XVII

Yoreno glanced back at the canyon walls they had just left.

“I’m so glad to be done of that place,” Dell said.

“Why?” he asked. “It wasn’t so bad.”

“Too enclosed for comfort.”

“Understandable.”

They were higher up in the mountains now, and even though evening was setting upon them, the lowlands below the mountains and the path leading up to them were visible.

“I didn’t know we climbed so high,” Mai said.

“We were travelling for two days,” Lev said. He still hadn’t dismounted his horse. “The trail was a steady climb the whole way.”

“Now where is this Kilik Dungeon?” Dorrin asked.

Yoreno pulled out the rolled up map and spread it out over the ground. “It’s very close.” He pointed. “Do you see it?”

“We could probably get there tonight,” Sorika said as she glanced over their shoulders.

Yoreno looked up. “Surely,” he said. “I’m not certain it’s safe, though. These lands are wild.”

Sorika nodded her agreement, but said nothing.

“Come on,” Lev complained. “I’m tired of camping out. Let’s get this done and find Dantera.”

“We’ll never find her if we all wind up dead,” Mai said. “And if any of us gets hurt, we’ll have to travel back to the city to get help. That will slow us down considerably.”

“We don’t want that,” Yoreno said. “Better to move slow and steady, then to go quick and sloppy and be hampered by problems we could avoid.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Lev said as he scratched at the stubble on his jaw.

Yoreno rolled up the map. “Let’s make camp and set out again in the early morning. We’ll probably reach the dungeon before noon tomorrow.”

“I would say that’s worst case scenario,” Mai said. Then she turned and regarded the view.

The deserts below were cast in an orange hue from the setting sun, which was barely just peeking over the horizon. From where they stood, they couldn’t see the sea, but it was out there.

Unfortunately, Dantera hadn’t gone north to the sea. It made sense. She was on the trail of King Branlin’s assassins. They had probably left Aevalin and headed for their own refuge.

The mountains were the more obvious solution.

How Dantera was tracking the assassins, Yoreno didn’t know. He hoped he didn’t find Dantera in some sorry state of defeat, having given up the search and simply slumped into a morose shell of her former self.

But something deep within him told Yoreno that it was possible that he would in fact find her like that. He dreaded it.

“It’s pretty,” Dell said. He glanced toward Sorika. She nodded, but still said nothing. She had always been quiet—the quietest member of the Emblazoned Party in fact, with Lev being their resident loud mouth.

Per the usual, they dug a small hole where they placed kindling and enchanted fire logs and set up their tents.

The horses were calm, so Yoreno wasn’t concerned about monsters lurking by. Perhaps Dantera was close. Perhaps they would go to the dungeon called Kilik tomorrow, find Yarsha and then he would direct them to Dantera, who was laying low, or biding her time while she tracked the assassins.

Yoreno and the rest of his friends would assist her in attacking the assassins and then bring back their leader to the Aevalin royal court. Dantera would then be given her noble title back.

Everything would work out.

But that was a fantasy, he thought. It would be way too easy if things progressed so smoothly—if at all. But Yoreno couldn’t help but hope.

He just wanted things to go back to the way they were before the events in the castle, before the death of the king. Everything up to that point had been nearly perfect, not only for himself, but for his family—for Dantera, even.

Their futures had looked bright and exciting.

Now this…

“We should all get some early sleep,” he said. “We don’t know what we will find in that dungeon tomorrow.”

“I agree,” Dell said.

“Agh!” Lev complained, and ripped another piece of meat off his stick. “You guys are no fun.”

“Trust me,” Mai said. “We’re going to have a lot of ‘fun’ going forward.”

“Whatever you say, Scarface.”

“Hey!”

“Quiet, commoner,” Sorika said.

Lev laughed.

Instead of rebuking Lev, Yoreno said, “Mai, I think your scar suits you.”

She touched it. “Really?”

He nodded. “You’re an adventurer, not some soft daisy.”

That didn’t seem to help. “I mean,” he corrected, “you’re beautiful, but your scar gives you a bit of an added edge. You’re a sun flower, with teeth.”

“A flower with teeth…” she muttered thoughtfully.

“Whoa!” Lev said. “You might be horrible at wooing women, but Yoreno—do you think Dantera would approve?”

“What?” Dell asked incredulously.

“For one, I’m not wooing anyone, and secondly, Dantera wouldn’t give a monster’s backside.”

“All right,” Lev said lightly as if he were stepping on eggshells. “Say no more, Yoreno.”

“You’re such a trouble maker,” Sorika said.

“I’m sorry,” Lev added and raised his hands up placatingly. “I’m just bored.”

“Don’t worry,” Yoreno said. “We’re probably going to get to kill stuff real soon. Just keep that in mind next time your boredom makes you stupid.”

They all laughed.

“Now,” Yoreno said. “Sleep. That’s an order.”

“Awe,” Lev growled.

“I for one welcome the extra sleep,” Mai said. “I’m exhausted. You have no idea how hard it is to ward an entire campsite.”

“You’ll be okay,” Dorrin said. “We’ll all take care of you, Mai.”

“Ohh!” Lev said. “More inter-party romance is afoot.”

“Shut it, archer boy,” Dellwyn said, then he turned and went into his tent.

“Goodnight,” Yoreno said.

“Goodnight.”

“Night.”

“Whatever.”

“…”

“See you in the morning.”

“Shut up.”