Ever So Lightly- Book 1

27

 Jasper hadn't, in fact, thrown up. Riding away from the small town, he still felt that horrible churning in the pit of his stomach. He wished he could throw up though. Vomit and make that horrible feeling disappear. His first thought upon waking at the first light of dawn was of how he would never let Bennet buy him another drink.

Looking up at the clouded gray sky above, Jasper felt the approaching storm clouds suited his mood. They probably suited the moods of just about everyone in their departing group. The ominous weather had been a strong pull to stay another night or two at the inn. Frederick had finally put his foot down, saying that he would be leaving and whether anyone decided to follow him was up to them. Since he was the only one who knew the exact location of the supposed rebel base they were headed toward, everyone had opted to follow, though the grumbling hadn't quite ceased.

They had all packed up and left the town quickly. Leaving the main roads after a few miles, the rebels soon found themselves once again following close to the path of the Faron River. Jasper could hear the river crashing off somewhere to his right.

A flash of silver off to his left stood out against the general grayness of their surroundings, and Jasper found his eyes being drawn in that direction. He felt as though someone had knocked the air from his lungs, and not in a good, ah-what-a-beautiful-sight way. Zephyr hadn't met his eyes all morning. She rode close to Saria, Tib once again perched in the saddle with her arms around him. Jasper cursed under his breath and tore his gaze away.

Stupid. He had been so utterly stupid the night before. Jasper didn't really blame Bennet for the drinking, no, he had been the one to drink the blasted thing. He had just wanted to relax. After weeks of running and hiding and feeling things he knew were useless to feel, Jasper had just wanted a moment of not worrying. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked out the way his drink-addled brain had thought it would and now his emotions were in more of a turmoil that he'd thought possible. He wanted to badly to apologize, to let Zephyr know that he could seal it all away and never mention any of it again. But how could he if she couldn't even stand to look at him?

Jasper sensed another rider pulling up beside him. He looked to see Frederick Deveraux, a stoney look set on the older man's face. Jasper hadn't figured out if Frederick always looked that way or if their dire situation were the cause. He suspected the former. Jasper waited as the older man cleared his throat before speaking.

"I don't think it's a good idea for there to be only one of us who knows the location of the base." Frederick's voice was soft, meant for only Jasper's ears. Jasper wasn't sure what exactly he'd been expecting the man to say, but it hadn't been that.

"You want to tell me?" Jasper's question unsuccessfully veiled another. Why?

"You were a lieutenant. You have a level head. And I feel correct in assuming that you've figured out what the stakes are." Frederick's ice-blue eyes flicked toward Zephyr and his daughter. "I trust you to handle things if something were to happen to me. I can't tell everyone what I know, but it would be idiotic to keep the location to myself alone."

Jasper had to agree. He'd had the same thought himself several times since joining up with the rebels. He nodded for Frederick to continue.

"If we follow the Faron long enough we'll end up at a valley that opens at the base of the Skypeak mountains. Normally, that's the route I'd wish to take, but we need to save as much time as possible. Soon we'll reach an offshoot of the river that feeds into Lake Ilia. From there I want to ride hard in a straight shot to the mountains. We'll be leaving the river behind, but it should save us days, maybe a week, of travel time. Depending on the time of day we arrive, we may have to wait in Ikana before entering the valley..." Frederick cut off abruptly, shooting a glance over his shoulder.