"We should get there late tomorrow."

Grace and Hunter had stopped and made camp for their second night on the road, and Grace had a small fire going. Hunter proved himself to be useful in catching small animals, rabbits and squirrels mostly, to eat with a small crossbow he carried with him. A rabbit was currently roasting over the open flame as Grace pulled out one of her maps, examining where they were.

Hunter just nodded. "Probably late though, yeah? It took me over a week to get to Seaside from Arden."

"That's because you didn't know where you were going," Grace reminded him. "I do. But yes, probably late, but I have an idea of where we can stay for the night. We'll start asking around the next morning."

Hunter didn't look incredibly thrilled at waiting an extra day, but he didn't argue. He just stared into the fire, arms crossed over his knees.

Grace couldn't help but feel curious about what he was thinking about, but bit her tongue. She wouldn't appreciate him prying into her life, so she respected his boundaries.

"What happens if no one knows anything in Arden?"

Grace stared at him, his face half concealed by smoke and darkness. He looked physically pained, and Grace couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. She was lucky, in a way, that she knew she would never see her siblings again.

"We keep going north," she told him. "Hit the towns up the coast. Someone will know something eventually."

"And if they don't?"

Grace sighed. "Look, Hunter, I'm not going to pretend to know what you're going through, right now. But I've done a lot of these jobs. Not people, no, but looking for things that seem impossible to find. And if you go into it thinking it's not possible, then it won't be possible. You already lost. So, do me a favor, and snap out of it. Let me do my job."

Grace felt a little guilty over snapping at him, but after a moment Hunter nodded. "Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," Grace said softly. "Like I said, I don't know what you're going through. But right now, I know what I'm doing, and I'm good at what I do. I'll let you know if you should really start worrying."

That got a small smile out of him.

They didn't talk much for the rest of the night, but as Grace lay down to get some sleep, staring up at the blanket of stars that watched over them, she couldn't help but wonder if she was giving him false hope.

***

The road had been mostly deserted, but as they approached noon on their third day of travels, more and more people populated the road, and eventually they began passing farmland, workers laboring in the field.

Grace had been correct in her estimate; the town appeared on the horizon as the sun sank into the Pacific.

By the time that got to the town, however, many people still occupied the roads, and no one gave her or Hunter a second glance. There was a small inn for travelers, but Grace marched right passed it. It rarely had rooms and cost too much. Grace wanted to save what she had to trade for more important things.

If Hunter had any confusion about why they were passing the only obvious place in town to stay, he didn't show it, and simply followed Grace in silence. She took them to the northern side of town, stopping in front of one of the last buildings before reaching more farmland, and rapped on the door.

It opened just a moment later, and Grace came face to face with a middle-aged woman whose expression morphed into one of delight at the sight of her visitors.

"Grace!" she exclaimed. "It's been a while!"

"Hi, Desiree," Grace replied warmly. "I know, sorry I haven't been in contact."

"Oh, it's so difficult to get word to anyone these days," Desiree said, brushing away Grace's apology. "It's just good to see you. Come in, come in." She waved Grace inside and gave Hunter a curious look, but allowed him in as well.

Desiree's cluttered store of books and maps had remained relatively unchanged since Grace had last been there, but she loved it that way. It almost felt like a home away from home for her.

"I think I have something in here for you," Desiree said, half to herself, looking through her cupboards. She pulled out a slightly stale loaf of bread and some dried meat, and put them down on a table mostly covered with loose papers. "Just push it out of the way," Desiree told them. "Go ahead, take a seat."

Hunter gave Grace a questioning side glance, but she gave him a small nod and the two of them sat down, taking a share of the small amount of food. Desiree waited until they were done before starting the questioning.

"It's not like you to travel with a companion, Grace," Desiree commented, giving Hunter a half curious, half suspicious look.

"He has information relevant to what I'm looking for," Grace replied lightly. She wasn't quite ready to let other people in on what she was actually looking for. Grace had someone else she wanted to talk to in town before their mission became public knowledge.

Desiree was used to Grace's unsatisfying answers. "Well, you're welcome to your usual back room," she said. "Although it might be a bit cramped with both of you in there."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Grace said. "We should probably get some rest; we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Of course."

Grace gave a small jerk of her head toward Hunter, and he got up and followed her to the back of the store. Grace had stayed in the back room, which wasn't much more than a storage closet, frequently, and Desiree was right. It would be cramped. But there wasn't a better option.

"How do you know her?" Hunter asked once Desiree returned upstairs to her living space.

"Met her on one of my earlier visits here," Grace explained. "She was just starting out with mapping out the surrounding area. Over the next couple of visits, I help make maps for her that covered the entire area, and I always add on whenever I go somewhere new. She lets me stay here whenever I need."

Hunter looked almost impressed. "Well, she was right, it's a tight fit."

Grace shrugged. "Haven't we all slept in worse places?"
Hunter didn't need to answer.

The space was wide enough for the both of them, just not long enough. Grace usually slept on the diagonal and there was just enough room for her legs, but now with Hunter they both had to sleep straight side by side, their legs bent awkwardly and pressed up against the wall.

Fortunately, they were both so tired that the awkward position did little to prevent sleep, and Grace slept soundly until she heard Desiree coming back downstairs the next morning. Yawning, she shook Hunter awake.

Desiree didn't offer any breakfast, but Grace didn't worry about that; she knew someone else who could provide. After thanking Desiree, Grace and Hunter headed out into the early morning.

Despite the fact that the sun was just appearing over the mountains, the town was already bustling with movement. Grace led Hunter back the way they came, heading toward the one person who would be most likely to have answers for them.

Unlike Desiree's warm welcome, John Ellison greeted Grace with an eye roll and an exasperated sign as he opened the door. "When you come 'round there's always trouble," he chastised.

"Good to see you too, John," Grace shot back.

"You're lucky I haven't started making breakfast, yet," John grumbled. "Or else you'd both be hungry." He stood back to let them in.

Hunter shot a concerned look at Grace, considering the less than friendly welcome, but she just shook her head. She had grown accustomed to this type of reception.

John Ellison served as head of security for Arden. All the different teams, internal security, external security, emergency services, and scouting teams, reported to him. Whenever something happened, good or bad, John was the first to know about it.

If anyone in Arden would have heard about the train, it would be John.

"Sit," he told them, and he went over to the small fireplace and put a pot of water on it. One of the more powerful people in the town, John had greater access to rations, and so breakfast usually meant some type of oatmeal type dish. And, despite his grumbling, he always shared.

"So, what do you want?" John asked. He had put the food on to cook and sat down at the table, across from Grace and Hunter.

Grace shifted in her seat. His response to her question could potentially go a lot of different ways. "Have you heard anything about the Ocean Train?" she asked him.

John stared hard at her and then looked at Hunter. "I'm assuming this explains why you have apparently picked up a partner in crime?"

Grace just gave a small shrug.

John sighed and got back up, stirring the breakfast. Grace and Hunter exchanged glances. It seemed he did not know something.

John came back with the cooked food and distributed it into three bowls. Grace was almost trembling in anticipation as to what he was going to tell him, but didn't nag. He seemed willing to tell them, even if he didn't want to do it quickly.

"The short answer, yes," John said after he finally sat back down. "But I think you both really need to think about if you want to know what I do."

"We do," Hunter said quickly. Grace and John both turned to stare at him. "I just, I need to," he amended quietly.

John turned his attention back to Grace. "So, you're doing all of this for him, then?" He snorted. "That doesn't sound like you."

"What do you know, John?" Grace pressed, ignoring the dig. "Let me decide what I can handle and what I can't, thanks."

"Not much," John admitted. "But I did hear word that Oktana got word from them that they would be arriving with a group of about 20 people."

Grace nodded, storing away the name Oktana in her brain. She had that town on her maps. "And then what?"

"And then nothing," John said. "When I heard that an entire train of people disappeared, I sent out feelers north, but no one came up with anything. Apparently, they made it to Cherry, but that's the last anyone actually saw them."

"And your men didn't find any trace of them?" Grace asked, chewing her lip and thinking hard. The distance between Oktana and Cherry was close to 100 miles, a long way for her and Hunter to search on their own.

John shook his head. "It's like they vanished off the face of the earth." He looked over at Hunter. "You know someone who was on it?"

Grace glanced over at the other man, too. He had a blank expression on his face as he nodded, but didn't provide any other details to John.

"Sorry I can't help more," John said, sounding like he meant it. "But that's all I have for you."

"Thanks, John," Grace told him. "I appreciate the info, nonetheless." She and Hunter scarfed down their breakfasts in silence, neither particularly hungry but both smart enough to not waste food. "We'll get out of your hair."

"You're welcome to join the town for dinner tonight," John said. "They know you, so you shouldn't run into any problems."

Grace stood up. "Thanks," she said again. "Hunter," she prompted. Without another word, the two of them left the security's head back out into the increasingly busy town.