Foldrin read again the note he had written in the back of his book. He had found it a few days ago when he had started to write his memories again. ‘Always write down what you wish to remember, you never know when memories may be taken from you.’ His master had told him years ago. In the beginning, he had written diligently, writing down everything, but as the years lengthened, he found he didn’t have anything worth remembering. Flipping through, he saw his old entries starting to fade with age. His last entry before Karrina had been two months ago, ‘I am going North. I am not sure what I will find, but I feel a call. The house of Kelmu never had a presence there, as far as I can tell. I guess I will find out.’ That was all it said. And the one after that was even more brief with just, ‘Don’t trust peddlers.’ He chuckled at the memory. He leafed through his current entry, where he listed some training regimes for Tarlin and his sons. ‘Hope isn’t lost’ he thought. Again, Kallmundi’s note came before him. He read it every day, hoping he wouldn’t forget it again.

I leave this here for those who follow me. I could not stand the horror that was perpetrated upon these stones, so I broke them. No longer shall they drink the blood of innocents. There are four such altars all of them broken by my hand. They will no longer open the doors between Worlds, if you wonder how I left, it was by my power which I carry with me. Kelmu has done his work well sealing the Shegika and the Apoterach, any who enter will not be able to leave, unfortunately, any others who enter are sealed also. Beyond having a Maftak I doubt any would be able to leave. There is a mechanism to rearrange the seal which I found in the Eastern Mountain range, I have left another document in the young city of Zenziril dictating where to find it. There is a well in the city in which I have left a stone similar to this one. I hope if you do not have a Maftak that you may find your way out of this Land of Dreams. Beware, the Shegika have a greater degree of control in this land of their making, I dare not consider what the Apoterach could accomplish if they were free. May the Creator watch over you always. Kallmundi

The words still chilled him. He remembered the Shegika; the only ones that lived in this world were the traitors. He and his master had fought several of them before. You could only fight them while within the Truth. He began to pack his belongings into his bag. He had his flint and steel, along with a new lantern. The hilt of his father’s sword was carefully wrapped in waxed cloth, that he set on the bottom. Alongside that was his Zenziril rappelling gear which he was pleased had already returned their investment. Next came the clothes that Bem had given him; they fit well enough, especially after Seeta had taken them in at the waist. Bem wasn’t fat; he was large. He strapped his knife to his belt and was about to pick up his pack when there was a knock on the door.

Opening it, he found Seeta standing there.

“Foldrin, I have a request for you.”

“Alright, what is it?” He said with a smile.

“You’re leaving, but I want you to take Karrina with you.”

*****

Seeta saw his fake smile fall apart as soon as the words left her mouth. She doubted any argument would convince him to take Karrina with him, but her father said she had the best chance. She had noticed that he would look at her differently than Karrina, with more respect and a bit of a boyish crush. If anything, he should respect Karrina, but who was she to tell him how he was supposed to feel? Besides, this was something she was going to use against him.

Before he could say anything, she spoke again, “We will pay you to take her with you. Besides, she would be able to take care of herself.”

“Do you realize what is out there?” he asked.

“Yes, my former fiancée and I had done plenty of research.”

He stared at her blankly, “I am not talking about the small dangers of banditry. There are crueler things in this World that I have seen.”

“Well, wouldn’t that make you the perfect candidate for the job?”

“Way to go.” He said under a sigh. “I am saying she shouldn’t travel at all.”

“She needs to leave. If you haven’t noticed, she feels locked up here. Always has. Despite losing her father, you coming along has been the best thing that has happened to her since her brother was taken.”

“Travel doesn’t fix sorrow. Trust me, I know.” He said as he walked from the door. It festers inside; nothing can fix that but a burning rod of purpose.”

“She doesn’t need to forget, Foldrin. She needs to see what is out there, see what her father wanted to find. To live his dream.”

“She wants to know what's out there?” He turned back toward her. She stepped back, not expecting the anger on his face. “There is death out there!” He said as he pointed to the wilds outside. “If you enter a new town, they won’t trust you. Why? Because everyone else before you either stole, raped, or killed someone they know. If you have money, they take it. If you ask for work, they spit on you. If you beg for food, they throw you in a cellar to rot with the rats. She wants to know what the world is like? The world is filled with hate.” He paused and took a deep breath. “She is better off here, where there are people who love her.”

She stood there looking at him, finally realizing why he appeared so hard and cold. He was broken. He had shown her a piece of his heart, and all she could feel was compassion. No one should have to suffer that pain.

“You want to stay, don’t you? You don’t have to leave.”

“I have to. There is something that I have to do.”

“Foldrin, look at me. Whatever it is, you have a home here with us.”

“Thank you, but I have to go.” He said as he picked up his bag and pushed past her.

“Foldrin?” she reached out to grab him but held herself back.

“Seeta, thank you for these past few weeks. You and Karrina, your brothers and father, you reminded me that there are people worth protecting.” He said while he stood in the doorway. “I’ll think of you when the going gets rough.”

With that, he left the room.

*****

“Surprise!” Karrina said as Kallem threw another bag onto the back of Bell, her father’s old donkey.

“What are you doing?” Foldrin asked as he walked closer.

“I am packing.” Kallem said, then pointed to Karrina, “She is supposed to make sure you agreed to take her.”

“I agree to no such thing.”

“Well, here is me asking. Can you take me with you?” Karrina said as she tried to catch his eye.

“I said no,” Foldrin said as he eyed the donkey.

“Foldrin, I will give you this donkey if you take me with you.”

“I would be surprised if this thing could make it to Mekra without dying along the way.

“Hey, Bell is a good girl. She has been in my family longer than I have.”

“And there is the source of my worry. Sorry, no deal. I have traveled without a pack animal for years, no need to change now. You’re still on your own.”

“Fine, then I will pay you to take me to Zenziril.”

Foldrin shot her a sudden look, “I am not a guide. And what makes you think I am going to Zenziril?”

“Well, I hear it is rather pleasant this time of year.” she panicked. She didn’t want to tell people that she was hearing voices that seemed a really good way to get others to avoid her.

“Really? From who?” Foldrin folded his arms and stared at her.

His cold blue eyes seemed to bore into her; now she wished she didn’t have to make eye contact. “Okay, I just made that up. I want to go, and you are my best chance of arriving anywhere safely.”

Foldrin nodded, “I’ll give you that, but I still won’t take you.”

“Foldrin,” Tarlin came walking over with a few rolls of fabric, ‘Karrina needs to go to Mekra to pick up her inheritance. Here is some money to pay you to escort her there.” Dropping the rolls, he pulled out a pouch of coins and tossed it to him. “If you change your mind after seeing her safely in Mekra, you can share the money she will receive; if not, she should have enough to establish herself, and you can be on your way.”

Foldrin grimaced, “You drive a hard bargain. Alright, I’ll take her to Mekra, and we will see what the Creator has in store.”

“Karrina, I need to speak with you for a moment,” Tarlin said.

Karrina felt her heart beat wildly in her chest, ‘It worked, it really worked. And now I am going to leave everything behind.’ she looked back as Kallem and Foldrin started fixing the baggage on Bell. “Will I ever see them again?”

*****

Kallem watched as Foldrin started rearranging some of the bags, taking a few things from his bag and switching them with food. He thought about asking if he could join him and how it would be nice to just walk from place to place with Karrina. But he had his family to think of. His father was skilled, but Bem was a tad shy of competent. He wanted to go, but he knew he needed to stay. The Fire that was inside him needed something to protect: a family, someone. But she was leaving; he couldn’t be in two places, yet he felt pulled to do both.

“Well, if you are going to be watching, then I might as well show you a few things I learned,” Foldrin said as he fastened the bags closed. Drawing Kallem from his thought, “If it is between food and clothes depending on the climate, then choose food. Keep one extra pair of clothes, but that’s it if you are in the wilderness. You can always wash one and wear the other. However, if you are going from town to town, you always want a clean set. People tend to respect you more if you smell clean and look presentable.”

“Unlike you?” Kallem couldn’t help but mention. Remembering Foldrin’s ragged appearance when they had first met

“Exactly. If you can, try to avoid losing your food to lay a false trail for Worngers. It tends to leave you hungry and desperate; people won’t look on you fondly if you are desperate.” Foldrin said as he pulled out the bag of coins his father had given him. “Second thing, though it should be first, never keep your money all in one place.” He pulled off his boot and showed him a band beneath the inside rim. He slipped in a few coins, “Have hideaways sewn into your clothing, and don’t let anyone know where all of them are.”

“Hey, Foldrin, may I ask you something?” Kallem asked.

“Hm, of course.” He said as he straightened from fixing his boot.

“Has this Fire ever felt like it wanted you to do something?”

Foldrin paused, the grin leaving his face. Looking at his grim expression, Kallem couldn’t shake the feeling that it suited him better. ‘The face of a warrior,’ he thought.

“Yes, though I can’t say it is an efficient way to decide what to do. Following the Call of Fire is what it is called in the stories; in my experience, it has brought me much suffering. I wouldn’t rely on it.”

“But isn’t the Fire of Creation?”

“It is. It is. But I find it hard to understand something that doesn’t use words.” He paused, “As long as it aligns with what you desire, I will follow it. Other than that, it would be on a case-by-case basis. I have followed the Call of Fire before, I can’t say that it always has a happy ending.”

*****

Karrina, you know you can stay with us. You don’t have to leave.” Tarlin stood across from her near where she and Seeta had talked last night. It looked to her as though he wanted to hug and comfort her but held himself back because she wasn’t his daughter. “You know your father and I were close before times got hard. I want you to know you have a family here. Even Foldrin is welcome to stay.”

Karrina bit her lip. She wanted to tell him everything like she would have done with her father. It was still painful not having him, but this is what he had wanted her to do, maybe not in the same circumstances, but to go on an adventure. “Tarlin, thank you for everything,” she said hesitantly, “But I feel as though I need to go. And not because I want or have to see the world, but. I think there is something I need to help Foldrin with. I don’t know what it is, but it is important.” she felt herself start to panic. It was all too soon, but wasn’t that what happened in the stories? “I have had dreams. I need to go, but I don’t know what to do. I.” she stopped as suddenly Tarlin wrapped her in an embrace.

“Hush, you don’t need the answers. Nor do you need to fix everything. It is alright to be lost sometimes, to cry, and to admit that you don’t know what to do. I am sure your father would be proud of you. Go, discover what it is that boy is seeking and come back, alright? You come back to us; we are family now, and don’t you ever forget that.” he said as she felt a tension she didn’t know she had ease away.