Sarah,

I've arrived in Peru, nearly unscathed. The weather is abysmal here...far too hot from my tastes and certainly a far-cry from the valleys in France. You know it's odd when something makes me long for the Parisian hellscape.

I hope Nolan is well and is minding you. Did he pass his sums test? I know you're worried about his education but I barely passed my written exams and look where it got me! ...Ah, yes. A desolate town in Peru, waiting to guide a bunch of city folk who seem to have barely camped a single night outside in their lives, through a treacherous jungle and its surrounding mountains. On second thought perhaps he should re-double his efforts.

Mr. Larkin, my employer, is about what I imagined. At least as far as his personality. The poor man's health is something else entirely. I don't know if he's been afflicted by the consumption or merely has a weak constitution, but I'm not entirely convinced he'll survive the expedition. I can imagine the look you have as you're reading this but I promise that I'm not being overly harsh.

We are due to set out in 48 hours which means by the time this letter reaches you we should be well into the first leg of our trip. Other than their lack of of experience in the outdoors trade my companions seem mostly well off. Vincent ("Mr. Lamar") is quite the rogue but I'm expecting there's a little more than meets the eye with him. Or maybe that's just my eternal optimism showing through...my most famous quality, as you well know. Miss Abigail and Miss Iris both seem to have a good head on their shoulders, but I must confess that Iris is quite a pecuilar girl. She's what you would call a "mystic", I believe, but on a journey such as this that quality might come in handy. I can't give much of an opinion on Abigail yet beyond the fact that she's well-kept and well spoken. I'm confident the two of you would get along and I must confess she reminds me of you, at least in some ways.

I miss you and Nolan immensely. Take care of yourself and know that just like the last time, I'll always make it home to you both.

Love,
Declan

Sarah,

I love you.

I'm sure you've picked your jaw off the floor by now; it's been a trying few days down here, and for more reasons than just the weather. I thought I had seen the hottest weather imaginable on some of the Spanish islands. They cannot hold a candle to this place. The heat is oppressive...it feels alive doesn't let you think about much else.

I'll get it out of the way up front...I got in a fight. I know what you'll say. I can picture your face now and it hurts my heart. A man was beligerently drunk at one of the local bars we visited the other night. He moved from yelling and shoving men around, to making inappropriate comments at my traveling companion Abigail. You know me...I'm a very level headed person who is very patient with scum. Unfortunately I broke my own rule and didn't make sure the fight was over before turning away. He surprised me with a knife and managed to cut my face. Rather deeply. My new friends got me to the hospital as quickly as they could and the man was dealt with by others.

I'm okay, but there was only so much they could do to reconstruct that side of my face. I do hope that you'll still smile when you see me. And please, don't tell my parents. Mom will worry and Dad...well, there's no reason to disappoint him again is there? You did always say my mouth would get me in trouble one day. It appears you were mostly right.

On the subject of you being right, I have found it relatively easy to make friends with..most everyone here. I think you would love to discuss the finer things of your former life with Abigail, and Iris' intuition would fascinate you. I'm sure of it. Vincent is...perhaps not as much of a "dandy" as I first judged him to be. I'm still worried about all of their health as we make our way through the jungle but that's why I was hired. Right?

Did Nolan decide to play baseball? I know the city league fees are costly but we'll make it work. Don't keep him from putting himself out there. He might fail, but that's okay. His old man has failed more times than he'll ever know.

I should end this letter before these pills make me divulge national secrets. We're due to head out in the next day or so. I've got a mostly clean bill of health from the doctors here, for whatever assurance that gives you. It will be hard to consistently write and even harder to manage to get the letters to you. Remember that I'm okay and I will come home; this time as my full self, and for good.

Love,
Declan

Sarah,

I'm not sure what's going on
The trip has been a fruitful one so far
I'm scared
Death

We've made progress into the highlands, though not as much as I would've hoped by now. For various reasons our pace is a bit slower than we anticipated; Mr. Larkin is a big fan of the Poppy flower, which almost resulted in him receiving several floral arrangements.

No? Too much? I couldn't resist. I'm not sure when this letter will find you given our current location; I don't even know how long it will be before we're back into a remotely civilized town. There was a delicious kind of jerky that Elias shared with us last night. It reminded me of bison, though I'm not brave enough to ask him what I actually ate.

I feel more of a connection with my traveling partners as each day passes. I realize now that I was too hard on them in some ways but in my defense usually people such as these aren't suited for the rigors of traveling off-the-beaten-path. Vincent has been invaluable as a "right hand man" of sorts and is someone I've leaned on during a few encounters times of horror trouble. I judged him harshly at the onset of this expedition but I now see him as a brother-in-arms. He reminds me of Thomas. It was my fault If you see Julia at church or the market, please tell her hello for me and ask about John. Make sure to get her the same amount from my combat draw, hide the source however you see fit. It's the least I can do.

I have to go now, a long day's walk ahead of us after a short night's rest. Let Nolan know that I'm proud of him for standing up to that bully. I'm sure you don't approve of HOW he did it, but he's got too much of me in him. I don't think he'll ever talk himself out of many situations.
I love you both.

Declan