Guelder left the river behind, bidding farewell to the waters of the Shrike that had been leading her so faithfully towards her destination, and veered to the north. In only an hour's walk, she reached the old road stretching into the distance towards the east, parallel to the river. She patted Pangur's flank with a reassuring growl.

We should be all right now, friend. Perhaps we shall even make it in time.

She couldn't be sure about the last part, though. She had left the Embeth Forest weeks ago, travelling upstream along the rivers towards the faraway city of Restov. She'd lost precious time in the stag man's prison and afterwards, hiding, recovering from her injuries, collecting useful bits and bobs for the last leg of her journey. A set of clothes from an unburied corpse, for starters. After all, she couldn't present herself in front of Lady Jamandi Aldori, the most important person in Restov, without something to wear. Also, a spear from another dead man's house, so that she didn't have to rely entirely on Pangur to defend herself or to hunt for food. The menial chores of survival robbed her of her sense of time. What if she was already late? What if she was making the long and dangerous trip to Restov all in vain? She banished the thought. Even if she was late, she would find a way to make the most of the situation. Or so she hoped.

"Help! Help!"

A thin, muffled voice was calling.

Guelder's body stiffened, her ears perked up. Back in her home forest, it was a favourite pastime of fey tricksters to mimic the voices of distressed humans, luring kindhearted passers-by into their trap. She exchanged a glance with Pangur. The leopard knew his job and leapt forward to do some scouting.

"Please! Someone! Anyone!"

Pangur returned in a few minutes and let Guelder know that he'd found no trace of fey presence. He jumped down into the overgrown ditch running along the road. Guelder followed, nimbly weaving her way through nettles and briars, until she happened upon a wooden chest sitting among the weeds. Time and again, it gave a thumping sound and shook, as if something or someone were struggling inside. Trails led from the chest to the road, marked by crushed undergrowth and deep footprints from two pairs of heavy boots. Someone had placed it here on purpose.

Guelder rapped on the lid.

"Hello? Anyone in there?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm in here! Please let me out!"

Alas, the chest was locked, and Guelder, like most druids, knew next to nothing about the subtle art of lockpicking. However, she had her spear, nothing magical but still immensely useful.

"Cover your eyes," she said. "Splinters might fall."

Feeling out a crack in the woodwork, she forced the spear's head into the narrow gap. With a little effort, she pried up a board.

"Oh, thank you, kind stranger! Finally, some fresh air!" said the little voice, now clearer and louder.

"Be patient, I am not yet done. In the meantime, would you mind telling me who you are and what you are doing here, locked in a chest?"

"My name is Linzi. I'm a bard from Pitax. Originally from Galt."

"I am Guelder, a druid from the Embeth Forest. Originally from Kyonin." Another board came cracking loose from the lid of the chest. "Please note that I have a leopard with me. His name is Pangur. He will not attack you, provided that you do not attack first or act like prey. Never turn your back to him."

"Erm... okay, I guess."

Now Guelder could see part of Linzi's face peeking from under a lute case, and tentatively identified her as a teenage halfling.

After some more struggle, the rest of the lid was destroyed as well. Guelder gently took the lute case out of the chest, allowing its owner to clamber out, too.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Thanks for the rescue!" exclaimed the girl, jumping up and down, enjoying her regained freedom.

"No worries. But once again, what were you doing in that chest?"

Linzi dusted off her clothes and took a dramatic stance.

"I was travelling with a caravan to Restov, to Lady Jamandi Aldori's recruitment event. I remember that in the evening I felt more tired than usual, so I went to sleep early, and next thing I knew, I was in a box, along with all my stuff. Apparently, someone wanted to get rid of me."

"Did they not like your music?"

"Maybe. Or that pesky Tartuccio considered me a too dangerous rival."

"Tartuccio?"

"A gnome sorcerer I was travelling with. A puffed-up toad, if you ask me. Just the type to drug an innocent girl and put her in a coffin alive! Had you not come by, I would have been in for a slow and horrible death!"

Guelder took a deep breath, realising she would need all her self-discipline to put up with this pompous little chatterbox, who was apparently heading towards the same destination as herself.

"What day was it when you were last awake?"

"Hm... The 11th of Gozran, I think."

Guelder contracted her eyebrows, calculating.

"Then we are still in time," she said, half to herself.

"You mean you're coming to the recruitment, too? Brilliant! How about we continue our trip together?"

"Why not? But you had better brace up. Pangur does not carry passengers."

Unable to decide whether she was amused or frightened by the thought of riding a leopard, Linzi chattered on, while they set out together towards the east.

"I love company! You can be my audience, and also my bodyguard in case I need that. Better safe than sorry. To the south, the Stolen Lands is teeming with bandits and other dangers."

Guelder's face darkened, and her fingers curled into fists. Careful now. Her fingertips still felt a little tender.

"My caravan," continued Linzi, "took the most civilised route to avoid that no man’s land. But even following this road, we could get some impression about the situation down there. It was unsettling, troubling, even horrifying, to say the least. The place where we spent the night had already been half dismantled by bandits. They regularly visit for protection money. We were lucky to spend a single night undisturbed there."

"Indeed," said the druid softly. "You have no idea how lucky you were."

She fell silent. For a moment, she was there again, on the bank of the Shrike after her mad dash for freedom, drinking deep from the river, watching streaks of blood soak off her muzzle and drift downstream, while the orb of the full moon disappeared behind the hills.

The silence was getting awkward. Linzi was apparently brimming with questions she didn't dare to ask. Instead, her eyes were fixated on Guelder's hands, trying to figure out why they looked the way they did. Guelder was not in the mood to give an explanation. Not yet.

"When we arrive in Restov," she said, "I am going to ask this Lady Aldori what she intends to do about the safety issues along the South Rostland Road and in the Stolen Lands. Be ready, as I will need you to bear witness to the bandits' misdeeds. Perhaps we can plant a seed and make a difference."

An action plan was taking shape in her head. Obviously, it was just a wishful fantasy, but it was still better than sinking back into her disturbing memories. Reach out to potential allies, old and new. Find a foothold. Rally the people of the land, probably sick of living in fear. Use the powers of Nature...

As they walked on, the sun went down behind their backs, and dusk turned into night. Guelder took Linzi by the hand to guide her in the darkness, in case the starlight was not enough for her to see by. They walked well into the night, until they noticed a campfire ahead by the road.

"Perhaps it's another candidate or two," said Linzi. "Let’s approach them and ask if we can join them by the fire."

"No," said Guelder. "Let me snoop around a bit first. Wait here, and do not make a noise, unless you are in trouble. Pangur will keep you safe."

She closed her eyes, and her consciousness sunk to the deepest level of her existence, or even deeper. Her inner beast broke loose in a whirlwind of Nature's energy, and within seconds, the change was reflected in her appearance, too. Her skin, clothes and gear were covered in spotted fur, her hands turned into paws, and her spine stretched into a supple tail. Ignoring Linzi's yelp of surprise, she set out with soft steps to sneak closer to the fire.

Much to her relief, she saw no tents, no bandits, no traps, just a lonely barbarian girl, wearing the traditional furs and leathers of her people, roasting a rabbit on a spit. She wore a ginormous sword across her back.

Unbeknownst to the barbarian, Guelder turned around and rejoined Linzi, who seemed to be a little uncomfortable in Pangur's company. She was quick to resume her more reassuring elf form to put the bard at ease.

"All clear," she said. "Let us go make friends."