Bell cheered as the collector on the front of the Waystation, currently in the closed shape of a ram, smashed aside another boulder.

“I can see why they were having trouble getting people out this way,” Bert laughed as Bell directed the Waystation through the canyon.

The ground ahead was a mass of fallen rocks, thick brush, and hardy vines. The occasional tree reached for the light that made it this far into the canyon. Tall walls of dark, almost black, stone rose on either side of the land train as they wound through the tightest part of the canyon.

Bert had always thought of canyons in terms of the sun-drenched Grand Canyon, but this one was overflowing with growth. High above them, easily ten stories up, the ghostly wisps of silk from those strange trees hung out over the edges of the canyon. The occasional flash or glow of pink far above had been entrancing the night before but was barely visible now.

“How much longer till we get there?” Bell asked, flopping back into her chair as she sighed. “This is boring!”

“You were literally just cheering?” Bert smirked.

“That was seconds ago!” Bell rolled her eyes. “We’ve been in a canyon for hours.”

“The map is rough, but we are almost there.” Bert checked the hand-drawn map they had been given. “It’s surprisingly accurate, considering.”

“Meh,” Bell shrugged. “They did okay, I suppose.”

The ground ahead of them began to rise slowly, signaling the exit from the canyon was approaching. The high walls began to shrink as they rose, the light filtering down brighter and brighter as they went. In a few minutes, the gap also started to widen, the horizon creeping wider and wider until the valley was finally revealed.

“Pretty,” Bell said, “But I’ve seen better.” She turned away.

“I haven’t,” Bert grinned as the valley stretched ahead of them. Grasses in a hundred shades of green covered the floor as entire forests of strange trees crowded across the far side of the valley. A thick cluster of them struck out in a broad, rambling line reaching almost all the way to the canyon.

Strange firs, wispy spider-silk trees, and even a few enormous things that reminded him of succulents, but the size of buildings, all mixed in together. They had massive fan-like clusters that grew from a central spire that crested into a single enormous fan riddled with large irregular holes that appeared natural, at least from this distance.

“Quick reminder there, you have seen me naked,” Bell said archly.

“Oh, nothing mortal could compare to that,” Bert said with a smile.

“Good save,” Bell laughed.

“I was proud of it,” Bert admitted.

As they moved further into the valley, winding their way toward the distant smoke trails rising near the forest's edge, another peculiarity showed itself. There were only a few rocks scattered about; the ones that were… were all some form of clear blueish crystal. Veins of the same crystal showed through the grass as they moved between mounds that seemed naturally formed around the crystals.

“I want to get some of that stuff,” Bert said. “Blue crystal rocks!”

“Why?” Bell asked. “They are just rocks.”

“Still,” Bert admitted. “I think it’s cool.”

“Hey, if it makes you happy, we’ll grab every bit in the valley,” Bell shrugged again.

“Speaking of things that make us happy,” Bert waggled his eyebrows.

Bell laughed as she leaped at him.

Way Way could make sure they didn’t crash into anything for a few minutes….

===========

The route through the valley ended up being a bit more circuitous than they had imagined. A series of natural sinkholes littered the middle of the valley, forcing them to swing wide around the edge before returning to the path.

When they had managed to avoid that, they ran into a thick forest. The winding offshoot of the central forest had closed around their path, forcing them to slow as the collector on the front went to work.

Bert was happy enough to get a few samples of the trees; who knew what would come in handy, but it still slowed them down. By the time they cut their way through the last of the trees, revealing the smoke trails to be just over a slight rise, the sun was definitely starting to drop toward the distant mountains.

Bert was expecting there to be some sort of camp in place, maybe even a few guards, or a whole town in the process of being built.

What they saw as they finally cleared the rise was underwhelming. A dozen tents were scattered across a wide area, with cooking fires here and there. The ground itself looked hard-packed and rugged, the grass worn away in a couple of places, and the people huddled around those fires barely even looked up as the Waystation arrived.

“Rude!” Bell gasped. “They should at least look a bit awed at seeing Way Way!”

“Maybe someone sent word ahead?” Bert asked.

“They better have money!” Bell snapped as she stomped across the floor toward the main corridor. “That kind of attitude does not get free drinks!”

Bert chuckled to himself as he hurried to join her.

The wind had turned cold as they traveled; Bert felt it bite into him as he stepped out of the protection of the Bear’s Fall and headed down the ramp to the half-frozen ground below.

He was shivering before his foot crunched down on the frosty grass.

“Damn, this place is freezing!” Bert sucked in his breath as he rubbed his arms.

“Stop that!” Bell laughed. “Look,” She fluttered in front of him and breathed deeply; her hair shimmered and flowed in the breeze as a wave of blueish light flushed out from her core. The wave reached her hair, and it changed color, going blue-silver as she exhaled and inhaled slowly. She grinned as she finished, showing no signs of being cold as she relaxed.

“How did you do that?” Bert asked between clenched teeth.

“Stop fighting the cold, let it in, and cycle the tides, pulling the temperature into the mana channels as you do it,” Bell said.

Bert hesitated but did as she asked. He took a long, deep breath in. The cold flowed into him, and instead of fighting it, he let it fill him as he began to cycle the tides in a slow, steady rhythm to match his breathing. Allowing the cold to flow into the knotwork felt almost natural. As he did, his shivering stopped, and the air felt warmer, comfortable even.

By the time he was done, Bert felt like it was a beautiful spring morning, with just enough of a chill in the air to be refreshing.

Bell applauded him and zipped around in circles. “You’re really getting the hang of being Fae,” She said with a touch of pride in her voice. “Ooh, I should send a Multi-Bell to tell Scruff how to do that!”

There was a distant pop, a scream of shock, a cry of outrage… and then Wendy’s head appeared over the edge of the carriage with Scruff’s quarters on it.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“Stay out of our room!” She yelled. “At least knock first!”

Bell rolled around, giggling in the air as Wendy growled in frustration.

“Were they?” Bert asked with his hand over his face.

“Yup!” Bell said with a satisfied sigh. “Scruff’s a flexible girl, by the way.”

“Too much information,” Bert said quickly.

Bell laughed again.

“Shall we go meet the locals?” Bert offered his arm.

“Let's,” Bell popped into human form and linked her arm with his.

“McRae?” Bert asked one of the cloaked figures huddled over the first fire they came to. The figure just pointed listlessly at a man with his back to them, hunched over another campfire on the far side of the group of tents.

They wound their way between tents of cloth and leather, some patched, others looking almost new.

“McRae?” Bert asked again once they reached the man. Long grey hair tumbled down the back of a dark leather cloak, which was all they could see of their contact.

“Fuck off,” The man grumbled. “Whoever you are, just fuck off. I ain’t moving till that Waystation turns up.”

“That would be us,” Bell said sharply. “We can fuck off as well if you like.”

“Huh?” McRae looked around. His face appeared as tanned and lined as old leather. His eyes were sharp, but exhaustion was visible in how his eyelids drooped and his strained brows. “You’re here?”

“You all right, mate?” Bert asked. “You look, no offense, but you look like shit.”

“You are here?” McRae asked again, narrowing his eyes as he looked past them to the gleaming silver and wood land train. “Fuck!” He shook his head. “No one stopped you?”

“Nope,” Bell sighed. “I expected at least a little awe, maybe some cheering.” She smiled. “What do you need?”

“Um, everything,” McRae said, his voice strained, almost desperate. “We’re dying out here.”

Bert and Bell shared a look.

“Fine!” Bell laughed. “They get one free meal and one free drink.” She smiled at McRae, “And they can get some sleep.”

“You don’t understand,” McRae sighed. “We get attacked by animals at night. We need guards.”

“Just tell us where to set up,” Bert smiled at him. “We can take care of it.”

“Uh,” McRae blinked a few times, then seemed to pull himself together. “We need to be close to the ruins, so as close to here as possible, I guess.”

“Can do,” Bert said. “Won’t take too long.”

The Waystation came to a stop, curled around the scattering of tents. They had to reverse a little before the opening faced the area containing the ruins, but he gave the order once Bert was satisfied that they had a reasonable-sized gap for people to come and go.

Way Way claimed the land within the circle in moments, erecting a gateway over the open space between the engine and rear carriages. Bell opened the Bear’s Fall, welcoming people in, with Lily helping out while Bert went to work on the area. He first smoothed the land in the center to make it easier to move around while Way Way absorbed all the small stones, rough grasses, and detritus. They left the tents and campfires alone but covered the entire area in short, soft grass.

A few light crystals on poles from their days helping the refugees were remade and sent up through the ground to light the enclosed area with a soft, warm light.

As a final touch, Bert summoned a ring of chest-high stone pillars in a circle around the center of the space. Each one was hollow, with small holes in the sides near the base. In the center of each pillar, Bert placed a heat rune; with a slow trickle of mana, the pillars became outdoor heaters, bringing the temperature up to a more comfortable level for everyone.

Way Way noted that they would eventually be able to tent the enclosed space with enough cloth, and Bert put that on his priority list.

He spent a few minutes just chatting to Way Way in the tides before heading back to see how the Bear’s Fall was doing.

The answer was… it was packed.

Bert figured that people must have been using the tents to sleep in shifts, as almost fifty people were packed into the dining area, all hunched over their food as if it was the most fantastic thing they had ever eaten.

Multi-Bells buzzed back and forth with food and drink while Lily stood at the entrance, directing people to tables or upstairs to rooms once they were done.

Shooting Lily a look to ask where Bell was, she pointed up and waved.

He waved back before heading up to the top of the carriage, finding a small group clustered at one of the tables beneath the crystal dome.

He saw Bell looking frustrated and put a bit more hurry in his step.

“It’s just not possible,” McRae was saying in between spoonfuls of a spicy-smelling soup. “The rules for the different Guilds are too different.”

“What’s up?” Bert asked as he approached the table.

“I want them to pay for their stay while they are here with stuff from the ruins,” Bell said with a stern look at McRae. “But they want to pay in credit.”

“Credit?” Bert asked. “Is that a currency around here?”

“Guild credit,” McRae clarified, “We will offer credit toward joining our guilds instead of funds.”

“Do we want to join their guilds?” Bert asked Bell, who just laughed at the look of shock on the assembled people’s faces.

“I understand you are new to this area,” A dark-skinned woman with a bald head and sharp features said carefully, “But you will not get far without being part of at least one guild.”

“Oh, right,” Bert smiled, “Well, we already have Grower’s Guild membership,” He shrugged. “I’m sure we can scrounge up a few more memberships when we have time.”

“I’m fine with paying in spoils,” A blond man with orcish features said it a grin. “Saves lugging it somewhere else to sell. I’m sure my guildies will be happy to do the same,” He stood and extended a hand to Bert, “Sonny Rickter, nice to meet you. I’m Delver’s Guild liaison here.”

“Bert Hudson,” Bert shook his hand warmly. “Hope the food is to your liking?”

“Lovely,” Sonny said with a happy sigh. “And those beds look amazing too,”

“Can we get back to discussing payment?” McRae insisted, giving Sonny a sharp look that the man completely ignored.

“Ruins loot, or I suppose cash is good,” Bell crossed her arms.

“How about my members?” The woman asked. “We are Explorers, not Delvers. We don’t loot things.”

“Yeah, right,” Sonny laughed. “Your museums aren’t full of loot in any way.”

“Well,” Bert thought momentarily, “You must do something here, right?” Bert nodded to her.

“Yes,” She nodded. “We make maps, take notes of interesting new discoveries, and catalog the plants and animals found. We also take samples.” She stared flatly at Bert. “How are we supposed to pay with that?”

“Well, we can use maps, definitely the new discovery stuff, oh, and any samples of plants and animals, especially seeds and the like,” Bert said excitedly. “I’m sure it won’t take too much effort to make an extra map or a second set of notes.”

The woman stared at him, her eyes narrowed.

“Notes, maps, and samples?” She asked again. “We can pay with those?”

“Sure,” Bert grinned. “Also, bonuses for any nice art pieces you can collect for us.”

Bell smiled at that, beaming at the thought of new art to collect.

“Unexpected,” The woman tapped her nails on the table for a moment. “Abby Hoffstetter, Explorer’s Guild Liason. We have a deal.”

“Great!” Bell clapped her hands happily.

“Uh, what about me?” A lithe figure on the far side raised their hand. “April Weaver, Messenger’s Guild.” Her short hair was red, which almost burned against her pure white skin. A long tail twitched behind her. She also seemed a lot shorter than the others on this continent, almost five feet tall at most. “I delivered the message you were coming, and now I’m stuck here.” She shrugged. “I don’t carry much money on runs, and I can’t exactly go delving or anything.”

“Messenger?” Bert asked. “Like you ran here? Alone?”

“Yup,” April said proudly. “Would have run back, but the damn animals and the weather caught me.”

Even Bell looked impressed.

“You can stay for free,” Bert shrugged. “Messengers are always welcome at the Waystation.”

“Seriously?” She asked, confused. “Why?”

“Because he said so,” Bell laughed. “You really want to argue against free?”

“No,” April said carefully, “But I do want to know why,”

“Back where I come from, there are legends about messengers,” Bert said with a smile, “Several of them are legends; we even have a god of messengers, several in fact.”

“Really?” April sat forward.

“Yup,” Bert nodded. “So as a remembrance of all the messengers who made it just in time or died trying, this Waystation is free to messengers.”

“Such a softie,” Bell said fondly. “Kind of cool, tho.”

“I’m honored,” April said happily.

===========

“So what kind of attacks are we expecting?” Bud asked Bert as they stood on the top deck of the second carriage, looking out into the gathering darkness outside the Waystation.

“They say it is varied,” Bert said. “But something has killed at least four people without ever being seen.”

“Do you think we are okay?” Bud asked.

“I think so,” Bert nodded, “Just keep everyone close to each other.”

“Will do,” Bud said. He clicked his teeth together loudly, hearing calls back from all down the Waystation. “I have them in groups, with Gavin and Lily helping out.”

“Good,” Bert said. “Plus, I have arranged a little something extra,” He nodded to the farming cars, “Just in case.”

Vines with razors of metal sprouting from them grew down the outside of the Waystation, digging into the ground and sprouting into a thick, thorny wall. Black shapes darted amongst the vines, light occasionally glinting off their carapaces.

“Pretties?” Bud asked.

“Yeah,” Bert said with a shiver. The damn things still sent a chill up his spine. Looking over his shoulder to the last car, sitting snug against the gate, he saw a figure in bone and flesh armor looking off into the forest. As he watched, the figure was joined by a twisting mass of vines that pulled back, leaving a vine-clad form behind.

Gods help whatever tried to attack from that side.

Nothing else would.