The river's final bend fell behind us, and the sky slowly surrendered to evening hues, amber bleeding into violet, sunlight fading into pale glimmers on the water's surface. The air had cooled, making Gareth's drenched state all the more miserable. With each step, his boots let out a wet squelch. We led our horses by the reins, careful with our footing.
I kept my pace steady, though my gaze kept drifting to the long shadows spilling across the path. Traveling by the river at night on an unfamiliar route meant poor visibility, slippery ground, and mistakes you couldn't afford to make. Out here, one bad fall could end the expedition before it even began.
Behind me, Gareth let out a sound halfway between a sigh and a shiver. "Young lord, if this keeps up, I'll be a block of ice before dawn."
Mnex was quick to chime in. "Let him. Hypothermia is an excellent opportunity for field research."
Not the kind of data I'm interested in, I muttered.
"Suit yourself. I would've documented the stages, light shivering, loss of coordination, shutting down of consciousness. Very educational."
"Very disturbing," I said aloud.
A few steps later, I slowed and glanced toward a flat patch between the riverbank and the pine trees. Dry enough. Sheltered enough. "We'll make camp here."
Gareth's shoulders sagged in relief, though his teeth still chattered, each clack echoing in the cool evening air. "Finally. Another mile and I'd have thought we were walking straight into the next dawn."
"That rattle," Mnex mused, "is either frostbite on the way or he's auditioning for the role of a human maraca."
I bit back a smirk, focusing on the firewood instead. No point letting him know I agreed.
"If you'd stayed dry, maybe we would have," I said, scanning the tree line for anything resembling firewood. "But since you chose a swim, we're stopping early."
I nodded at the guard. "Gather wood and dry brush. Stay clear of damp ground. Gareth, you help him."
Gareth pouted. "Young lord, I'm no woodsman."
"And I'm not your nurse. Get moving, before your shivering makes lighting a fire harder."
They trudged off into the trees. I stooped to collect fallen twigs and strips of bark near the bank. The evening chill was already chewing at Gareth through his wet clothes; even while searching for wood, he kept rubbing his hands together.
Mnex reappeared. "Plenty of ways to light a fire. You could dry the wood, strip out the fibers under the bark, and waste your time… or, if you want speed, I have a tip."
I was still scanning the clearing, weighing options for how to start the fire. "I'm listening," I whispered.
"Two stones. Blow on them. Or here's a wild thought, you could just use that damn flame spell of yours. Unless you're aiming for some Stone Age authenticity. And for the love of mana, try anything but purple flames unless you want a funeral pyre instead of a campfire."
My eyes brightened slightly. "Keep this up and I'll book you for a comedy club."
We piled what we'd gathered in the middle of the clearing. The guard returned with a bundle of dry brush; Gareth brought back two short sticks. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's supposed to last us until morning?"
He shrugged. "Not easy finding dry wood in a damp forest."
I said nothing, just crouched and let a small flame bloom at my fingertip, feeding it into the pile. Purple fire would have reduced the lot to ash before we felt the heat, so I kept the temperature low, just as Mnex had suggested.
Gareth squinted. "Do all mages make it this easy?"
"No," I said. "Only those smart enough to figure it out."
The flames caught quickly, crackling and climbing, painting our faces in shades of orange and gold.
Gareth held his hands toward the warmth, smiling. "No offense, young lord, but if you can earn a mage's title with tricks like that, I might apply in the morning."
I arched a brow. "Master the art of gathering wood first, then I'll hand you a form. Also, if you don't want to be sick tomorrow, get those wet clothes off."
He gave me a strange look, then glanced at himself. "Wouldn't it be disrespectful to sit here naked in your presence?"
"I'm not interested in you. Keep them on if you want," I said with a shrug.
Gareth held his hands toward the flames, sighing as the warmth seeped in. The smoke curled lazily upward, carrying a sharp, oddly sweet scent.
The guard chuckled at our exchange. "That smell reminds me, years ago on patrol, one of our rookies collected a strange herb instead of dry leaves for the campfire. It burned, but the smoke was so thick and sweet we all coughed our lungs out… and then couldn't stop laughing for half an hour. Even Sir Theo cracked a smile."
Gareth laughed. "And when did you find out it was his doing?"
"Right as everyone's eyes were watering, he asked, 'Did I get the wrong thing?'" the guard said with a shrug.
The fire popped, filling the pause. The river hummed behind us, and a breeze whispered through the pine needles.
Gareth kept watching the flames, a smirk on his face. "Still, young lord, your magic has its perks. Even with soaked clothes, I'm starting to feel warm again."
"Good. Because tomorrow we set out at dawn," I said. "And this time, no falling into the water." Then I glanced at the guard. "Theo really smiled?"
"At least the corners of his mouth twitched upward. But his eyes…" The guard shivered as if recalling it.
"I'm sure he followed it up with a 'You're dead,'" I said, remembering my own training under Theo.
The guard grinned. "Would've been kinder if he had."
By the time night fully claimed the sky, the firelight and the river's silver reflections were the only things keeping the dark at bay. Insects sang softly, the wind rustled the pine branches, and the trees cast long, shifting shadows as if they breathed in silence.
Then, a faint crack from across the river. All three of us turned our heads at once. Short, sharp, like a dry branch snapping. Loud enough for us to hear it over the water. The horses shifted restlessly against their tethers.
Gareth whispered, "What was that?"
Mnex jumped in. "Pulse. Now!"
I held my breath, pressing my palms to the ground and sending mana outward. The ripple rolled over the river, seeped into the treeline on the far bank… I pushed until I was certain it had reached the other side. I waited for Mnex's analysis. Nothing. Mnex stayed silent. And the silence on the far bank felt heavier than before.
I frowned. Nothing?
"Nothing. Maybe a bird."
You sure? I'm not in the mood for another mess.
Gareth shifted uneasily. "Probably an animal…"
The guard didn't take his eyes off the darkness. "Maybe. Or… could be a forest djinn."
"A djinn?" I asked, already feeling the hairs on my arms rise.
"Yes. Normally harmless since they don't exist in physical form. But if we heard it…" He trailed off. "It could be one."
I fixed my eyes on the far bank. Mnex, your take?
Before he could answer, Gareth cut in. "Djinn are just stories. My bet's on a mountain troll."
"A mountain troll? They don't come this far south from the northern kingdoms. And my grandmother swore she saw a Djinn once," the guard shot back.
"Grandmothers swear to all sorts of things, Jideon," Gareth retorted.
"Enough," I said. "You're just making the night worse. Take turns keeping watch. I'll get some sleep soon, you two can decide the order."
"This evening," Mnex said in a tone that was far too pleased, "someone is going to dream about Djinn-Trolls. And if you don't, I'll make sure you do. I hope you packed a spare pair of pants, you might wake up wet."
I didn't care for Mnex's joke. My mind was still on that sound. Djinn or troll, it wasn't random. Whatever it was, it was out there, careful enough to leave no trace. If even my pulse couldn't catch it, maybe it was a bird. But my instincts stayed sharp.
"I know you're a coward, but there was nothing out there."
Being cautious isn't a flaw.
I tossed a few more sticks onto the fire, the flames flaring brighter. The far bank soon sank back into silence, only the river's murmur and the insects remained. Still, a thin thread of unease kept pulling my gaze across the water.
Gareth broke the quiet. "Which way tomorrow, young lord?"
I watched the flames for a while before answering. The orange light curled along the wood, smoke slipping upward in thin streams.
Mnex spoke. "Mark three points in the morning. First here, second half a day's travel downstream, third near the turn-back point. That way we'll get clear readings on the current change."
I gave a small nod. "We start here, head north. If we have to, we go until noon without stopping."
Jideon set his spear down and leaned back against a tree. "I agree with the young lord. The earlier we start, the sooner it's done."
But I wasn't only thinking about current measurements. That crack from earlier still lingered in my mind. Missing it with a pulse didn't mean it wasn't there. Maybe… another method was in order.
I smiled faintly into the firelight. "We won't just be focusing on the river tomorrow," I murmured.
Gareth tilted his head. "What was that?"
"Nothing. You'll see in the morning."
The fire crackled, the river whispered, and the camp slowly gave itself over to the night.