was on her feet. "where? Which hill? I wanna see!" Jacob smirked at her as realization hit. "dangit! I fell for it again?"

Jacob chuckled. "works every time." He remarked quietly to Krys, who stifled a grin of his own. "now, important things. Neb, Krys, you two should get heading out, yeah?"

"probably." Krys agreed. "but there is a problem. We lost the road trying to get here – do you think you could give us some directions back?"

"I'll do you one better." Jacob gestured to Elania. "she's mapped out this whole area. You'll be back on the road in no time with her help."

He took the journal and parchment out of his cloak and handed it to Elania as she strode over. "right-o! You're headed to the capital, so you're gonna want to head north on the roads." She stated, taking a quill from her own pouch. "obviously you'll get there if you just stay on the roads, but to get back to the roads you've gotta head west from here – that way." She pointed the opposite direction of the sun as she spoke.

Krys and Neb both nodded in understanding. "also, we had, ah, a run-in with a harpy a day or two ago." Neb added. "do you think you could tell us if there's anything else...potentially life-threatening we could encounter?"

"oh, definitely. Giant spiders, dire wolves, more harpies, the roving group of bandits – plenty of bad stuff out there!"

"Thunderhawks show up sometimes after a big storm, too." Jacob added in a deadpan tone.

Elania elbowed him. "don't say that! You'll just spook them!" she chastised. Jacob looked at her in confusion as the Ripple Hybrid addressed Neb and Krys again, both of which had concerned looks on there faces. "okay, there's evil stuff, but I'm sure you'll be fine! It's pretty rare to be attacked while you're on the roads. Oh! But do be careful about the chasm – there aren't a lot of good crossing points for it close to here."