shoulder and pulled out a couple of snack bars they had brought from Randell's parents house a few hours before. She placed them in the pocket of the leather bomber jacket she'd 'borrowed' from her dad years ago and cloaked herself.
"Rhea?" Randell was glancing around.
Her voice came from a few yards away, "Come on. What are you waiting for?"
Randell picked up his gear, chased after Dean, and hoped he didn't run into her.
She turned just in time to step out of Randell's way. "This is definitely going to take some getting used to."
Over the next couple of hours, they walked along a hard-packed, dirt road, just wide enough for two wagons to pass in either direction. Deep ruts in the dirt were evidence that the road was well traveled. Of course, the numerous wagons and carriages that passed them in both directions were also a clue.
Rhea found it awkward walking next to Randell and Daen. Twice, Randell raised his arm to point at something and nearly clipped her in the face because she'd gotten too close. After the second near miss, she stepped behind companions.
"How far are we from King Argeon's castle?" Randell asked Daen as he took in the scenery.
"From here ... two or four days ride northwest, depending on how hard you're riding."
At the mention of King Argeon's name, Rhea thought back to the story she'd written for class, the story that told Daen and Randell she was a Luxatran. She'd referenced Taulomi and its king as well as the other realms: Sentran and Laundan. The story was made up, but the descriptions she used were based on the bits of the land she'd seen from the moon shadows as well as information she'd gleaned from Lanne over the years.
"Is that where we're going?" Randell's voice was tense with excitement.
"I doubt it, but we'll have to see. Lanne and Gaibel are riding from there, and I assume they'll have a message from the king."
Gaibel was Rhea's biological mother. Rhea had seen her for the first time only a few days ago via the moon shadow in her college dorm room. As she walked, her mind raced through scenarios of what Gaibel would say, or for that matter, what she would say once they were truly face-to-face. She had so many questions and prayed her mother would answer them.
Rhea's stomach flipped with guilt as she realized she was looking forward to seeing Gaibel again. She loved the woman who raised her, the woman she knew as her mother. But, now that she knew Gaibel hadn't deserted her, that she'd given her up because she was in danger, she had a strong desire to know her. Was that fair to Christine, the mother she left behind? She didn't know.
Randell's curiosity couldn't be stopped. "Do you know where Raisal lived?"
Daen took a moment to think back to his childhood. He hadn't grown up in this realm, but one of his friends was related to the Gaulettes of Taulomi. He remembered when they learned she'd disappeared, but he couldn't recall the name of the town in which she lived. "Sorry Randell, I don't recall."
"No problem." Randell tried to imagine his great-grandmother Raisal living in a home similar to the homes that were positioned along the road they now traveled. He looked ahead and assumed she had walked this same road at one time in her life.
"It's mind-boggling to think that we're related," Rhea mumbled. According to Daen, Rhea's great-grandfather, Denach Gaulette was Raisal's brother.
Not only was Randell a distant cousin, so was Lanne. Lanne. That was a name with which she was still trying to accept. Since she was nine, Rhea had known Lanne as the dog-like creature named Grennal who lived in a fantasy world only she could see.
According to Lanne, the woman who'd secretly helped raise her through the shadows, Gaibel was tight-lipped about her personal life and the man who'd fathered her child. Would Gaibel tell her about her father?
They had a long walk ahead of them, so Rhea decided to join Randell in twenty questions. "Daen, what was it like when you first arrived at
"Rhea?" Randell was glancing around.
Her voice came from a few yards away, "Come on. What are you waiting for?"
Randell picked up his gear, chased after Dean, and hoped he didn't run into her.
She turned just in time to step out of Randell's way. "This is definitely going to take some getting used to."
Over the next couple of hours, they walked along a hard-packed, dirt road, just wide enough for two wagons to pass in either direction. Deep ruts in the dirt were evidence that the road was well traveled. Of course, the numerous wagons and carriages that passed them in both directions were also a clue.
Rhea found it awkward walking next to Randell and Daen. Twice, Randell raised his arm to point at something and nearly clipped her in the face because she'd gotten too close. After the second near miss, she stepped behind companions.
"How far are we from King Argeon's castle?" Randell asked Daen as he took in the scenery.
"From here ... two or four days ride northwest, depending on how hard you're riding."
At the mention of King Argeon's name, Rhea thought back to the story she'd written for class, the story that told Daen and Randell she was a Luxatran. She'd referenced Taulomi and its king as well as the other realms: Sentran and Laundan. The story was made up, but the descriptions she used were based on the bits of the land she'd seen from the moon shadows as well as information she'd gleaned from Lanne over the years.
"Is that where we're going?" Randell's voice was tense with excitement.
"I doubt it, but we'll have to see. Lanne and Gaibel are riding from there, and I assume they'll have a message from the king."
Gaibel was Rhea's biological mother. Rhea had seen her for the first time only a few days ago via the moon shadow in her college dorm room. As she walked, her mind raced through scenarios of what Gaibel would say, or for that matter, what she would say once they were truly face-to-face. She had so many questions and prayed her mother would answer them.
Rhea's stomach flipped with guilt as she realized she was looking forward to seeing Gaibel again. She loved the woman who raised her, the woman she knew as her mother. But, now that she knew Gaibel hadn't deserted her, that she'd given her up because she was in danger, she had a strong desire to know her. Was that fair to Christine, the mother she left behind? She didn't know.
Randell's curiosity couldn't be stopped. "Do you know where Raisal lived?"
Daen took a moment to think back to his childhood. He hadn't grown up in this realm, but one of his friends was related to the Gaulettes of Taulomi. He remembered when they learned she'd disappeared, but he couldn't recall the name of the town in which she lived. "Sorry Randell, I don't recall."
"No problem." Randell tried to imagine his great-grandmother Raisal living in a home similar to the homes that were positioned along the road they now traveled. He looked ahead and assumed she had walked this same road at one time in her life.
"It's mind-boggling to think that we're related," Rhea mumbled. According to Daen, Rhea's great-grandfather, Denach Gaulette was Raisal's brother.
Not only was Randell a distant cousin, so was Lanne. Lanne. That was a name with which she was still trying to accept. Since she was nine, Rhea had known Lanne as the dog-like creature named Grennal who lived in a fantasy world only she could see.
According to Lanne, the woman who'd secretly helped raise her through the shadows, Gaibel was tight-lipped about her personal life and the man who'd fathered her child. Would Gaibel tell her about her father?
They had a long walk ahead of them, so Rhea decided to join Randell in twenty questions. "Daen, what was it like when you first arrived at
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