She looked down at the book doubtfully but she couldn’t truly judge the strength of their link, not having any other for comparison. “Doesn’t anyone else know how to use a spellbook around here?” But then, considering that this world’s inhabitants were supposedly at war with witches, it was ironic that magical people such as themselves were even there.

“We have?” Lily peered into the distance but couldn’t actually make out anything to her left yet. She didn’t have a better clue so she followed his directions and started descending again, at a diagonal this time. (It was probably a good thing that Lezard spoke up before they ended on the completely wrong side of the mountain. This was a woman who once drove around San Francisco and stopped to check a map only to be told the address she was looking for was three blocks from where she had started!)

She paused a moment, holding the book out at arm's length with a frown. “No. I can walk!” Yes, she was tired but she wasn’t about to let that man pick her up! And besides, the tent had finally come into sight again.