The Cavalry is Dead

They made camp by a stream.

Well, Jax thought, the term "stream" was generous; it was a small trickle, black as an oil slick in the moonlight. They'd all taken turns kneeling on the bank, painstakingly filling leather flasks and socks and whatever containers they could find. Now, a fire crackled on the bank, spitting golden sparks into the air; Xander was feeding Bibi salted nuts, humming as he stroked her wings. Asa stared into the flames.

"Do you think we pushed him too hard?" Jax asked.

Romes looked up. She was polishing a knife using the hem of her tunic, and the silver blade flashed in the darkness. "We didn't have a choice."

"I could have admitted something," Jax said.

"Blackwater." Romes looked as if she was trying not to smile. "Have you ever even kept a secret?"

He thought. "I was a secret vegetarian."

Romes turned back to the knife. "A real secret."

"That was a real secret!"

"You know what I mean." She scrubbed at a bit of dirt. Or blood. It was difficult to tell. "A secret. Something that's too painful or mortifying to admit to anyone."

Jax chewed the inside of his mouth. "Once, I realized that Percy had left his favourite sword in the field. He'd hid a frog in my bed that morning, so I didn't say anything." He kicked out his aching legs. "The next day, Dad ran over it with the carriage. The sword was ruined. Percy was devastated."

"You know what?" Romes met his eyes. "That was spicier than I was expecting."

Jax nudged her shoulder. "Shut-up."

Romes smiled. The skin under her eyes was a bruised plum colour, and her sleeves were loose at the wrist. She'd lost weight, Jax realized; they all had. He tipped his head back; the stars were bright and gleaming tonight, as if someone had tossed a fistful of gold coins into the sky.

Jax glanced sideways. "What do you think the test of the head will be?"

"A jigsaw puzzle," Romes said.

"Really?"

"No." Romes exhaled. "I think it'll be bad. Whatever it is."

She set down the knife. Her hands were scratched and swollen, scraped raw from clinging to the volcanic rock. Something heavy settled in Jax's chest.

"Yeah," he said. "Me, too."

"Come on." Romes stood. "Let's get some sleep."

They unfurled the cot. Jax lay flat on his back, listening as Romes' breathing levelled out. Her vanilla hair tickled his chin. He could just make out the curve of her mouth in the dying firelight, and something in his chest tightened. I can't lose you, Jax thought, and he was surprised at how truthful the words felt.

He tucked his chin into the crook of her neck. Closed his eyes.

And in her sleep, Romes smiled.

**

"You're sure this is the right way?" Jax asked.

He looked to Asa. They were standing in a barren desert, surrounded by cracked red earth and the occasional lizard. Asa was leaning against a boulder as he read a map. His mouth was a thin line. Jax didn't blame him; he'd caught sight of Asa's ankle this morning, and it resembled a ham that had been thoroughly smashed by a meat cleaver. Not exactly the ideal conditions for trekking five hours in the blazing heat.

"Asa?" Jax prompted. "Are you sure this is the—?"

"No," Asa said shortly.

"How reassuring," Romes muttered.