Attyon and Raden changed into dry clothes and sat down with the warriors on the oars. Zira and Nialeeka also changed their clothes, it was good they had something dry, so they wrapped themselves in one blanket. Nearby lied Camil, who woke up from his sleep, quickly changed clothes and fell asleep again. He didn't seem to mind the earlier events on the muddy stream. Nialeeka wrapped him tighter in a blanket so that he wouldn't freeze.

The return trip was long and dreary. They had to spend the night on the same boat right on the river because there were swamps around, and there was no hard piece of land where you could step.

In the morning, Raden finally found the right turn of the river, and they embarked on a familiar path. A few hours later, they saw a small section of the beach where the girls found their treasures, but it was mostly underwater. The girls looked at each other, thinking how lucky they were when they passed here for the first time. Zira rechecked her bag and made sure everything was in place.

By evening they were at home and the first thing that Raden suggested as soon as they stepped on the solid ground of Odiorn, was to deal with Camil.

"Why are you saying that!" Nialeeka immediately felt indignant. "The boy has gone through so much, and you are talking about your petty revenge again!"

Raden grinned and laughed.

"Revenge is an exciting thing. When we tell his father everything about his tricks... Do you think will the lad be able to avoid his punishment?"

Zira also grinned, and together with Raden, looked at Nialeeka. The latter glanced at brother and sister, choosing between them and Camil.

Attyon decided to carry Camil himself, but the boy refused help and silently walked forward. He has been strangely quiet the last couple of days. It seems that he hasn't yet recovered from that fall from the mast. And the fact that he didn't break anything is already a blessing.

The road ran past the fields on which wheat grows. Harvest time is not soon, but only the gods knew how Nialeeka was happy to look at this endless field. She was glad that she lives here in a place where one couldn't always worry about the ground under your feet.

After travelling to Stais, she saw how lucky the inhabitants of Odiern were. They don't doubt tomorrow; they do not need to worry about the harvest. There is hard ground under their feet, which in the spring won't become a swamp.

Odiern was their paradise, and Nialeeka knew that she would protect it at all costs.

The girl hurried forward to go next to the boy. She took care of him throughout the journey, and even now looked after him.

Camille remained silent and stubbornly walked forward, casting slanting glances at her.

"Do you know that everything is because of you?" He quietly asked Nialeeka when he was sure that the walking behind Zira, Attyon and the warriors were busy with their conversation and didn't listen to them.

"What?"

At first, Nialeeka didn't understand what he was talking about.

Because of me?

"Raden was looking at you," Camil explained, "and because of you, he missed the turn."

"Are you talking about the time when we turned the wrong way? How could Raden?.."

Camil fell silent and didn't say a word. He made Nialeeka doubt. She furtively glanced at Raden, he noticed her look and smiled back.

The boy noticed all this and gave an unpleasant laugh.

"Stupid," he muttered.

"What?..."

Nialeeka was still immersed in her fantasies to notice how Camil's face had changed. He wrinkled slightly, lost in thought.

"I know what you all are thinking of me," he said. "An unbearable boy who only knows what to create trouble."

The girl tried to object, but Camil raised a hand, stopping her. It was strange to see this gesture performed by an eight-year-old boy.

"You always thought I'm too small and unworthy of being with everyone. I tried my best to be accepted, to be in the circle of friends. However, everything was in vain. And your attempts to protect me only pushed me from everyone else. The more you defended me, the more they didn't tolerate me."

Camil said unpleasant things with a plain face. For Nialeeka, who had always tried to do good for the boy, it was unbearable to hear.

"But it is not like this! I wanted to!.." She tried to object.

"But now that will change," the boy finished speaking, looking at Nialeeka.

He didn't say anything else, just quickened his pace. Nialeeka slowed her steps and caught up with Zira. She took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"What is the matter with you? Did he tell you something?" immediately asked Zira. "If so, then…"

"No," her girl interrupted immediately. "Let's not."

"Okay…"

Raden caught up with Camille and began to reprimand him loudly. He brought so many problems during the trip, and now he is running forward again, what a pain!

"He's changed," Nialeeka muttered.

"You think so?"

"His eyes have changed."

"I didn't think so."

"Take a closer look. Camil seems different from the inside."

During a short trip, both joyful and strange and unpleasant events occurred. Zira and the brothers saw their father, whom they had not seen for a long time. They met a man who started a massive expedition in the River Valley, an entire forgotten land, fenced in from all sides by swamps and mountains. Nialeeka herself, along with Zira, found things that could tell a little about the past of their homeland. But Camil suffered the most. He almost died but still managed to return to life.

Nialeeka couldn't help but recall the strange case. Her medallion with an artefact, which she found four or five years ago on the banks of the Odiern River, became hot at the moment Camil returned to life and looked in her direction.

This is extremely strange.

At first, she was afraid to approach him, fearing that the medallion would again heat up and burn her. When this didn't happen, she deliberately sat closer to Camil. However, nothing happened yet. And now she went beside him to see if something would happen again.

When she realized that nothing had happened with the artefact, she calmed down and was somewhat disappointed. The thirst for the unusual and the miracles around is peculiar to people.

In the end, Nialeeka decided that it was an accident.

She said goodbye to the others when her family's house appeared on a hill in the distance. Lights were burning in it, hospitably beckoning to itself.