Daegelus | Book 1

Chapter Twenty-Seven | The Pathway

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It was already 5 p.m. when they reached Qosa. They stopped at a bar in the middle of nowhere for some food and rest, and then they got back on the road and didn't stop until they got to the small town that bordered Yruulens Blockade. There weren't many people about, and the roads were just as empty as the streets; as far as Elijah could tell, though, there weren't any detainers nearby. The only auras he felt were human and a few Caeleste.

They pulled into an empty parking lot behind a derelict saloon, left to slowly succumb to the damage inflicted by age. The moon was full but slowly descending to the horizon, and soon, the sun would begin to rise.

"I've literally never driven for so long in my life," Jake mumbled as he got out of the car and stretched his body with a loud groan.

"Should we find somewhere to get some rest?" Zoe asked tiredly, ignoring Jake.

Elijah was tired, too, but they were so close; all they had to do was cross the blockade and they'd be in East Coast. Once there, all they had to do was get to Flinnwick and find Ronan. "No," he answered as he stretched his arms above his head. "We keep going. If you two are tired, you can sleep in the back, and I'll drive."

She frowned uncomfortably. "Maybe I'll sit in the front."

"I'll sit in the front; I need more room," Jake said.

"You can sit in the back," Elijah said irritably to him.

"Dude, I'm taller than her; where are my legs gonna go?"

"Figure it out," the demon snarled and pulled the back door open. "Get in. Break's over."

Jake grunted angrily in response and climbed in, slamming the door shut behind him.

Zoe looked a little guilty, but she got back into the passenger seat. When she saw Elijah walking away from the truck, though, she leaned out the window and called, "Where are you going?"

"To find out how we cross the blockade. Wait in the car."

She didn't respond and rolled up her window.

Elijah left the parking lot and crossed the road. He went back down the road they'd driven up and located the club they passed, the only establishment that seemed to be open so early. When he stepped inside, he ignored the skeptical glares of some of the old, grisly patrons, snarled when dancers tried to lure him into a lap dance, and grimaced in response to the loud music and flashing lights—he was too tired for this. He headed over to the bar and waved down the barmaid.

"What can I get you, hon?" she asked as she walked over to him.

"Can you tell me how to get across Yruulens Blockade?"

"The blockade? You want The Pathway," she replied.

"The what?"

"The Pathway—the train."

He frowned a little. Was he going to have to abandon the truck? "Is that the only way across?"

"The only safe way, hon," she said with a nod.

Elijah sighed deeply. "Where can I find it?"

She smiled and reached under the counter. "Here," she said as she slid a flyer across the bar. "Costs a small fortune, though."

He took the flyer and glanced at it. To his relief, there was an option to bring along a vehicle; it cost a little more, but he'd need the truck once they got to East Coast, and it wasn't like he didn't have the money. There were still a comfortable number of coronam stacks in his bag.