I looked at Blainaut, and asked “Out of curiosity, do you know where the homeland for the lizard folk is?”

He sneered, “You mean to tell me that you have this grand plan to free my slaves, and yet, you don’t even know where they’re from? How daft are you?” He stopped, placing his hands on his hips. “Ugh. Yes, I know the direction we must travel in to get there. It’s about a five day trip by carriage, roughly double that by walking. You had better hope you find a shelter for all of us, because I’m not sleeping next to them. I might cooperate with you, but I have standards.”

I sighed and rubbed my face. “Blainaut, please don’t forget that I can bury you up to your shoulders in the mountain itself, and leave you there. Please don’t be an ass. The boys will sleep with me in my tent, naturally. I’ll make you one of your own, okay? In fact, I’ll make sure we are all comfortable and safe when the time comes.” He nodded, mollified. I shook my head and reached into my bag, concentrating on the backpack that held the food, and pulled it out. I was getting hungry again. I pulled out the bag of jerky, and Duplicated it, and tucked the double into my jacket. I replaced the food, and stuffed the backpack back into the bag. “Please, lead the way, then, Blainaut.”

Blainaut took a look at the sky, and started traveling North.

About an hour later, a thought crossed my mind “By the way Blainaut, I am curious about something.” He turned his head towards me. “Why did you get so tired after casting two spells at me?

“I’m not surprised that you don’t know, Sir. Magic is cast from our own energy. I had been walking for quite a while looking for those three. Until you handed me the food earlier, I hadn’t eaten since last night. I was a bit low on resources. You may well be a quick thinker, no doubt about that, but before I met you, I was quite the Mage in my own right. Not enough to join the Academy, mind you, but for an untrained person, I was rather good. I learned quickly not to overdo it. You have some excess weight on you. Your magic will come from there, first. Probably why you’re hungry again. By the way, I still don’t know your name.”

Embarrassed, I stopped walking and looked up. “Oh shit. I’m so sorry.” I stuck out my hand “My name is Ivor Freyrsson. Pleased to meet you. I apologize for being rude. During the uh, events of this morning, I suppose the niceties slipped my mind.”

Blainaut shook my hand, studying my face. “Huh. I suppose you really are what you say you are. Only a smith is built like you, but you display far more mental acumen than any blacksmith I’ve ever met.” He turned and continued walking.

We walked in a tense silence for another few hours, and the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. The scenery had slowly changed from forest to meadow over the past two hours, and the wind picked up.

Ahte-tan tugged at my pant leg and I looked down at him. “Ivor, are we going to set up camp soon? It’s getting dark, and if I remember the rumors correctly, we are near where the Garuul live.”

“Yes, setting up camp sounds good, Ivor. I’m not sure what the lizard is talking about, these ‘Garuul’, but it will be dark soon, and we have yet to even find a decent spot.” Blainaut looked out over the wide plain ahead of us despondently.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the tent. I Duplicated it, and set both on the ground. I set both up, and reached into one and spoke softly, “Quadruple internal space”. I poked my head inside, and noted that it was, indeed, four times as large as it would be otherwise, with no external changes noted. I repeated the process in the other tent, making it only twice as large, as it would only accommodate Blainaut. I reached into my jacket and pulled out a marker, writing a large number four on the side of mine, and a two on the other. “There you go, Blainaut. You should be able to stand up inside the tent without any issue.” I nodded, pleased with my handiwork.

“Are you certain, Ivor? It looks awfully small for my frame to lay down in comfortably, let alone stand inside. And how will I see in there? It looks rather dark, like a cave. Or keep warm?”

I nodded. “Valid questions. First, go ahead and walk in. More will be made evident at that time.” I busied myself with removing the rest of the camping gear from my bag and making needed preparations. I had just started arranging it around us, and was about to light the fire when Blainaut came out, his eyes wide.

“This is indeed a marvel, Ivor. I can almost run laps inside. The floor is odd, but I can get used to it. Now. About light and warmth?” He rubbed his hands together and stuck them under his armpits.

I sat down, and placed my hands on the ground, concentrating. “Dome of concealment.” All outside noise ceased, and we were left within an eerily silent space. “There. We are shielded from prying eyes and ears, now. Anyone or anything stumbling upon our site will find themselves simply going around it unknowingly. As for light… Let me see.” I reached into the bag again, pulling out a handful of the palm-sized rocks I had dropped inside earlier. “I think I can make some light sources for you.” I cupped one of the rocks between my hands and whispered, “Gentle glow.” Immediately, the stone glowed about as bright as a candle. I handed it to him. “This should serve for now. Just cover it when you want darkness. It produces no heat, so it will be safe.”

Blainaut took the stone and turned it over in his hands, examining it. “Ivor, you could make a fortune with these alone. If you could find a way to light it and douse it without magic, people would be lining up from here to the castle. You could single-handedly ruin our economy.” He slipped it into a pocket.

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I sat back on my heels, thinking. “Huh. I guess you’re right. I’ll destroy it in the morning, just to be safe. As for warmth, I’ve made copies of my sleeping bag for each of us. Once you crawl in and seal it, you’ll stay pretty warm.” I handed him the bag, which already had a number two drawn on it. “Can you think of anything else you may need, other than a latrine? I’m about to make a couple.”

Blainaut blinked a couple of times, obviously thinking. “No. No, I think that covers it. I took you for an uneducated brute, at first. It looks like I was wrong.”

I looked him solidly in the eyes. “That’s not all you’re wrong about, Blainaut. I’ll do my best to prove it in the days to come. We will have plenty of time to talk on the road. For now, however, if you want to share my fire and what food I have, you are welcome to do so.” I retrieved the cups, and thought for a moment. I pointed at them and said “Fount of clean water.” and watched, bemused, as a thin stream of water poured from my finger, and I filled the cups, then broke the concentration. I passed the water to the four of them, and we drank our fill.

The sun had well and truly passed below the horizon by the time I finally got the fire lit. I handed out the food, and we all sat in silence for a while. Blainaut was the first to break it.

“You know, years ago, as a prospective Guild member, I used to dream about discovering new lands and rescuing fair maidens. I thought myself quite the hero back then. I even found a couple of new islands, after about five years. They are small, no bigger than this campsite, but I was the man who found and named them. I will be forever immortalized for my contribution. It was after that discovery, that I found out what I was being groomed for. My Guildmaster wanted me to be an Envoy of the Guild. To travel and find suitable places for us to have a foothold. I was to go to the far North next month. I may not be able to, now. I’ve no idea what lies ahead, and I’m not eager to find out.” He sighed deeply and gave a sad smile. “Apologies. Something about a campfire, you know. Causes the mind to be cast back, and thoughts, memories, and regrets to be let out.”

I nodded my understanding as Ahte-ukum crawled into my lap, muttering “Warm.”

“Well, hello, little one. A little chilled? I will gladly keep you warm, son.” I wrapped my arms around him gently, and he snuggled into my jacket. I sat there, holding this small, frail lizardfolk child for a while as I stared into the fire. After a bit, the small child was asleep.

“I see they have taken to you quite quickly, Ivor.” Blainaut remarked, shaking his head. “How you are comfortable holding one of them is beyond me.” He shuddered involuntarily.

I took a deep breath, knowing that I’d not be capable of changing his mind in a single day, and resolved to keep my voice down. “Blainaut, he is a child. He is cold, and I have warmth to spare. Between myself and the fire, he is probably comfortable for the first time in his short life.” I sniffled, a tear rolling down my cheek. “I never got the chance to have children back home. I always wanted kids, and never had them. I’m taking this opportunity, even if it’s short lived. As far as I’m concerned, until these boys are back home and with their family, they are my kids. Test that at your peril.” I held the small boy to my chest, gently rubbing his back, as his brothers looked on.

“Do you mean that, Mr. Ivor? You consider us like your kids?” Ahte-naah put his odd, three-fingered hand on my arm, as his older brother looked on.

I laughed softly, and sniffled again. “Of course I do, Ahte-naah. You are not like me, but I will gladly call you ‘Son’ for the rest of our lives. And you, Ahte-tan. You’re included. I am not a lizardfolk like you, but if you’ll allow it, I’ll be your father.”

“Really? We won’t have to fetch you food and wine at all hours? We won’t have to fetch women from the brothel for you, and take them back? We won’t have to keep your house spotless? We won’t be whipped for failing to do so?” Ahte-tan stared daggers at Blainaut, who, to his credit, tried to hide in his shirt.

I raised an eyebrow, the anger beginning to rise again. I tamped it down, and stared at Blainaut. “No. No, you won’t have to do any of that beyond what would be normally expected from my children. You’ll not be beaten again. And you will definitely not go near a brothel.” I looked back at the boys. “You will be treated as family should be treated and loved the same way. Just because our skin differs, doesn’t mean I can’t love you like I would my own children of flesh and blood.”

The other two put their thin arms around me and hugged me tightly, jostling their brother. “Waaaarmmmm….” And then he promptly fell back asleep.

I looked at Blainaut, who seemed so incredulous that if I grew a second head, I doubt he would have been surprised. “I think it’s time to put these three to bed. Good night, Blainaut. Don’t stay up too late. We have a long walk ahead of us.” As I stood and walked into my tent, I saw a thoughtful look on his face, and felt a glimmer of hope.

We got inside, and I pulled another stone from my bag, and caused it to glow, while I got the boys to bed. I sealed the flap, and as a precaution made the tent fireproof, then Locked the door. I crawled into my sleeping bag, and the boys looked a little sad.

“What’s wrong, guys?” I asked.

“Well, we always sleep together, and we’re only just able to keep warm. It’s cold out here. Colder than the room he kept us in. Could…could we sleep with you, Mr. Ivor?” Ahte-naah shuffled his feet nervously.

I smiled, and unzipped my sleeping bag completely, and connected it to Ahte-tan’s, making one large bag. “I want you boys to be comfortable. No child of mine will go to bed cold if I can help it. Come on.”

I lay down in the bag, and the three of them clambered in after me. They smelled pretty ripe, but I was sure I could find a way to fix that tomorrow. For tonight, however, we just enjoyed sleeping.

Blainaut sat beside the fire awhile in his chair. He had never considered the three slaves as anything more than property. How could anyone consider them equal to a human? They were savages, plain and simple. Ivor would find out soon enough. Blainaut knew it was just a matter of time before they turned on him. How he would crow, then. He snorted, and rose from his seat, and walked into the tent, turning the glowing stone over and over in his hands.

Such a marvelous invention.