There’s a small mountain community we will reach in a day. Once there, I will work with both Gudrun and Jarl to try and obtain a small side quest. My priority, as of right now, will be to save for better shoes for the winter, as well as a proper chain for my orb.

It had been three days since the small party left. Back in Pelios, the mountainous landscapes had been popular among the sheep. From the rumors and the stories, when one ascended to various heights, their gumption and breathing abilities would become altered.

At the end of the day, Emerys would boil stream water for them to place in their canteens. Their water supply had become sacred. For even she knew hydration was important. Her friend, Lydia, would relay stories from colleagues at the university. The professor of geology had, at one point, joined Emerys and Lydia, giving an animated speech about safety in the mountains.

Only the amount of rain differed greatly between these landscapes and what they were at home. Over the past few days, mist had clung in the air for much of the day, helping things to become much, much colder. Emerys shivered, wishing she’d bought a hood with her outfit. Meanwhile, neither Gudrun or Jarl seemed bothered.

By the time they paused, there was a small grey stone building which had been carved into an ornate design, with a wooden roof showcasing the carvings of a mean-looking wolf. Emerys read the sign, and thanks to her practice with Jarl, she could make out the word.

“The Herbalist’s Keep,” Emerys narrowed her gaze. A small garden waited nearby, with a different array of plants.

Upon knocking, Emerys gave a polite nod to the woman inside. “Hello. I think I come to do some business with you?”

“Who are you?” the woman said. “I am a nun from the Order of Valvein. I curate plants for holy purposes.”

“My name is Emerys Darosi, and I am what you would call a student of stars,” Emerys pulled her orb out of her satchel. Then she held it out, doing a small flourish. “On top of that, I have control over this stone. Perhaps we can open an exchange of knowledge between each other, and potentially some other business.”

“What other business?” she asked.

“I am looking for coins to fundraise for a working chain and pendant for my orb,” Emerys said. “I am wondering if I could exchange two hours of my work for some coins. And, on top of that, I could share what I know, from where I am from, should you find such a use for knowledge.”

“Where are you from?” The herbalist asked.

“Pelios,” Emerys said. “Far, far from here. Although it is in another language, I could show you what the stars were like in my home world.”

“Maybe we can compare, then,” the herbalist said. “I have maps of the stars here. But let’s focus on the two hours of work, first. Have you ever dried herbs?”

“More or less,” Emerys said. “I have also canned olives before. The rosemary, dill, figs and mint were common in my kitchen, especially back when I worked for a soup kitchen.”

The herbalist gave Emerys a scrutinizing gaze. “My name is Velrun, by the way. And you must be Gudrun daughter of Markus, are you not? And Jarl. It is good to see you, too. How is your wife doing? Oh, well I suppose we might catch up on a few things while she works. Let me show her to her duties.”

After being guided to a table, there were several different herbs Emerys found herself unfamiliar with. She inspected each of them, feeling somewhat curious.

“You see, half of our business here would be to dry these herbs for winter. All of these have medicinal properties,” Valrun said. “I could talk you through all six of them, if you would like.”

“One at a time, I suppose,” Emerys said.

“Do you have winter where you are from?” Valrun puzzled.

“Probably not like the one you experience,” Emerys said.

“You see, the problem with our winter is that you won’t see the sun for months, and when you do see it, it’s only for but a brief moment in comparison to the amount of daylight we receive in the summer,” Valrun said. “Unfortunately, even with the oily fish one eats, it’s not always enough. The harvest for all of these plants occurred a week ago, and they are among the first of my plants to finish growing. All of them together help people cope with the long, dark winters.”

Beriol is a well known leaf that is used to boost the mood in winter, alongside some birch leaves, and a few other ingredients. None of the others seem as significant, as they are not the hero ingredient to Valrun’s potions.

Emerys pulled her two hours of work, lining all of the leaves on a rack and cleaning off the table when she had finished.

“You work quickly,” Valrun said. “That is what I have for you for today, but still. Your knowledge should be interesting. Now. Talk to me.”

Emerys explained how she found herself in the forest. “I had been studying the stars under an astrologer beforehand. I wrote some detailed notes, a lot of which are in our language and use a different alphabet from what I’ve seen here. But I do have a map. Or several. This author did study the northern sky.”

Emerys flipped to the page where it detailed the stars of her northern sky. When she had first met Verina, it seemed almost foolish for her to study the stars from a place she’d never been. At the time, she had complained about waisting her time. How she almost hated the fact that she’d been proven wrong.

“Help me name the different constellations from your sky,” Valrun said.

Emerys pointed to a long band. “That’s the great ship. It’s northern star has helped to guide sailors for centuries. It’s called Atikos, for it is named after three islands known for their military history.”

Valrun looked a bit closer, narrowing her eyes. “We don’t have anything like that.”

“So then my idea might have some weight,” Emerys said. She then turned and gestured at the ceiling. “I have listened in on the stars before, and then last night, I attempted another long study. I sensed energy which seemed familiar, in the way one might think there are rings. Ah, it sounds more complicated when I say it like that. My point is that I think I am from an entirely different world than this one.”

“Would explain the disappearances, then,” Jarl said. “Have you received any word on the missing people.”

“They’re just gone,” Valrun said. “I received a client just last week who gave some information on the searches. No traces, even in the other kingdoms. Of course, there are bounties out. But that’s not important. I want you to look at a star map from our world, and I want you to compare the two.”

Emerys looked at the map, noting a constellation shaped like a wolf howling. The nose of the wolf, then, was logged as the north star. “Based on this map, I’m not wrong, then.”

“We just have our best guesses,” Valrun said. “But the reality remains. You are not from this world, no. And, based on some rumors, chances are you might have the ability to return.”

Emerys’ wanted to forget the last part. “Let’s just finish this quest before we discuss any potential returns, no?”

“This could potentially make your immigration more complicated,” Gudrun said. “Do you still want to?”

But Emerys didn’t answer. At least, not yet. The revelations still left a lot of open questions, and the idea that she’d transferred still felt surreal. 

I now have thirty-one coins for both my work with the herbs and the information. Additionally, a lot of small things make sense now.