I tugged on the reins a little to bring the donkey to a stop. It hadn’t wanted to, so I had to tug just a bit harder.

As the cart rolled to a stop, one of the armored soldiers clanked over to us.

He had a thick layer of sweat covering his face, and not even his deeply tanned skin could hide the flush of heat exposure. “Merchants are ya?” he asked as he stepped up to us.

“Aye. We carry dyes,” I said, and reached over to pull over the flap of the canopy. I had already unfastened it upon noticing this checkpoint from a distance.

The armored man, and two others, stepped up and over to the side of the cart as to peer in. I stood from my seat, and reached over to pop open one of the jugs closest to them. Upon doing so the man peered in, and then whistled.

“What wealth. And… no guards?” the man frowned worriedly as he glanced around. I noticed his eyes linger on Renn for a moment, but not long enough to be weird.

“You either have the devil's luck, or you’re a stone of man,” one of the other knights said as he studied me.

Renn made an odd scoff, but I ignored her as I went to putting the lid back onto the jug.

“Honestly we’ve been on the road for awhile, and it took a few months to get all the product ready… Is something going on?” I asked innocently as I looked around. Past this little guard station was a road full of people.

Carts. Tents. An encampment.

I had thought it to be the army, but it wasn’t. At least not entirely. Only one section of the tents were the colors of this nation's military. The rest were random mismatched colors and sizes.

This wasn’t a military encampment but something worse.

“Indeed there is. I guess if you’ve been out of society so long to not know, which means you might be safe… but the rules are the rules. No matter how wealthy you are,” the one who had commented on my luck huffed as he spoke, and then stepped away. Leaving us and the first soldier alone.

The heat burnt man nodded at me. His metal armor clanked, reminding me he was likely sweltering alive inside of it. Poor guy.

“There’s a plague. A bad one. You two look healthy, and as he said you’ve likely not contracted it being away from people… but the Queen has laid down the law. You must quarantine. You can take up camp on either side of the road, but you can’t cross the next checkpoint until we give you permission,” the man said with a point down the road.

I could see the next checkpoint. It was a distance away, likely on purpose. It looked nearly a mile or two away, and there looked to be more soldiers there than here.

“How long?” I asked as I sat back down on the cart’s bench.

“Five days, at least. If you show no signs by the sixth, you’re free to enter the Stones,” the man said.

“And what fee is there for this wonderful experience?” I asked.

The man smirked and laughed at me. “Nothing, you merchant! Now get going. Pick a spot to set camp. A man will be by as the sun sets to take your names and marker, as to start the process,” he said as he stepped away. To join his fellows back to the shaded tent they had been sitting at.

I didn’t blame him. Not only did he want out of the sun, he likely didn’t want to spend any longer than he had to with someone who might be potentially sick.

But…

I sighed as Renn offered me back the reins. She had picked them up when I had went to deal with the border knights.

With a light flick, I sent the donkey into motion. The cart began to wheel away, and we entered the…

Quarantine zone.

Wonderful.

Glancing around at the many tents and people on either side of the large road, I wondered if I should make Renn a mask. Did we even have enough cloth for me to do so? I’d torn the only other shirt I had…

“What’s a quarantine?” Renn whispered her question as we were stared at. Most of the people in their camps were sitting around fires, but distantly. They didn’t want to sit too close to the flames since it was hot. But it was nearing dinner time. They were cooking and boiling water.

“It’s a way to keep disease from spreading. We’ll have to spend the week here, before they’ll let us enter the city. If we don't show any signs of sickness by then, they'll think we're safe enough to let in,” I said.

Glancing ahead of us, down the road, and past the other checkpoint… I studied the massive stones in the distance.

This area was a flatland. Basically a giant prairie. Yet in the center of it were massive towering stones, similar to the many monoliths we had been passing through and around on the way here. The Kingdom of Stone was built into those massive stones. Not just around and upon them, but inside them. Half the city was built inside the giant rocks, in hallowed out sections.

“A week…” Renn mumbled a complaint, and I noticed the diverse crowds we were still passing. There had to be at least a few hundred people here. Some of the tents were massive, likely housing dozens inside of them.

There were merchants. Citizens of this land. A mercenary band had a huge tent of white. Their banner was flowing proudly in the wind, on either side of the tent. A group of the eastern blond could be seen past another smaller group of darker skin, and there were even groups of women too.

And this was but one of four entrances into the City of Stone.

I sighed as I realized the stench in the air, and I decided to take us a far to the end of the road as possible. I’ll put some distance between us and the rest.

The knights would understand. I was carrying dyes. Valuables. More wealth than likely all of the other merchants here combined. They’d just think I was being cautious.

We didn’t even have enough supplies to last the week. I’ll need to make sure Renn rationed her water.

Finding a spot of grass, a short distance from the very last tent alongside the side of the road, I guided the donkey off the road and to our new camp.

“Hm. At least we get grass,” Renn said happily.

Yes. Some of the others were on gravel and stone.

Once far enough off the road I got off the cart and went to readying the cart. I locked the wheels in place, so it’d not accidentally move, and put down the little stand that would let it stay upward and not fall forward.

Renn went to unfastening the donkey, and I dug out a small stake from the back of the cart. I found the lushest part of the grass and pushed it into the earth. Not entirely, just enough to be used as a secure post for the donkey. So that it’d not run off.

Donkeys rarely did. And I didn’t need it to pull the cart, but I wasn’t going to risk it. Not with all the weird people around us, and other animals. There were lots of other horses and mules nearby.

“Do… do we have enough water Vim? For Fred?” Renn asked as she brought me the creature. I went to fastening it to the post, but I gave it more than enough slack that it would be able to not just graze all around us, but trot around too if it wanted to.

“No. I’ll figure it out. There are rivers nearby that I can draw water from, but with the disease going around I don’t know how hard it will be for me to use them. They might make me pay them for it,” I said.

“Oh?” she looked around, likely searching the horizon for the gleam of water.

She couldn’t see any, but I knew why. They had dug the aqueducts underground. To shield it from the hot sun. There were only a few sections where the rivers were accessible, or wells and pools built for that very purpose.

“Sorry Renn. I can probably get us to get through quicker, if I made a fuss and sent word to Landi… but sometimes it’s better to just abide. When in Rome,” I said as I went patted the donkey as it went to nibbling on the grass.

“This is Rome? I thought they called it Stone,” Renn glanced away, to the towering rocks.

“Ah… no. It’s not. Sorry. That was just a phrase,” I said, and had to kick myself again.

Damn. I know I had made the decision to be more open with her, but really. Too much too fast would only get her hurt.

“Come on, let’s make a little campfire,” I said. Hopefully I didn’t sound too forceful.

She giggled as she went to help me, and I knew she had noticed. Yet like the many times before… she had been more than willing to forgive me.

To wait patiently. For me.

Such a weird woman. She’d genuinely wait forever, wouldn’t she?

It wasn’t long after we finished making a small encampment. One with a small fire pit, and a few small boxes for seats, that the man who would take our census showed up.

He wore dark robes, and had a bald head. One that gleamed even in the setting sun thanks to the sweat.

He had been accompanied by a pair of guards, but they had remained on the road. They had let the robed man approach us alone, though I knew the reason as to why.

We hadn’t seemed like much a threat. They knew we had likely been out of contact with others for a long while, since dyes usually came from the far east. From the sea.

“The dye merchants,” the man said as he approached.

“Aye. My name is Vim, hers is Renn,” I introduced us as he pulled around a tiny note board. One with crunchy paper upon it. It made noises as he wrote on it. Funny. I knew that this place had well made paper, so it was likely just something he’s re-used or got wet on accident.

“Vim and Renn… So we’ll come by and check you twice a day. Once in the morning, and once at sundown,” the man began to explain the rules as he then pulled something out of his pocket. He stepped forward, and I took the tiny wooden slab.

It had a single digit upon it. The numeral here for one.

Our first night.

“Six days, right?” I verified.

“Yes. On the seventh morning you’ll be allowed to enter town,” the man said.

“The guard said six,” I said as I handed Renn the little wooden piece. She had stepped over as to see it.

“The rules changed two days ago. Every two days a shipment of water and food comes. You get rations, but if you want more you have to pay for it. You don’t need to worry over guards, our military will patrol the road all day and night…” the man went quiet as he studied Renn and me, and I tilted my head at him.

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What was it?

“Dyes? Really?” he asked me.

“Yeah… want to see them?” I asked, and I wondered if he was doubting us. Why?

“No. I’d get in trouble if I did. Still…” he sighed as he looked away, to the guards watching us.

Oh? Maybe he was a corrupt official or something. Could I bribe him to let us in earlier if I offered him some of the dyes?

I let the thought simmer for a moment, but didn’t get to act on it. He sighed again and shook his head, likely tossing the idea out of his head as well.

“Try not to mingle with anyone. There’s a few people here showing symptoms. The larger tent in the front especially. The guards plan to check it in the morning. Stay safe, keep out of trouble and the days will pass quickly,” the man finished giving us the scenario, and then turned away.

I watched him go, and noted how he and the guards didn’t even say a word to each other as they went back down the road, heading to the next group.

“Was he odd to you, or is it just me?” Renn asked softly.

“I think he was going to ask for a bribe,” I said as I turned away, to go about starting a fire. It’d be night soon, and although Renn and I honestly didn’t need a fire to stay warm even in the desert nights, it’d be strange if we didn’t pretend to do so.

“Bribe…” Renn studied the man and his guards as they began to talk to the nearest group from us. It looked like a family from here, but I honestly didn’t pay much attention to them.

Kneeling next to the little stone fire pit we had made, I got the fire going.

“So they bring water and food. He mentioned rations? So they will give them for free?” Renn asked as she went over to the cart.

“Likely just the bare minimum. I’ll get us some supplies when it comes,” I said.

She went to rummaging around in her bag, and I noticed the sounds she made as doing so.

That wasn’t her bag, but mine.

With the fire readied, I stepped over to the small box I had placed to use as a seat. Inside were rolls of thread. Colored thread, already dyed. Yet not fashioned into anything yet.

Sitting carefully, I made sure not to break or crush the box. Luckily it was made of stronger stuff than most, thanks to the type of wood it was made of, but I made a note to not sit down too quickly… it’d break otherwise.

I didn’t care about breaking the box, or even damaging the contents, but I knew Renn would laugh hysterically if I broke it… and then likely go pass out from the amount of laughing she’d do if I went and broke another not long after.

There weren’t any rocks or logs around… I’ll need to figure something out. Maybe I could convince one of the guards to bring me one, for a few coins.

Glancing over at the donkey, I found it lazily munching on the grass not too far from the cart. It looked exhausted.

It was the same one that human family had used. The first ones to have arrived to Secca for work.

Only three families had arrived before we left, and all three of them had come for help. Not just for work… but for safety.

Most had lost family. Not just to the plague but to the famine. They had hoped to work at Secca earlier, and longer, in exchange for not just the safety the canyons provided but the plentiful drinking water and food it had.

It wasn’t my place to tell them no, but I wish it had been.

“Think these would be tasty warmed up?” Renn asked as she stepped away from the cart, and displayed some fruit. They looked like…

“No. Don’t do that,” I warned her against trying to cook bananas on an open fire.

“Oh…? Hm…” she walked over, to sit on the box she had chosen for her own seat. She carried the small bundle of bananas with her, and stared at them as if starving. Maybe she was.

“You can cook them. There are many ways to. But just cooking them over an open flame will just ruin them. You could cut them up and use a pan, I guess, but I’m not sure how well it’d go,” I said.

We didn't have anything to wrap them up properly, so an open flame would just burn them.

“Oh?” she went to peeling one as she stared at me.

Watching her happily eat the banana, I wondered why she had placed her box so close to my own. She was close enough I could reach her with an outstretched foot if I tried.

“One day I’ll make you banana bread. You’d probably like that,” I said.

She smirked at me as she chewed the last bit of the banana, all the while staring at the peeling of it. She held it in her hand as if…

She wasn’t going to…

She did. She took a bite of the peel, and for a few moments chewed on it.

It didn’t take long for her to realize that the peel wasn’t worth eating. She still finished the bite she had taken, but went to readying another banana instead of trying to eat more of the peel.

“Is… is this the first time you’ve ever had a banana?” I asked her, worriedly.

“Hm? No? Vim... I've been eating these since we left Secca,” she said, just as worriedly.

“I know. I meant were these the first you've ever had before?” I asked her, specifying.

“Yes. Or well. No. Riz gave me one for the first time the other night,” Renn said as she went to eating the next.

Huh… the nation she was from had rather decent trade, all things considered. She should have not only seen them before, but have eaten them often enough to not be too new to the fruit.

As she smiled at me, while chewing, I realized I’d done a disservice to her.

There were likely a lot of different foods and drinks here she’d enjoy. Stuff she’s never seen before.

I’ll need to put an effort into such a thing. After we leave here we’ll slowly head back north, so the local cuisine will shift somewhat back to what she was used to. So before we left the Stone city, I’ll make sure she gets her fill.

“Want one?” she asked.

“I’m fine thank you,” I said.

She nodded as she went to eat another. A small pile of the peels were starting to form next to her feet.

It was very... humbling, that Renn would always offer me some of her food. Even though, like most in the Society, she knew I didn't need to eat anywhere near as often as they. Many members often asked if I wanted drinks or food when I first arrived, but rarely would they offer afterwards. And even rarer was it for them to offer as often, or as Renn did.

In fact while traveling with other members, it was usually only the children who ever asked or offered to share.

Taking a small breath I glanced around. To make sure no one was coming near us. There wasn’t, of course, but I could feel that we were being watched.

Not too surprising. There were dozens of people within shouting distance, and I knew just like we were about to be… they were likely very bored.

If we weren’t being quarantined I’d bet many would have came over to talk. To exchange news of the area, or just to visit.

There were some positives to dangerous turmoil.

“Landi is a woman about your height. She’s got brown hair, and looks nearly entirely human. But her eyebrows have white stripes in them, down the middle. It’s a little trait, but it’s obvious when you notice it. If we get separated for some reason, go find her. She’s the Queen of this place, the ruler. She has a castle on one of those large rock pillars. The one in the middle, surrounded by the other big ones. It’s very obvious once you see it,” I gave Renn some information, just in case.

“Oh…? Okay,” Renn nodded as she glanced over her shoulder, to the distant city. It was growing dark, but it was still readily visible. All the lanterns and lights were being lit, so the city was gleaming like a massive cloud of fireflies.

“Do you think you could get home if something happened? If we had to separate?” I asked her.

“Home…” Renn perked up, and I noticed her hat shift a little. My question had made her focus.

She pondered it for a moment, as she slowly peeled another banana. She was running out of them, she only had a few left on her lap.

“Or at least get back to Secca?” I asked as I watched her fingers.

She had cut her nails... very short this time. She had done it the day after I had accidentally woke up and poked my eye on one of her nails, so I understood why she had done it... but...

I kind of liked them when they were longer. And for me to have been the reason that she'd probably now keep them that short for a good long while... it was well...

A little upsetting, to be honest.

“I could do that. Especially since most of the road had been straight. I might get lost a little in the canyons, but only because I’d be entering from another angle. If I rounded them to find the route we took on the way there, I’d be able to find it easily,” she said as she thought of it.

Right. Her memory.

Terrifying.

“Home though might be hard. We spent longer on that river than not, and I’d been distracted so I hadn’t cared at all for watching the world pass us by. But honestly Vim I probably could? I mean… I just need to go north until I find a place I recognize or know about, and then head home from there,” she said.

I nodded. “Just… remember for me. Just in case. You never know Renn,” I said.

She smiled as she nodded, and then tossed aside another peel. “I will. But let’s try not to let that happen, okay?”

Right. Let’s not.

Renn happily went to eating another banana, and I wondered how she hadn’t gotten sick of them yet. That was her… eighth one? So far? She had eaten a few more earlier, on the cart this afternoon, but…

“Is this how they write the number one, Vim?” Renn then asked as she held up the little wooden marker that man had given us.

“Yes. It’s more reminiscent of an older language. But you’ll find that most of the written word here is the same as you know. A few words might look odd, but you’ll be able to make sense of them with a little effort,” I said.

“It’s similar to what the witch taught me. Her language wrote it like this too,” she said.

Oh…?

Oh. Right. “You did say she taught you another language,” I said as I remembered.

She nodded, and then frowned a moment… and then she drew a symbol in the air with her hand that held her next conquest.

At first I didn’t see what she meant by similar… but after a moment I realized it.

“She taught you the language of the western steeps?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“I don’t know? She just said it was hers, and that it would be useful for me. She had a lot of books in that language, so…”

Leaning forward, I checked the ground.

No. Although dry, the grass was too thick and healthy. She’d not be able to write in the dirt.

Did we even have a pen or pencil? Or a strip of charcoal?

No… but we had paint. Plenty of it.

Standing, I ignored Renn’s curious look as I went over to the cart. To find the small jug I had in mind.

The small vase like jug was about the size of Renn’s head, and was full of a sloshing paint. A green color. Once I had it I went to find something she could paint on. It didn’t take me long to just take the lid off one of the larger boxes. A little paint wouldn’t hurt it.

“Vim?” Renn sat up straighter as I carried the jug of paint and the lid over to her. Putting the paint down next to her, I smiled at her and knelt a little.

Picking up a small stick, I handed it to her and nodded. “Write me a word, in that language,” I said.

Renn gave me an excited smile as she nodded and happily grabbed both the stick and the lid from me. She put it on her lap, ignoring the bananas, and I took the lid off the jug of paint for her.

She dunked it in, and then held it out a moment. It dripped a bright green, and after a tiny shake it was ready.

Stepping around her, as to look over her shoulder, I watched as Renn wrote… or rather painted… a single word.

“Yep. That’s the language found in the western steeps. Interesting,” I said as I noticed the way she had written the vowels. Not only was that the language of the steeps, it was the one of the educated. They had two writing styles, one for the higher born individuals and those of a lesser cast.

Which meant Renn’s little witch friend… had not only been from far away, relative to where she had found Renn… but had also been someone of importance.

Maybe even a royal. Which was odd. They’d not have banished her for being weird, or her supposed magic she used.

If Renn knew her story she hadn’t shared it with me yet. Maybe I’d ask it someday.

Renn frowned and sighed as she looked up at me.

“Hm?” I wondered what was wrong.

“You’re just going to ignore what I wrote?” she asked me.

Oh. Right…

It wasn’t the word for love… but it was close. It more so meant passion than affection. But if Renn knew that or not was up to question.

Smirking at her, I held my hand out. She stared at it for a moment, but then handed me the small stick.

Dipping it back into the paint, I responded to her word with one of my own. I wrote it a little smaller, since she had taken up most of the lid with her calligraphy, but it was fine.

Renn smiled at my answer… and I handed her back the stick. She took it excitedly, and I wondered if she’d use up all the paint before we were able to deliver it to Landi.

I didn’t mind it… but I would have to find her more to paint on. That lid was only going to work for a few moments, and there were only a few boxes with such lids. The rest had been sealed with nails.

Maybe I could just let her paint all over the cart…? We’d be leaving it here anyway.

“Vim.”

Turning to her, she smirked as she lifted the lid, to show the other side. Where she had written a small sentence. One that was basically accusing me of being a failure of a man, in a way.

“Yes. I wish we had a tent too,” I said to the oddly happy woman.

Giving me a toothy grin, Renn happily giggled as she went to paint something else.

Knowing her she’d spend the whole night talking to me like this. Not with words spoken, but painted.

Oh well… it was fun. And I’d rather her be happy and joyful than depressed and bored.

And if I could keep her attention on me, and away from the very obviously sick people not far from us… then all the more reason to indulge her.