The next morning, the village was almost entirely different from when Gabriel had gone to bed. It appeared that word had already spread that Evon would be traveling with the caravan, and for some reason, that meant that Gabriel and his people were instantly welcome in the village.

When he stepped out of Evon’s cabin in the morning, Gabriel was swarmed with children, all wanting to know if he had kept some of the toys or puzzles hidden in the wagons.

Gabriel was not particularly surprised to see children, as he had seen them hiding throughout the village the previous day, but as they surrounded him, he realized that there were far more than he had realized.

At least twenty to thirty children had been waiting for him to emerge, the youngest of whom could not have been more than two years old.

Some of the children wore floppy hats like Justin, while others wore thick gloves. There were also some who wore nothing thicker than regular clothes, despite the chill in the morning air.

The only commonality that Gabriel could see was that all of the children had large, dark eyes. Some were blue, some were brown so dark that they looked black, and some even had what looked to be golden irises.

Gabriel and Marta had raised their son in the caravan while traveling around, but after he had grown, he had decided he wanted a more peaceful life. He had asked to take an apprenticeship, and Gabriel had paid for the opportunity with one of their contacts who Marta had chosen. They still saw their young scribe whenever they passed through the capital, but given that Weston refused to wed, there were no children in Gabriel and Marta’s lives for the moment, much to their chagrin.

Unfortunately, as soon as Marta stepped out, things changed from simply talking and teasing the children, to Marta handing out pieces of their stock.

It took until midday before Gabriel was able to pry his wife away from the children, and even then, she had somehow managed to convince one of the young women in the village to let Marta “help” by carrying an infant around for a few hours to give the woman a break.

When they met up with their men at the wagons, Gabriel learned that the villagers had become just as friendly as their children, and while little more trade had been done, all of Gabriel’s workers had the names of some of the villagers’ family members in other villages, or even mail to deliver elsewhere.

Why was there such a sharp difference in treatment from the day before? It seemed that Evon was much more influential than Gabriel had realized.

That night, they again stayed with Evon and Becka, though it was an early night, as Gabriel and Evon had agreed that it would be best to leave at sunup.

Sure enough, they woke before dawn, and after getting himself dressed for the day, he did his best to rouse Marta and ensure that she would wake up, though he only received a groan in response.

She did not do at all well in the mornings.

Evon was already waiting for Gabriel outside the cabin, and accompanied the merchant to the wagons. There, Evon stood aside and simply watched as Gabriel and his second, Javier, expertly directed the organized chaos so that everything was packed and ready to go within a short amount of time.

By the time that Marta stumbled out of Evon’s cabin with a clearly amused Becka accompanying her, the caravan was ready to roll out.

Frost covered the ground, and given that the harvest was already in, only the villagers who had to milk their cows were already awake as the caravan rumbled out of the village.

Surprisingly, right at the edge of the village, there were a handful of children, all shouting and waving as the wagons rolled by. Seeing them even put a smile on Marta’s sleepy face.

The Sun was just creeping over the horizon, and the frost was still thick on the leaves that littered the ground of the forest. The sharp chill cut at their lungs as they breathed in, and each breath out blasted a cloud of mist in front of their face.

Fortunately, they had prepared for this, though Gabriel noticed a larger number of the men than normal walked alongside the wagons, and two of the drivers even led their oxen from in front, moving to warm their bodies.

Boots and hooves tracked over the frosted trail, though the cold remained sharp enough that the ground did not turn to mud.

Colorful leaves still decorated the majority of the trees, and they also rolled through several copses of evergreens as they continued northwards to their next stop.

With Evon accompanying the caravan, Justin held himself back. Their paid guide felt redundant and unnecessary, given how Evon made himself readily available the few times Gabriel needed a bit of guidance.

They stopped for a quick lunch, but even so, they approached the next village before the sun was halfway between its peak and the horizon, giving Gabriel several hours to trade with the villagers before nightfall.

As the wagons moved closer to the village, made readily visible by the handful of smoke trails rising up from the houses, Evon moved in front of the lead wagon, quietly ensuring that he would be the first one to be seen by the villagers.

Oddly enough, Gabriel did not hear any bells or horns announcing their arrival, though there were several men at the edge of the village. As soon as they saw Evon, the oldest man waved the youngest back, and the man jogged back into the village as the three older men all stepped forward to enthusiastically greet Evon and then Justin.

Gabriel noticed that Marta was observing the interactions between the villagers just as carefully as he was. Both of them understood that Evon was someone far more important than had been initially suggested.

There was some sort of hierarchy in place in these independent northern villages, and Evon seemed to represent some kind of leadership.

Unlike when the caravan had entered the first northern village, their second stop saw all of the villagers step out. Most were interested in greeting the two northerners in the caravan, though a good number were curious enough to at least examine the caravan’s goods.

Children and babies were out in force, and the traders did a brisk business with the toys and puzzles Gabriel had brought to sell.

As usual, it was not even the parents who were the ones most swayed by the children’s pleading eyes, but the grandparents. Still, Gabriel could not fault the older people, as the large, dark eyes of the northern children were adorable, and it was difficult to resist the begging of those numerous, glistening puppy eyes that looked up at grandfathers and grandmothers after the children saw the colorful toys available in the wagons.

Gabriel and Marta were not invited to stay with any of the villagers this time, but were instead offered the guest cabin while Justin and Evon stayed with friends or extended family who lived in the village.

The rest of the week passed in much the same manner as they continued further northwards. Each morning saw the frost grow heavier, and the leaves grew so thick on the ground that the wheels of the wagons were muffled as they rolled through the forests.

Gabriel could not stop himself from staring each time they crested a hill, as the sight of the colorful autumn forest extending endlessly was stunning, and the scent of the leaves on the ground was thick and earthy. It was easy to feel the approach of winter, and yet Gabriel relished the feeling. It roused some strange feeling of nostalgia in him, despite never having witnessed autumn so far north.

As the week progressed and the caravan pressed northwards, Gabriel felt rather confused by two particular reactions. While the villagers remained as open and welcoming as ever, Evon became more withdrawn, while Justin became visibly anxious. Gabriel could not tell if the older of the two men was nervous or excited, but it was clear that their proximity to the final village was triggering his reaction.

It took the caravan nine days to reach the final village, rather than the week that they had anticipated. Rain had fallen one day, and the resulting mud combined with the leaves that had been stripped from the trees to force the wagons to stop for half a day, and then move at half-speed for another half a day. The chill in the air did not help to dry the ground after the rain.

As they drew closer to the village on the evening of the ninth day, Justin was more anxious than ever, and the man twitched so strongly at each unexpected sound that Gabriel worried the man would injure himself. His floppy hat nearly fell off on several occasions, which for some reason earned him sharp glares from Evon.

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Gabriel was hoping to get some answers to the increasing number of questions he had about the north in this last village, as it was clear that there was some purpose for them to have this particular village as their final destination.

In the same odd manner as ever, there was no bell or horn to announce the caravan’s arrival, and yet the locals had received some sort of warning that visitors were arriving.

A number of people were out of their houses, though none were at the edge of the village.

Children ran around playing in the near twilight as their parents and grandparents chatted in a peaceful manner here and there.

As the wagons rolled up, Gabriel saw Evon and Justin approach an ancient woman who appeared to be confined to a chair. Her thin hair was as white as snow, and her face was so wrinkled that her eyes were nearly hidden in the various folds. She seemed to have shrunk in on herself, in the way that the elderly sometimes do, and yet both Justin and Evon clearly deferred to the ancient woman as they knelt down and embraced her with a kiss on the cheek. “We’re back, Grandma.”

Shockingly, the woman responded to both men. Gabriel had assumed that someone so old and weak would be rather oblivious to the world, but after being hugged by Evon, the old woman’s eyes opened, and Gabriel realized that he had been mistaken. Her eyes had not been hidden by her sagging face and wrinkles, but merely closed. The eyes that he saw were clear and bright, and sparkled in the sunset. There was a sharpness to them that betrayed awareness and a keen wit.

“Justin, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in Farun this late in the year. Why have you brought people now, of all times?” Evon was ignored, and the sharp eyes focused on Justin, making the nervous man fidget.

“They insisted on coming north, and they wanted a local guide, so I agreed to bring them. When we got to Ashton, Evon insisted on joining the journey and bringing them north.”

The dark eyes flickered over to Evon, who just nodded. There was a slight widening of the old woman’s eyes, but then she nodded. “He’s taken another group of youths, but should be back soon. We expect him tonight or tomorrow, so you’ll have to wait a bit.”

Evon dipped his head, and was summarily ignored again. The old woman turned her gaze to Gabriel and Marta, and a withered hand gestured for them to step forward. “I’m Elicia, and I understand my grandsons have been escorting you through the villages. It’s too late in the day for any trading to happen, so you’ll be given some dinner and a place to stay for the night. Tomorrow you can show off your wares for us to see.

“Evon, talk to your cousins and get these people settled in so that they each have a house to sleep in. It’s too cold for them to camp outside now, though some of them might have to rough it on the floor in front of a fireplace.”

The old woman then raised her left arm, and a youth arrived in an instant to help Elicia stand and then escorted her towards one of the houses. The hunched woman moved slowly, supported by the young man and a cane as she moved to the closest house. Gabriel had not been able to speak a single word before being dismissed, and he and Marta exchanged glances as someone collected the old woman’s chair and quickly ran it inside so that it would be waiting for her when she arrived.

As Gabriel looked around, he saw that there did not seem to be almost any other elderly among the population, though there were even more children than normal. Additionally, while the houses were the same thick-walled, small-windowed style that they had seen before, the chimneys were wider, and the houses were larger. It was clear that many of the houses had been extended and expanded over the years, which suggested that they were multi-family affairs, unlike the earlier villages they had visited.

Already, Evon and Justin were talking to people, and men and boys stepped forward to show the wagoneers where to take their animals to be stabled, where to leave their wagons, and which houses they would be staying in.

One thing that Gabriel took note of while he and Marta waited for Evon and Justin to get to them was that it was not only the children in this village who wore thick gloves and floppy hats, and while most people were wearing thick jackets, others wore nothing more than a thin shirt.

There was simply no consistency. Some of the people dressed for the weather, while others dressed like it was still summer. Additionally, there were some people who kept their distance, but their manner of walking was somehow off. They moved smoothly enough, but something was just… off.

Gabriel continued to stare from where he stood next to Marta, so engrossed that he did not even notice the sun dropping quickly.

It was dark by the time that Justin and Evon had worked their way through all of the wagons and men and finally turned to Gabriel and Marta. “C’mon. We’ve got a guest cabin you can stay in. Grandma’s already told some people to make you some dinner, so you won’t have to worry about that.”

Gabriel had many questions, but this did not seem to be the time, especially since Evon was already walking towards a large house without even waiting for a response.

Justin walked towards the entrance to the village, backtracking slightly.

Marta grabbed her husband’s arm and they followed after the quiet man.

There was already a fire lit in the small cabin. It was a simple, single room construction, but the walls were thick and the fireplace large enough to keep the room cozy and warm.

There was a convenient pile of firewood next to the fireplace, so that Gabriel and Marta could feed the fire again before bed.

As for the bed itself, it was a rather small affair, though with thick furs and blankets piled on it.

The only other feature in the cabin was a single chair and a small table, which meant that one of them would have to sit on the bed to eat dinner.

It was a quaint, rustic abode, but it was certainly serviceable, so Gabriel had no complaints.

Before he or Marta could even move to the chair or the bed, there was a knock at the door, and when Gabriel opened it, there was a youth of about twelve summers standing there with a bucket of fresh water.

Like many of the children they had seen on their journey north, this boy wore a large knit hat and bulky, rather formless mittens on his hands.

“Was sent with some water for yeh.” The bucket was practically dropped on the stoop, though with just enough care that it did not slosh or spill, and then the lad was off, sprinting away from the cabin and disappearing into the darkening twilight.

Gabriel stared for a moment before he gathered his wits and grabbed the bucket of water.

“Odd folk in this town. I know none of the northerners have been overly welcoming, but these people seem particularly skittish. They seem nervous about something,” Gabriel commented.

“It’s that Uncle Burt Evon mentioned,” Marta stated affirmatively. Her husband looked at her in bewilderment.

“How could you possibly know that? These people have barely spoken to us.”

“While you were watching Evon and Justin speak to their grandmother, I was paying more attention to the other people nearby. I happened to hear one of them comment to another that she wondered why Evon and Justin brought us while Burt is gone.”

Well, that explained a few things, though Gabriel was not really sure how the presence or absence of this one man could change things. It seemed likely that he was some sort of chief or elder for the northern villages, though that did not explain the villagers’ nervousness at the caravan’s arrival.

Just a few moments later, there was another knock at the door, and when Gabriel opened it this time, a young woman stood there with a basket that was covered with a bit of cloth. “I brought yeh some dinner, so hurry up and take it in ‘fore it gets cold.”

As soon as Gabriel accepted the basket, the woman also turned and left. While she did not run like the boy, she walked at a noticeably fast pace to get away from the guest cabin.

Shrugging, Gabriel closed the door and set the basket on the table. With the cloth removed, they found plates, fresh bread, roasted tubers, and a single bird for them to share. The small fowl was still on the skewer that had held it over the fire, but Marta quickly removed it and prepared the two plates for their dinner.

They could hear the faint hum of the wind picking up outside as they ate, though the cabin’s thick walls and its distance from the other houses in the village prevented the couple from hearing any people outside or in even the closest houses. It was oddly silent for night in a village.

The next day dawned, and as normal, Gabriel was up before dawn and out of the house to see to his men and to prepare for the day’s work.

The day proceeded much like any other day in the northern villages had gone. Gabriel and his men displayed their wares, and before long, the children and the curious or idle locals wandered over to see what was for sale so late in the year.

Interestingly, the puzzles sold out first, yet there was almost no interest in any of the instruments. The toys gathered a decent amount of interest, though a bit less than in the other villages.

By midday, Gabriel’s friendly nature and enthusiasm saw him and Marta invited to a villager’s home for lunch, though their host remained surprisingly tight-lipped whenever asked anything about the village.

That evening, Gabriel was in a rather dour mood. He had been hoping to find something in the north related to the changes they had observed in the other regions of the province, but they had not seen anything, and it was almost time to return south.

Marta agreed to two more days in the village that seemed to have no name, but the next morning, Gabriel woke up to find that the door was stuck shut.

A moment of panic saw him pushing harder, and then he slammed a shoulder into the door, startling Marta awake with the impact.

However, the blow succeeded in opening the door, and Gabriel went sprawling face-first into the fresh white powder that covered the ground up to his knees.

The shocking cold on his hands and face woke him up better than he would have liked, and the sight of his rump in the air after his spill greatly improved Marta’s mood after being woken earlier than she was accustomed to.

Stomping away from his wife’s cackles, Gabriel hurried over to the wagons.

Just a few of the drivers were there so early, but it quickly became apparent to all of them that it was impossible to move the wagons through the thick snow.

Unless the rising sun could melt the snow, the caravan would remain trapped in the village until spring.