Oops, We're Fugitives

Mapping and Napping

"Right," Morgana said, folding her legs over each other as she looked between the boys to see whether she was going to be interrupted by further bickering. Idris, thankfully, valued progress over pride, and didn't rise to Will's jibe/taunt/Malfoy-something. "I've got the map in here... somewhere..." She rummaged a bit deeper, trying not to disturb the carefully packed layers that she'd never be able to put back quite so neatly herself. "Dehydrated milk powder... wheat biscuits that are past their use-by date ––"

"We can discount those as useful, then," Reggie said.

Morgana waved him off. "The use-by date is just a recommendation, they smell fine. Besides, it's not like it's stamped on the container. Ugh, where is this map? Will, where did you pack it?"

He sniffed disdainfully. "If you packed it yourself you'd know."

Sighing forcefully, Morgana asked, "Where. Is. The map?"

Will rolled his eyes, holding out a hand. She passed the pack over, and he began rummaging, extracting a small, flat container and passing it to Morgana as he replaced the various equipment and dried foodstuffs. She took the map from its container, unfolding it on the bed next to her so that it hung off each side. Pressing her thumb to a corner, she willed a little spark of her magic into it, a droplet of sunshine oozing into the thick paper. Her thumbprint was illuminated in yellow for a moment as she removed her hand, before it pulsed out through the paper, outlining mountains and dots to represent cities and sea monsters in gold before they took on true colour, whales spouting and waves lapping against startlingly white cliffs. "Oh, for goodness's sake, who left this centred on the Laranthite Peninsula? That's across an ocean, it's going to take 3 days before we can even pan across to where we currently are! It was Reggie, wasn't it?" Morgana said, looking with annoyance at the guilty face across from her.

He tried a winning smile, but wisely resorted to apologising. "You know what a big fan I am of Ferrinium, action-master poet..."

"This is a piece of official equipment, Reggie! If you wanted a toy you could have gone to the schoolrooms!"

"I cannot return there without official business. Ever," he said, shaking his head. "Besides, they'd kill me if they knew I was using a map to gaze with adoration at somebody's roof."

"The school masters aren't going to kill you for being weird, Reggie," Morgana sighed. "On the other hand, I might kill you for the amount of time we're going to have to waste scrolling through this damn thing before we can even figure out where we are!" She returned her attention to the map. "Is the Laranthite Peninsula north or south of Waxing Moon castle?"

"North-north-west," Idris said.

At this, Morgana paused panning aimlessly to the right, and offered the map to Idris. He switched beds, leaning over the map and moving the image expertly, ignoring whales and leviathans and iridescent schools of flying fish as he began the laborious task of crossing the Something Ocean.

"You're unbelievable," Morgana said, jerking an accusatory finger at Reggie. "Have you remembered that other thing your cousin told you yet?"

Reggie shrugged. "Second cousin, and no, I have not. I doubt it was important. Otherwise I'd remember it."

Will looked at him with deep mistrust. "There are so many instances I can think of that would prove that wrong."

"Don't," Morgana warned. "Don't start arguing again."

"Why not?" Will asked.

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Morgana snapped.

"Here we are," said Idris.