Since it was nearly evening, they decided to stop for the night. They gathered some fire making supplies and they set up their cots. A quick meal was made and they discussed the man and what he wanted. Endermon said what she got out of him was that he was down on his luck and even though he had the ability to work, he preferred getting money the unlawful way.
Rutus said that he told her that someone in a hooded cape came up to him and offered him a substantial amount to follow them and get the treasure from them. Endermon was appalled. She asked how he could get the treasure, when they didn't have it. Let alone know where or what it was. The other two nodded in agreement.
With the last of their dinner being finished off, Rutus and Dresden went to sleep, worn out from the day's activities. Endermon stayed up and watched the fire in contemplative silence. She hoped that that would be the only incident. But she was pretty sure it would only be the beginning.
When Shiloh walked up, Endermon was grateful for the distraction. When Endermon mentioned the man, Shiloh called him a bland little morsel, not worth the energy it took to finish him off. At Endermon's shocked look, Shiloh stared back unapologetically. She said he had threatened to come back and do unspeakable things to them, especially Endermon.
Somewhat mollified but still a tad mortified, Endermon asked what happened. Feeling this was not the time for teasing, Shiloh told her exactly what happened. Shiloh was just waking up for the evening, and hearing the commotion, she stepped out of her carriage. She watched the man stumble into view, but he was too busy trying to cover up his cuts to notice she was even there.
Even though the bleeding had mostly stopped, to Shiloh, he was a beacon drawing her to him. Shiloh kept her composure and asked if she could help while he was shouting at Shiloh about what he'd like to do to those two stupid girls (what he actually said, Endermon could guess, and Shiloh wasn't going to repeat).
Shiloh reached out with her mind to see what she could find out. And it was just as Rutus had found out. Then the man did something incredibly stupid. He took a swing at Shiloh. She moved so quick, he barely registered before becoming breakfast.
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They sat in silence for a few minutes while what happened stayed fresh in their minds. They talked about what to do next time or how to prevent something happening, but couldn't come up with anything. They casually turned the conversation to what they were to each other. They agreed until the time was right or at least until they got caught, that they would be traveling companions. As much as they wanted otherwise.
Sharing a sweet kiss they separated with Shiloh's promise to get an idea of the route ahead and about how long it eould take to travel said route. She also promised that if she didn't tell her personally, that her driver was at her beck and call. She could do with him as she saw fit, but any shady dealings would be reported back to Shiloh. Endermon reckoned that was fair, and that was that.
Endermon went to sleep that night confident things would be okay and that anything the journey to find this mysterious treasure could throw at them, that they would be able to get through it as long as they all worked together. Whether or not they liked each other was irrelevant. She went to sleep ready to tackle the next leg of their journey.
Endermon woke up to a note on parchment about the possible routes. There were notes written in elegant handwriting about different people and places they might encounter. Endermon thought it best that she share this with the other two and see what they thought their next move should be.
As she started to make a quick breakfast, feed the horses, and generally get ready for the day, the other two got up and started helping. They discussed the note and what it could mean. Endermon wanted to keep to the riverbank, that way they'd have water and fish. Rutus wanted to go through town, they'd have access to Foo and materials. Dresden wanted to go straight to the beach from where they were and make their own path. They'd have the best of both, in his opinion.