Something moved among the pillows. Tali looked down and screamed.

The Chief bolted awake. "What? What's going on?" He looked over, then laughed. "Why, it's a little fern snake!" He picked up the bright green reptile with his bare hands. 

"You think this is funny?!" Tali snapped, blinking back tears.

The Chief held the snake closer to her face. "Come on, he won't hurt you." He tickled her cheek with the snake's tail.

Tali shuddered and flinched away. "You psycho! Just get rid of it!"

The Chief looked at the snake as it wrapped itself around his arm. He grinned. "All right." He ducked outside, returning moments later empty-handed.

Tali closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What a wake-up call. The Chief squatted down in front of her. "So the kitty's afraid of snakes, eh?"

Tali glared. "Leave me alone." Her stomach rumbled, making the Chief smirk.

"Fine." He stood. "But don't forget you don't get any food until you start talking." He left.

It wasn't long after breakfast before they were on the road again. Ethan and Tali had only a brief chance to talk before they left.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked quietly. "I heard you scream."

"I'm fine." Tali smiled to reassure him. "There was a snake in the tent."

Ethan sighed in relief. "Right. You did always hate snakes."

"Snakes are freaky, okay?" Tali shuddered.

Ethan chuckled. Then he grew serious. "My potion wore off."

"What?" Tali looked at him. "You don't sound any different."

He shook his head. "It doesn't work like that. Your potion is still working, so you hear English no matter what."

"Are you speaking in Karagan then?"

He glanced over at the Chief. "Not at the moment. But I probably should."

"So mine might wear off soon?"

He nodded. "Be careful."

Tali was about to ask him more but was interrupted by Kareb, who led her to the Chief's cart. The Chief sliced through Tali's bonds, releasing her arms.

Kareb blinked. "Are you sure, Chief?" he asked. "She might run."

Tali rubbed her wrists. What was he up to?

The Chief shrugged. "It's fine. She's too weak to run anyway."

He was right; already Tali's knees trembled and her breath staggered from the want of food. Kareb shrugged and boosted Tali up into the cart. Cursing under her breath, she settled into a semi-comfortable position in the cart.

The day dragged on. At first, Tali watched Ethan as he followed the cart but eventually became too weak to sit up. She lay down among the crates and even drifted off to sleep, only to be jolted awake by a bump in the road. The heat and humidity made it worse; at one point she thought she saw elephants trotting along the sky at the same pace as the cart.

When they stopped for lunch, Tali was given nothing but water. By that point, she was too weak to leave the cart. 

Before lunch was over, Ethan's angry voice cut through Tali's brain fog. "Can't you see how weak she is? You've got to let her eat!"

"She and I have a deal," the Chief replied. "She can eat once she gives me answers."

"To what?" Ethan said bitterly.

"I want to know where she's from." The Chief's voice was unapologetic. 

Ethan's reply was almost too quiet for Tali to hear. "I will tell you if you let her eat."

"Answers first."

Ethan sighed. "We're from Tennessee," he admitted.

"You can't be from Tanasi," the Chief scoffed. "I would know."

"I didn't say that," Ethan replied. 

No. He couldn't. Tali wanted to protest but didn't have the strength to speak up.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"We're from across the bridge."

"The Bridge Over the Sea?"

"No." Ethan hesitated. "We're from across the Bridge Over Worlds."

A long pause. Then the Chief and the traders roared with laughter. "You think I'm going to believe you're from a fairy tale?"

"No, I don't," Ethan said. "But you asked for the truth. I gave it to you."

It took a moment for the Chief to collect himself. "I still don't believe you. But since you gave me a good laugh, I'll take it for now." He chuckled again. "Kareb, get the girl some food. She can eat on the road."

"Sure, Chief," Kareb said. He gave Tali some flatbread, a stick of jerky, and some cheese. She accepted it gratefully.

"Let's pack up," the Chief said. "We leave in five minutes."

As Tali nibbled at her food, she overheard one woman talking to Nimi. "The Bridge Over Worlds?" she scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"They're probably from Southern Bristalia," Nimi replied. "That would explain their clothes."

The Chief barely gave Tali a second glance as he hoisted himself into the driver's seat and flipped the reins. Tali wondered what he was up to. Why wasn't he tying her up again?  Had he forgotten? Or did he have something else in mind?

Now that Tali finally had some food in her system, she was able to sit up in the cart again. She watched as the cart ambled past fan-like palm leaves and twisted branches. She felt overwhelmed by the many different shades of green dotted with hints of yellow and brown. Once again she lamented the loss of her sketchbook. To pass the time, she contented herself with air sketching some of the different things she saw, imagining the shapes they would make on the paper. She sketched the face of a monkey onto her knee, feeling the lines being etched into her memory. She committed to memory all the many exotic flowers and plants. Perhaps one day she would get to immortalize them on paper and canvas. 

They reached an official toll booth late in the evening. A guard leaned out of the window of a hut next to a gate that blocked off a bridge. He looked to be in his early twenties and sported defined sideburns and a navy-blue knee-length toga.

"How many people?" he asked.

"Twenty-four people," the Chief answered. "Two dogs, one cow, two goats, and six chickens. Plus the three cart horses."

The guard nodded absently, then noticed Tali. "What's the matter with her?" he asked with curiosity.

"My niece suffers from dizzy spells, so I had her ride in the cart," the Chief lied without blinking.

The guard leaned out the window and pointed at Ethan. "What about that man you have tied up there?"

The Chief shook his head. "We caught him trying to steal the merchandise. We're taking him to the tribunal in the city."

"I see," the guard said. "Would you like me to take him off your hands? My shift ends in half an hour."

"Thanks, but it's fine," the Chief said. "And I have reason to deliver him personally."

The guard nodded. "I understand. Your fee for crossing is 50 kara."

The Chief shuffled through his money bag and handed over the appropriate amount. The guard counted it, then stepped out and turned a mechanized handle on the side of the road. The gears clicked and the gate swung out of the way.

"You're clear to cross." The guard flipped a lever to hold the gate in place. 

"Thanks." The Chief flipped the reins. The cart jerked into motion and they crossed the bridge. Gradually, the city of Jambaban came into sight. They had arrived.