CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nobody but Brynn got much sleep that night. After they ate, they put the pilum, most of the money plus a few of their own things into the Hyllion Bagia. Jade tended to their various, luckily slight, injuries. Then they briefly discussed their travel plans for the next day but as that primarily consisted of more walking through the forest and avoiding the Romans, there really wasn’t much to say. So Marcus added a little wood to the fire and Jade took first watch while the rest settled down to sleep as best they could.
Phoenix found that the slightest noise outside the cave brought everyone except Brynn full wakefulness each time. The youngster slept blissfully on until Phoenix woke him for last watch. Their skittishness was wasted. The half-expected horde of Romans did not appear.
Day dawned and with it came a change in weather. Clear conditions were replaced by a constant, chilly drizzle that soaked through the thickest cloak. Overcast skies meant the weary adventurers slept later than they should have. It was well past dawn when they emerged from the cave ready to move.
Following Brynn, they returned to the trail. Rain dripped ceaselessly from shiny leaves. Underfoot, wet leaves and mud stuck to their boots, sandals and bare feet. They left a clear trail but it was difficult not to. The air was cool enough that noses turned red and fingers stiffened with cold.
They ate as they walked. Breakfast was a sketchy affair of bread and a few pieces of hare and pheasant meat from the night before. Phoenix chewed the cold fare, disliking it but wishing there was more. What he would give for a hot plate of bacon, eggs and toast right now. Or even a carrot. Not broccoli, though. Not even a year in this time would make him want broccoli. He wondered if they even had carrots and broccoli in ancient England. Jade would probably know.
He’d been gone from home for three nights and two days. This was the third day. It seemed like much longer. Some of the initial excitement of being in the game had worn off. The rain certainly wasn’t helping. He didn’t remember rain being a normal part of any other game he’d played. He sighed, kicking at a wet mushroom growing beside the path. It disintegrated in a satisfying way.
They were still several days away from Stonehenge and each moment they delayed made it more likely the Romans would get the Jewel first. He wasn’t yet ready to face the possibility of failing. This world was still a heck of a lot more interesting than his own but he was beginning to miss a few things about home: toilet paper and soft beds being high on the list.
“Do you think we’ll make it home?”
Phoenix started and looked around. Jade walked next to him, looking miserable and bedraggled.
“What?” He wasn’t certain he’d heard her words and not just his own thoughts.
“I said: do you think we’ll make it home?” she repeated softly.
Shrugging, he jammed cold hands under his cloak. “Sure, if we can beat the Romans to the Jewel.”
“I miss my family,” she said forlornly. “This is a lot harder than I expected. I’m….scared we won’t even make it through Level One.”
For some reason, her low mood annoyed Phoenix. It coincided too closely with the niggling doubts he was trying hard to ignore.
“Don’t be stupid.” He spoke more harshly than he intended. “Of course we’ll get home. Besides,” he added, “I thought you were starting to like it here.” Looking at Marcus’ broad back ahead of them, he added, “Or at least like some of the people here.”
Jade’s pale face flushed and she wrapped her cloak about her body. She sent him a quick, hurt look before hurrying ahead to walk beside Marcus.
Phoenix mentally kicked himself. He hadn’t meant to take out his own bad mood on her. He was just as unsure as she was but felt like he wasn’t allowed to show it. It felt like the success of this mission rested totally on his shoulders. It was too much. He had no idea how they were supposed to keep avoiding the Romans; no idea how to find the Jewel of Asgard and no idea how to steal it, even if they could find it.
Being in the game was a lot harder than just watching it on a flat screen.
He was responsible not just for his life but for three other people’s as well. It was fine to say that, logically, Marcus and Brynn were not real people but what if they were real? They felt real. He was sure that if they got injured or killed, it would hurt to see just as much as if they were.
He let out an angry, wordless growl and ripped a small branch off a tree. Hurling it into the undergrowth, he waved away the questioning looks of the others and kept walking. He didn’t want to be responsible for anyone else. He didn’t want to even think about it. This was a game. It was meant to be fun. He just wanted some good fights and a bit of a lark. He didn’t want it to be real. Reality sucked.