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Chapter 6: Perilous Journeys
The funeral involved the whole of Adlehyde; so many people had died that everyone had contributed to making the coffins necessary for all the bodies, and even more cleared the bulk of the forest on the outskirts of the town to expand the size of the graveyard. The procession lasted an entire day, and the burials another three. In that time, neither Rudy nor Jack saw a single sight of Cecilia. They stayed in the palace in the spare rooms where all the other citizens stayed (whose homes had been destroyed in the attack) and were fed well by the kitchen staff, as they waited on what the princess—surely soon to be queen—had decided they would do.
"I still don't like the idea of travelling with her," said Jack to Rudy, pulling off a piece of his bread and handing it to Hanpan inside his jacket, "she'd just slow us down, having to make sure nothing happens to her pretty little head."
They sat in the kitchen with a few others eating lunch. Rudy watched Jack as he spoke, silently contemplating. He was in favour of following Cecilia on her mission, but he did not voice this to Jack. The older man continued on, discussing with himself the options.
"She is pretty good in a fight... really good, actually," he corrected himself. "She'd probably be the one saving our asses some of the time. But she's such a liability... if she gets hurt, this kingdom's gonna fall, too..."
Jack took a bite of his own bread, staring off into the distance. "We could just leave now, but I don't even know what we're doing."
"I don't see why this is such a big problem for you to figure out," Hanpan whispered quietly, making sure not to attract attention from anyone nearby. "This is her mission. Not yours. You'd be following her into the depths of who knows what hell."
Jack didn't say anything, but handed Hanpan another chunk of bread. The wind mouse took it hungrily, disappearing further into Jack's pocket to eat. Jack stared at a spot on the table, his jaw working slowly, a pensive look on his face.
Rudy watched Jack, but still said nothing. He felt as if the three of them formed a powerful bond, and when Cecilia was gone, something felt incomplete, lacking. He was hoping that Jack felt the same thing and was considering it, when Minister Johan approached their table.
"Jack van Burace?" Johan asked, looking at him imploringly. Jack looked Johan up and down, then nodded slowly, pulling his jacket closer to him lest he catch a glimpse of Hanpan.
"And Rudy Roughknight, I presume?"
Rudy nodded too.
"If you would come with me," he said, motioning towards the corridor.
Rudy and Jack exchanged glances, then both slowly rose from the table and followed Johan down the hall. He led them through an adjacent corridor and up another set of spiralling stairs, then led them into a tall room filled with windows. A large map of the world lined the northern wall, and a broad oak table sat in the middle of the room under it, covered in sheets of paper that resembled strategic maps. Johan motioned them to sit, and as they drew out two chairs side by side, they caught the outline of someone sitting across the table.
The light falling from the windows had made it particularly hard to see that anyone was there at all, but as Jack focused on the person, he saw that it was a boy he had never seen before.
"Cecilia?" Rudy said quietly, looking at the boy with the slightest expression of shock.
Jack then took a double take. It was indeed Cecilia, but she looked completely different from days before. Her hair had been cut even shorter and more neatly, and now framed her face in a plain yet pretty bob. She no longer wore the dazzling white dress she had before, but had traded it for a more masculine dress coat. She nodded to them, a ghost of a smile on her face.
"The prin—Cecilia," Johan corrected himself, "has asked me to bring you here for an audience."
"The Guardian Stoldark has been speaking to me for some time," Cecilia said then, folding her hands on the table and looking at them. "He has been very cryptic in his messages, to say the least, but he has finally given me a message following the death of my father that I wish to share with you.
"He said to me, 'long and hard is the road that leads us to light, but that road must be taken by you to keep this light alive. The burden is yours to shoulder, Innocent One, but the path does not have to be tread alone.'"
Jack and Rudy sat quietly, not wanting to break the silence. She looked up from her hands to them, her eyes serious and strong, the defeated look in her face dissipating instantly. "I know you did not want to come with me, but I'm going, with or without you. Without will most certainly prove more difficult, and I would be in your debt if you two agreed to come with me.
"I know we only met days ago," Cecilia said meekly, looking back at her hands, "but you've witnessed one of the most dramatic changes in my life. You are also two people whom I can trust deeply, and while I'm told that trust isn't reciprocated," her eyes darted to Jack's face and back to her hands again, "I wouldn't want any other companions on such a journey that I must take."
Minister Johan came up behind Cecilia, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I have no doubt that Cecilia has indeed heard the voice of the water Guardian, Stoldark," Johan said. "Her mother experienced much the same thing at her young age. A Shaman Princess. And, therefore, I believe her words to be absolute truth from the Guardian himself. I second her request that you two be her companions on this journey. Not any of the trained knights and guards that inhabit this palace, but you."
Jack scratched the back of his head, then nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I suppose I never had a choice to say no in the first place."
Rudy smiled lightly, and Cecilia shared the gesture. "Thank you, Jack."
He waved a hand, looking flustered. "I figure I still get to call you C."
She laughed. "Yes, you can."
"It is set, then," Johan said. "I will stand in Cecilia's stead as regent of Adlehyde until her journey is complete. The three of you will cross the mountain pass to the west—" he pointed to the map on the wall, and Rudy and Jack turned to see the progress Johan outlined, "and head south to the water village of Milama. A temple to the Guardians exists near there; perhaps you may receive more wisdom for the direction your journey must take if you speak to them directly."
Cecilia stood. "We should head out my tomorrow morning," she said. "My knights will offer both of you new weapons from our armoury. Rudy, I know your skill with the ARM, but perhaps it will be best if you had another weapon to rely on if you happen to run out of... er..."
"Bullets," he offered quietly.
"Yes," she said hastily, "bullets."
"Is there a supply storage here, too?" Jack asked.
"Yes. Johan will arrange everything for us. The town's supplies were reaped in the attack, so they cannot spare too much on us. They will need everything they can use to... rebuild."
Cecilia looked defeated again, but shook her head suddenly, closing her eyes. "I want to help them, but I cannot stay here and feel sorry for my kingdom. For myself. My kingdom needs me elsewhere now—Filgaia needs me."
"Yeah, I understand," Jack said carefully.
"Sir Terwillegar should be waiting for you on the lowest level," Johan said to Rudy and Jack. "He will grant you the provisions you need. Until then, the—" he paused again, the word "princess" catching on his tongue, "Cecilia will need to prepare for the journey in her own way. You are permitted to stay as guests in the castle."
"Meet me at the front gates tomorrow, just after dawn," Cecilia said to them, standing. "We should head out early to make the best of the daylight."
"All right," Jack said, darting his eyes around her. For some reason, he found it hard to look at her directly, like the pain she was wearing just under her sleeve was stinging him every time he tried to make eye contact. "See you later, C."
Rudy and Jack slept in the very same guest room they had slept in for five days; the family they had shared it with had returned to town to rebuild their home. It felt quiet and empty with just the two of them, but neither of them spoke. Jack lay on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, while Rudy played with his ARM at the foot of his bed, sitting in the warmth by the fire. He opened the chamber, let it spin, then flicked it back into place. His eyes seemed disconnected, like the act was mesmerizing, pulling him into a trance.
"This is pretty big," Hanpan said sleepily from the bedside table. With no other people in the room, he was free to roam out in the open. Jack had made him a bed out of the complementary handkerchiefs left by the caretaker. Both Rudy and Jack turned to look at him, but he seemed to have sighed to himself in his sleep, for he was curled into a tight little blue ball, lost amongst the large white cloths.
Rudy glanced at Jack, and Jack looked over at him, his eyebrows raised. Rudy looked away quickly, returning to his ARM.
"This is pretty big," Jack whispered. Rudy slowly looked back up at Jack. "It's pretty easy to just talk about going out to retrieve this Tear Drop from a gang of demons, but..." he lifted up his arm and let it fall limply at his side again, "it's just too huge for me to really realize just what it is I've got myself into."
Rudy simply watched, not saying anything, as per usual to his contemplative personality. Then he muttered, "I thought the demons were just legend until we saw one with our own eyes. Everyone thought they were legends, but you... you've met them before. Haven't you."
Jack didn't look at Rudy, but merely kept gazing up at the ceiling. Then he said: "I don't know if I'm doing this for me or for everybody else. I'd like to say my intentions are honourable, but... who'm I kidding."
He rolled on his side away from Rudy, leaving his question hanging in the air to fade away. Rudy stopped playing with his ARM, but gazed down at it instead. He wondered the same thing about his own intentions, then slowly drifted off to sleep on the floor by the fire.
In the morning, Rudy, Jack and Hanpan set out for the gates. The palace was quiet and still; everyone was still asleep, warm in their beds, unaware of the important journey they would be embarking on with the heir to the throne.
They made their way down the marble steps that led outside to the courtyard, then caught sight of Cecilia standing right in front of the gate, waiting for them. She had changed into more travelling appropriate attire: she wore a blue travelling coat trimmed with gold and buttoned with black throngs; a beige jacket could be seen underneath, and its hood protruded from the neck of her coat; she wore a matching blue skirt with dark coloured leggings, and her feet were adorned with hiking boots and thick wool socks. On her back was a pack for their food and supplies, and an elegant looking staff was tied to its side—for walking or magic casting, neither man knew which.
"Hello, boys, Hanpan" she said warmly, inhaling the air and stretching her arms. "Beautiful morning, isn't it?"
She looked to Rudy, who felt compelled to give some sort of answer. "A little early."
"S'just because you're young," Jack said. "When you get to be my age, you'll be up before the sun is and be rearing to go."
"Yes, I'm a little on the tired side, too," Cecilia said, suddenly trying to stifle a yawn. "Shall we get going?"
She pushed open the gate softly, trying not to make too much noise, should someone from the palace guard be wakened from the ominous squeaking, then they made their way through the town (which looked blood stained in the sunrise) towards the main road entrance.
When they reached the town walls, Cecilia stopped and looked back. Rudy and Jack waited for her patiently; they knew it was some form of farewell for her, and she had been through enough to deserve every inch of their patience for such goodbyes.
"All right," she said, "let's go."
The rest of the morning was spent in silence. They travelled until about midday, when they all agreed to stop and eat lunch. They shared a meal of bread and berries on the lone stone bridge overlooking the Curan Strait. It remained silent until Jack motioned towards Rudy's sword.
"I haven't seen you test that bad boy out yet," Jack said.
Rudy glanced up at him in surprise—he had grown accustomed to the silence—then looked to the sword he had at his side. He had agreed that it would come in handy, should his ARM be unusable, but he was still apprehensive of picking up a blade again. He shook his head in response to Jack.
"Why don't we put in a little practice?" he offered, swallowing his last berry. "I like to think I'm a good teacher; I might even make you competent with a blade."
"Puh."
"Hey, what's your problem?" Jack said, peering into his coat at Hanpan.
"You couldn't teach English if you tried."
"Jeez, you don't have a lot of faith in me, do you?"
"No."
"Anyway," Jack said, rolling his eyes, "we could do it on the way to Milama. Or during our lunch breaks. Does that interest you?"
Rudy gave a small nod. "Okay."
"Okay, then, pick it up," Jack said, motioning to the sword. Rudy looked at it incredulously, then back at Jack with wide eyes.
"Right now?" he said quietly.
"Yeah, right now, what else do you have to do?"
Rudy looked to his bread.
"Oh, okay, finish lunch first," Jack said with mock annoyance.
Rudy gulped down his bread and got to his feet. Hanpan leapt from Jack's coat as the two got ready to spar, and sat on the cobblestone wall next to Cecilia, watching with feigned interest.
"Okay, you remember the first lesson I gave you?" Jack asked. Rudy nodded.
"I'll start with that first, since it's one of the basic attacks any swordsman should know." Jack raised his sword, then came at Rudy with amazing speed. Rudy stepped back out of surprise, but before colliding with him, Jack darted to Rudy's side, holding the blade across his belly.
"Did you see what I did at the last second?" Jack said. Rudy shook his head.
"You were expecting me to just crash into you, and you guarded yourself for the front," Jack said. "Once you did that, I went right for your unprotected side. Changing directions in a fast run is easy if you've got control over your balance and your feet; it's basically controlled falling."
"'Controlled falling'?" Cecilia said from the side.
"Yeah," Jack said, talking with his hands to both her and Rudy. "If you lean forward and put your weight into it as you move, it's like being on the verge of falling. The moment you braced yourself for the front, I fell to your side. You have to make it quick in order to gain the advantage of that one second lag in defence. Try a couple times with me."
So Rudy attempted Jack's exercise, and while he proved to be much slower than Jack on his feet, he was finally able to jump to the older man's side without tripping over his own feet or accidentally bumping into Jack instead.
"All right, you're a pretty quick learner," Jack said, sheathing his sword. "We'll practice more before settling down for the night, sound good?"
Rudy nodded in agreement, then the three of them set off again, this time with conversation in the air at every moment.
By mid afternoon, they had reached the inner mountain pass that would take them to the other side of the country. Two Adlehyde guards stood at the entrance, and they opened the gate once they saw Cecilia.
"We've been told you would come," said one of the guards. He pulled a rolled up piece of parchment and handed it to her. "This is a map of the caves. You will also need—" he turned and pulled out three torches from the barrel behind him, "these to walk through the pass. It gets very dark the further you go in, and there are creatures living in the darkest parts. Take care through here, your Highness."
"We will, thank you," she said, sliding the parchment through a throng in her belt and holding out her torch to be lit by the other guard. When they were all set, the guards saw them off, and they started through the dark, eerie empty halls of the Adlehyde Mountains.
"Things live in here?" Hanpan squeaked, jumping out from Jack's pocket onto his shoulder. "Miserable creatures."
No one said anything. They all seemed to be on edge; they could only see three feet in front of them before the lights of their torches were swallowed whole by the encompassing dark. It was dead silent for twenty minutes, where the only sounds were of their footsteps and their quickened heartbeats.
"Having second thoughts about signing up with us, C.?" Jack jeered, his voice quiet and subdued, as if unsure if he would attract anything by speaking too loudly.
Cecilia replied in a distant and cool voice, "You signed up with me."
They walked along quietly, climbing the slight slope that led to a vast cavern that towered overhead. It was very hard to see how high the ceiling was, but it was somehow definitive by the way the air seemed to expand and their awed voices became lost in the wide open space that they were in a very large room indeed.
"Argh!" Jack yelped, jumping back. Rudy and Cecilia turned to him quickly to see what was the matter as he scuffed his boot on a mass of plant shrub covering the ground.
"That stuff stings," he said cautiously, "watch out."
Cecilia stepped closer to it. "Devil's Sap. Did it feel like a shock or a sharp prodding?"
"Something like that, yeah."
"It'll drain you if you step on it too much," she said, reflecting his wariness, "we should all watch our step."
They tread more carefully, watching the ground in front of them as they went. They remained silent as they slowly traversed the dark and empty cave, watching for the creatures they had been warned about, and the Devil's Sap at their feet. They climbed through wide expanses and tight crevasses, and eventually they saw daylight pouring in from the other end of their tunnel.
"It looks like dusk already," Jack said as they caught sight of the opening where the light poured from. "We took a long time getting here."
"We should set camp," Cecilia said, pointing, "just in that clearing out there."
The three of them studied the small patch of grass just outside the mouth just before the ground sloped forward and down a precarious looking path.
"Why outside?" Jack asked.
"So that if we are ambushed, we will not be cornered in a cave," Cecilia said to him instructively. Jack bobbed his head.
"Thought out like a true Dream Chaser," Jack said. Cecilia gave a small, abashed smile. "But we should make dinner inside; I don't like eating in the open."
"Fair enough," she said, and they all set to work.
Cecilia set the tent with the wave of her wand and a muttered incantation, Rudy and Jack collected kindling for a fire, and Hanpan ran off to do some hunting of his own. When the fire was set, Cecilia retrieved some berries and bread from her bag, and they cooked both in a pan just over the flames. The food left much to be desired, but it was food, nonetheless; the three of them knew that there would be times they would have to go without.
After Rudy and Jack practised together for a while, they all slept on their own respective cots in the tent, which was surprisingly cozy for a mounted tarp, and all slept soundly but Cecilia; she lay awake most of the night, staring into the dark, unable to find any rest.
By morning, they set off again, climbing along the steep paths on the mountainside.
"Be careful of the wind gusts," Cecilia warned as they descended a sharp slope, "we could all be carried off the mountain if we let our guard down."
They all stepped lightly, slowly taking their time down the slope. They were all silent for the better part of the hour that they travelled, until Jack broke the silence.
"We were told this place was crawling with creatures," he observed. "We haven't seen a trace of anything. Not even dung or left over dinners."
"I didn't see anything when I went hunting, either," Hanpan vouched. "It's like everything saw us coming and ran for the hills."
Rudy heard an odd burst in the gusts of wind, and looked up to find the source. He squinted his eyes to the sun, but he saw nothing. Then he heard it again.
He stopped on the path and looked around, turning in a circle, but there was nothing to be seen. The other two didn't seem to have heard anything, and he assumed it was a pocket of air in the wind that blew over his head, or something strange of the sort.
As he started walking after his companions again, he heard a distinctive squawk just before something knocked him hard on the back of the head. He lost his balance and stumbled forward towards Cecilia, whom turned just in time to see him tumbling down over her.
They collided hard and fell down in a tangled clump onto Jack. The three of them tumbled down the slope at an alarming rate, crashing hard into rocks and landing awkwardly on their limbs and backs. Cecilia tried to call out to the other two, but neither could answer or could hear her.
Jack came dangerously close to falling off the path and down the edge of the mountain; in a frantic effort to stay on the path, he latched onto a small boulder protruding from the path as he rolled by.
"Grab on!" he called, holding out his free arm as Cecilia and Rudy came closer. Cecilia threw herself out towards Jack and latched onto his arm, and Jack's grip slipped on the boulder dangerously.
"Rudy!" Cecilia called, holding onto Jack's arm while extending her other towards the tumbling boy. As Rudy crossed their path, he reached out to grab Cecilia's hand. The extra weight pulled Jack a little further, and he winced against the pain as he held the three of them fast to the rock by his forearm.
A few moments passed where they all hung together panting on the steep mountainside, trying to collect themselves from the sudden distress. "Everyone all right?" Jack called back to them. Cecilia made a shallow gasping noise of assent, and Rudy called back quietly.
"Hanpan?" Jack shouted out over the slope.
"I'm up here!" He squeaked, his voice echoing down the path. "What happened back here?"
"That's what I was just about to ask," Jack replied, looking down the chain of his companions to Rudy.
"Something knocked me down from behind," Rudy replied, looking at Jack with a little remorse in his face. "Sorry."
"I thought I heard something strange before we fell," Cecilia insisted. "What was it that attacked you?"
"Jack!"
The three of them looked up the slope to see a large bird swoop down and swipe its claws at something on the path. There was a sudden boom and Hanpan shot down the slope past the three of them, kicking up dust, leaving the large, human-sized bird that had an odd resemblance to a woman behind.
"Harpies!" Jack cried angrily. "I hate harpies!"
The harpy squawked from up above, then dove headlong at the three people hanging precariously from the boulder. None of them could do anything to fend off the attack. But then...
"Rudy!" Cecilia called out in shock as Rudy let go of her hand and continued sliding down the slope. Just as he expected, the harpy continued to dive after him.
Trying to control where he slid was a bit trickier than he thought it would be, but he managed to keep himself from falling far off from the path and down the side of the cliffs below. The harpy chased after him, trying to approach him close enough to swipe at his head with its claws, but Rudy always slipped away from it the moment it slowed down. Rudy caught sight of another cave down below, and tried to aim his body towards the opening.
A small stone stuck up from the dirt path, but it was large enough to toss Rudy off his slide into the air. He spun over and landed awkwardly on his knee, then sent himself into a dangerous roll that flung him around like a rag doll. He tried desperately to switch onto his back and regain the advantage in his slide, but his world tumbled around so quickly that Rudy could barely discern up from down.
He was suddenly encased in dark and thudded heavily against a rock wall inside the cave he had spotted. He let out a yell of pain from the impact, which sent jolts through his limbs. His head vibrated and small stars exploded from behind his eyes. He heard the swoop of wings, and opened his eyes to see the harpy flapping wildly outside the cave, hovering around the entrance but not daring to enter.
Rudy watched it, confused. It squawked at him angrily, its odd human-like face contorted with anger. After Rudy was sure it wouldn't make chase inside the cave after him, he checked himself. He was miraculously uninjured and his equipment all seemed whole. His sword hung from his side undamaged, and his ARM sat in its holster like nothing had happened. He was sure some of the supplies in his pack was crushed underneath him as he rolled half a mile down the mountainside, but just having a means of self defence was all he worried over at the moment.
He stood up (still surprised nothing had been broken) and looked around the cave. It looked as if the cave descended further down the mountain. This was the route they needed to take.
Carefully peering out and up the slope, he saw Jack and Cecilia still hanging on the boulder far above. They couldn't stand on the steep descent, nor could they let go and risk what Rudy had done. Instead, he gathered as much voice he had, and called out for Hanpan.
The wind mouse appeared in almost a second flat, standing at Rudy's feet. "Oh, you're all right," he stated flatly, as casually as talking of the weather.
"Can you help Jack and Cecilia up there?" Rudy said, pointing up towards his friends.
Hanpan glared back up at him with beady black eyes. "What do I look like, an Emma Motor?"
Rudy peered back outside. They were sitting ducks. The harpy wasn't going after them; for some reason its sole intent was focused on Rudy. But they weren't coming down to where Rudy was any time soon, either.
"Can you go talk to them?" Rudy asked. "Maybe we can form a plan."
"I guess so," Hanpan said. "Just cover me and make sure I'm not that harpy's lunch."
So Hanpan bolted up the slope, and was next to Jack and Cecilia almost immediately. Rudy watched from inside the cave eagerly, hoping that by listening hard enough, he could hear what they were discussing. The harpy continued to squawk, hovering relentlessly outside the cave's mouth. Rudy never took his eyes off the distant forms of Jack and Cecilia, though; he was waiting for Hanpan to come sprinting back any second...
Suddenly they disappeared from sight in a shimmering light. Rudy blinked and his heart began to race, when suddenly there was a flash from behind him and a thundering crack. The harpy screeched wildly and flew away out of fright.
Rudy turned to see Cecilia and Jack stretched out on the cave floor, Cecilia still clutching Jack's hand as if they were still latched onto the boulder up the slope. Rudy approached them and knelt down beside Cecilia.
"Are you okay?"
Cecilia's eyes rolled around, and her head sagged onto the cave floor. Jack stood up quickly, panting heavily and looking around wildly as if he just experienced the most terrifying moment of his life.
"That had to be the scariest thing I've ever been through," Jack said, clutching at his arms. "I felt like I exploded and... and... jeez," he said, shivering from head to toe.
Hanpan burst into the cave, coming to a perfect stop right next to Cecilia. "I can see why that was a last resort," he said, concern laced in his squeaky voice.
"Hey, C.," Jack said, kneeling down. "You okay?"
"Let me rest a bit," she said softly, barely stirring on the floor. She looked completely exhausted. "That was a bit beyond me."
"Crap," Jack said, looking down at her worriedly. "Maybe we should carry her the rest of the way; we won't be long until we get out of the mountains. Hey, by the way, are you all right?" he asked, turning to Rudy. Rudy nodded.
"That was quite the tumble you took," Jack said, laughing shortly. "And quick thinking on your part; did you know the harpy would do that, or were you just going on guess work?"
Rudy shrugged.
"Yeah, harpy's are into shiny objects, and your hair's gotta be the shiniest thing the side of Adlehyde," Jack said. "Not to mention they hate the dark, so I guess it was luck for you that this cave was here. And it looks like the way out!"
Jack patted Rudy on the shoulder. "Okay, I'll carry C. for a while, then you take her after we get out of the mountains, okay?"
Rudy agreed, and he helped Jack hoist the semiconscious girl onto his back. Hanpan leapt onto Rudy's shoulder instead of Jack's as they continued through the cave, and the younger man lit his torch to lead the way through the mountain pass.
It only took about another hour before they saw fire in the distance. When they approached, they saw that it was the opposite gates to the mountains, which looked slightly less sophisticated than the Adlehyde entrance. They saw two men standing guard, and Hanpan dove inside Rudy's vest as they approached. The guards waited until the three of them were close enough to speak to. "You are the two escorting the princess from Adlehyde?"
"Yeah, that's us."
"We heard word you would be coming. We have a few provisions for you if you want them."
"Yeah, couldn't hurt," Jack said.
"Is that the princess?" the other guard asked. Jack said she was.
"You should take her to Milama village," he said. "It looks like she needs a doctor."
"Just a good night's sleep," Cecilia said drowsily from Jack's back.
"Is Milama far off from a Guardian shrine?" Jack queried.
"It's not a mile north of Milama, actually," the first guard said. "I'd recommend getting some rest before going there; it's said that the years of disuse have left the shrine a home to numerous creatures. You will need all the strength you can muster before you go there."
"I hear that a lot, yeah," Jack said, shifting Cecilia's weight on his back. She groaned in protest. "How do we get to Milama?"
"Head straight south," the second guard told Jack. "Follow the mountains and walk through the field between the forests, and you will find Milama at the end."
Rudy accepted the food and supplies the two guards offered them, then headed out of the mountain pass. Rudy found it hard to carry Cecilia on his back, so he carried her in front of himself in his arms (and Hanpan resumed his rightful place in Jack's front pocket). He thought it would be tiring carrying her like that after a few minutes, but as they continued through to the forest field, he still found her just as light as a feather.
"Rudy, your hair," Cecilia murmured, her voice slow and heavily with exhaustion, "it's so black it shines blue... I never noticed before now..."
"Okay, kiddo," Jack said, "you take another nap."
Cecilia complied without a word of protest.
Just before dusk, they found Milama village glittering at the edge of the horizon, ending their first of many perilous journeys.