The journey would take about another four days or so. The boys simply didn’t know what they would have done without Jade. She had dried food in her bags and waterskins they would refill when they passed a stream. She was completely prepared, while the guys had nothing. They had brought the clothes they were wearing and not much else. Of course, the circumstances in which they left their homes did not allow for much preparation. However, a simple change of clothes would have at least been something.
Still, they traveled on, trying to make the best of what they had. Each of them promised themselves a hot bath and a new wardrobe the second they got to Taron. Of course, the unspoken truth of it was that Jade would have to pay for that too, but the boys didn’t feel like mentioning that part.
At night they camped far off the path, as it seemed the lesser of two evils. If they stayed close to the road, the odds of bandits or something worse riding up on them was far greater, but if they camped farther away from the road, the chances of an encounter with a wild beast went up significantly. There was nothing to be done for it; being anywhere away from a town or city, you were always in danger. Such was the way of life in Tarmerria, hence why travel was so rare. In fact, they had not seen a living soul since leaving the inn, not even a band of merchants. That would have been a welcome sight, given how Jade was the only one who had spare clothes, and not many at that.
After choosing a spot, they would make a small campfire to sit around. Each one knew giving away their location like that was not the smartest idea, but they did their best to keep it small and under control, as this somehow justified it in their minds. Both Eric and Jacob—especially Jacob—would take turns telling funny stories of the mischief they got into back in Bryer.
He told the story of how he released a bag full of frogs into the local bakery. Everyone had run out screaming. He got switched good for that one. Eric told the story of when he nailed two small wooden blocks to the back wheels of old man Crimpy’s wagon, so when he rode down the street the wagon wobbled back and forth every time it ran over a block. The man had driven through the whole town rocking back and forth, believing it was just an uneven spot along the road.
Jade sat there, listening intently with a constant smile as her eyes sparkled. Of course she had no such stories to tell, given her shallow childhood, but she loved to hear the adventures these two had had over the years. Whenever Eric or Jacob finished a story, she eagerly wanted to hear another and pressed them hard to keep going. In a way, she wanted to be part of those stories. She felt as if she were part of them as long as they were being told—like she was somehow there, having fun like a normal child.
Other times the three of them would spar together. At first, Jacob and Eric would take it easy on Jade. Not that they thought she wasn’t capable—far from it! They, especially Eric, knew exactly what she could do. It’s just how they were brought up. There weren’t many girls back in Bryer who knew anything about weapons, and certainly no female warriors, but a couple of blinding strikes across each of their faces made it clear they needed to change their thinking on the relationship between girls and weapons. As much as Eric had seen of her formidable skill, it was only through sparring that he realized how good she really was. It was breathtaking how flawless and lightning-fast her movements were.
At first he thought her preference of using daggers as opposed to a staff or sword had more to do with her being a girl. He just assumed they were her weapon of choice because they were light and didn’t require much strength to wield, but that was not it at all. Her speed was second to none. She almost always struck the first blow. Although her defensive skills were as good as anyone’s, it almost never came to that. Her objective was to end the battle quickly before it ever got started, hence her choice of such fast weapons.
At last Taron was only a day’s journey away. It was bittersweet for the three of them, as they had formed a tight bond with each other, and in some ways didn’t want to arrive in the big city. For now they were carefree, riding along the open road, but when they arrived at Taron a whole new set of challenges would be exposed to them. For now, it just seemed best not to think about.
The trio sat around the campfire in silence, each deep in thought, wondering what they were going to do tomorrow. It was really hitting Eric for the first time that he would have to speak to the Queen of Taron. What was he going to say? He had done his best to not to think about any of this until now. Jade and Jacob’s wonderful company had done well to distract him, but after tonight he would not be able to pretend any longer.