Mariel woke up early in the morning to find Saya at the cave entrance, keeping watch. Saya suggested they go to a nearby river to gather water and do some washing away from prying eyes. They gathered up the flasks and water skins and woke up Siravin to take over the watch. They walked for a while and soon arrived on the bank of a forest river, where the water ran crystal clean along the rocks. They filled up their supply and washed away the sleep from their eyes.

“Did you have a bath while you were in the city?” Saya asked, while running the cold water through her hair.

“I did.”

“I could tell, you smelled nicely of soap… It was really pleasant sleeping next to you.”

“Oh… Um well I did bring a bar of soap, if you’d like to use it… I could keep an eye out for the others.” She handed Saya the small soap, which made her lips turn into her rare but sincere smile. With some hesitation, Saya stripped down and despite the cold, she sat down naturally and soon the soap bubbles were floating downstream. Mariel stood by a nearby tree and watched. Saya’s mark was even clearer out in the open. In the light, she could tell how deep and far it ran, the entire length of her back. Her entire body was very fit and strong, and Mariel found herself wondering if she too would look the same when returning home.

“You’re really strange Mariel… You’re looking at something tasty, and yet you only appraise it like a book…” Siah appeared in full next to her, sitting by her leg.

“You’re not sampling my friends… If you’re hungry go find something else than human or demon to eat.”

“I’ll be back in a bit… But despite having only been away for a day… I’ve already seen quite a lot; I look forward to the next stretch.”

“Mariel? Is someone there with you…?” Saya, who had quickly scrambled for the bare minimum of clothes looked at her with some alarm.

“Ah, no! We’re alone!”

“… Okay.”

A short while later, Siah returned and merged back with Mariel.

“In case you were wondering, I ate three rabbits, one deer and about your hand full of berries.”

“No, I didn’t need to know, but thanks I guess… With that said… Won’t you ever need to… You know.”

“Sure… But trust me, I’m housebroken.”

“Great…” She sighed, while trying hard to not picture a lump of excrement inside her head.

Saya, whom had put her clothes back on came over to her while wringing the last water out of her short hair, wearing a look of satisfaction on her face. She returned the now much smaller bar of soap and together they began to head back to the cave. Upon their return, they found the camp already packed up, and everyone waiting for them.

“Good morning.” Siravin picked up his backpack and made a last round of checks on his armour. “We’ve been waiting for you. I think we’ll have fair weather today, so we should be able to get far.”

“We’ll continue in that direction at least until the sun reaches its zenith… Oh and Mariel, we’ll be doing some practice sword fighting on the way.” Tizare took a wooden sword from his belt and handed it to her.

“But, I can’t do that with this pack on me.”

“That’s right, but I’ll teach you… So, shall we get going?”

The group began on the trip through the increasingly rough terrain. The forest was full of native wildlife and the good weather had soon dried up the morning dew from the leaves. The forest continued uphill for some time and the group made good progress. After a time, the forest began to give way to more moss and shrubs. Finally, they emerged onto a large, green plateau stretching beyond the horizon.

“Can’t we sit down for a little bit?” Mariel gasped. Struggling to keep herself upright, her legs feeling like jelly and barely able to keep her standing.

“I’d like a break too…” Casindire slumped down on the ground. “Walking in a city is hard work, but… Am I really at the top?”

“You are, well done.” Saya placed her arm around Casindire whom smiled happily.

“I never thought I would ever go anywhere outside a city… And now I’m on a mountain… I wish I could see it.”

“Think of a vast field of grass, just higher up.” Tizare took off his backpack and walked a couple of meters away.

“Okay Mariel, time to practice… And keep your backpack on.”

“What… But I want a break! I can barely stand!”

“Tell that to your enemies. They might just capture you instead of slaughter you outright.”

With an annoyed groan, Mariel drew the wooden sword from her belt and came towards Tizare slowly, still straining from fatigue and the weight on her shoulders. She made a couple of swings against Tizare, whom with some smart smirking, slid away from her strikes, before he placed a lazy cut on her arm. Undeterred, she turned right on her heels, and swung for his right shoulder, but he moved away once more. She fought to keep her breath under control, as Tizare went on the offensive. She managed to parry his first, and most savage strike, but before her weary body had managed to catch up, he swung gracefully around and made three quick swings against her side, left thigh and a finished with a stab at her shoulder. The pain, exacerbated by her fatigue finally took hold, and she slumped to the ground.

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Tizare lowered his wooden sword and drew it very gently along her throat before extending his hand to help her back up.

“Well, you did last longer than I had expected... I’d say you’re slowly, but steadily improving!”

“It doesn’t feel like it, again, I couldn’t land a single hit, and moving with my backpack is almost impossible…” She gasped.

“Hey this is what, your second? Third time? I’d say you’re a natural at it.”

“Yeah… I agree with Tizare on this one… For having never actually used a weapon until recently, you’re doing well.” Siravin interjected while taking the sword from her hand. “But you need to train even more.”

“Thanks… I’ll do my best!”

They spent a short while taking in the sights and staking out their next course. The sun stood high in the sky and the temperature remained cool.

“Draw, aim and let go quickly. Don’t wait… Try it.” Saya was advising Mariel on archery, and stood behind her, gently nudging her limbs and posture into position.

Mariel drew the arrow, pulling with all her might she got a gentle curve on the bow, her arm trembling as she struggled to keep the arrow between her fingers. She swiftly turned towards the target; six strips of dried meat, placed on a rock in a double layer, twenty meters away.

She let the arrow fly. As it left her bow it shook violently, before passing over the target like an erratic fly.

“Ah… It would’ve been straight shot to the head that one!” Tizare stifled a giggle.

Mariel threw him a sour look, but Saya quickly brought her attention back to the matter at hand.

“The technique is a little difficult to grasp at first… But you’ll manage, try again.”

Mariel drew another bow from the quiver she had borrowed, and sent another arrow flying towards the target. Her second shot trembled a little less, but landed short of the target. Before anyone managed to make a comment, she hastily drew another arrow, but fumbled, missing the string, and bungled her attempt. Saya took the arrow from her hand and put it back in the quiver.

“Don’t get frustrated. Relax, and focus on your target.”

Taking a deep breath, Mariel took another arrow, notched it, and drew. She let the arrow fly, and it struck the bottom left side of the lowermost jerkin.

“Hah! I hit it! Look! I hit it!” Mariel erupted into a loud celebration, to the cheers of the others.

“Well done Mariel, I knew you could do it.” Saya patted her shoulder.

“It was a really lucky shot… But I hit the target this time, you’re a great teacher Saya!”

“Ah… I, thank you…” Saya took the bow and quiver and hastily threw them over her back before turning away in silence.

“Now now, we’ve stayed for far too long, we should continue on.” Tizare shook Casindire awake. After the arduous journey, up to the plateau, she had fallen asleep shortly after.

The group carried on under the sun. The plateau had flattened, but often they had to go around small depressions in the landscape and around small lakes, which seemed to stretch on forever. They continued their journey, frequently interrupted by smaller breaks from the strain of the walking. The sun had begun to set by the time they decided to stop for the night and make camp. They made camp in a small depression in the ground and soon had a warm fire going. The conversation concentrated on types of alcohol, and a long argument over Saya’s special edition bottle. At the height of the conversation, Casindire stood abruptly and motioned for Mariel to follow her.

“Don’t go too far.” Tizare shouted after them.

They walked for about a minute, until the silence fell around them.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Mariel. Am I doing anything to help out the group?” She turned around, and despite a little fumbling, got hold of Mariel’s hands.

“Ah… Sure! You’re carrying your share, and got along with Saya really well.”

“Let’s face it Mariel, I’m just a burden to the group right now. I’m blind, I can’t fight, all I can do is… Well tell people about faith… And I don’t even need to do that… We all have faith on your goal.”

“I’m not anything like that… And they’re all following along out of convenience.” Mariel tried to push the topic away, but Casindire responded by doubling down.

“Tizare and Saya adore you, Siravin seems a little obsessed with you, and I… Well I just shamelessly use you to get back home.”

Mariel kept looking at Casindire, she could tell that there was desperation behind her otherwise calm demeanour. She kept her hands firmly between her own, her grip cold and shivering.

“Ah you see, I’ve been thinking about how you can contribute… I’m not sure how to put you to use, but I know you are sensitive to sound… So, I was thinking you should be sort of a scout for the group…”

A glimmer of hope began to spread over Casindire’s expression, but the hope soon faded.

“Tizare and Saya are rangers, they can hear anything that goes on in a forest.”

“We’re not in a forest right now… So, I want you to concentrate, and tell me what you can hear.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

Casindire let go of Mariel and concentrated. Her breathing calmed, and she listened closely to her surroundings with a look of dedication and inspiration on her face. A long while passed, to the point of Tizare coming over to ask how things were going. Eventually, she stopped and shook her head.

“No, I can’t hear anything close by, apart from your breathing, our group and the cracking fire.”

“Good, that means we’re perfectly safe for the moment.”

“Huh? But you already knew, right? Or Tizare, or Saya… Siravin has to have…”

“No. You said yourself, Tizare and Saya are at home in the forest… Siravin could find me in a city, by instinct… Out here, you’re our eyes, and our ears.”

A small smile began to widen on Casindire’s lips, which escalated into some light, hearty laughter.

“Thank you Mariel, you’ve really thought so hard about this… I’ll do my best, even if it isn’t much.”

“I’m sorry, I tried really hard, but I just don’t know enough about the concept of being blind… I don’t even know all that much about you… So, that was the best I could do.”

“You’ve got a kind heart Mariel… I appreciate your efforts… If we have a quiet moment sometime, why don’t we try to get acquainted? I can make some good cookies with the right ingredients, and… No that’s silly, we’re in the wilderness, and pastries is still a long way off.”

“Let’s do it sometime. I’d really like that.” Mariel turned out with a monotonous reply.

“Really? Are you sure you aren’t joking? I can’t tell from your voice… Are you playing me on purpose?”

Mariel smirked, and after a little while of suspense, found herself unable to stifle her giggle. With some annoyance, Casindire shook her head.

“Sorry, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

After a bonding moment, they returned to the campfire and sat down with the others. Immediately they received a hefty bombardment about what they had been up to together, but both merely deflected any questions with a smile and meaningful glances. Seeing their efforts futile, the others soon got settled in to rest. Soon the others were soundly asleep. Siravin slept off by himself, while Tizare and Saya remained within reach of each other. Casindire and Mariel sat tucked together in a small blanket for warmth.