They agreed a process of elimination would take too long, and hoping for a sign was not exactly realistic, so they figured they'd know when they got there, or at least would have a better idea what they were looking for.

Finishing their fondant ending up at the cemetery, they were momentarily confused as the graves seemed to face every which way. But finally the majority of them faced the road. They rode around in uncharacteristic silence.

Keeping an eye out for a giant sun, let alone a mausoleum big enough to hold one, took most of their time. Finally over the crest of a small hill their target came into view. They were excited until they saw that the left road was grown over and would be a rough ride.

Looking longingly at the smooth road on the right, there was a brief moment where they considered disregarding the words of advice from the letter, but wanting to encounter as few people as possible, they kept their horses at a walk and started down the vastly unused, and almost decrepit road.

It was peaceful as they rode down the road. There were no people present, save for themselves, and they managed to go a good deal further than they were able to go either in town, or on the road next to the riverbank. Stopping as the sun was high in the sky, they set up a small fire and had lunch.

Not having seen the alleged armor, Endermon figured it was a particularly bad joke, until she saw the sunlight glinting off of something in the weeds off the road a ways. They stopped and inspected the pile. Sure enough, it was a pile of scorched and rusted armor. Rutus's eyes lit up like she was just handed the keys to an unnamed kingdom. Finding the right pieces took a few minutes, but eventually she got mostly cohesive suits put together for them all.

Silently asking the horses if the extra weight would be a bother, and they said no. Getting back up on the horses took a few tries, but finally they managed. Leaving the worst of the armor behind, they rode on down the desolate road that was badly in need of repair.

They rode until it was getting dark. They needed to find a suitable place to sleep. Endermon thought that Shiloh's note could have let them know about that at least. Then she figured that someone with their own sleeping accommodations would have no need to look for such things. Hearing the carriage coming up behind them, they all stopped to see what they cold come up with.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

As Shiloh stepped down from the driver's seat, Dresden remarked that she was up awfully early. Ignoring that, Shiloh turned to Rutus and told she was impressed by how well she was able to put almost 3 complete suits of armor together in such a short time.

Rutus beamed and said having the parts was part of it, but trailed off, suddenly shy. Endermon was not surprised. Shiloh had that effect on people. Or it was the fact that she was being noticed for her impressive skill set, and didn't know quite how to respond.

Endermon cleared her throat and asked if there was a place to stay for the night, and Shiloh said that off the road a bit was an abandoned cabin that might do. Not wanting to ride around in the dark, they dismounted

and half led, half followed the horses to the cabin.

There was a bench near the door that they could use to tie the horses to. There was plenty of grass for grazing and they found a bucket that they could put water in. Finding a small pond, made possible by Dresden falling in, they filled the bucket for the horses to drink out of.

They went into the dark cabin and after feeling around a bit, they found a crude fireplace. They lit a fire which provided light and warmth. Finding a few pots suitable for cooking, a meal was quickly thrown together. They ate and occasionally had to get after Dresden for taking up too much space in front of the fire.

It didn't escape anyone's notice that there was only one room. So once dinner was eaten and people were getting tired, they found places that would suit them, and using their own blankets, settled in to sleep after getting enough wood on the fire to last them the night.

While Dresden an Rutus chose places near the fire, Endermon chose a place near the door. Besides the other two, plus the fire made it warm enough so that the coolness from the door made for a comfortable temperature combo. That and it made laying down with Shiloh, easier to hide. Well unless someone had to relieve themselves in the middle of the night.