Chapter 21: Wading and Wishing

“Why...do 'you' carry matches?”

“Safety 101. Always have a pack of matches on you in case of an emergency”

It was the first words they’d spoken in quite sometime—after assuring one another’s safety and leaving the scene of the crime, silence had reigned.

Princess was dead. Roasted. Cooked harder than a well-done steak.

Zane seethed at the image.

They trekked across the desert, disgustingly filthy and dying of thirst. Though not long after they set off, the world around them miraculously transformed. One minute they were gasping for breath in the blazing sun and the next they were knee deep in a vast swamp-land covered by thick clouds and buzzing insects.

They’d greedily drank rain water from cups of leaves, throwing coveted glances at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking.