Chapter. 60
After a few hours of walking beside the river, the forest opens up to a meadow. My legs are exhausted, and it’ll be dawn soon. In this open field, the trees are sparse, too far away from each other to allow a ravager to sneak up on us. The grass only reaches to my knees – short enough that it can’t hide anything.
I turn to face the others. They look just as tired, but the shock from our earlier encounter suppresses any complaints.
“We’ll sleep in shifts,” I say. Even Rahlan was wary after driving the ravagers off. I’d be a fool to have more confidence than a vampire.
The look on Bevin and Ina’s faces indicate that they aren’t pleased with my decision, but they keep it to themselves. Bevin wants to be the one in charge, but he knows that overruling me here will result in me leaving them behind. I’d rather spend ages searching for Fekby than be eaten.
“Two will watch, two will sleep,” I say, “Who will join me for the first shift?” They’re less likely to argue if I volunteer to be the first to stay awake.
“I will,” Aled says.
I nod, and we all find a comfortable place on the ground. Bevin and Ina layout blankets and make themselves a bed, and Aled and I sit facing opposite directions. I’m not taking any unnecessary chances. It goes without saying that we’re not lighting a fire.
Digging in my bag, I find the thick coat and wrap it around my body, keeping out the cold air. At least if I get too comfortable and fall asleep, Aled will be here to wake me up.
Bevin and Ina soon still, leaving just Aled and I to watch the field.
I take out the sextant and look through the eyepiece. Rahlan’s instructions replay in my head, and I line the sight up with various stars, all while being careful not to take my eyes off the grass for too long.
“What’s that?” Aled whispers.
I pinch the string tight along the ruler arc and lay the instrument down on my lap. “A Sextant. I’m measuring how far we’ve traveled.”
“Looks expensive,” he says.
I shrug. Rahlan’s the one who paid for it. First the doorknob and now his sextant. The thought of him growling in annoyance every time he discovers another one of his expensive possessions missing makes me smile. I’m not a thief, but I suppose that there are some hidden costs that come with keeping a human captive.
“What’s the reading?” he asks.
Tallying the numbers in the dirt makes the calculation easier. “Ten miles today,” I whisper.
Aled reaches for one of their bags and picks out a wooden slate covered in engraved markings and curves. It’s like the map that I saw at the trade post. “Here’s Fekby.” He points to a symbol. “Ten miles means we should be somewhere here.” His finger runs along the line representing the river.
He picks a stalk and lines it up with the symbol marking Fekby. “If we keep pace, we’ll reach Fekby tomorrow night.”
Tomorrow night. After all this traveling, I’m so close. It doesn’t seem real.
I pack the sextant away and lean on my bag.
My gaze falls back on Ina and Bevin’s makeshift bed. She’s tucked under his arms, her nose just poking out from under the blanket. It’s clear that she’s precious to him. Protected in her little cocoon, I imagine that she’ll get the best sleep of any of us tonight.
I pull the large coat tight around my frame, imagining a particular set of arms holding me too. I’m not going to torture myself anymore over the fact that I found comfort with Rahlan. Life is hard enough as it is, and if imagining Rahlan holding me makes things better, then I’ll pretend all I want.
I sleep against my bag, as Bevin hasn’t given me a reason to believe that he is above stealing the doorknob.
The next morning, we travel over foothills, following a series of obscure paths and streams. The three of them are moving faster, with more confidence than in the forest. They know this land well.
By midday, our path leads us to the edge of a rocky cliff. Crouching down to eliminate any chance of falling, I peer over the edge. The ground looks like it’s suddenly fallen fifty feet into the earth.
Bevin steps onto a lower ledge on the cliff face and offers his hand to me.
I catch it and take my first step down the sharp cliff.
Aled and Ina follow closely behind me, and we begin our descent down the cliff face along a path barely wide enough to accommodate one person. The route Jacob taught me also involved climbing down small cliffs, so we must be getting closer.
The wind attacks us as we climb, as if it’s trying to knock us off the edge. I hug the rock face as I move, refusing to look down.
We take slow steps, though I suspect they’d be moving faster without me.
Bevin leaps off the ledge, and I gasp. Keeping my body plastered to the rock face, I peer over the edge. There’s solid ground – with Bevin standing safely on the other side of a thin ravine.
“Jump.” Bevin holds out his hands.
I swallow a lump in my throat and stare into the dark four-foot crack that separates me from safety. It’s pitch-black and just large enough to swallow me whole.
Aled gives me a reassuring nod. I’ve come this far. A little fear of heights won’t stop me.
I slide my feet into position and rock back and forth, preparing myself for the jump.
I suck in my breath and leap off the rock. My body crashes into Bevin’s arms, causing him to stumble back and fall on his butt.
“Thanks,” I say. I may have jumped a little too far.
Aled and Ina make the leap before Bevin and I are back on our feet. I gaze back at the high cliff. It brings back the image of the tall black walls surrounding the vampire city.
Bevin taps on my shoulder, bringing my attention to the vast fields of waist-high brush ahead of us. “Welcome to Faria.”
A smile crosses my face. I’m in Faria, the human kingdom, free of vampires.
We weave our way between the brush throughout the afternoon. By the time dusk settles in, the cliffs are out of sight.
As the last of the sun begins to disappear, a thin column of gray smoke rises in the distance. It’s from a small fire, like one built to heat a home. “Is that…” I trail off.
“Fekby,” Bevin says.