Rain was walking at this point, carrying Charlie. He was tired, but Charlie couldn’t walk. He was healing, but wouldn’t live if there wasn’t help. Rain had a dog once, when he was younger. His father worked all day, his mother made food and cleaned and such, and Aleah was always playing with swords. All the other kids were in love for Aleah, so they ignored Rain unless he was with Aleah. The dog was just left on the road, alone like him. He kept him until he ran away, during a trip with Aleah after the fire. Rain could see the smoke from the town, meaning he was close.

Ond was disgraced. All of his tribe has died, and anyone with a grudge is usually disregarded and cast out by other tribes. All he needed was to kill her. The words rang through his head. “Kill Aleah. Kill Aleah. Kill Aleah.” Now he had a name, not just a face. It would be easier to track her down.

Aleah was unable to sleep that night. She stayed on guard, ready to attack anything. Lucinda was asleep on he lap, head pressed into her chest. This child wasn’t so bad, not as bad as some of the others she had to take care of. Usually they were crying, screaming, creatures that refused to do anything you tell them to. For some reason however, this one was different. Even now, after crying herself to sleep, it was for a legitimate reason. She seemed, older. Not a child, more a teen. She was sweet, quiet, smart, but that wasn’t all. She felt something about her, something strange.

“Does she usually fall asleep like this?” Aleah asked.

“Mostly, other times she’s a little more trouble.”

“How So?”

“If you interrupt her making elixirs, she’ll give you a bad time.” This made sense to Aleah, as there was a child who refused to go to sleep until the whole fire burned out, even though Aleah was going to be up the whole night. Aleah couldn’t help but think to herself, this child isn’t too bad.

It was dark. The only light was coming from the pub, which would be closed in any other town at this time. It was very late, and Rain was very tired, but Charlie needed a doctor.

“Hello, does anyone here have medical training?” Rain would have tried to be more chipper, but he was out of energy.

“I do,” said a man who finished his glass, “Who needs help?”

Rain laid Charlie on the floor in front of him, as the man ran over. “He was stabbed by a bandit, can you save him?”

“I can, you go upstairs and rest.”

“Just keep him alive.” As Rain said this, he collapsed on the ground.

The town’s people gave Ond fearful glares. The town was small, and more just a few houses and families sharing fields. It had a pub, but that’s about it. Probably didn’t get many outsiders, especially not one missing an eye. He decided to go to the pub for a drink.

“What can I get you?” The bartender asked. As he asked he poured a man a drink, grabbing another to pour for another man.

“I thought they didn’t let Nanti be bartenders.”

“Only in the cities, smaller towns like this let us.”

Ond wanted a life like this. Calm, quiet, safe, boring. He didn’t want a life like this anymore, people had nothing to talk about. There was something sweet about it, something Ond couldn’t stand.

“Do you need somewhere to stay for the night?” The Nanti asked.

“If you have a place for me.”

“Right up stairs, you don’t have much privacy though.”

“Where I come from privacy is a luxury”

Duane’s bag was in his tent. Obviously someone opened it, but nothing seemed to be taken. That was a lie, of course, for Charlie had attempted to take some meat. Duane had worked his whole life getting these materials, and would spend his last day making them into a weapon. He didn’t know why he did this, probably to prove something to the elders of Polis, but it was too late to go back now.

“I can’t move with her on my, can you go to town and find Rain?” Aleah asked.

“I can, but they better have an inn there.”

“Actually wait, it’s a little late. Just stay and fall asleep.”

“No it’s fine, we have to make sure that dog is alive.”