The Pucas removed a section of underbrush and suddenly there was a road between the trees.

Nuliyaa eyed the bushes that had been set aside. Off the road, the bushes looked dead and shriveled, compared to the blossoming green they’d seemed a few moments before.

“This is fascinating magic.” Sinchach crouched to examine the bushes.

Chesfi checked him with her shoulder and he tumbled over. “Don’t be rude. If they wanted you to know how it works, they’d tell you.”

Far too early that morning, Chesfi had woken everyone up and had them break up the camp. Then the Pucas had arrived and they had gone down the road a ways before a Puca in horse shape had suddenly forced Kachaark to stop.

“We leave the road here,” the human-shaped Puca had said.

“There’ll be tracks,” Saknuu pointed out.

“We can obscure your footsteps,” the Puca said. “We cannot obscure that.” They pointed at the wagon.

A resigned yet determined look settled over Cheeyt’s face, like she was forcing herself to accept that the wagon would be lost.

“I can lift it.” Sinchach didn’t look entirely certain of that, but he spent a few moments walking around the wagon, sometimes stopping to stare at it intently before he finally knelt down, drew something on the wagon’s underside, then repeated the drawing in a few different spots before he spoke a string of words and the wagon lifted into the air.

It had still taken a lot of maneuvering—Sinchach couldn’t steer while lifting and moving it forward—with several Pucas staying behind to hide their signs of movement. Nuliyaa felt exhausted and the sun was barely pinkening the sky.

Sinchach looked worse. He seemed about ready to pitch into the wagon’s bed as he undid whatever magic he had used to keep it up and moving. Kachaark took hold of the long bars on the wagon’s front and started pulling while Nuliyaa moved over to the mage and said, “Take some rest. Kachaark will alert us if there’s a problem.”

Sinchach looked as though he wanted to be stubborn, but Tajak stepped closer and lifted him up before he could object.

“We’re not going through Spires at all?” Nuttulch asked.

“No.” Cheeyt’s reply was curt. “No inns, no trades, nothing until we reach the bridge.”

Nuttulch and Saknuu looked slightly hurt, as though they couldn’t believe Cheeyt was still suspicious of their behavior.

“Let’s go.” Cheeyt started walking.

Stolen story; please report.

Walking on the Pucas’ road was not any easier than the road between Grove and Spires. Though Nuliyaa supposed she shouldn’t assume this road saw less traffic than the official one.

There were times the Pucas would order for them to stop and they would stand in silence, staring at each other as the Pucas disappeared into the trees. Chesfi would watch them like she wanted to follow, but she stayed with the wagon. Though Kachaark’s ears were constantly in motion, he said nothing about what he was hearing.

The strangest thing was that the world off the road never changed. Nuliyaa realized she was seeing the same trees over and over again, like they kept starting at the beginning of the road. She felt the ups, downs, and curves, though. The Pucas’ magic was strange and she was glad Chesfi had warned Sinchach about poking around in it. She had a feeling that if the Pucas were angered, they would walk this road until they starved to death.

At least their stop in Grove meant that their food supplies weren’t too low, even without a stop in Spires. Even though Nuliyaa had restricted their food rations enough that Sinchach complained every meal.

Finally, eleven days after they left Grove, they suddenly walked into sunlight, the road turned to a grassy field beneath their feet, and the Pucas disappeared back into the forest with no sign that their group had just tramped out of it.

Everyone in their group turned and stared at the trees behind them. Except for Chesfi, who was sprawled in the wagon in her housecat size, licking a paw and scrubbing at her ear.

“Are they not interested in payments or a show of gratitude?” Nuliyaa asked the Malk.

“To offer either would be an insult, so don’t.” Chesfi continued grooming.

Cheeyt grunted and examined their surroundings. “And how do we know where to go from here?”

“Straight ahead,” Chesfi answered. “To stray from the path the Pucas set you on would mean wandering in circles until they aren’t insulted anymore.”

“I don’t believe I will ever challenge a Puca’s generosity on my own,” Tseetsaa said, still staring at the woods, then the field in front of them, then back to the woods.

“You are very intelligent.” Chesfi rubbed her head against Tseetsaa’s thigh affectionately.

“Let’s get moving, then.” Cheeyt started walking. Nuliyaa noticed that she was very careful to keep in a straight line.

They reached the top of the slope and there was the road winding around the edge of the woods. Cheeyt still kept to that straight line until they all stood safely on the dirt that made up the road’s surface.

“Bridge is this way,” Cheeyt said after conferring with her map. “Mife Oschim is a good-sized town, so we’ll get supplies there. It’s still just a few trading posts in that end of Nengmek, correct?” She looked at Singmij.

“Yes. The road skirts the edge of the dragon’s territory, so there aren’t many settlements.”

Cheeyt jerked to a stop and spun on the other woman. “What dragon territory? There are humans, Pucas, and Malks in Nengmek. No one ever said anything about dragons!”

Singmij shrugged, looking confused. “Dragon. Singular. There’s just the one. He doesn’t come out of his territory and he isn’t involved in our politics. Unless you plan on raiding his hoard while we’re passing by, the dragon isn’t a concern.”

Cheeyt closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at Chesfi. The Malk shrugged. “She is correct. The dragon will not be concerned about us.” She lifted her lips in that way Nuliyaa was sure was supposed to be a smile but it looked more like a threat. “How many times have you passed this way without encountering the dragon before, guard? The dragon has been there for many more years than you’ve been alive.”

“Was there an issue with a dragon?” Nuliyaa muttered to Saknuu, who was closest.

He grinned. “Cheeyt’s terrified of ‘em.”

That knowledge brought sisterly glee to Nuliyaa’s heart.