"Another hour, my lord," the first guard replied, not looking up from his work. "The axle damage is worse than I initially thought. We need to reinforce it properly or risk another collapse."
"And the bridge?" Jack asked. "Is there another crossing nearby?"
The second guard straightened, wiping sweat from his forehead. "There's a ford about five miles upstream. We passed a road that branches off, maybe two miles back. It adds a full day to our journey, but it's the only viable crossing within a reasonable distance."
Jack's jaw tightened as he processed the timeline.
Seven days remaining on Zephyros's bet when they'd left Millhaven.
Seven days of travel to reach the shrine under normal circumstances. With the detour, eight days total.
Which meant he'd arrive at the shrine one day after the thirty-day bet period concluded.
The bet would already be won by the time they reached their destination.
Relief flooded through Jack despite the circumstances.
