The three set off from the village in the morning, riding in the spacious wagon. It was rather large, with a front cabin that was enclosed, followed by a large open back, filled with crates, a few barrels, and other containers for cargo. The cabin had enough room to seat four people of Sam’s size normally, and while Elody fit well enough, Hugh had some trouble fitting. They had been able to take the seats on the left and readjust them for Hugh’s generous frame. Sam sat in the front right, Elody directly behind him, while Hugh had the whole left side.

  “It’ll be a bit odd having people with me for this long,” Sam said idly, not long after taking off from the village. “I’ve had hitchhikers, sure, but this will be interesting. We’ll hafta pick up some tents in the Snif territories, if we can. Til then, we sleep in here.”

  Hugh said nothing. He hadn’t said anything since leaving the village, and was looking rather morose.

  “I don’t suppose you have any spare blankets?” Elody asked.

  “Yeah, I got an extra, but we’ll wanna get more.”

  “You don’t seem very well prepared for this.”

  “Well gee, why didn’t I plan for not one, but two extra whole people travelllin’ with me when I’ve been operatin’ solo for years now?” Sam scoffed. “Don’t you fret. Its several days to the first Snif village, but we’ll manage.”

  “What’s Snif?” Elody asked. “I’ve never heard of them before.”

  “Oh, them. Some of the Ratfolk nations down here. That’s probably what you’ve heard them called, but they have a whole slew of factions. Far from unified, y’know? The two big ones are the Snif and the Rhyth, and they’re, ah, not what you’d call on friendly terms. Not at war, so to speak, but they wouldn’t talk to a guy tryin’ to hawk Snif tools and wares, much less buy anythin’,” Sam explained.

  “Then don’t go there. Whats the issue?”

  “Well the original plan was to swing down here to these Frostwalker villages, sell them these hard to get, yet high quality tools for some esoteric materials, then swing back up north through the Rhyth towns once I was cleaned out of Snif paraphenalia. But then, on my first village no less, I hit something of a snag or two,” Sam elaborated, giving Elody a wry look.

  “Oh. Right,” Elody said. “At least we’re headed north. Whats our plan to get to Ade?”

  “Impatient much? Arright, hold on, lemme grab the maps. You said that's, what, in the Pelera Desert?”

  “The Pelera Desert, that's right," Elody echoed. "How far is that from here?”

  “A small continent and an ocean away, that’s what. We’re gonna have to head up and find a port to ship out of. I know a guy in North Wella, port city southwest of Timberfolk lands. Its on the a river flows right out into the sea; He oughta help us out. He’s helped me around a few times before. I dunno if he can get us all the way to your home, but taking the river will cut our time down by a third,” Sam said.

  Sam pulled the maps from a small compartment above the front window of the cabin. He struggled to keep them in his hand as they were all in a messy pile with no rhyme nor reason. He handed some to Elody.

  “Here, pick out any that have places you recognize,” He ordered.

  Elody did as she was asked, and shuffled through the maps with Sam. The maps ranged from new ones to ones that were on the edge of crumbling, from ones with entire continents to specific towns and street names written all over. After several minutes, she found two suitable maps, one that showed the whole continent that featured the Pelera Desert covering the southern third, and one that featured many of the southern coast cities, as well as Ade off towards the northern edge.

  “Here, these two,” Elody said, pushing the two at Sam.

  Sam had been sorting his own maps, putting aside nearly a half dozen when Elody interrupted him. He put down the remaining stack and took a closer look.

  “Right here,” Elody said, pointing at Ade on the second map.

  “Ade, Ade, Ade… Wait, that’s Ade? I thought Ade was spelled… I dunno, Ah-day or somethin’! Thought that town was called ‘Aid’!” Sam complained.

  Elody put her head in her hands and groaned. “No, no, just, no.”

  "Sounds like y'all have yer own Laskavan!" Sam laughed.

  "What's wrong with Laskavan? I thought that's the largest Timberfolk city," Elody asked with visible confusion.

  "Firstly, it's not said 'Laskavan', it's said 'Lass-caven'. Cuz' it was the last cavern," Sam said, over-enunciating to bypass his accent. "Las' Cave'n. Laskavan. Secondly, we don't call them cities, we call them communes. Just what its called, weird hearing you call it a a city."

  Elody looked like she had been caught up in a whirlwind for a moment, then laughed.

  "Gods, I must have sounded stupid, saying it wrong!"

  "Yup," Sam said matter-of-factly.

  "Well then realize," she said, pointing an accusatory finger at Sam, "Just how stupid you sounded calling my home 'Aid'!"

  The two looked at each other for a moment, each wearing an exaggerated stern expression. After a few moments of over-the-top expressions, they broke character, both laughing so hard they cried.

  “Anyways, anyways" Sam said, wiping away a tear, "We have a fairly good idea how to travel now. Look here.”

  Sam said as he laid out several other maps, laying them out onto the scant available space. He quickly aligned them to form a rough path to the coast, featuring a large river running the majority of the distance.

  “First, like I said, we gotta go north and a smidge west through the Snif lands, but then we go right into the River Collective. It ain’t technically a nation, but thats good for us. No border protection. Unsurprisingly, they got lots of rivers. More surprisingly, they have very few bridges. Locals love their water, they’ll happily swim cross.”

  “What, our wagon can’t swim?” Elody said dryly.

  Sam chortled. “Y’know, can’t say I’ve tried to find out! Don’t plan on finding out, either.”

  He pointed to another map, this one connecting to the top edge of the prior.

  "We'll head outta the River Collective and wind up in Wella. That starts here, at Heart Lake," Sam said, pointing to a conspicuously large lake that bisected the length of the river."

  "Doesn't look much like a heart shape to me."

  "Think anatomical heart," Sam offered.

  Elody squinted and turned her head, but she still only saw a shapeless blob of water.

  "Yeah, me too, sister," Sam said. "The city of South Wella is on the north side of the lake, sitting pretty right between the two arms of the river flowing out of the lake. We talk to my guy, and sail north along the river."

  "Wait, South Wella and North Wella are both cities? They're so far apart."

  "Whole nation's like that. Every city in Wella is like that. There's First Wella, Dark Wella, Sunk Wella, and those are just a few. All along River Wella. North and South Wella cap the river at each major end."

  Sam trailed his finger south, until he stopped just south of Heart Lake. He tapped his finger on the spot for emphasis.

  "Now here," he said, "This part is what scares me."

  "The map says that area to the south is 'Disputed'. Are you afraid of bandits, or a warzone?"

  Sam made a so-so gesture with his hands. “There are some battles, sure, but they’re so big when they do happen we’ll know long in advance and we can avoid them. The Wellans and the Shifters don't get along, but I don't see that being an issue. Bandits neither, least not for us on the river."

  "Hold on, Shifters?" Elody asked. "I've never heard of those before. Who are they?"

  "They’re a strange bunch- they look like some cross of tree and insect. And their name ain’t for nothing- they’re constantly shiftin’ about in shape and form. Some kind of magic, some think. Me, I think they just got weird bones,” he said, gesticulating with his arms, eliciting another laugh from Elody.

  For the first time since they set off, Hugh roused and sat up. Even when only sitting upright, he was almost as tall as Sam was standing. The other two stopped when they noticed him moving, waiting to see if he would speak.

  “That sounds relevant to my interests,” Hugh said in a low voice. He spoke slower than he already did normally, making Sam and Elody worry for his emotional state.

  Sam raised an eyebrow. “Howso?”

  “Learning more about them, especially in person, might let me glean more insights for my craft. If I could make something that could change shape readily, I could make some interesting things.”

  “Hearing you talk about things that excite you while you’re like this is giving me some weird emotional whiplash. Are you okay?” Elody asked Hugh.

  “I’ll be… alright.”

  “If you say so. You been followin’ along?” Sam picked up.

  “I have been listening. Yes.”

  “Arright, I don’t hafta repeat myself. So, you want us to, what, detour into Shifter Lands?”

Hugh shook his head. “I won’t demand that. I merely wanted to express my interest in learning more about these 'Shifters'.”

  "Sure," Sam said with a shrug. "Easy enough to promise that. Where was I? Oh, right, the plan. After we get past that leg, we'll try our luck with the coastal towns, and see who we can't charter to get past the oceans. Most of the oceanic ports are in Orcish lands. Lovely folk. Once we're out to sea, it'll be smooth sailing!"

  Sam finished the monologue by sweeping up the unnecessary maps and looking around.

  “Questions?” He asked.

  “No questions," Hugh said.

  "I don't think so," Elody said.

  “Excellent!” Sam clapped as he put away the materials and turned to the other two. “We have a long road ahead of us. Today, get comfortable. Tomorrow, I-”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Sam was cut off by Elody.

  "Wait, no. You said that part scared you, but you didn't say by what."

  "Naw, I said there were bandits."

  "No, you said they shouldn't be a problem because we'll be on a boat!"

  "Right you are! So, we'll be fine," Sam said evasively.

  Elody began to retort, but began to second-guess herself. Had she misheard? Or maybe she had misconstrued something he had said. Besides, why would Sam lie about this?

  "You're looking a bit out of it, Elody. How about we camp for the night? It's almost dark, anyhow," Sam offered.

  Hugh said nothing, but silently gazed at Sam from the side.

  "Yeah," Elody agreed, "Maybe I need rest. Its been a long day. Several long days, really."

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  Trying to sleep in a wagon cabin with little more than a blanket was less than ideal. They had stopped for a meal- dried meats and stale bread- but had otherwise tried their best to rest on the bumpy ride.

  True to his word, the following morning, Sam greeted them with an unwelcome amount of energy and cheer, getting them prepared to pay for their stay.

  Elody was sent to look around for forage. While she was still out of her element, she did know enough to look for the root they had bought so much of in the village. Any more of that would be a welcome addition for the group.

  Hugh, on the other hand, needed more setup. Sam worked with him to get what he would need out of crates. They gathered pieces of slate, chalks, some chisels and knives, and other odds and ends into one corner of the wagon bed. Elody said she would be foraging for roughly an hour, and they used the time to arrange the crates so Hugh had a place to work.

  “Will you be able to work while we’re moving? Wagon can get pretty bumpy,” Sam said.

  “In a manner of speaking,” Hugh said slowly. He was much improved from the day before, yet still wary of everything. “I am still learning much of this craft. However, I know enough to do the planning stages, and those can be done while we are in motion.”

  “Arright, well if you need anything, just holler. Any idea what you’ll do first?”

  Hugh hung his head. “Not a clue.”

  “No good. Elody mentioned she has a passin’ knowledge of all this. I’ll ask her for input before grilling you. Oh, and wouldn’t you know!” Sam said.

  Sam waved to Elody, who was returning to the forest with the bottom of her shirt supporting a wealth of forage. There was some of the roots she set out for, but also a great many mushrooms of a single kind. They were mottled blue and white, looking almost like pottery glaze on the top, and bone white underneath.

  “Whaddya have?” Sam asked Elody as she deposited her gatherings onto the edge of the wagon.

  “Well I found the roots we were looking for, but not that many. The real winner were these beauties!” Elody said with a sparkle in her eyes. She swept aside her sweaty hair and continued. “Really wish I had been dumped up here rather than in the useless tundra. I had no idea blue corrids grew so far south! They’re actually really popular where I come from, though they’re normally imported.”

  “And these won’t kill us? They don’t look mighty tasty,” Sam asked, skepticism bare.

  “Once we’ve fried them up, I think you’ll change your mind,” Elody said with a wink.

  “If you say so. You’re the expert. Speakin’ of expertise, Hugh here’s in a bit of a rut. I’m not familiar with the work yet, so I was hoping you could help him get some ideas?”

  Elody thought for a moment. “I thought you were going to work on the choker?”

  “I’m not confident I can make any meaningful changes just yet,” Hugh replied.

  “Alright, what about a coldstone? I don’t know how to make one, but I’ve worked with them before.”

Hugh only gave a blank look in response.

  “Alright, well, some kind of magic tool that absorbs magical energy, or so the theory goes. I’m told they’re fairly simple, at least as far as magic goes, and they feel cold to the touch. I've used them from time to time for temperature sensitive recipes,” Elody explained.

  “Do you have any idea how it works? Any distinguishing characteristics other than 'It is kind of cold'?” Hugh asked.

  “Actually, yeah, every time I've gotten one, it had this kind of… complicated… erm, hold on, I’ll doodle it out for you.”

Elody grabbed the pencil Hugh had been holding on to moments before and drew out a diagram that resembled a starfish with very wobbly edges and lines running throughout. Hugh looked at the depiction, saying nothing for a moment, then pulling his earring off and examining it.

  Elody began to ask him what he was looking at, but Sam, seeing that Hugh was putting something together in his mind, shushed her. Hugh squinted as he looked at the intricate carvings on the lobed earring, clearly looking for something. After several minutes he grabbed the pencil back, then started writing on the crate that had become his desk. He scribbled so fast that neither of the other two were sure if he was writing or drawing. Eventually his hands stilled.

  “Well?” Sam asked expectantly, breaking the silence.

  "This is... Unusable," Hugh said plainly. "But that does not mean this was futile."

  "Oh, 'futile' is in yer vocabulary."

  "Zip it, Sam."

  "I need actual examples to learn more about these," Hugh continued. "I am beginning to doubt if this path will lead anywhere at all. I do not mean to sound hopeless, but I do not feel confident that I can do much with my current resources."

  "Hey, don't give up now!" Elody said. "I know hitting a wall is frustrating for these things, but the whole point of you being out here with us is you can investigate these things, right? I don't mean to be too blunt, but you've only just started, and calling it here would be a waste."

  Hugh gave Elody a long look, saying nothing while he thought about everything. Elody shifted uncomfortably, but waited patiently as best she could. Sam continued to lean against the wall as he watched with a raised eyebrow.

  "Then what do I do?" He finally asked.

  "Well," Elody said, "Something I did in my shop when I had nothing to do- rare, but it happened- was take the time to catalogue and take stock. Sam does it all the time."

  Sam nodded his agreement.

  "What does that mean for me? I know what I have, and it is not much," Hugh pointed out.

  "Do you though?" Elody asked. "How thoroughly have you noted each little detail and change on those?"

  "Extremely," Hugh said, bemused.

  "Okay, sure, I walked into that," Elody said.

  "This is going nowhere!" Sam announced. "Hugh, you obviously need inspiration from something. You ain't gonna come up with your genius ideas on the same ol' material. I'll keep an eye out for yer thingamajigs, but if you see a source of potential inspiration, you tell me. Like Elody said, kind of the whole point of you bein' with us. If yer ever gonna make me rich, that's how it'll happen. Just let me know, and that will be priority number one."

  Hugh tried to smile, but it was a weak, faltering thing.

  "Attaboy. Elody! These mushrooms- should we eat them now, or later?”

  “Later. They’ll keep into the evening just fine. Besides,” Elody said, brandishing a paring knife out of nowhere, "I've got to deworm these!"

  "I hope they taste as good as you promise. Never been a fan of mushrooms historically."

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  The mushrooms were indeed as good as she promised, pairing excellently with the roots fried up that evening. They sat around the fire, watching the smoke rise up into the sky. Elody was reminded of her time out in the tundra. It had only been two days, but they marked the two worst days of her life. Her face took on a sour expression as she thought about how close she had been to death.

  "What’s the matter?”

  Elody was surprised to hear that it was Hugh asking her this.

  “Just thinking about how it was before… Before I got rescued,” Elody said, before shaking her head and trying to change course. “It wasn’t even that long, and I’m okay now! I shouldn’t complain!”

  Hugh slowly shook his head. He took a long pause, making sure it was his turn to speak.

  “I have never been this far away from home. Would you have guessed?” He asked Elody.

  “No, I mean, we’re a day and a half out, so that’s not too surprising.”

  “I’m not one of the hunters. Nor do I gather. I stayed at home, learning under Maril.”

  “Your mentor, the elderly one,” Elody said.

  Hugh nodded. “Being exiled has been…” He stopped, then started over. “Being exiled doesn’t feel real. Not yet. Everything still looks familiar in the broad strokes. Nothing is exactly as it should be, but I think I could get by. Yet, I feel like the ground no longer supports me. That everything I knew is falling away. I am not used to being like this. I…”

  Hugh stopped, his body shuddering almost violently. Elody almost got up to see if he was alright when she realized he was crying. Elody waited patiently for him, not wanting to push boundaries so soon. Sam had been quiet the whole time, wearing a somber expression.

  Hugh continued, and while his voice faltered, the speech they heard from the choker was surprisingly intelligible, a credit to his workmanship.

  “I feel so alone. I have noone for comfort, just two strangers. I feel so aimless and lost, and all I have for explanation is that this would be ‘good for me’. That this would keep me from resentment. How? I don’t understand, I don’t, I don’t.”

  “What were you told, exactly?” Elody asked.

  would be good for me. She said if I didn’t get out, I would grow resentful of my home, and I had to leave before I grew too large and hurt anyone. That I couldn’t return until I had shown that I had learned… who I am.”

  He turned his gaze to the smoke rising above, his voice- even through the choker- rising into a bellow.

  “I know who I am! I am me! Of course I am me! Who else could I be! I am! I am…” Hugh yelled before his voice failed and he crumpled to the ground again, body once again shaking as he cried. Again, he recovered, and looked to Elody with his bleary eyes.

  “This… is how I feel. I do not think I have ever felt this way before. I was sent out with kindness, yet I am wracked with pain. How are you not? I did not want to make this about me, Elody. I wanted only,” He paused, “I want to know how you aren’t like this. You were thrown out of your home with hostility and no warning. How do you…?”

  Elody finally stood up and moved over to Hugh, gently placing a hand on his furry back. The coarse fur was oily, almost feeling sweaty, but she ignored the sensation and started to rub his back gently. He gave no indication of discomfort, but rather calming at the touch, so she continued.

  “You didn’t get to see my breakdown. That was out in the middle of that barren tundra- I screamed until I was hoarse, Hugh. I swore to the stars that I would kill the one responsible for my exile. Oh, and I’ll stick by that. I already had my breakdown, I think it got so bad for me that anything feels better. But you? Things keep getting worse for you, even if its not as bad as it was for me. I think your feelings are reasonable.”

  Elody smiled gently. “How old are you, Hugh?” 

  Hugh paused before answering.

  “19 summers,” He replied quietly.

  “You’re still a kid!” Elody exclaimed. “You’re as old as Rudy is!”

  “Who is… Rudy?” Hugh was having a difficult time speaking by now, and was barely pushing out these short sentences. He was happy to let Elody carry the conversation.

  “Oh, Rudolph. He’s my assistant. Back home.” Elody’s tone dropped back to somber as quickly as she had become excited. “I’ve known him for a decade now. He’s my only family, really. My dorky little brother. I took him in off the street when he was nine- at least, we think he was nine- right as I started my shop. He eventually became my apprentice, too, and was a dab hand at pharmacy himself! He might even be better than me. He knows all the ins and outs now, and he was always trying new things.”

  Elody produced the waxy paper bag from her pouch. It had survived her outing in the wilderness, and now the written experimental batch note was all she had left of him. She folded it carefully before putting it away again, wanting to hold onto it until she returned. She sighed.

  “I hope he’ll be okay. Maybe he can get re-hired by the next person who runs the shop.”

  “Why would he not inherit the shop?” Hugh asked. “You just said he is as good as you are, and is as old as you were when you started your shop. Wouldn’t he be the obvious one to get it?”

  Elody let out a dark laugh. “If things made any sense in Ade, thats exactly what would happen. No, it will be sold by the Medeahs to whomever can be suckered into giving them the most money. Skill just means you’re a better worker in Ade, not that you’re suited for ownership.”

  Hugh wrinkled his nose. “Surely being more skilled gets you something?”

  “More work for the same conditions!” Elody barked out sardonically. “Unless you’re run by someone who knows what its like to work what you own, working in Ade is terrible. That's why I did everything in my power to own my own work and help the community. “

  “That sounds like madness.”

  “That’s Ade for you, and the Adesteran Consulate as a whole!” Elody said sardonically with a sweep of her arms. “Welcome one, welcome all! Everyone will be exploited equally!”

  Hugh harumphed. “Why would you want to go back at all?”

  “Easy,” Elody said, her face splitting into a malicious grin, “So I can kill Orivaughn Medeah.”