Back to Civilization

There were no beaten paths here, so they half climbed, half walked, half slid their way down until they hit one of the proper roads. Not daring to pause, they set off at a trot, following it down until they reached an untouched area with lush bushes and grass. By then, both he and Brinja were breathing hard, while Kaia and Blackbeard looked as if they could keep going for hours.

“So, I guess we need to make some decisions,” Elian said, draining the last drops from his waterskin. “Where do we go now?”

“There are many settlements with mixed races down on the flats, along the major trading routes. Any one of them would be a good start,” Brinja said and Kaia nodded, opening her bag to take out their old map.

“We need water.” Kaia pointed out, and Elian nodded, tucking his empty skin into his bag. Escaping and warning the people was top priority, but water was definitely second on the list. At least they had some provisions and… He stopped, slapping his forehead. How could they forget?

“Our stuff. It’s still in that house outside the main entrance to the mine.” He started ticking things off on his fingers. “Our bedrolls, spare clothes…”

“The strings and feathers for arrows,” Kaia added, making a face, then sighed in resignation. “It’s not as if we can get it now. We can manage without it.”

“Yeah. It’ll be some cold nights until we can get new bedrolls or at least some blankets.” 

“You’ll need new clothes too,” Brinja said, looking him up and down. “You look like you were in a fight with a mountain puma, and lost.”

She wasn’t wrong.

“Perhaps we can buy some in the nearest village,” he suggested, patting his pocket to make sure the small pouch was still there. It jingled reassuringly.

Kaia unfolded the map, and they crowded around it.

“There,” Brinja placed a finger on a circle filled with dots, the symbol of a large settlement. “Tarrin. It’s the closest real town. Stores, markets, traders, inns, you name it. And…” she added grimly, “It has tall walls and strong gates, so there should still be people there.”

“Then that’s where we’ll start,” Elian agreed, eyeing the map. It did seem to be the best option.

“It’s a couple of days’ walk in that direction,” Brinja said, pointing southeast. “Going off road will be slower, but safer. And if I remember correctly, several creeks are running down from the mountain to the lakes in the plains. Finding clean water shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Great, let’s go.” Kaia folded the map and put it back in its place, then slung her bow over her shoulder.

*

They spent three miserable nights in the wild, sharing what little food Elian and Kaia had left. It wasn't enough for three people, but once they cleared the bugs’ territory, they found some berries and mushrooms, as well as fresh water for their water skins. Speed and stealth were of the essence, so they’d decided to avoid fires – and hunting, since any meat required cooking.

The nights were the worst. While the days might still be pleasantly warm, the nights were cold. Shivering, Elian tried to pull the sleeves of his shirt further down, rubbing his frozen fingers together. He was lying close to Kaia. Close enough to hear her soft, steady breathing, not close enough to share warmth.

He raised his head a little and was met by a yellow-eyed stare. Demon goats’ eyes apparently glowed in the dark… or seemed to. Brinja, who was leaning against the goat, was snoring lightly. Its large ears kept moving, keeping track of every sound the forest made. He and Kaia had suggested taking shifts sleeping, but were overruled by Brinja, who simply put Blackbeard in charge of nightly security.

They’d been too tired to object, and it wasn’t as if they’d get proper sleep anyway…

Sighing, he rearranged the backpack he used as a pillow and turned onto his side, wrapped his arms tighter around his chest, pulling his knees higher. It was freezing. Next to him, Kaia mumbled something in her sleep, also rolling over. The next thing he knew, she threw an arm over his chest and inched closer, curling into him, her fluffy tail draped over her side as an impromptu blanket.

"Warmer," she sighed, then hooked her tail under her arm so it partially covered both of them.

"Much warmer," he mumbled back, but she'd already gone back to sleep. Warmth spread from her body, and the rhythm of her breathing was soothing. It was surprisingly comfortable and relaxing, and his tense muscles slowly relaxed. But his mind was still spinning, not ready for sleep no matter how tired he was.

Tomorrow they’d reach Tarrin. He’d be properly back among humans for the first time since that day. Not an isolated farmstead but a real town, with hundreds of people, perhaps military… His stomach clenched, not only from hunger.

You’ll never set foot in the Kingdom of Azinth again. Doing so will be punishable by death.

The King’s sentence echoed through his mind, pushing sleep away. Tarrin wasn’t in Azinth, and he looked different from what he had six years ago. But knowing that didn’t stop his thoughts from spinning. What if someone recognized him? Told the others about him. Who he really was and what he could do.

Told them what he had done.

Just thinking about it, the mark on his hand grew warm. He huffed as he tucked it closer to his chest. At least one part of him wasn’t freezing. Still, going back to the human world was also exciting. Did houses still look the same? The food? His stomach growled at the thought of juicy meat pies and potato mash. Spicy, sugared apples and other desserts. His favorites as a child.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes, trying to imagine a room at an inn. A comfortable bed with soft blankets, something like the bed he’d had back at the garrison. It would be strange sleeping in one again… And inns should have bathing facilities, right? He and what was left of his clothes could use a good scrubbing. Soaking in hot water… what a luxury.

Somewhere close by, a twig broke and he snapped awake once more. No other sounds followed, and Blackbeard was unbothered, chewing quietly on leaves from the bush behind him. Elian closed his eyes again, and the next time he came to, the sun had started to rise.

He and Kaia mumbled ‘Morning bright’, with Brinja muttering something about mornings being much too early and much too bright. Then they were back on the roads for what he hoped would be the last leg of this journey.

Before the sun had reached its peak, they turned a corner of the road and looked out over a green field. Beyond it he could see houses, hundreds of them, two or three storeys tall, spread out behind fortified grey stone walls. Smoke was rising from chimneys, and there were people, carts and horses moving along the road leading up to an open wooden gate.

They’d reached Tarrin.

*

“A she-wolf. We don’t see many of your kind here these days.” The guards at the gates were eyeing them suspiciously as they approached. To Elian’s surprise, they hardly gave his torn clothes a second glance, but focused on Kaia, who seemed as taken aback as he was. “State your affairs.”

“We, um…” Elian started, but was cut off by Brinja, who stepped forward.

“I’m Brinja of the Stonehammer family, and these two are my guards. I got separated from my family, and they kindly agreed to escort me. For a price.” She crossed her arms in front of her, but her eyes were sparkling. Was she… enjoying this? Her face took on a sad expression. “As you know, the forests and mountains have been anything but safe lately.”

“You should prepare for the bugs,” Elian blurted out. “We saw…” A dwarven boot came down heavily on his foot, and he paused, bewildered. “What are you…”

The guards gave him a patronizing look, then turned their attention back to Brinja.

“Are you here to trade then?”

“I am. I need supplies, and a place to rest. Perhaps you can recommend a good place to stay? One that allows goats?”

“You don’t look like you have anything to trade,” one of the guards pointed out. They definitely had their priorities all wrong, Elian thought. Worrying more about trade than the buggers. And he was all too aware that none of them had anything to trade. What if they weren't allowed to enter?

Brinja sighed, somewhat theatrically, then reached into her pocket. A small pouch came out, similar to the one holding Elian’s money. Her pouch, however, didn’t hold coins. She tipped a few sparkling stones into her palm, raising an eyebrow as the guards gave an impressed whistle.

“As far as I recall, Tarrin used to have some of the most talented jewelers.”

“Still does.” The guards’ attitude changed immediately, and after a second pouch appeared and a few coins changed hands, they suddenly became full of friendly advice and recommendations.

“You should try The Bleating Goat. It’s dwarf run, but they have human-sized beds as well. And a nice stable attached. Once you’re settled in, it’s just a block away from the main market area.”

“Sounds great. Thank you.”

“And it saddens me to say this, but beware of pickpockets. We’ve been getting all sorts here lately.”

“Oh, I’m not worried,” Brinja smiled beatifically, patting Blackbeard's neck. “Last guy who tried got stomped to a pulp and then eaten.”

The guards jumped to the side, staring in horror as the goat trotted past them, head held high, yellow eyes rolling as he glared at them. Elian tried not to smile too widely as he followed the others inside.

He wasn’t the only one wary of the goat.