He dropped to one knee on the soil and placed the map flat on the ground, smoothing out its wrinkles. His nose scrunched as he studied it. He pointed his index finger to an illustrated diagram of mountainous peaks. “Those are the summits.” His finger dipped an inch, to a sketch of a house nestled between the jagged formations. “And that must be Valhan House. If we follow the trail from there across thisroad, that should be Pyxis.” The structure Moric pointed to vaguely resembled the library, with its tall, symmetrical shape. “We know the Forests of Dalhur act as a natural border separating Lomask to the south and Dalhur to the north.”
Moric’s fingers skipped across the map to a line of illustrated trees, nearly bisecting the map in half. Near the bottom of the trees, a river snaked all the way across the land toward the Green Sea. He ran his finger along the line of trees, which had to represent the forest. “This would place us somewhere here. The problem is, I don’t exactly know where we are on this line. But look at this–” He indicated a cluster of circles between the top and middle half of the line. “I’d bet you anything those are a network of caves. That’s our best bet of surviving the night and the only way to mark where we are on this map. It’s not too far from the checkpoint, either.”
TheX, which presumably marked the point we were meant to reach, was marked right at the apex of the line, near the top of the map. To get there we would have to pass the caves, and only then would we know for sure if we were on the right track.
“The issue is…” I started, meeting Moric’s hazel eyes.
He nodded, his expression grim.
“We don’t know which direction to head in,” Lana finished.
The map did not contain a compass key to follow. We had to find a landmark to know whether we were going the right way. And that meant picking a direction and simply walking.
It sounded simple in theory, but… nightfall would come in a few hours, and I knew we were not the only creatures roaming these woods. A chill rose the hairs on my neck.
I looked to Anama, undoubtedly the wisest amongst us. “Which way do you think we should go?”
She gave the question some thought, and then said, “Most infrastructure, both man-made and natural, leans toward the rising sun. The sun rises in the west. That’s where the caves should be.”
The trees around us were so dense I could barely see the sky, let alone the setting sun.
“So, west.” Anama’s voice was strong and confident. “We go west.”
Somethingthunkedagainst the top of my head and I whipped my gaze heavenward to stare at a low-hanging branch above my head.
“What’s wrong?” Lana asked, concern dipping her brows.
“Acorn.” I pointed to the cluster of massive nuts hanging from the boughs of an old oak. “Be careful.”
Lana took a purposeful step away from the tree.
I stepped away from it too, scanning the compass in my hand. “West it is.” I rotated on the spot until the dial faced the right direction. And then we walked.
I tried to keep track of the passing hours whenever a copse of trees gave way to reveal a slice of sky ahead, but I knew the sun was sinking below the horizon when the bright light faded to pale dusk. Tree trunks, whitewashed from the day, pressed in on us. The sight of them made me feel nauseated and claustrophobic, like a rat trapped in a maze, desperately trying to find the way out.
The pangs of hunger began, and I was sure everyone else felt the same, yet no one complained. I did not bother covering my yawn when it ripped from my throat.
Lana gave me a sidelong glance, dark smudges back beneath her eyes and more prominent than ever. “Bet you’re regretting camping out in my room all night instead of counting sheep.”
I gave a lifeless chuckle. Each step felt like I was walking on knives. “I’d give up my mother’s secret stew recipe right now to go back in time and enjoy a good night’s sleep.”
“Woah. If you’re giving up a prized recipe, it should be for more than just sleep,” Moric said from where he led our group. I had handed over compass duty earlier, and he seemed grateful for the job. I had to admit, taking point on direction was an excellent distraction from the hunger.
“What would you give it up for, then?” I asked.
Moric didn’t hesitate. “Another day with my family.”
A pang, worse than the combined hunger and sleep deprivation, strummed at my heart.
Trailing behind Lana and me, Anama said, “I’d give it up to eat a bowl of shellfish soup and hot bread on one of Kraventhorn’s sandy beaches. I adore the ocean. I used to spend every single minute I wasn’t working at the library exploring the tide pools and sea caves and, occasionally, cliff diving.”
Anama? Cliff diving? That was surprising.
She did not miss the look that flickered between us all. “I know. It’s a lot more adventurous than reading dusty old books for a living, but I really enjoyed it.”
“Anama, you’re a closeted adrenaline junkie,” Lana whispered like it was a secret.
I laughed, nodding in agreement. “Who would have thought sweet and quiet Anama spent her weekends jumping off cliffs for sport?”