Even if winter was still a few months away, the winds in the eastern mountains were frigid and Jazz pulled the cloak around himself. Next to him, Jinx appeared unbothered by the cold, but he was sure that if he touched her, her skin would be scorching.

"Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary," Jinx observed.

They'd stopped outside Glina, one of the border villages with a mostly Endirian population. At Jinx's express request, they'd avoided the village she'd grown up in. He could understand that completely. He wouldn't want to see his home town either, not after all the effort he'd put into escaping it. For Jinx, it was even worse given all the bad memories.

He shook his head at her affirmation. "Nothing seemed out of order so far. I'm not surprised it's staying that way."

Jinx raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you expecting to find?"

"To be honest, more nothing. I don't think Kat had the luxury to be magically transported to Corosa after she tore apart the Marauder. Unlike Valona, it's across the country."

"I know that," Jinx muttered. "Better than you. And I disagree. Don't you think Lucille would have helped her?"

"I have trouble believing Lucille would help anyone. Plus, we have to keep in mind that Kat doesn't know Lucille and she's not an easily trusting person. It took her ages to warm up to us."

"Tell me about it." She glanced at the village again. "I still think she got to her new throne much faster than we think."

"Here's a mistake both you and Cage are making. You're assuming she already took charge. It's been a month. We've both seen how hard it is for Cage to settle into a role that he was trained for on some level. He might not have been the crown prince, but he still grew up at court and is politically savvy. Kat grew up as a peasant girl and the state of Endirian politics is in the gutter. It would surely take some time for her to organize everything. With all of Cage's obsessing, he forgets war takes time."

"And you're forgetting that it doesn't when you have magic."

"Let's agree to disagree," he mumbled.

Jinx glared at him for a second, then left the cover of the trees, heading down towards the village. Since she was Endirian, it was easy for her to just walk into places and investigate before giving him the all-clear. He hated that, but didn't doubt her abilities to take care of herself.

The wait, however, killed him.

He used the time to take a glance at the strings of fate, focusing on Jinx. There was no immediate danger for her, not outside the war they all knew was coming. The one Cage could see as well thanks to Cecille. What bothered him most was that the vision didn't give him a timeframe. He knew it was coming, but he had no idea when.

Seeing as there was no indication of anything amiss, he left his hiding place and headed for the village, reaching the first house just as Jinx was returning.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, grabbing his arm and yanking him behind the building.

"There was nothing wrong, so--"

"Nothing wrong? This village doesn't take kindly to strangers. You can't just strut in. Do you think these sorry peasants will realize you're not Iridian?"

"Don't these villages have mixed populations?"

She faltered, a shadow of sadness crossing her face. "Not anymore. I have no idea why, but there are no more Iridians here."

That was indeed odd. As far as Jazz knew, these villages had housed both nations for centuries. "Since when?"

"That's not exactly something I can go ahead and ask. People are very on edge."

He frowned, deep in thought, trying to piece together the meaning of this sudden shift. It would be insane not to link it with Kat's appearance, but he doubted the potential effects of her reign would reach this part of the country so quickly.

"We should keep moving," he said.

"We need to figure out--"

Jazz didn't wait for her to finish and continued his way around the house they'd hidden behind.

"Jazz," she hissed.

He reached the next house and started around it.

"Jazz, stop!"

She was really blowing things out of proportion since there were obviously no people around to see them as long as they kept to the outskirts of the village.

"Jason!"

The name froze him in place more effectively than a snare. He turned to see Jinx hurrying towards him, her eyes blazing. Before he could even open his mouth, she reached him and nudged his chest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you want to get killed?"

"I'm not going to get killed."

"You don't know that!"

"Yes, I do. I see no sorrow in your near future, and I'm assuming you'd care if I got so much as a scratch."

His words only seemed to amplify her anger. She cupped his cheeks with one hand and pressed tightly, blocking any other affirmation, then her lips were on his. The cold of the day vanished as her warm body pressed against his. He encircled her in his arms and kissed her back, basking in her fire. Through her kiss, he could feel her sadness, her worry, and he felt bad for his antics.

"I know you lack patience sometimes," she whispered as she drew away. "But even if you know nothing will happen, I don't. And the thought of something happening to you is painful. You can't keep doing this."

He needed to keep doing this, but he understood her point of view and the circumstances. "I'm sorry, Jackie."

She smirked. "Is this getting me back for using your real name?"

"A little. I want you to know I mean it."

She nudged his cheek with her fist. "I know you mean it. Now let's get out of this village and into Endir proper."

He nodded, and the two of them skirted around the buildings and down a mountain path that led into Endir. The way was narrow and abrupt, so they didn't speak much as they hurried towards the line of a nearby forest. Being out in the open wasn't preferable, so they hastened their pace as much as they could without outright running. That would look suspicious if anyone caught sight of them.

Once they reached the forest, they slowed their pace and Jazz let Jinx lead him. He glanced around, but so far, nothing was different from the landscape in Iride. Even if he'd been to Endir before, it was always along the coast, and never properly inland. Needless to say, he'd never seen the city of Corosa which was on the far side of the continent and far away from its port.

"Do you know how long until the next town?" he asked,

"You're as impatient as ever," Jinx said over her shoulder. "Not much longer. We should be there before sunset."

"Before sunset? That's half-a-day away!"

"You've been sailing for years. How are you this impatient?"

"I had things to do on the ship."

"You have things to do here as well. Walk!"

He dropped the argument, but he didn't see walking as an occupation. However, about an hour later, the landscape changed. The trees shifted and became more gnarly, their leaves a putrid brown as if they were dead. However, upon closer inspection, he noticed that they were very much alive.

"These trees are... interesting."

"They have thorns. Don't prick yourself because they're poisonous."

"Is everything in Endir trying to kill you?"

"Well, not everything," she said. "But I would say most things. In your case, that includes people."

"Good to know," he muttered, picking out a few thorns and placing them in his pocket.

As they continued their alert walk, the vegetation continued to change until everything around them was either brown or a dusty gray. They took a break to eat some of their supplies, then Jinx took the lead again and they resumed their trek. Jazz couldn't say he was bored. He was studying the new forms of life while at the same time being alert for potential animals. The woods were eerily quiet and he mentioned that much to Jinx.

"These plants are not fit for consumption, so animals steer clear of this place. Unless they're magical creatures, but not of the fun kind."

"Depends what you understand by fun," he muttered. "Are magical creatures common here?"

She glanced over her shoulder, her eyebrows raised. "No. When magic died, they went into hiding. At least, that's what we were taught as children."

"And I'm assuming magic died with the Witch King and it's Iride's fault."

"That's correct." She hesitated for a moment. "What were you taught in Talia?"

"Talia never had magic of its own. It's a small place, far away from the coves of the fairies. I'm aware that the Free Cities trade magical items, but they only see it as a ware."

"That's a very interesting outtake."

"It's a pragmatic one. Much like Talia's view of anything."

"So no legends, myths, songs of heroes past?"

Jazz shook his head. "To be honest, your ability to dream and believe is one of the main things that made me fall in love with you."

"What's the other?"

"That hot body of yours."

She laughed because she knew he didn't mean it. It didn't hurt that she was gorgeous, but it was her strength and determination that had drawn him to her, not her looks. He'd had his fair share of beautiful women, so the one who captured his heart had to be a lot more. Jinx was. In every way imaginable.

About an hour before sunset, they could spot a village in the distance. It was in a valley and they would have to leave the shelter of the forest before arriving. They both stopped before the final line of trees, glancing at their target.

"Have you been there before?" Jazz asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. If I was, it was during my journey to Corosa from my village. I was a bit distraught at the moment to take heed of my surroundings."

He clenched his fists, but forced his voice to remain casual. "Do you think Kat left the Steward alive?"

She raised her eyebrows. "He didn't get to touch me, so any ploy for revenge is unnecessary."

"I was wondering for political reasons."

"Sure you were." Her gaze moved back towards the village. "This is Endir proper. If anyone sees you..."

"Aren't we supposed to go unnoticed?"

"I'd rather get some real sleep."

He couldn't agree more. As the shadows of night fell upon them, he allowed himself a moment to miss the mattress in the Grand Palace. Once the light had dimmed enough, the two of them headed out into the open and towards the village. There were lights shining from a few windows, but most of the place was drenched in darkness. When they reached the back of the first house, Jinx turned to him.

"I'm going to go look around. Please, this time, stay put."

He nodded in agreement and she disappeared into the night.

⚜⚜⚜

Our adventure continues with Jazz and Jinx who are now deep in enemy territory, looking for information. Do you think Jazz is right? Is Kat having more trouble settling in and Jinx and Cage are just paranoid?

You also get to find out Jinx's real name and a bit more about her. I hope this was interesting. And of course Jazz will listen to her and not get into trouble, right? It's not like everyone around him would kill him on sight.

Now with the update schedule changed, I'll see you next Friday! Any thoughts and votes on the story are greatly appreciated.