The little boat had become a kind of home.
Most of the time was filled with lessons, yet the two elders always found something to chat about to pass the hours. GodDraw77's thoughtfulness needed no mention—she always made sure their conversations didn't leave her student on the outside.
And perhaps because time here stretched endlessly, even Lightchaser showed more patience. She actually sat through questions that, to an adult, probably sounded foolish.
It reminded Rita of that walk from the Worm Tavern to Junk Street—the way she had secretly wished the road would stretch longer. Now that wish seemed transplanted into the River of Time itself.
She thought she would never forget this journey.
The words she spoke with Lightchaser and GodDraw77 here probably added up to more than she had spoken to her parents, brother, and grandmother in years.
But the closer they drew to Arisentna's Winterveil, the more anxious Rita became.
Almost every day she asked, "Will we make it in time?"
