Harley woke up covered in sweat, her panicked feeling switching from dream to reality. Disoriented, she rubbed her eyes and blinked, trying to see clearly into the dark forest, but the shadows seemed to darken as if she stared into the abyss.

The bleat of a goat broke the silence and Harley turned. Tena shrieked by the fire, clearly shaken, holding a ladle above her head and looking ready to swing. Harley rushed to her feet.

“Tena, what is it?!”

“A blood-sucker!”

Tena pointed into the dark forest. “It was there in the tree! It lunged at Chocolate and tried to bite her! It’s still out there—listen!”

A rustling of leaves came from a nearby tree. Quickly, with two hands, Harley removed a flaming stick from the fire, held the burning end out in front, then marched forward holding her breath.

As the smoke entered the branches, the rustling started again. Then there was movement. Tena shrieked. A black blur darted along the branch, its shape small and its speed quick.

Harley clenched her jaw and swung, the embers of her stick glowing as they cut the air. Adrenaline propelled her forward. She swung again, higher this time, and the force of the blow cut leaves from the branch.

The black blur leapt from the tree to the ground, releasing a chittering yelp as it landed on its back. The rodent-like beast twisted its body over, uprighting itself and scurrying away. An instant later, the beast was no longer visible, having escaped into the darkness from which it came.

“What was that?!” said Harley.

“A flying squirrel I think!” said Tena.

“…a squirrel?”

The adrenaline fading fast, Harley dropped to her knees. Relief unexpectedly came in the form of trembling hands. She fought back against the urge to collapse to the ground in a sobbing heap.

Tena knelt beside her, trying to bring comfort, “Oh dear, I’m sorry I frightened you.”

Harley remained silent as she processed what just happened. So it wasn’t a beast. Actually, that was a good thing considering the alternative. And it seemed Tena was just like her—scared to death of this place. She could relate to that.

“It’s not your fault,” said Harley. “I was having a terrible nightmare too. Sometimes it’s just too much—it’s all too much. I’ll be happy when this is all over.”

Tena nodded, though the shadows cloaked her expression. She still clasped the ladle.

“I’m glad it was only a squirrel,” said Harley, rubbing her eyes. She followed Tena back to the campfire where Chocolate stood watch alone.

“Where’s James?” asked Harley.

“Over there next to Yoyo.” Tena pointed at two sets of legs curled up under a wool blanket.

“He slept through the whole thing? He’s a terrible night watch,” Harley said, mostly joking.

Tena nodded but didn’t laugh.

There was a long pause without either of them speaking and Harley couldn’t shake the feeling that Tena wished she never left home. It was probably a lot better than being scared to death with a bunch of strangers she barely knew. She wondered if Tena was mad—she certainly didn’t look happy, and not knowing was worse than airing it out.

“Are you mad?” asked Harley.

“Maibben gets mad. He has a real temper. One time Chocolate chewed up his axe handle, and he came down with a wrath so terrible you’d think the devil himself inspired it… I should have done this long ago, dear. I suppose things get familiar and you make up reasons for yourself why things can’t change. It’s a way of dealing with it all I guess. And we all have our own way of dealing. So, no, I’m not mad—not at all. Frightened? Oh yes. But I’ve lived this way for a while now, and a long night here doesn't frighten me nearly as much as a short night back home.”

“Tena,” said Harley. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m glad you came with us.”

“I am too, dear, but Harley, be honest with me—do the stones really lead to Cutter’s Gate?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t know?”

“Well I thought they did, but the details were told to me by a gnome, and that’s all I really know.”

“Oh, well, gnomes are very reliable, you know.”

“Really?”

“That’s what my father used to say.” Tena tapped her ladle on a rock. “The stones that sound like bells are the important ones?”

“The singing stones mark the trail. If you follow the stones and do not wander, you will end up in the right place,” said Harley. “That’s what the gnome said, but I didn’t fully understand it. The stones mark trails to many places, not just Cutter’s Gate. The trails cross like a tangled string, and you must know which way to go at the forks.”

“I’ve got a lot of experience getting knots out of strings,” said Tena. “Tomorrow we’ll keep going.”

Harley smiled. “Okay.”

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Tena added a few more sticks to the fire to keep it fueled. The embers gave warmth, the crackling soothed away worry, and the smoke was a ward for the wicked. Red flames danced in the dark.

“Did I tell you Chocolate knows how to sing?” said Tena, her tone pleasant again.

Harley laughed. “No way. You taught her?”

“My father did. She was his goat first you know. Chocolate was one of the leads for his wagon.”

“I thought only horses pull wagons.”

“Horses are too big for a halfling wagon,” said Tena. “Goats have better memories too. Chocolate remembers all the best spots for carrots.”

“Huh? Tena…has Chocolate been to your cousin’s house?” As Harley said the words, she felt a rush of excitement. There was a new idea forming, the specifics quickly taking shape in her brain.

“Several times,” said Tena. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up though. She remembers carrots, not directions.”

Harley thought through the possibilities. One—Chocolate knew the way, or at least most of the way. Two—Chocolate didn’t know the way, but was lucky. And three—Chocolate didn’t know the way, and was also unlucky, in which case they had the stacks of rocks to redirect them.

She kept her thoughts to herself for now, planning to test the theory tomorrow. And even though Tena said not to get her hopes up, Harley couldn’t help but feel optimistic. Positive thoughts filled her head. Maybe reaching Cutter’s Gate wasn’t an impossibly hard task. She realized that talking through things with Tena made her feel better about the current situation.

There was nothing left to say on the matter so she watched the flames dance, allowing herself to rest. Hopeful, she drifted off to sleep and finished the night free of nightmares.

She woke to the sounds of shouting.

“It’ll get you!”

“No!”

“It’ll get you, Yoyo!”

James had made a monster out of rocks and dared Johan to kill it, but Johan was in no mood to play. It was well into the morning; the sun was already above the trees and the dew had baked off the leaves. Tena had Chocolate packed up and ready.

Harley went to Johan and held his hand. “It’s okay. Want to help me?”

She gave Johan the hammer and let him try it out. He was a fast learner. Most of the singing stones were pumpkin-sized rocks, complex in shape but common in color, and Johan could spot them quicker than most. He led the way as Harley followed, offering words of wisdom when needed.

The others followed too, each doing their own thing. Tena hummed a tune that was pleasant and cheery, and James practiced sword fighting in a casual way, staying mostly to himself. The trail weaved by giant, moss-covered boulders that slumbered in the mid-morning sun, and all was well, and the walking was easy.

Then came the first fork of the day. It was Chocolate’s first try and Harley stood giddy behind the old goat. On one side grew a clover patch and the end of an ant-ridden log, while a leafy shrub and wild onion sprout marked the other path. Chocolate flopped her ears and turned to Tena.

“Okay, Chocolate. Which way?”

Chocolate lowered her head toward the ground and plucked a weed with her teeth. Harley watched the goat chew with muted excitement, and as the minutes passed, so did her optimism.

“Maybe she needs a reminder. You know, something my father would say,” said Tena. She straightened up and announced with a deep voice. “Forward. To Shea.”

Chocolate kept her head down and plucked another weed, seemingly disinterested as usual.

“Is Shea your cousin?” asked Harley.

“No. Shea’s my uncle. My cousin is Maribel,” said Tena.

Harley crossed her arms.

“Hey, Yoyo,” said James. “Come hit this one with the hammer.”

Johan ran over to join James beside a lumpy stone. They laughed as they fooled with the hammer and skipped from stone to stone. Harley watched them play—it was a welcome distraction from Chocolate's failure to participate. James called Yoyo over and over and over again, and each time Johan joined him with laughter.

“At least those two are having fun,” said Tena. “Yoyo sure is quick with that hammer...”

“He’s always been a quick…”

Harley never finished her sentence. A sudden revelation became obvious to her. Yoyo. Johan. They were one and the same.

“Hey, wait a minute,” said Harley. “Tena, does your uncle have a nickname?”

“Everyone calls him Shea, but his full name is Seaghdha,” said Tena. Her face lit up. “Of course! Chocolate! Forward. To Seaghdha.”

Chocolate stopped chewing. She lifted her head, her nose twitching. The goat seemed to be contemplating a thought, or at least wasn’t completely focused on eating for once. Harley beamed a smile.

Progress!

Tena stomped her foot and repeated the command. This time Chocolate bleated and started down the path with the leafy shrub.

“Okay!” said Harley. “That’s something.”

Tena wrapped Harley in a hug. “Yes! Something!” Then she went to her knees, gathered some stones and said, “We’d better make a stack just in case.”

With Chocolate participating, Harley swelled with hope, and hope was exactly what she needed. Her brothers led the way on the trail as Tena resumed her humming. The mood was merry and the travel was steady. The ground firm beneath their feet, their pace quickened.

Nothing would stop them—no storm, no beast, and certainly not her hand. Harley relieved the tenderness by peeling the scab and draining the pus, then hid it from sight with a strip of cloth. The less she saw it the better.

Afternoon came and went. White clouds blanketed the sky as they settled to camp by a stagnant pond. Chocolate protested by bleating, but they didn’t plan to drink the water. Plus, there was clover and kindling, and a rocky outcrop that rose ten feet above the surrounding land. The height offered protection during the night and they made plans to sleep on top.

Johan and James gathered wood for the fire as Tena led Chocolate to the top of the rocky outcrop. Already atop of the stone, Harley surveyed around for signs of danger. Nothing particularly ominous stood out from any direction, though the view overlooking the pond offered the least amount of tree cover. Soon Tena had made camp and a fire, and supper began in earnest.

“Do we have any more fudge?” asked James.

“We sure do,” said Tena.

“What about carrots?” said Harley. “I think Chocolate deserves a few extra ones.”

Tena laughed. “I think so too.”

“Me and Yoyo will be first watch tonight!” said James. “Right Yoyo?”

Johan swallowed a big bite of pie and nodded eagerly.

“You guys can wake me up if you get scared or sleepy. But until then, I’m going to bed,” said Harley. She felt exhausted after filling her belly.

Plopping onto a wool blanket, she rubbed her tired feet. They’d walked twice the distance of yesterday and her legs had nothing left to give. She wondered if the aches would be gone by morning, or if they would linger the day after like so many of her swim meets. She’d never miss a meet—never—but the thought of swimming now made her feel sick. She needed rest. A full night's rest. She closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.