The weather wasn't great. Neither was the terrain. The road was very uneven, and they had to clear debris out of the way once in a while. But eventually, after a few days and many rests, the party approached the border river.

Riley stowed herself away in the front compartment, since she didn't know how anyone at the border might react to seeing a Companion in the front seat next to the driver. Sophia and Nash were in the other compartment, with the slaves, making sure that they were all alright.

Blake looked up out and over the trees into the distance. It was finally clear enough of trees, here, around the river, to be able to do so. He saw a snow-capped mountain far off in the distance to the east, in the direction they were headed. It wasn't a particularly impressive mountain by any means, but it was a nice sight for sore eyes, after the trees upon trees that he'd been trapped in up to this point. It was also a sign that things were going to get colder, which worried him, but he shook off the thought.

Looking forward at ground level, there was a smaller north-south road following the river proper, and then the road they were on, headed straight for the river, across a big old stone bridge.

A man in a tunic with some light armor on his shoulders stood in the road in front of the bridge, waving his left arm. His right arm was held in a sling. He had black hair, held back and high in a puff, with bangs in the front, and tanned skin.

"Well, I guess we've got to stop," Blake said. So he did, and he waited for the man to walk up.

"State your names, your reason for crossing the border, and pay the toll. Four hundred gold," the man said.

"I'm Blake. Our party is called The Pack. We've got some, uh, sensitive members, one of us is on the run from some organized criminals, so I'd really rather not name anyone else. What's your name? And what's up with this toll?"

"Name's Ghost. Part of the border guard." He gestured to an insignia on his tunic.

Blake started sweating. Oh shit oh fuck oh no he's going to search the carriage and find the slaves isn't he.

"The toll helps maintain the bridge. It's not getting as much use as it used to, back when it was Icemarch it crossed over into, but we still gotta keep it in good condition," Ghost continued.

"Right... So, uh, about why we're crossing over..." Blake said.

"Adventurers, right? I can see your bracelet. Them demons have been putting out a lot of weird jobs lately, I won't ask."

"Yeah, uh, something like that." Blake, nervous and unable to think straight, fumbled through his coinpurse and managed to measure four hundred gold worth of various denominations of currency. It didn't leave him with a lot, but the party had a little more leeway with their money than normal. He leaned down and held out his hand, and Ghost took the money.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"Yep, this adds up. You're free to go. Cheers!"

Ghost withdrew and left to sit on a cobblestone wall, leaning back to relax and turning his head up to look at the sky. The carriage stood still. After a few seconds, he tilted his head in curiosity, then waved his left hand in a 'get moving' gesture.

"That's it?" Blake said, quietly, but he shook his head and got everything moving again.

He looked back at the carriage.

"We're crossing the border, guys," he said.

Riley poked her head out.

"Is it safe?" she said.

"Yeah, come on out."

Nervous, she slid out and onto the driver's bench next to Blake. She leaned out, sideways, looking back. Ghost was still there, still staring up at the sky, slowly fading into the distance as the carriage got onto the bridge and began to cross.

"He just... Let us cross? No search?" she said.

"Yep."

"After all that effort I spent thinking up alibis..."

"Oh, you did?"

"Yeah? I was sure we were going to get searched or something."

"And you didn't stop me from just, like, driving across the border without a plan?"

"No."

"Come on, I know things turned out fine, but that was dangerous!"

"You can't live without a little danger! Worst case scenario, we get some blood on the road, like we did when you freed me."

Blake shook his head.

"Is that what you were counting on? Getting into a fight?" he said.

Riley opened her mouth to answer, but decided against it. She didn't want to keep the conversation going. Instead, she looked out over the river. The bridge was in bad condition. They were crossing rather slowly.

"This is a really long bridge," she said.

She thought back to fighting those bandits, freeing these Companions. She was a part of that. Once they finished crossing over into Queensland, they would be free. Well, they had to get them to a town with an orphanage or something like one first, but, in principle, they would be free. And so would she. There's no Dominion in Queensland, not by law.

She'd been in chains since her earliest memories. So this threshold she was about to pass through, this land she was about to enter, the change that was about to be made, it should be a life changing event to her. But did it feel like one? She couldn't tell. She was already functionally free. She just had a weird contract on her that didn't do anything anymore, and some chains. That was all.

"Once we hit solid ground over there, we're in Queensland. Want me to remove your contract when we do?" Blake said.

Riley's mind raced. She didn't know what to say. But she had to say something, or he might worry about her.

"I... I need a place to stay first. Before you let me go. I haven't been thinking about what I want to do with myself."

"Uh, sure, I guess, let's go with that, for now at least. Wh—what, hey, whoa there, chill out!"

The horse started to act funny, but Blake got it under control without much hassle. He took a deep breath, sighed, and wiped the sweat off his brow. Don't want to go plummeting off however many feet they are above the water down into it.

"Whew... That was close. I need to pay attention to the road."

"Sorry..."

"Sorry for what? You didn't have anything to do with it."

"Right."

The carriage struck land, and, rather unceremoniously, kept on going. To the next, nameless town it went.

A trio of bandits attacked the party soon after they were out of sight of the river. While they were dispatched without any fanfare, their appearance proved that the land they were entering wasn't the most welcoming.