[https://i.imgur.com/VGCFMQy.png]

Refenial woke to a loud knocking at his door. He tensed, looking around. Dawn was just starting to rise through murky clouds outside. Nia looked up from the floor at him, a slightly panicked look on her face. He wasn't sure if he would be in trouble for bringing an extra guest without paying. "Hide," he whispered to her.

The girl snaked under the bed, taking her blankets with her as she did.

There was another polite but forceful knock at the door.

Refenial started to stand. His arm and ribs still hurt, but they'd already eased to a dull ache. Dried blood flaked off his skin as he moved. He wasn't sure how to feel about the fact it wasn't his blood.

"Wh-" he choked slightly, his mouth uncomfortably dry."Who is it?" He called out.

"It's Harlin. I'm the gentleman you spoke to yesterday. Please come to the door." The voice called through.

Refenial looked down at himself. His bruises had faded to a dirty yellow. More concerning was the blood stains that covered his clothes. He thought back to killing those men, a wave of nausea flooding over him. With a mental effort, he pushed the thoughts away for later.

"Uh, I'm a little busy." He said, hoping the man would go away, at least long enough for him to hide the blood.

"Young master, there is a trail of blood leading up to your room. I must insist you open the door, or I will be forced to open it myself." The man said in his polite but determined tone.

Refenial couldn't see a way around this, so he walked to the door and slowly opened it. The man gave a sharp intake of breath as he saw Refenial standing there covered in blood.

"W- ,uh, I was attacked by muggers last night. I managed to get away, though."

"That is a lot of blood. I'll send for a doctor immediately." The man said with finality.

Refenial looked down at himself. "It's not mine. At least, most of it isn't."

"I... see." The old man said, giving him a hard stare. "I heard rumours this morning that three known criminals were found stabbed to death out on the street late last night?"

Refenial looked at the man, uncertain of what to say.

The man sighed. "The men were unpopular. It would take more than their death for the town council to send out guards. They may have had friends and family that will take matters into their own hands, though. I recommend that you leave town today just to be on the safe side."

Refenial nodded. "Thank you."

"I will arrange another bath for you. It will take a little time, unfortunately, since most of the servants haven't arrived yet. In the meantime, I will arrange some breakfast for you and your young lady friend under the bed."

Refenial looked around guiltily, knowing he'd been caught on that too but was confused about how the old man could tell since, as far as he could see, Nia was still well hidden.

"The tailor will be back with your clothes soon, and in the meantime, I suggest you plan where you wish to travel to."

The man departed. Refenial closed the door sitting back on the bed.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

"he saw you." He called out softly to Nia.

"No way, I hid for months from those sailors." came her muffled voice from under the bed.

"Also, we need to leave town today."

"Because he saw me?" she said as she poked her head out from under the bed.

"No, because I-I-. Because of last night."

"Oh." She said softly.

"Yeah." He sighed.

"Where are we going then?"

"You want to come with me? You don't need to pay me back the money from yesterday if that's what you're worried about."

Nia seemed to think for several moments before answering, "I left my home. I travelled here far away. I did it all because I wanted..." She paused for a moment longer. "I wanted an adventure.

When we met, you kept avoiding my questions, and I thought you were a little rich boy throwing money around and trying to seem mysterious. I mean, you are a little rich boy," she laughed.

"but I think there are some weird things going on with you. Maybe if I travel with you for a bit, I'll get my adventure."

Refenial chuckled. "You think I'm rich?"

"I saw the coin purse."

Before the conversation could continue, there was a knocking at the door. Food had arrived.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

Only a few hours had passed, and Refenial and Nia sat on the bed. Both were clean from the blood and grime of the streets.

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Refenial kept glancing down at his clothes as the bright reds and yellows caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Apparently, colourful clothes like this were all the rage among boys his age of a certain station. He wasn't entirely convinced but couldn't deny how comfortable they were or the skill with which the tailor had made them. He also knew it would likely help with his title.

His new outfit also came with a belt that held two large pouches that had been firmly affixed to the front. Lastly, he'd been supplied with a simple leather rucksack.

Harlin had also brought Nia a set of clothes. They were much plainer than his but better suited to the harshness of winter than her own clothes.

The old man, Harlin, stood in front of them. "Have you decided where you're going?"

"No, Neither of us knows where we can go. We don't even know what this town is called?" Refenial admitted.

The old man's face twitched slightly, but he remained professional. "You are in the town of Oldspire. If I might ask, do you have any friends or family that might be willing to take you in?"

Refenial thought about the offer from Griselda to live with her, and then he considered the letter of recommendation from Hecate for the academy. He trusted neither woman. Taking up their offers would risk being used as a pawn in their competing schemes.

He shook his head. He wanted strength but not from either of them. Nia had said she made her weapon. Maybe he could learn something from her. That, at least, was a start.

"Well then, there is a trade caravan leaving eastward today. It passes through several towns, and if you both are willing to pull your weight, you might be able to find work with them. Alternatively, you could ask around the docks and see if any of the ships are departing today."

He translated for Nia.

"I'm sick of ships. If we are to travel, the caravan sounds like the best option." She said after the explanation.

"We'll try the caravan." He told Harlin.

"Then I recommend you go now. They will probably leave soon. I'll have one of the servants show you the way."

They left through the, once again, busy streets and soon found themselves standing in an ample cobbled space just inside the town's gate. The lady who had led them here quickly said goodbye and left them.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

Refenial looked at the courtyard. About twenty wagons sat spread across it. Some had cloth or wood tops, but a few lacked covers. Men and women with serious expressions worked diligently, their footsteps crunching on the snowy ground as they checked the animals, stowed and organized.

Refenial approached one of the men, Nia trailing behind uncertainly. He was a portly man, hairy in the extreme. He was wearing layer upon layer of furs, increasing the feeling of size the man gave off even further.

"Excuse me?" Refenial said to get the man's attention. The man turned and glanced over at Refenial and Nia, his gaze lingering on Nia.

"Waddya want?" he asked.

"We want to travel with the caravan. We'd work for our place."

The man glanced back at Nia. "Nope, I don't need any help. I don't think anyone in the caravan does."

"Oh, okay," Refenial said, drooping slightly at such a blunt refusal.

Refenial refused to give in, though. He asked at one caravan after another, each caravan giving similar refusals until only one caravan remained.

He'd left this open-top wagon to last. Even in the open sewer stench of the city, it stank. The other wagons had purposely given the wagon a wide birth, and people walked around it in a wide arc rather than walking close.

"Ugh, I think I might be sick," Nia said queasily as they approached it.

Sitting atop the caravan was a weak-chinned blond man who looked to be in his late teens to early twenties. He was thin but dressed neatly in blue and grey clothes that stood out as unusually clean and fashionable compared to the rest of the caravan. He was lounging on his wagon's seat, slowly eating a piece of jerky. As they approached, he smiled at them and placed the jerky hanging out of his mouth before standing on the seat and looking down at them.

"Hi, we want to travel with the caravan. We'll work for our keep." Refenial said flatly as he tried to avoid breathing through his nose.

He looked at Nia as he munched happily on the jerky. "I'd be happy for the help, but only if your friend can keep down their breakfast."

Refenial turned to look at Nia. She looked extremely queasy. "Nia, if he thinks you'll be sick, he won't take us, and he's the last caravan."

Nia said nothing as she tried to regain composure but gave Refenial a murderous look.

Refenial turned to the young man, curiosity getting the better of him. "Why does your caravan smell so bad?"

The young man grinned proudly. "Tanning supplies mostly, though I carry a few other choice goods that no one else will. You can make an absolute killing carrying goods that no one else will touch."

"Oh?"

The man jumped down from the caravan as he spoke, "Take the corpse flower as an example. Smells like someone left a dead body in a metal box in the hot sun for a week. Alchemists will pay whatever you charge for it since no one will go near the stuff. I carry some other milder stuff for them too, like sulfur, sea monster vomit, and a fungus called dead man's toes."

"Is your friend alright now? She's very quiet."

Refenial glanced at Nia, who had a air of forced composure.

"She doesn't speak our language. I'm translating for her."

"Forgive me. I should have guessed." He said before holding out his hand for Refenial to shake.

Refenial looked down at the hand cautiously.

"While the cart may smell bad, I do keep it very clean. I also bathe frequently myself, although the smell does linger." The young man said cheerfully.

Refenial took the man's hand and shook it.

"I'm Nox. You and your pretty friend are?"

I'm Refenial, and this is Nia."

Nia elbowed Refenial, "What did you say? You stopped translating, and I heard my name."

"He says he'll take us, and his name is Nox."

"I'll provide food, and of course, you will have the safety of travelling with the trade caravan. In exchange, you two will tend my horse, keep the cart clean and set up and take down camp. That is the standard deal." He glanced at the knife at Nia's hip. "Of course, if you kill any monsters or bandits attacking the caravan, you will also be rewarded. Not that that's likely. This route is one of the safest."

Refenial translated the deal, and both he and Nia agreed.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

Soon the trade caravan was on the road. Nox's caravan was relegated to the rear of the convoy as the other merchants flatly demanded that he be downwind.

Outside, the city was flat and bleak. It was farmland for miles, only broken by low hedges, occasional distant farmhouses and rare trees. The snow further flattened everything making the whole place look like an eternal plane.

The road was paved, well-maintained, and free from snow. Nox explained that this, like other major roads in the kingdom, was kept snow free due to a deal with a powerful immortal, although the details were a state secret.

The cart itself only had room to sit two. Nia wanted to take the first turn walking beside it, so Refenial and Nox sat quietly as the cart trundled along. Every now and then, Refenial noticed merchants and their assistants in the carts ahead glancing back with disgust at them.

"They don't seem to like us much," Refenial said.

"No, they didn't like me much before. They like me less now I took you two on, well, Nia, at least." He said, glancing across at the girl.

"What's their problem with her, that she's a foreigner?"

"Sort of. There are a few foreign sailors that come to port that the merchants know. People learn a little about their cultures and customs and what makes them tick. Nia, I've never seen a person with skin that dark before, and I doubt anyone else here has either. Her people, her culture, her country, they're all unknowns. You're still a child, Refenial, people here, they've seen a lot, especially on the open road. Adults quickly learn that there is nothing scarier than the unknown; the unknown when out here usually means loss or death."

Refenial looked at Nox, who was staring off into the distance. "You sound like you agree with them. Then why did you hire us?"

Nox stared out silently for a moment before looking back at Refenial with a goofy look "Well, she has a pretty face."

Refenial looked at Nox. He doubted that was the real reason. He thought for a moment longer as Nox stared over at Nia. Okay, he doubted that was the only reason.

[https://i.imgur.com/3vZaHAB.png]