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We set off soon after that. I had a full canteen looped over my belt, along with a small hand knife in my back pocket. I walked forward a bit so that I was walking side by side with Ryker. He taught me how to use a compass. He listened as I pointed out several different kinds of trees and plants that I recognized from the books I’d catalogued in the museum archives. His knowledge complemented mine because much of his was more practical while mine tended to be more on the educational side. When we stumbled on some mint, I broke off some of it for us to chew. He’d looked like he doubted me up until the point that he started to chew.
“Hmmm! That’s tasty,” he exclaimed.
“I know,” I replied with as much sass as I could muster before I sauntered off.
In several places the woods were too thick to hike through, so he used a machete to hack his own path instead.
At one point, my foot rolled on a rock, and I tripped, but I didn’t fall. He’d caught my upper arm instead.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“Careful. Watch your step,” he said softly. He wasn’t scolding me. I heard the genuine concern in his voice, which made my heart quicken. Gently, he released my arm as I righted myself.
“There was a loose rock,” I explained. He smiled and nodded, not saying anything further.
Thankfully, the rest of the day passed without incident. It took us a while to find a reasonable clearing to set up camp for the night, but eventually we came across one by the time the sun was setting so that we didn’t have to search in the dark. Ryker helped me set up my tent once again. I insisted on helping him set up his own.
He said nothing, but I could tell from the smirk on his face that he was amused at least a little bit.
“We made good time today,” he said. He passed me a small flask. I looked at him quizzically and took a sip. It was brandy, which warmed me in the chilly coming of night. I handed it back to him with a soft chuckle.
“Necessary goods, huh?” I teased.
“Keep it up, sassy girl,” he said under his breath, but his eyes were sparkling with amusement. He liked it when I pushed back a little. Honestly, I kind of liked it too.
“Or else what?” I baited. For a second, I sat there a little bit shocked at myself. The words had fallen off my lips the moment they had come into my mind. He chuckled, looking pointedly in the direction of the security team before looking back at me.
“Don’t think that pretty little bottom is safe because we have company. I can certainly find a few quiet ways to teach you a lesson if you need it, little girl,” he taunted, and I had to press my fingers against my lips to keep my resulting gasp silent.
“You wouldn’t…” I whispered.
His turbulent gaze met mine and I knew immediately that he would.
“So… When should we reach the estimated coordinates?” I asked, wanting to change the subject as quickly as I dared.
“Likely by tomorrow,” he sat back, crossing his arms with a smirk. I yawned and he cocked his head. “You should get some rest. It’ll probably be another long day tomorrow.”
“I think I will,” I nodded. I stood up, feeling the stiffness from the day’s hike in every single muscle in my body. He wasn’t shy about the fact that he looked me up and down, enjoying the sight of me even though I was covered in sweat and dirt. It made me feel attractive even though I hadn’t felt that way all day.
“Good girl,” he murmured under his breath, and I turned on my heel, hiding my face so that he couldn’t see how much those two words affected me.
* * *
“I don’t see any way around it. We’re going to have to go down through it,” Seth mumbled. His entire body language screamed annoyance, as if he hadn’t expected to put out any exertion on any part of this journey. He wiped the sweat dripping off his brow with a frustrated sigh.
We were standing at the edge of a ravine, but as I looked down, I saw nothing but a sheer rock cliff. There was no way down except by traveling probably a day’s walk south to find a more manageable section to climb down. The ridge cut through the earth as if it had been sliced open by a knife long ago. When I narrowed my eyes though, I could see the reflection of water several stories down below. Whitewater rapids splashed, stark against the wet rock.
Beside us was an old bridge. At some point, there might have been wooden planks across it, but those had withered away, leaving only rusted metal struts behind. The cable cords still looked relatively strong though.
Not a single member of the security team wanted to chance it. I had other ideas.
“I think the bridge could hold us if we went one or two at a time,” I said. “Cressida should be just over that ridge right there, in the valley.”
Ryker looked at me quizzically. He grasped one of the long metal cable cords in his hands. It was so thick that his fingers didn’t quite close around it. With all his strength, he tried to shake it, but it hardly moved. It swayed slightly, but it was still solid despite the years of decay all around it.
We could make it.
“I think she’s right,” he agreed. “It’s not ideal but walking down to the south ridge would probably take a few days. We only have the supplies on our back, which might not be long enough for an extended journey like that.”
