behind the horizon. The travelers had temporarily emerged from the forest to travel along a rocky ridge that rose from the surrounding trees.
“This is a simple problem, easily overcome,” Yeel said. “The need for light is very basic. Fortunately I am equipped to provide a substitute for our star’s emanations. I’ll need a few moments to combine the necessary agents, though.”
Jymoor watched Yeel as he fumbled through one of his packs. He took out two stones pocked with tiny holes and a small package wrapped in string.
“Fetch us two straight sticks, if you would, my friend,” Yeel urged. “I’ll prepare the stones, so that our efforts might take a minimum of time, and we can resume our journey momentarily. And thank you for your help.”
Jymoor carefully made her way into a break in the rocks where some dead tree limbs had accumulated. She broke some dry wood and found two branches that might serve. As she walked back to Yeel, she saw that the stones had started to glow softly in the waning light. Yeel put the package back into his larger pack and handed a stone to Jymoor.
Avorn stood well back, as if in fear of the phenomenon.
“Put the adhesive side against the stick to wield it,” Yeel said. “And hand me a stick, please. You see, one of these is for me and one is for you. In that way we will have one more than strictly necessary, a redundant setup, affording us extra protection in case of unexpected events which might deprive us of one source of light. We are, sadly, still vulnerable to the possibilities depriving us of two or more sources of light…”
Jymoor traded a stick for a glowing stone. She stared at the rock, wondering at its inner light.
“Adhesive side?”
“Just put the stick against the top, right there,” explained Yeel. The wizard placed the end of his stick against the rock and then released the glowing stone. It clung neatly onto the end of the stick. Yeel held the assembly up, casting a white light onto the ground before him.
“Now we can see,” he said.
Jymoor brought her branch into contact with the stone and the two connected firmly. She waved her stick about, lighting the area.
“Is it a magical torch? How long does it last?” Jymoor asked.
“It is what it is. Call it a torch if you like, and model it as a magical one if you wish. It depends on quite a lot. But the stone will almost certainly outlive the stick. The wood will eventually rot unless we treat it with certain chemicals to protect it.”
“What? The wood will rot? Well, yes, but, I mean, how long will they glow? Not how long will the rock and the stick last.”
“Ah, I see your thrust exactly. We were having a semantic mishap. You want to know how long the reaction will last. We can clear this up, I assure you. Now. Are you asking about yours or mine?”
“Either. Both. Are they different?”
“Yours lasts as long as mine. And mine, as long as yours,” Yeel said.
“They last the same amount of time…but wait. Why did you ask me which one? Oh never mind. Just how long do they last?”
“It seemed logical to charge them to last throughout the night,” Yeel said. “True, we may not press onward through the entire span of darkness, but it seemed prudent to ensure that we didn’t end up in a delicate situation with our lights suddenly failing us.”
“You are wise, Lord Yeel. Of course, I didn’t expect otherwise.”
“Well, in that circumstance I wonder why you asked. But in any case, communication has won the day. We now both know. And I assume you’ve even remembered it, judging from your previous mental acrobatics. So if I should want to know later, presumably you would share the information back with me? No matter, it is logical enough, and I should be able to independently deduce my previous actions on this matter. Unless, of course, I was to run short of necessary materials, then later forget that fact…”
The three moved through the trees for several more hours after sunset, guided by the glowing orbs Yeel had put together. The dual lights cast eerie double shadows from the twisted trees, revealing the landscape nearby in washed-out colors. Jymoor stopped to consult a journal she had recorded on her journey. Yeel contentedly followed her lead, confident that his guide would find the way.
Yeel also kept talking at length about every little thing they