The morning after encountering the troupe, Uzca, Bezben, and Thad left their inn to find the caravan Thad had heard about. The town was just waking up, with people leaving their homes and heading to work for the day. The town square was quiet, with only a few shops open. A line formed out the bakery door, and Uzca was glad the inn had provided breakfast.

"Oh! I'm glad we got up early," Thad said. He pointed out a group of wagons piled with bulky goods, with merchants calling out wares to shop owners who were just getting into the square. "They're set up for trading with the shops. Lots of raw materials. They might depart earlier than I thought."

They approached one of the sellers, who directed them to the caravan leader. She was a short woman with red hair and a fancy black hat. Aside from the fancy hat, she was dressed for the road in practical loose clothing that would keep her cool and didn't mind the odd bit of dirt. She spotted them coming and rubbed her chin.

"Hmm. The three of you have the look of people who want a ride. Am I wrong?"

"You're not!" Thad said. They all agreed he should do any negotiating and trade with any lowlanders. "We're eventually looking to end up in Telestria but would really like a ride out to Brightwater Crossing."

"Brightwater? That's a long way from here. Not so far as Telestria, but I probably don't need to tell you that. Aye, we're heading in that direction. You bringing anything to the caravan, or just straight passengers? I see two of you are armed, but we live in a dangerous world."

"Indeed, my companions are solid in a fight. If you heard about the bad business with bandits in town yesterday, we were the ones who apprehended them."

The caravan leader gave the pair of highlanders another appraising look. "Are you now? Well, we can always use a little extra protection. What about you? You look like more of a scholar than a fighter. You a tax man?"

"I am not. Thaddeus Verinitos, mage of the first circle, at your service," Thad said with an elegant bow. "I pretty handy have around, and I'm no stranger to a fight, though my skills are varied, and I would count combat among the least of them."

"A mage? That would be helpful. Alright. I'll take the three of you on until Brightwater Crossing. We're heading southeast from there. We can cover meals, but the big 'uns will slot into our watch rotation and help defend the caravan if needed. We'll ask the use of your power whenever you think it appropriate. Two and a half marks apiece for them and none for you, Thaddeus."

Thad turned to Uzca and Bezben. "What do you say? Two and a half marks a piece for a ride to Brightwater? Believe me when I say it's both a decent deal, and I'm definitely not walking all the way there."

"It also has the advantage of leaving in a couple hours," the caravan leader said, trying to close the deal.

"Why is Thad riding for free?" Bezben asked.

"Well, for one, he looks like he eats a damn sight less than the pair of you," the caravaneer broke into a full belly laugh. She wiped her eyes.

"Ahh, that and the service of a mage generally aren't cheap. His help for the trip is just worth more than yours. I mean no offense."

Bezben shrugged. "I guess it's up to my cousin. I don't have any money anyway."

Uzca nodded. "Five marks for the pair of us sounds good. You have my thanks."

It was actually a little more expensive than he would have liked, but since food was included, it helped soften the blow.

Coin changed hands, and the merchant smiled at them.

"A pleasure doing business with you boys. We'll leave in about two hours, don't go too far. I won't leave without you, but I'd rather not wait either. I'm Cecily."

They formally introduced themselves and settled in for a wait. Uzca and Bezben gathered some river stones from the nearby river and began playing a highland village favorite game.

"Maybe you can take the rocks with you. Not like you have anything else in your coin purse," Uzca teased.

"I will soon enough! Thad said he'd split any reward for turning in that device with us."

"That's not going to be for a few months, probably."

Bezben sighed and scooped the small river stones into his purse when they finished. Thad joined them from some light shopping he had done with the time they had.

"It'll be nice getting regular meals on the road. I hate travel rations. I actually sold some to lighten my pack for the first leg of our journey."

"Ooh, that's a good idea," Bezben said. "Maybe we should do the same."

Uzca shook his head. "Those rations will cost more later, cousin. We can carry them."

"That's a good point. Very sensible. I'm just glad I can charge mage's rates for services," Thad patted his coin purse. "I'm also glad we got our coin purses back. I was worried the constables would hold all of them until they could sort out who lost what. That might have taken a day or two, given all the stuff they recovered in that cart. It seemed like there was coin and belongings from a few villages."

Uzca gave Bezben a few coins to get some meat pies for afternoon lunch on the road, then turned back to Thad.

"Were you going to be heading back to Telestria anyway? Or did that magic item just give you a good excuse?"

"I was going to head back once repairs along the river dried up. It probably wouldn't have been for another few months, though. I'm not in a great hurry, but I haven't been back there in around three years. A return trip is long overdue."

"Do you live somewhere? Or are you nomadic? We have a few in the mountains. My Pa said they even head into the lowlands for winter since you can't really sleep outside during those months."

"I'm pretty much a nomad, though my family lives in Telestria, and I'll stay there when we reach the city. You and Bezben would be welcome to stay with us while you search for your family. We have plenty of room unless the family has fallen on particularly hard times since I left."

"Thanks, Thad, that's generous of you. Thanks for coming with us too. You've already helped us out a lot. If there's anything I can do to repay you, let me know."

Thad had the beginnings of a blush, "Think nothing of it, please. I'm just able to help, so why not? Besides, I wouldn't have pursued those bandits alone, and that means I wouldn't have recovered my research notes. So really, I owe you and Bezben."

"We take payment in coin and pastries," Bezben said, returning with a few paper-wrapped pies that he handed out.

"The coin is optional," Uzca said, taking a pie, "but if you know of any other good bakeries, you'll have to point them out."

Thad laughed. "I'll do my best."

A yell from the caravan wagons drew their attention.

"Cecily's caravan is leaving in fifteen minutes!"

They gathered their belongings and were directed to an empty wagon. Unlike the other three, this one had no goods, just bench seating. The benches were clearly meant for four, but with Uzca and Bezben on them, the trio would be the only ones on their bench.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"See, this is why you two had to pay extra!"

The wagon slowly filled up. The group was directed to the back bench, where they could open the canvas cover and look out behind the wagon. The middle two rows were filled in with other travelers, and the front row behind the driver's seat only had a single occupant. Uzca guessed that some of the caravaneers would walk for a time or drive for a time and rotate through the bench seat in their wagon since the other wagons were full of goods.

True to her word, Cecily's caravan left promptly. The day was bright and clear, so a couple caravan members rolled up the canvas sides of the wagon for them. The bright midday light and natural views of the county so they didn't just have to stare out the open front or back.

The road through the forest was much more beautiful during the day, and Uzca and Bezben admired the thick tree cover and the staggering number of animals they constantly saw.

"I'm surprised hunting isn't a big thing around Orzii," Bezben said.

"Oh, ho. That would be taking your life into your hands, young man," a man from the next row turned around to talk to them.

"The forest south of Orzii belongs to the Laka-uni tribe. They don't take kindly to people hunting or logging in their sacred forest. This road is only allowed to cut through part of their land because even the tribe needs roads. Still, I would be careful about entering these woods, let alone hunting in them."

"I've met a few Laka-uni. They seemed nice," Thad said.

"Oh, they are. But I'm guessing you met them in one of the towns along the Meglemen?"

Thad nodded.

"They're hospitable people and good travelers. They're always cordial and don't haggle too much in towns. I've heard it said that if you follow the fork a few miles down the road toward their village, they welcome outsiders with open arms. The only problem is you need to follow their customs."

"What are their customs?" Bezben asked.

The man pointed at Bezben. "That's the thing, innit? How are we supposed to know what to do or not to do? I'll tell you what. There's no way I'm visiting that village."

Uzca shared a look with Thad, who shrugged. He didn't seem to know much about these Laka-uni, but the man's claims seemed overblown. If there really was a tribe of dangerous people nearby, people would know about it, and there would be warnings. More likely, these were stories that people probably said about his own people. He decided to gamble a little to see what people thought for himself rather than the perspective of the two mages he'd met on the trip so far. Thad didn't mind him and his cousin, but the man seemed like he got along with most people. And of course the other mage had called them dogs and attacked them almost immediately.

"Are they worse than the mountain folk?"

The man's face took on a grimace.

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far. Like I said. They're cordial. Those barbarians from the mountains will rip you apart and eat you for dinner if you give them a chance."

And that told Uzca everything he needed to know about the man's claims regarding the Laka-uni. It was easy for the man to vilify the people he didn't understand or know.

Bezben, thankfully, understood what Uzca was getting at and decided to have his own fun with the man. "I hear those mountain savages are even bigger than me and my cousin here."

"Well, I've heard they're big, but you two are definitely big-uns. Who knows, maybe you have a little barbarian blood in you."

Bezben laughed and slapped his leg. "Maybe we do. What do you think, cousin? Was one of our ancestors a savage brute?"

"I hope not."

The man told them a story about how his wife's cousin's husband's friend's daughter had been kidnapped by one of the mountain men, and they had to assemble an entire army to raze the village to get her back.

The story didn't sit well with Uzca because it mirrored his own story a little too well. His mother wasn't a Highlander, not by birth, but his father suspected that her family had assembled a group to kidnap her and Frenza. The village hadn't been razed, and his father certainly hadn't kidnapped his mother, but Uzca dreaded what could have happened given the prejudice he was seeing from the lowlanders he had met so far.

That wasn't exactly fair, though. Thad was a good person and didn't care that he was a Highlander. Uzca wanted to keep talking to these people to find out how deeply this prejudice ran and to see if there was anything he could do about it. He wouldn't try to change this man's mind. He clearly hated Uzca's people for no other reason than they were different. Besides, unless the man was getting off earlier, they would be riding with him for a few weeks. No need to make the journey uncomfortable for both of them.

The first day passed quickly. They chatted with various people and occasionally walked beside the wagons. They were moving at a fast walking speed, so it wasn't something any of them wanted to experience all day, but for a quarter-hour, it was bearable and even felt good.

The following two days proceeded in much the same way. The Laka-uni forest stretched on for miles and miles. The days began to drag as it looked like they passed the same trees over and over again. Occasionally the river bent back toward them, and they would cross a bridge, but other than that, there wasn't much to see.

Uzca had taken to practicing his gift in his downtime. No one could tell he was doing it, though Thad gave him an odd look at one point that made Uzca think the mage might have noticed something.

As he practiced, he found it easier and easier to both activate his gift and maintain it. He struggled for two patches of metal flesh simultaneously, but the drain was still too significant. In his fights so far, he had relied on quick uses of the gift to protect himself and give his blows extra impact and force. He imagined someday being able to become entirely metal. Would he be impervious to harm? The idea excited him.

Uzca knew he was being a little hypocritical. He had thought less of the boys in the village wanting combat-oriented gifts, but here he was, reveling in the future combat potential of his own gift. At least he hadn't said any of that out loud.

Thad occasionally practiced his own magic, but he also helped with various tasks when they camped for the night. He healed minor wounds, mended problem spots on carts, lit fires with a word, and a half dozen other things with his various spells and cantrips. Uzca could see why Cecily hadn't wanted any payment for bringing him along. He could admit to himself that he was a little jealous of the mage's wide variety of abilities. Maybe he'd try to ask Thad if he could teach him anything.

They settled down for the night just in the forest off the main road. Bezben paced behind Uzca as he whittled some wood by the fire. His cousin bent over his shoulder for the third time. "Can we go yet?"

"Patience, Bez. We should wait for a few more people to go to sleep."

Bezben sat down next to Uzca. Then after about twenty seconds stood up and resumed his pacing.

Uzca rolled his eyes at his cousin and focused on his whittling. The small block of wood was slowly taking the shape of a duck, but the wood wasn't as dry as he wanted, so it was challenging to work with. He set it on a stone somewhat near the fire to hopefully let it dry enough for the fine detail work.

Bezben paused when he saw Uzca set down the wood and put away his knife.

Uzca held a finger to his lips, hoping that Bezben would pay attention enough to actually stay quiet. They weren't exactly trying to sneak off, but they didn't want to draw much attention when they left. They didn't want anyone to follow.

Once it seemed like most of the other people on the caravan had gone to sleep, or were sitting around a bigger fire telling stories, they worked their way into the woods. They walked inward until they couldn't see the firelight anymore and then just a little farther to be safe. Light from the not-quite-full moon filtered through the canopy of branches overhead, revealing a small forest clearing.

"Alright, Bez, I think we're far enough out."

Bezben began to stretch, and Uzca followed suit. He wouldn't be the one practicing out here; he just enjoyed a good stretch. Limbered up, Bezben stepped into the center of the clearing.

Bezben conjured a spear. It glowed with white light and illuminated the whole clearing, overlapping with the moonlight. Bezben could hold it above his head for almost a minute, but then it would fade on its own.

"What have you been doing, cousin? I need a better way to practice than just conjuring spears and launching them at the ground."

Uzca nodded. The practice of conjuring would enhance Bezben's endurance, but with a gift like that, he needed skill to go along with it.

"I think you need to practice control. Can you do anything with the spear besides launching it? Can you steer it in the air or make it go faster or slower once it's in flight?"

Bezben shrugged. He narrowed his eyes at a tree two dozen feet away. He pointed with his hand, and the spear shot forward. At the last moment, Bezben changed the direction of his pointing.

Nothing happened.

The spear struck the tree, leaving behind a deep indentation as it vanished.

Bezben groaned, "Why won't it do what I want? I think it should."

"Okay, maybe we should take a step back. Can you launch it without pointing? That would probably be the best thing possible. The motion really gives away the attack."

Bezben failed the first two attempts, with the spears dissipating without anything happening. He found success when he tried more subtle indications. He pointed with just his arm and no finger. He launched a spear with just a finger, arm at his side.

After a half hour, Bezben could launch the spear by looking at what he wanted to hit. It was a great improvement, but the young man was sweaty and panting from the effort.

"That was great, Bez. In a few more days, you'll have some nice control. I think we should shift back to endurance training then."

Bezben nodded, hands on his knees. "Yeah, I'd like to be able to do this without killing myself. I don't think I could make another spear if I tried."

That was unfortunate because when Bezben finished his sentence, four armed men stepped out of the trees around them. They were dressed in various skins and clothing woven from long grasses. They all had painted wooden masks on and held short spears up in threatening poses. Uzca held up his hands immediately, and Bezben mimicked him.

One man in a black mask with white rings painted around the eyes stepped forward.

"You are you? And why do you trespass in our forest?"

It seemed they had found the Laka-uni tribesmen after all.