Traveling alongside Taegus ended up being much less horrific than Kel had pictured.
Strangely enough, now that they were (mostly) alone together, the boy seemed to have lost all interest in her. He never stared at her, or even spoke to her for that matter. The sudden change made Kel even more suspicious, however, and she only became more careful about keeping her guard up.
As a result, the unhurried days of hiking toward the Dragon's Heart (unlike the bumpy, rushed and silent wagon ride to the Lion Camp) were filled entirely with Gideon's hearty chatter.
"The three of us will have plenty of hard work to do once we get there," he chimed as they plodded along, "so it's fine for us to take our time now."
Coming to a halt in front of a nearby clearing, the man added with a smirk, "Don't you agree?"
