Chapter 45 The Stars Overhead
We continued on for another half mile, till the edges of the marsh were truly behind us.
The treeline was close, but not close enough to take cover for the night.
We were going to have to camp out in the open.
But as far as I could see, there was no one around, and with the marshes far enough behind us, hopefully nobody would creep out of there.
As we set up our camp, I inhaled a deep breath.
The marsh had a constant fetid smell to it, but now the air was bracingly cold and clear, and I looked toward the sky, at the massive field of stars overhead.
It was beautiful, dizzyingly so, and I sat down on a nearby fallen log, just staring overhead.
We never saw the stars like this in the city.
The light pollution was always too strong.
But here, the vast heavens stretched overhead, unending.
“The sky’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Thornhold asked.
I nodded. “Truly, it is. Almost overwhelming.” As I spoke, something caught my eye. “What’s that?” I pointed toward the mountains. Between us and them, a shape flickered through the sky, turning and twisting.
“I’m not sure,” Thornhold said, shading his eyes. “That’s no bird.”
“It can’t be a plane,” I said.
“I think I know what it is,” Reggie said, pausing from where he’d been helping Ray and Brynn set up the tents. In the marshes, we’d crowded into one, but now we wanted to stretch out a little so we were going for two.
“What?” I asked.
“A dragon. There are dragons in the Mountains of Kartell, you know.” He tilted his head, watching as the fading light swallowed up the figure.
The moment he said the word, I knew he was right. “How close to us do you think it is?”
“It can’t see us from there—we can see a long way from here.
But at least it’s a reminder that we have to be careful, especially in the mountains.
The monsters there are deadly and cunning, even more so than most in the lowlands.
” Reggie frowned. “Speaking of cunning, I wonder how close to us Zaran’s managed to get. ”
“I don’t know,” Thornhold said. “The traveling will be easier now that we’re out of the marshes, so I suggest we push on tomorrow as fast as possible. The village of Tyrnis is about seven miles ahead, if I remember.”
“We didn’t find the waypoint in the marshes,” I said. “We should try to find the waypoint here. I know Zaran is close on our heels, but the Waypoints are vital.”
Brynn and Ray finished with the tents and joined us.
“We need water,” Brynn said. “I hear a stream over beyond that stand of ferns.”
The ferns were large, almost waist-high. In the dark, it was hard to see anything beyond the shape of their fronds. I motioned to Thornhold.
“We’ll go check while you all start the fire and figure out dinner,” I said. “Give us your water bottles, just in case.”
They gave us their bottles, and we found a few spare and took those with us as well.
Thornhold also took the pan we hung over the fire.
As Thornhold and I headed in the direction of the stream, I turned on the light on my watch and held it out to guide our way.
The ground was even, with few rocks around, and the going was easy.
As we neared the ferns, I slowed down. There was always the chance something was hiding behind them, but my intuition reassured me we were all right.
As we skirted the patch of ferns, the sound of the stream trickled loud and clear.
I could smell the water from where I stood, and suddenly felt parched.
We were all probably dehydrated. I crossed to the stream and kneeled beside it, dipping my fingers in it.
The water was ice cold and made me shiver.
I lifted my fingers to my lips and tasted.
“It’s so good, it tastes like artesian well water,” I said.
Thornhold started handing me bottles, and I filled them all, after drinking my fill. Then we filled the pot, which Thornhold would carry back. I tried to see what was on the other side of the stream, but by now it was too dark. Hopefully, there wasn’t anyone or anything over there watching us.
We returned to the camp, handed out the water bottles, and set the pan of water in the embers to heat. First, we’d make soup, then tomorrow morning we’d empty and clean it and use it to fetch the washing water.
Brynn and Reggie had made grilled cheese sandwiches, and Ray had cut up some apples and had them cooking in a pan with a little honey and water for applesauce. I bit into the hot sandwich, sighing as the tension drained out of my body.
“There’s something about a hot meal that always seems to take away the stress,” I said.
“I’ve put the bouillon and what vegetables we had left in the pot,” Brynn said. “We’ll need to buy more in the village. I also added several pieces of jerky to fortify it with protein.”
“Well, tomorrow we’ll make it to Tyrnis.
We’ll need clothing, bedding, whatever we can buy to protect us from those mountains.
The marshes were bad, but the mountains are going to be hell,” I said.
“And I hate to say it, but we should be watching over our shoulders in the village. We don’t know if Zaran managed to travel faster than we did.
He might already be there, waiting for us. ”
“Right. We stick together then. Don’t wander off. All right,” Thornhold said, “Watches? Nobody stays on watch alone tonight. We divide into either two groups, or three—and one of us takes a double watch.”
“Two,” I said. “We sleep a little longer and get up early—before sunrise if possible. We can function on a little less sleep.”
We divided up, with Reggie, Ray, and me on first watch. Brynn and Thornhold would take second. As we huddled near the fire—the night was clear and the temperatures dropping—Reggie motioned for me to sit in front of him. He began gently rubbing my shoulders.
“Oh, man, I need that,” I said. He was skilled, and I began to relax.
“My sister is a massage therapist,” he said. “I learned a lot from her.”
Ray stared at the fire. “I miss Jaylene,” he suddenly said.
Jaylene was his girlfriend, though I wasn’t sure how long they’d been going out.
“But I miss my dogs more,” he added. “Jaylene will find someone—she’s a catch.
I don’t think we were meant to be together in the long run, but my dogs…
they don’t know why I abandoned them. They don’t understand. ”
The catch in his voice nearly broke my heart.
I motioned to Reggie, nodded at Ray. Reggie silently moved over to Ray’s side, beginning to work on his shoulders while I took Ray’s hands.
We sat there in silence, listening to the crackle of the flames as the night deepened and the stars shone ever brighter.