Lianne and Amra were having a break on the side of a river, on a small secluded spot surrounded by trees. Lianne filled up their flasks with fresh water and Amra got the fire started. The sun was shining from up high. It would be summer soon, but the air seemed cooler than the day before. The more north they traveled, the colder the climate got.

It was the day after they had left Windermore. They had traveled quite far during the night and the next day. They kept on going almost nonstop since Lianne wanted to get as far away from the town as possible. They had just stopped for short breaks and meals.

Amra put a pot full of fresh water on top of the just lit fire. Lianne stashed the flasks in her backpack and sat down next to Amra. "Should we get some warmer clothing from the next merchant we meet? We don't know how cold it'll get," Lianne asked and then rubbed her hands together for warmth as if she was making a point.

Amra nodded. "Maybe. If it's not too expensive."

They had left to the journey with as little as possible. They had packed two sets of clothing and everything essential they would need. They had bedrolls, blankets, soap, some dishes, a hunting knife, flasks, a flint, and long-lasting food supplies. Amra's parents had given them some money, but since they didn't know how long the journey would last, they had to use as little as possible. They rarely visited the shops in town. The merchants there tended to be more expensive than the ones they encountered on the road. Whenever they could find something, they would forage or hunt to eat.

Lianne took out the map from Amra's backpack. "How far do you think we are?" she asked and laid it on the ground. Amra scooted closer and looked at the map. She traced her finger along it as if drawing the route they had traveled, from their home village to way up north.

"I think that's Windermore, where we were last," Amra said and pointed to a town on the map. "So, we're somewhere around here," she added and moved her finger slightly more north.

"We have traveled so far already," Lianne said deep in thought, looking at the distance on the map. To her, it felt like they had traveled for eternity. They had never traveled that long or far.

"What if we can't find Clandmere in the north and we have to travel this whole country through?" Lianne asked, a hesitant tone in her voice. She didn't want to think about it but still couldn't stop herself.

"Then we'll travel the whole country through," Amra said as if it was an obvious answer.

Lianne smiled. She could always count on Amra to cheer her up. She had been her rock all through the journey.

The water was boiling in the little pot. Amra took it off the fire and poured the hot water into two cups. She dug out a little pouch of herbs from her pocket and put some of it into the cups. She stirred them up and then handed a cup to Lianne. She took the other cup into her hands before leaning back relaxed.

Lianne kept the warm cup between her hands and looked at the steam rising up. It seemed to blend into the air as soon as it left the warm liquid. Lianne smelled the herbal blend and instantly remembered the beginning of their journey. They had spent the first night in the woods. They had talked and drank the same thing that they were drinking now. They had been surprisingly excited, even though the reason for leaving wasn't anything to be glad about. But it had been just the two of them together.

Lianne drank Amra's herbal blend and put the cup down, feeling the hot liquid warming her up from inside. Then she reached out to Amra's lute, took it in her lap, and plucked the strings for fun, trying to entertain Amra.

"Play me something," Amra said with a twinkle in her eye. Lianne went along and started randomly playing the strings.

"You like the song?" Lianne asked and smiled at Amra, playing a tune that sounded horrible. "It's called 'Amra's song'."

Amra put her cup down and grabbed the lute from Lianne, stopping her. "Silly," she said and set the lute resting comfortably on her lap as if it belonged there. "You have to play it more gently like it wants you to play it. Your fingers are way too stiff and you just don't have a sense of rhythm," Amra showed Lianne the correct way to hold the lute and pluck the strings.

"Could you play something for me?" Lianne asked, leaning back against her hands as she looked at Amra's natural way of playing.

Amra pondered for a moment. Then she slowly started to play a melody that was merry and light. It started out with a couple of slow chords and moved to a faster pace. Soon it started to sound like a song that could be heard in a tavern, entertaining people. Then Amra started singing.

"This is a song of Annabell,

a woman with flowers in hair,

she was like a magic spell,

enchanting, valiant, and fair.

All men and women adored,

she was the talk of the town,

all of them she just ignored,

declined even the crown.

Annabell only had one wish,

to be alone with the one,

a troll in green skin gave her a kiss,

and they ended up with a son."

Lianne laughed and joined in on the chorus. She knew the song. She had heard it many times in gatherings. It was a fun song that many recognized and always sang along to.

"Hush, hush my sweet little child,

grow up to be like your dad.

Hush, hush my sweet little child,

or your mother will be very sad."

Lianne and Amra repeated the chorus once more before stopping. Amra still played a couple of chords that seemed to hang in the air for a longer time, as if they were butterflies released into the sky. They floated there for a moment and then were gone, disappeared with the wind.

When Amra stopped, the atmosphere seemed serene. For that small break, Lianne was able to forget about everything. At that moment, she felt as if they were back in their home village, sitting with other people and listening to Amra playing.

"I think it's time to hit the road again," Lianne said reluctantly while getting up and stretching out her arms. She got sad that moments like those were always fleeting. One minute there and the next were gone. She would have loved to stay in that memory, but they had to move on.

They collected all their belongings. Amra put out the fire and poured the rest of the water from the pot to the ground. They made sure to leave no signs of them ever being there, except the remainders of the campfire. As Amra tied the backpacks to the horses, Lianne took out a couple of apples and gave them to Luna and Sol. She patted both of the horses, and in her mind, thanked them for getting them this far already.

Lianne and Amra mounted their horses and started traveling forward again. They rode out of the forest and arrived into wide tundra plains. Amra checked the direction from her compass before they started riding towards the north.

Everything around them was barer the more north they got. There weren't any travelers seen nearby. Neither of them knew when would be the next time they would come across a village or a merchant. There was less life anywhere they looked.

When there was nothing in sight and nobody around, the world seemed peaceful. Just the bareness of the scenery and the distant echoes of birds. The sounds of the horses' hooves and the barely audible hum of Amra's voice.

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A nice cool wind was blowing through Lianne's hair. The wind brought musty smells of ground, mud, and something that hid underneath the surface. She enjoyed the cool gust, feeling as if she could breathe more easily. Nothing was disturbing their ride on ahead.

Lianne and Amra had been traveling in peace for about an hour when they saw something in the distance. They immediately stopped, looking carefully ahead.

"What do you think that is?" Lianne asked Amra, who peered into the distance, her eyes squinted. From where they were standing, it looked as if there was a wagon and people around it.

Before leaving on the journey, they had agreed to be careful of strangers. They were vulnerable on the road. Even though they were both good at standing up for themselves, they had never been that far out of their village. They wanted to avoid unnecessary fighting and trouble mostly because of Lianne. And sometimes strangers were just that, trouble.

"Hard to say," Amra said while frowning. Lianne already knew from her expression that she was assessing the possible danger. "Maybe I should go and see," she suggested, but Lianne immediately shook her head.

"If you are going, so am I."

"You're so stubborn," Amra smirked with a deep sigh.

Lianne stood her ground. "I don't care. We'll go together."

Amra glared at Lianne, who kept firm. Amra was always the one who put herself on the line, and Lianne didn't like that. She knew that it was because of her, but she hated standing on the sidelines.

"Fine, but let's tread carefully," Amra said resigned.

"Of course," Lianne said and snapped the reins of Luna, starting to trot ahead.

Lianne and Amra slowly rode closer to the people in the distance. Amra had taken the lead, riding before Lianne. Her whole demeanor was tense. She gripped the reins tighter the closer they got.

Soon they were close enough to see what was going on. They saw people circling around the wagon. Two horses were tied to the wagon and one was lying on the ground dead. The people looked common, but the wagon seemed as if it belonged to wandering performance artists. It was painted with bright colours and different fabrics.

A person near the wagon saw Lianne and Amra coming closer and lifted their hand with a wave. "Hello! Can you help?"

Lianne didn't feel that there was anything dangerous with the people, even if Amra was still on alert. "They seem alright," she said, trying to ease Amra's mind as they got closer. "They only need help."

Amra nodded, finally relaxing her body. She eased her grip on the reins, her fists loosening as her whole body slightly sank into the saddle.

When they were close enough, they could count seven people circling the wagon. They all seemed different ages, everything from a young adult to an older woman. They all had hair in the shade of ash and resembled each other in small details. Lianne wondered if they were from the same family.

A middle-aged man with ash coloured hair approached Lianne and Amra as they got off their horses. He looked welcoming, even if his sunburnt skin and sweat-coated shirt made him seem ragged. "Hello. Thank you for coming. There's not a lot of travelers out here," the man said and smiled warmly. "My name is Thorad," he introduced himself with a courteous little bow.

"What's the problem here? Except that the horse is dead," Amra asked while glancing around the wagon which seemed to be alright. It wasn't broken or stuck to the ground.

"That is exactly the problem. It died with no clear reason while we were traveling. The other two are alright, but this one fell and died," Thorad explained while making large gestures with his hands, pointing here and there.

"Let me see," Amra said while walking to the horse, Thorad quickly following her. The horse had froth on its mouth, but other than that, it seemed alright. There weren't any signs of snake bites or other outer harm.

Lianne stayed put while Amra inspected the horse. Some of the people gathered close to the wagon started looking at her curiously. Their stares made her immediately feel uncomfortable. The night at the inn was still fresh on her mind and she couldn't help but wonder if they would recognize her too. What if they were like the woman from the inn?

A woman in her 50s walked closer to Lianne. The woman kept on staring at her with a piercing gaze, her lips curved into a small smile.

"Are you one of us?" the woman asked with a nasal voice.

"Excuse me?" Lianne asked baffled.

"Are you like us?" the woman repeated and gestured towards herself and her companions.

Lianne looked at the woman dumbfounded. "I'm sorry, I don't understand," she said with a weak voice.

The woman took a couple of steps closer to Lianne. She peered at her eyes closely as if she tried to search for something. Lianne backed away from her invasive gaze. She felt uncomfortable and wanted Amra to come back. She started having a strong feeling that those people were not quite alright after all.

"Amra, are you done?" Lianne asked, her voice tense. She hated the look the woman gave her and she wanted to leave.

Amra glanced at Lianne and saw her anxious gaze. She started heading back immediately, Thorad quickly following her.

"Our two horses would be able to pull the wagon, but I don't want to wear them out, or we'll never make it to our destination. If we could tie one of your horses to the wagon? There's a small roadside inn a day's travel northeast. We could travel there together," Thorad explained as they arrived at the others.

Lianne immediately interjected. "I don't think so," she answered Thorad. "We don't have the same direction," she added, emphasizing every word while glancing at Amra.

Amra seemed to get what she meant. "Right. We're going west."

That's when the older woman went to Thorad and whispered something in his ear. Thorad listened carefully and raised his eyebrows in interest. Then he turned to look at Lianne.

"Oh, it seems that my companion thinks you are like us," Thorad said to Lianne.

Lianne immediately let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know what she's talking about."

"You are to become one of the Shadows, am I right?" Thorad asked.

"What do you mean, the Shadows?" Lianne asked baffled. That's the same name the girl in the inn said before she gave her the flower.

"We are all traveling to them. We are like you," Thorad spoke, his voice welcoming. His smile widened as if it was the happiest thing in the world.

"We'll change soon. We need to get to them before that happens. That way we'll learn from our masters," the older woman spoke enthusiastically. "You should come with us."

"Change? What the hell are you talking about?" Lianne asked, her patience at an end. She didn't understand what the people were talking about and that made her anxious. "Amra, let's leave," Lianne said to her.

The woman spoke again, stopping her. "Oh, the poor thing doesn't know what is about to happen to her," she said, pity in her voice. "You should come with us. You'll learn everything from the Shadows."

"The Shadows will teach us everything!" One of the people behind the woman yelled happily.

Lianne got lost for words. She looked at the people and realized that everyone had the same kind of black tone in their eyes.

"Why are you changing?" Lianne asked hesitantly.

"Lianne, don't," Amra said firmly while taking a hold of Lianne's arm as if she was ready to pull her away.

"You should know that already," Thorad answered, looking at Lianne sympathetic, which made her more anxious.

"You should come with us," the woman said again.

"No. I'm not coming with you. We're heading to Clandmere," Lianne replied determinedly.

For a moment all the people were silent, and then they started laughing. "Clandmere? That's just a fantasy. Nobody knows anything about it. How could you get there?" Thorad said with easy laughter, revealing his yellow teeth.

"No, you're wrong. I'm going to Clandmere," Lianne said back firmly.

"Lianne. We're leaving now. Come on," Amra said while starting to pull her away.

"You should come with us. We need everyone," the woman repeated. She grabbed Lianne's hand with a surprisingly firm grip, keeping her still. Lianne immediately pulled her hand from her grasp and backed away from them all.

Amra let go of Lianne's arm and stepped between her and the people. She squeezed her fists tightly, her every muscle tense. "Hey, back away. Let us leave," she said firmly, inching her hand on the knife on her belt.

"Move out of the way. We want her!" Thorad said with a roaring voice that seemed to echo in Lianne's mind. He took a step closer, his black eyes looking at her hungrily as if she was a piece of meat.

"No, please. We don't want a fight," Lianne said, her voice breaking. Her hands started to tremble. She was afraid that something irreversible would happen.

Nobody seemed to hear what she was saying. They all looked at her with some kind of hunger in their eyes. "You can't get away from the Shadows. We will get you soon," Thorad said while taking steps closer to Lianne.

Amra quickly unsheathed her knife and pointed it at Thorad, stopping him. "Take one more step..." Amra said, trailing off, her threat unspoken. She glared at Thorad with an intimidating stare.

"Please, hear me out. I don't want to kill you all," Lianne raised her voice, pleading out to them desperately. Her heartbeat quickened. She felt her blood starting to flow faster through her veins. She knew that if she couldn't stay calm now, it would be over for them. She was afraid that she would kill them all.

One of the people laughed out loud. "There's less of you than there is of us."

That's when Thorad charged at Lianne. Amra immediately gripped her knife tightly and slashed it at Thorad, trying to stop him.

Thorad blocked Amra's knife with his hand. The knife sank into his flesh with a nauseating ripping sound, but he didn't even flinch.

Lianne quickly backed away. Her knees felt weak and all she could hear in her head was the rush of her blood. She tried to keep calm but her heart beat too fast.

Thorad took a hold of Amra and lifted her up as if he had supernatural strength. Amra squealed in his grip but couldn't get away. Then Thorad punched Amra straight at her face, hard.

That's when Lianne couldn't keep calm anymore.