Lilith took a deep breath as she lifted up her breather, taking a large swig of water from her flask. Giving Sprout a thumbs up as she re-secured it, the boy leaning into his seat as he gave Lilith back the wheel. She swished the now lukewarm water around her mouth, taking very little refreshment from it, but hey, hydration is hydration.
They had been on the road for around five hours, driving down one of less established routes to Feroxi. They hadn't seen another soul in hours. Lilith gave her silent thanks, hopefully the entire drive would go without a hitch, they were making good time.
She looked over at Sprout. He had a foot up on the dashboard, an arm hanging over the outside of the crawler as he watched the world pass by. They hadn't spoken much since they left the Maiden, just small talk, a few jokes, the usual insertion of foot into mouth on Sprout's part. Thankfully, the third passenger in the crawler had remind practically silent the entire trip. In fact, Lilith had to ask Sprout to look back there and check the geezer was still alive. Another thing to be thankful for.
Lilith had occupied her thoughts with things other than leaving the Maiden, namely the exchange of their less plump than rumoured friend. She had gone over the details several times in her head, making sure there were no oversights. They would get near the outskirts of the city, find a cave, and hold out there for the night. The next morning, they would drive into the city and head over to a local grove, nice and private, lots of cover, no way to get ambushed without being seen, and make the exchange. Then the two of them would clear out, drive around the city, lose any tails they may have gotten, find a place to park the crawler without being seen, and hit the most populated streets on foot, losing any tails they couldn't shift on the road. Then they'd spend the night at an inn, and in the morning begin their trip to rendezvous with the Maiden. As far as Sprout was concerned, that was all there was to it.
Lilith's thoughts had drifted to other things. Would she make up an excuse as to why they appeared to be staying the city longer than needed? Would she tell him the night after the exchange, get it over and done with quickly? Then what? Would they stay in Feroxi, or would they try and make it to another city? Somewhere where they
hadn't just exchanged a VIP in very illegal terms? Lilith had no idea.
You have to tell him first. She wondered how he'd take it, whether he'd accept what Pixie had to do to protect them both. She wondered if he'd get angry at her, or if he'd run away, leaving her alone.
No, whatever happens, I will not be alone, I won't let him ditch me, I'll drop him on his arse if he even thinks it, I won't let Meredith down by losing her son within a week of leaving.
The sun was high in the sky, thankfully, the crawler had a a canopy that they had set up, to keep the majority of the heat at bay, and Lilith's goggles killed most of the brightness. She was starting to get irritable, it had been a while since her last cigarette, she needed something to take her mind off it, as well as other things lodged in her brain. "Hey Sprout, this is your first time going to Feroxi ain't it? You'll love it there, they have a
huge market where you can buy practically anything. Maybe get yourself a new cap, whadda say?" She tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible.
