I put my arm around her.
“Can I ask a personal question?”she said.
“Of course.”
“What’s wrong with you and Darion?You’re both acting strange.”
This girl was wise beyond her years.In the rush of things, there was so much I hadn’t explained.So I told her the entire story of what had happened at Pyrehold, including about Darion and Orlik.She deserved to know.
After I finished, Elena was quiet for a bit.Finally she spoke.“That’s…a lot.I’m not sure how to feel.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“But back at Pyrehold, he didn’t give you up.And today he saved us both.That matters.”
“It does.”
“And I feel like he’s the same person he was before.I’m not scared of him,” she said.
I nodded, glad to hear that.I wasn’t scared of him in the traditional sense, but Iwasscared of what would happen if I let him in again and he betrayed that trust.
By the time we’d all had a good rest, it was midafternoon.Jask stood up.“Well, it’s probably time for me to head back.Don’t want to get Rook too upset.”
I was secretly a bit disappointed.Jask had been invaluable, and I had hoped she might consider staying with us for longer, but I understood that she had her own responsibilities.
“Of course, and thank you,” I said.“I’m indebted to you for your help.You can take one of the horses back.We’ll make do.”
“No need,” Jask said.“It’s just a couple of hours’ walk back to Grey Spit.I should make it before nightfall.Besides, I’d rather not show back up in town on a ‘borrowed’ horse.”
“Hey, Ipaidfor these,” Darion said with feigned offense.
Jask gave Darion a dubious look.
“And Cas, you’re not indebted to me,” Jask said.“You paid us for the job.It’s cleaner that way.Sometimes jobs just get a little more complicated than you expect.Nature of the business.”
“Fair enough,” I said.“But I’m grateful nonetheless.”
Her response was a tight nod.“If you still plan to head north, this trail continues for the next twenty miles and will keep you away from the main road.Then you’ll come to Bitterridge Keep.It’s abandoned, isolated, and has a commanding view.It’s a good place to camp.”
“Where do we go from there?”I asked.
“You can take a trail east, back to the main north-south road.Or, if you’re willing to take the risk, this trail continues north through the mountains.It’s less traveled, but it’s treacherous.Many parts of the path are in disrepair.You’ll have to cross Titan’s Span, an ancient stone bridge over a chasm.It was standing the last time I was here years ago, but no guarantees.”
“Thank you, Jask,” I said.
We said our final goodbyes, and Jask strode off down the trail.
“Ilikeher,” Elena said after Jask was out of sight.
Darion and I shared a glance and a laugh.
“So do we,” I said.
“Well, what next?”Elena said.
“Meadowrun is north,” I said.“I’d like to go to our old family farm, see what there is to see.”
“We still have two horses, so we can go our separate ways if you want,” Darion said.“But I’ll be going north to get to the Order of Emberlight rendezvous point anyway.”
