Cole watched Mira jumping along ahead of him. Deciding whether he would leave her was pointless at the moment. By the time something like that became an issue, the circumstances might be totally different. Hopefully, by then, Dalton and Jenna could help him choose.
Finally, Mira came to a halt and looked back at Cole. He aimed his next jump to the side of her and landed in an awkward stumble. Twitch fluttered to a stop nearby.
“Tired?” Cole asked.
“I could keep going,” Mira said. “I’m worried that Jace hasn’t caught up yet.”
Cole looked back down the road. Jace could be a pain, but it would be tragic if anything happened to him. Jerk or not, he was a friend. And he was good in a fight, a survivor. “He’s probably fine. I bet we’re just going faster than him.”
“Right,” Mira agreed. “The trees have thinned out.”
Cole nodded. With brushy fields on either side of the lane, Jace wouldn’t be able to slingshot himself off trees. It would make him even slower.
“If we’ve been stretching our lead this whole time,” Twitch said, “we may have a big wait ahead of us.”
“All the more reason to pause now instead of later,” Mira said. “We don’t want to lose him. If he’s in trouble, we have to go back.”
“If he’s in trouble, it’s probably more than we can handle,” Cole said. “He’s not easy prey with that rope. If he doesn’t show up, I’ll go back. You and Twitch need to keep going.”
Twitch moved off the road and into the brush. “How about we wait behind those bushes?” he suggested. “We’ll have a view of the road, but we can lay low if unexpected visitors show up.”
“Jump to the bushes,” Cole advised. “That way there won’t be any tracks leading to our hiding spot.”
“Good thinking,” Twitch said, springing into the air, wings a shimmering blur.
Cole and Mira jumped to the bushes as well. Mira sat down, legs bent in front of her. She crossed her arms and put them on her knees, resting her head on her arms.
“I’ll keep watch,” Twitch volunteered. “The grinaldi have sharp night vision.”
“What can’t you guys do?” Cole asked.
Twitch shrugged. “My people aren’t good swimmers. We avoid deep water.”
“You exhausted?” Cole asked Mira.
“My head aches,” she replied. “Could be worse. At least no evil shapers have caught up to us.”
“You two did well back there,” Twitch said. “Those Jumping Swords are effective weapons.”
“They’re useful,” Cole said. “It stresses me out to attack with them, though. It’s kind of like having a bow with only one arrow. And you’re the arrow.”
Twitch and Mira both laughed at the description.
“Thanks, by the way,” Mira said. “You probably saved my life again. I was exposed to that monster cat.”
“Only because you helped Jace,” Cole said, trying not to show how pleased her gratitude made him. “He protected us too. No need to keep score.”
“Sorry I didn’t get more involved,” Twitch said. “I hovered through the fight. I was watching for my moment. I’m more a rescuer than an attacker.”
“I’m glad,” Cole said. “You’ve rescued me before. Jace too.”
Twitch gave a small smile. “Like you said, no need to keep score.”
Something white and gray swooped down and landed beside Mira with a flurry of feathers. Cole recoiled and raised his sword, then recognized the cockatiel Liam had given them to serve as a scout.
“Mango!” Mira exclaimed. Extending her arm, she let the semblance perch on her wrist.
“Where is the autocoach?” the cockatiel inquired.
“Didn’t you see?” Mira asked. “It crashed down into a ravine.”
“I don’t belong to the coach,” the cockatiel said. “I return to you. How far back did it crash?”
“A good ways,” Mira said. “We were ambushed.”
The cockatiel whistled. “Sorry I missed warning you.”
“It was a small force,” Mira said. “Have you seen Jace?”
“No,” Mango replied. “I spent most of my time up ahead. The road from here to Carthage looks clear. We’re not using the main route. This road is less direct and less traveled.”
“Is the city much farther?” Cole asked.
“If you hurry, you could get close by morning,” Mango said.
“Go find Jace,” Mira said. “He’s catching up to us on the road. Then report back. Watch for anybody who might be following us. They could be in dark armor with strange mounts.”
“Will do,” Mango replied, taking flight.
They watched the bird disappear into the night in the direction they had come. Cole felt relieved to have avoided the responsibility of going back for Jace.
“I’ve never been to Carthage,” Twitch said.
“Me neither,” Mira said. “I’ve only heard stories. It’s an old city. A big one. It straddles two kingdoms—the west side is in Sambria, the east in Elloweer.”
“Joe wants to meet us on the Elloweer side,” Cole reminded them.
“Which worries me,” Mira said. “On that side our renderings won’t work anymore. No Jumping Swords. No golden rope.”
“Will they stop working right on the border?” Cole asked. “Won’t they work a little while we’re still close to Sambria?”
“They would work a little in Junction, between the kingdoms,” Mira said. “Once you cross into another kingdom, everything is different. The boundaries have existed since anyone can remember. In populated areas the border is usually marked. But marked or not, the effect is the same—the way shaping works changes. I guess there’s a small chance some of our renderings might work a little in the other kingdom, but they’ll work just as well a hundred miles into Elloweer as they will right after stepping out of Sambria.”
“My ring, for example,” Twitch said. “It reverts me to my Ellowine form even when I’m in another kingdom.”
“But items like Twitch’s ring are rare,” Mira said.
“Here comes Jace,” Twitch said. “He made pretty good time. We never stopped until just now.”
Cole saw Jace propelling himself down the road, his golden rope coiling and uncoiling like a spring, first thrusting him forward, then cushioning his landing. The result had him moving almost as fast as they could with their Jumping Swords.