She lowered her chin onto her hands and watched the flames flickering in the fire ring. Individual flames seemed to dance and bend with Enver’s music, and for a while she lost herself in it until she became aware of hot tears of frustration and guilt trailing down her cheeks. Guilt over her angry thoughts about Karigan. How could she be angry after all that Karigan had sacrificed for Sacoridia? And for being sick? Maybe what she was really mad about was her own inability to take action.
• • •
In the morning, Enver woke them both up. “How are you feeling, Galadheon? You were quieter during the night.”
“All better,” she said in her hoarse voice; then she started coughing.
“Hmm. I will make some tea.” He left them.
“You don’t sound all better,” Estral said.
“First thing in the morning is always hard. Ick. I keep coughing up soot.”
Ick, indeed. It was clear to Estral that Karigan should not attempt her scouting mission, and it was in fact what Enver suggested when he returned with tea.
“You should rest today,” he told Karigan.
That she did not argue was telling.
“I plan to do some scouting of my own today,” Enver said. Estral felt Karigan tense beside her to protest, but Enver continued before she could speak. “I intend to follow the ways to get a sense of where our path to the p’ehdrose may lead when we are done with the Lone Forest. Do not worry, I will be vigilant and keep well away from the forest itself. The two of you should stay here within the wards. They will conceal you.”
“Damnation,” Karigan muttered when he was gone. “I’m sorry, Estral, but I can’t go into the Lone Forest hacking my head off. Maybe this afternoon . . .” She coughed again and spilled tea on herself. “Ow! Damnation. I’m not good for anything.”
Estral’s guilt intensified after her uncharitable thoughts of the previous evening. Despite the many strange things that occurred to and around Karigan, she sounded very human at the moment.
“Don’t worry,” Estral said. “Just rest and feel better. I’ll be outside if you need me.”
Karigan had set her cup aside and was already snuggling beneath her blankets. “You are my best friend,” she murmured.
Feeling even worse, Estral crawled out of the tent to greet the day. Enver had already ridden off on Mist. He’d left a pot of water warming over the fire, and it appeared he’d fed and watered Coda, Condor, and Bane. Talk about not being good for anything! She hadn’t been this whole journey. She was just a problem for Karigan and Enver to drag along—excess baggage. The gray bleakness of the morning sky and landscape did not improve her frame of mind.
She crawled up atop the higher rocks and looked out toward the Lone Forest. At this hour, it was a dark blotch on the horizon. How long would it take to reach on foot? Distances could be deceiving.
She returned to the campfire and sat with her blanket wrapped around her. She winced at the sound of racking coughs coming from the tent.
My father is my problem, she thought.
She made herself some tea and settled in to consider her options.
When Karigan awoke again, the cough wasn’t as bad. It felt good to just rest, to linger beneath the warmth of her blankets and not move. The Lone Forest, however, loomed large in her mind, and she thought she’d like to get her scouting mission over with.
Tomorrow will be soon enough.
She drowsed until the state of her bladder became unbearable. She pulled on her boots and stepped out of the tent, wrapped in her greatcoat. Their camp appeared to be deserted, their little fire cold. She approved of the dead campfire—if they could see the Lone Forest, the Lone Forest could see their smoke.
“Estral,” she called. There was no reply. She took care of her need, then started looking around their campsite and called for Estral. When there was no sign of her friend, her heart started to pound in alarm.
She gazed critically at their campsite. There were no signs of struggle, and she certainly had not been attacked as she slept peacefully. Perhaps Estral had just gone for a walk or something, but Enver had instructed them to stay within his wards. Then she noticed that not only was Mist gone, but so was Coda.
“Oh, Estral,” Karigan murmured. Then to Condor she demanded, “Why didn’t you tell me she was leaving?” He blinked at her with soulful eyes.
She returned to their tent and discovered a note on Estral’s bedding. Please don’t follow me, it read. My father is my problem. I’ll be back before nightfall.
“Damnation.” Estral didn’t know the first thing about scouting. And did Estral actually think she would just sit around and wait for her return? When had Estral left? To Karigan’s calculation, it was only mid-morning. Could she catch up? Their fire was cold, which meant Estral had been gone for a while.
She hurriedly readied herself and, in doing so, discovered her saber was missing. She was more pleased than annoyed that Estral had thought to arm herself, though she was pretty sure Drent would remind her of her incompetence at protecting her weapons. In her own defense, she hadn’t expected her best friend to take her saber. She must have been deeply asleep to have been so unaware.
She still had her longsword, and she strapped the bonewood across her back. She left a note for Enver, weighted with a rock, by the firepit, telling him she was hoping to intercept Estral. Then she tacked Condor. She hated to approach the Lone Forest on horseback because it would make her all the more visible, and surely Second Empire had sentries watching all approaches, but if she had any hope of catching up with Estral before she did anything stupid, she had to.