Right before they left the manor, there was a small family party to send them off. Marem spent the morning talking with her step-mothers, and Leo entertained the kids. It was surprising just how entertained they were by his ability to lift up whatever they asked. Marem’s father did not show up.

The two of them headed out, stocked up on supplies. Marem had a short purple cloak that loosely hid her gray toned outfit underneath. Leo had his hoodie fixed, but he decided to keep it in his bag. He wore another black t-shirt and jeans, this time with a leather jacket to help keep him warm.

The cold season of Kalpania had started to set in, the winds carrying a chill on their back. It would only be a matter of months before snow started to fall. Marem had warned Leo that a thick snowstorm could shut down the roads for them if they weren’t prepared.

There were ways around it, however, none of them were convenient. They either needed to get an enchanted cart for travel, or a mount that could carry them through the snow covered passages. Thankfully, they had a healthy amount of time before the weather became dire.

Marem and Leo had spent the previous night discussing what their plan was. While the visit had given them time to think, it didn’t give them any of the answers they needed. Word from her step-mothers was that her dad had done a sweep of the surrounding area earlier, and there weren’t any soldiers lurking nearby.

So they had time before they were discovered, and they needed to make the most of it. Marem proposed they head off to the nearby town of Halstead. It was a fishing town that drew in a lot of traders, the local lake filled with unique aquatic life. Even if they found no traces of Cordylia there, they could ask around to follow any rumors about missing towns and cities.

She had a reason for drawing the citizens into the Magnacio forest, and there was a chance she was doing the same to more people. If they could find out what she was planning, then they’d have some way to track where she would be and hopefully stop her from growing stronger.

The two of them made their way through the roads, the leaves danced alongside the breeze. It reminded Leo of home. He never went out much, but he did like the color of the autumn leaves. Their brilliant hues of orange and yellow just looked far better than green ever could.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The first night of camping again was comforting, in its own odd way. Leo set up his tent and sleeping roll, laying down just to pass the time. He hadn’t physically rested in a while, and it was relaxing to lay against the cold hard dirt.

Yet on their journey to Halstead, Leo still felt on edge. He worried that the kingdom’s soldiers would suddenly appear and surround them. If the living legends could land the first hit, then they could easily turn the fight in their favor.

Thankfully for Leo and his anxiety, they were barely attacked on their way there. There was a small incident with a telekinetic gopher, but that was easily handled. Even after he managed to hurl it away and run, Leo was a bit more worried about any psychically attuned wildlife.

When they finally arrived at Halstead, there was far less fanfare than Leo expected. The town wasn’t in any danger, and the citizens seemed to be milling about in their ordinary life. There was an offensive scent of fish emanating from the town, but Leo was able to handle the worst of it.

There was certainly far more street traffic here than there was in Irontree, however. It had dozens of carts looking to trade with the people of the town. This was exactly what they had hoped for, people who would know of what was happening across Kalpania and the nearby settlements.

The two of them wandered around until they found a particularly active tavern. Horses were tied up against the sidewall, a practical equine barrier protecting the building from the main street. They went straight to the bar inside, hopeful that the drunker patrons would be more open to talking about what they’ve encountered.

The signs outside had referred to this place as the soggy salmon, and it may have been the most apt description possible. The air was so thick with the scent of fish that Leo could feel the salmon resting upon his tongue. It took his best effort to not hurl, he was very quickly discovering his dislike of fish.

Marem noticed his distress and helped lead him to the counter, where she got both of them a tankard of ale. Even if it would do best to remain sober, they would stand out as the only ones not drinking. She then brought them to a nearby large table, where some men dressed in a variety of outfits were having a pointed conversation.

A man with a bright yellow tunic was in the middle of a speech. “So there I am with half a horse, my clothes are on fire, and I have no idea what happened to the goblin. I was about ready to give up hope, but that’s when the trees suddenly crashed down onto the wyvern. Druid savior comes out of the forest afterwards, puts out the fire, and he just leaves.”

The rest of the group laughed at the story, a few of them saying that there is no way the druid savior is real. They continued to laugh for a minute before they finally turned their attention to Leo and Marem, the newcomers to the table.

Leo spoke up, fighting the scent that plagued him. “That sounds cool and all, but have you heard

about what happened in Faelde city?”