A shadow crossed her shoulder. Shielding her eyes against the sun, she peeked up.
Griffin stood beside her chair holding out a paper cup. “Perhaps this might help,” he suggested.
She smiled gratefully and took the coffee. “You think of everything, don’t you?”
“Hardly.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh and sat down cross-legged on the grass beside her.
“So, what time is it here?” she asked, sipping the hot beverage.
Griffin checked his watch. “Nearly half past eight.”
“No, I mean what time of year.”
“Oh, I see.” He nodded sagely. “This must be particularly disorienting for you. Your first trip to the southern hemisphere where everything is reversed.”
“Am I standing on my head?” Cassie asked languidly. “Because I feel like I might be but I’m too tired to check.”
“No, my dear pythia, you are seated in a more or less vertical position.” Griffin chuckled. “In answer to your earlier question, the end of March in Botswana is autumn. Comparable to our late September.”
“It feels hotter than late September back home,” Cassie observed.
“That’s because it is. Autumn temperatures in this part of the world approach ninety degrees.”
“Remind me not to come back during the summer,” the pythia said.
“Yes, I hear that it can be quite an oven. After all, two-thirds of the country consists of the Kalahari Desert.”
Cassie glanced up suspiciously at the verdant leaves hanging over her head. “Then why’s it so green around here. Hidden lawn sprinklers?”
“Maun is fortunate enough to be situated near a plentiful supply of water. The town itself sits right on the banks of the Thamalakane River, but it’s also in close proximity to the Okavango Delta. The delta is an enormous catch-basis for waters flowing downstream out of the Okavango River. During the rainy summer season, the delta covers most of the northwest corner of the country with swampland and lakes. I expect we’ll get a chance to see more of it on our way to our destination.”
“Which is where exactly? You’ve been pretty close-mouthed about why we’re here.”
“You’ll find out today,” Griffin replied mysteriously. “Best not to spoil the surprise.”
Cassie sank deeper into her chair. “I think I need more sleep before I can stand any surprises.”
At that moment another figure walked up to join the two. “Is she awake yet?”
“Dude, why are you shouting?” Cassie groaned.
“I think she needs more coffee,” Griffin confided to Erik.
Cassie wordlessly handed her now empty cup back to the scrivener.
The paladin reached down and took both Cassie’s hands in his. He unceremoniously pulled her to her feet. “C’mon, Sleeping Beauty. Up and at ‘em. We can get you a caffeine IV in town.”
Griffin clambered up as well. “Have you spoken to our contact?”
“Yeah, she’ll be here in about half an hour. I thought we could go over to the outdoor market and kill a little time.”
“I can kill a little time by catching forty winks,” Cassie suggested vainly. She made an effort to fall back into her chair.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Erik caught her by the shoulders and stood her upright. “The best thing is to keep you moving. You’ll shake it off.”
“Easy for you to say,” Cassie grumped. “You can actually sleep on airplanes.”
“Someday you will too,” Erik replied. “It just takes some getting used to.”
“I suspect she never may,” Griffin demurred as the three slowly crossed the hotel’s grounds. He pitched the empty coffee cup into a passing garbage can. “Pythias possess highly sensitive nervous systems. It’s a blessing and a curse really. The sensitivity which gives them the ability to read artifacts also takes a toll when they are confronted with too much stimuli. They simply shut down.”
Cassie rewarded him with an appreciative smile. Turning to Erik, she said, “You see. That’s why I love Griffin. He gets me.”
At her words, the scrivener unaccountably stumbled and bumped into Cassie’s shoulder.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, his face blushing crimson. “Very clumsy of me.”
The pythia steadied him absentmindedly, still focused on her conversation with Erik. “You should cut me some slack. Like Griffin said, I have sensitive nerves.”
Addressing the scrivener, the paladin asked, “And you know this how?”
Griffin shrugged. “Observation and conjecture.”
“Yeah right!” Erik snorted. “It’s all moonshine as far as I’m concerned. She’ll be fine once she gets a few more thousand miles under her belt.”
Cassie shot him an incredulous look. “Unlike me, you’ve got all the sensitivity of a rhinoceros.”
By this time, the trio had reached the street outside the hotel and paused to get their bearings.
“Which way?” Griffin asked.
Erik looked right and then left. “Over here.” He marched down a side street to the left. “It should only be a couple of blocks.”
“I’ll be timekeeper,” the scrivener volunteered. “We have to return here by nine o’clock.”
Erik muttered something unintelligible while the other two trailed after him. The morning sun wasn’t only overly bright; it was also overly strong. Cassie could feel her neck beginning to burn. She noticed several pedestrians sporting colorful umbrellas. “Guess they don’t use those for the rain,” she murmured to Griffin.
“Only during the summer,” the scrivener corrected. “Most of the year, umbrellas are used as a shelter from the sun.”
“After a Chicago winter, I don’t think my epidermis is ready for full-on summer just yet,” Cassie admitted.
They walked on in silence for a few more blocks before Erik took a sharp right turn at the next side street which opened onto a broad square. Street vendors under cover of large patio umbrellas were busy arranging their wares. The trio ambled past each stand in an unhurried fashion, examining the displays of food, clothing, and jewelry all vying for their attention.
Pausing to watch a vendor cooking
