As Catalin pulled on the discreet yet scratchy clothes that he’d been given, he listened to the conversation unfolding outside.
“We’re making great time,” Victor was saying. “We’ll probably make it to the mountain pass not too long after midnight. There’s an inn there we can stay for the night-”
“We’re not going through tonight?” Damian asked.
“I think we all could use a good night’s sleep,” Victor said. “Cat especially. Looks like you were pretty rough on him.”
“Yeah, but we can sleep once we find Kite and Talia, right? And then head out first thing in the morning.”
“There’s no rush. The train to Little Valeria runs in the early evening, so we’ll have some time to kill tomorrow, either way.”
There was a pause before Damian cheerfully suggested, “We could always not go to Little Valeria.”
“Enough of that, Damian.” A measure of irritation crept into Victor’s voice. “Christopher is coming with us, and that’s final.”
“I was only kidding! Lighten up a little, Victor!” Catalin had only known Damian for about an hour, but he could tell that the younger boy wasn’t kidding at all.
“All right, let’s not get into an argument, here,” Saphie cut in, as if she was lecturing a pair of toddlers. “Damian, Christopher is one of us.”
“If you say so,” Damian chirped. “Cat? Are you almost ready?”
Quickly, Catalin jammed the cap onto his head, tucking part of his hair into it haphazardly. As he exited the bathroom, Saphie clicked her tongue. “I’ll fix your hat for you later. Your hair’s all uneven.”
“I doubt we’ll run into much of anyone at this hour, anyway.” Victor slung his bag back across his shoulder. “So? Ready to go?”
