Despite Bodwin’s careful efforts to avoid the gnomes, their two groups had traveled closer overnight. Keenin could see them now, their movement marked by an orange crested bird that would fly down into the field and shortly circle back to perch with them.

“Get ready to say hello,” Bodwin said, picking up his pack.

He sounded disappointed, but rather than lag behind or go further around he took the most direct route through the field of Goldenrods, intersecting the gnome's trail.

“Primitive forest dwellers,” Bodwin complained. “The only good thing that comes from them are so-called exclusive food and drink. But you can't even exchange coin with them, it's all trade and barter.”

Keenin suspected that money was all Bodwin ever expected to get out of anyone. 

Something slimy fell on Keenin's foot and he stopped to reluctantly check. It was a fat slug that started oozing across his foot.

“Ga!”

Keenin shook his foot, but the slug held on. He flailed more wildly, but he had to put his foot down so he did, on top of something needle-sharp. Keenin gave a cry of pain and fell onto his butt so he wouldn’t step on anything else. The vine he had stepped on lifted from the ground and remained attached to the bottom of his foot with hair-thin spikes embedded in his skin. He closed his eyes and sighed. He felt the slimy  slug crawl to his ankle.

“Do you want…”

“No,” Keenin said firmly. 

He opened his eyes, and gently peeled the vine from the sole of his foot. The punctures left behind started to itch and burn fiercely. “Shit,” he mumbled. 

“Can you walk on it?” Bodwin asked. 

Keenin was going to say no when something distracted him, a bird, it alighted on the large toe of his injured foot and picked off the slug. The gnomes pushed through the flower stocks into his small clearing and the bird perched in the hair of the female. The gnomes were indeed short like children. 

“Oh that would be a Glassberry vine,” the man said, “Not nice.”

"It wasn't poison was it?" Keenin asked since these gnomes seemed to know.

“Poisonous, no. Painful, yes. I may have some ointment,” the man said searching his many pocketed pants. 

“What are you doing walking around without shoes?” the woman inquired. 

“Ah, I’ve got bandages,” Bodwin said as though to escape the woman’s woeful eyes. Keenin watched the bird hop around on top of her nest of hair. 

“I hope my bird didn’t startle you,” the woman said. “He’s a Garbler. They eat slugs.”

“Why does it live in your hair?” Keenin asked. The gnomes were truly fascinating people. When he saw them up close he had to admit their skin was more splotchy and bumpy than the average person, but not as ugly as some books described.

“To keep him with me of course. I need a good bird to keep the slugs out of our grape patch or else we would never get any wine.” 

The male gnome had found the small jar of ointment and knelt by Keenin's foot to spread some over the wound. The ointment made his foot tingle. Compared to the ointment the bandages that Bodwin wrapped on after felt lumpy and constricting, but he wasn’t going to say that, especially since Bodwin ended the wrapping with a sharp tug to signal that Keenin should stand up and get moving away from their new acquaintances. Keenin ignored this. He took his time to flex his foot.  

“But you can’t have a grape patch in a forest,” Keenin said. 

“We aren’t going to the forest for grapes,” the man explained. “We are going to pay the elves a visit to see if we can acquire some of the best yeast. It’s an important business.”

"Where are you traveling?" the woman asked.

The bird landed back near his feet, pecking the ground. 

“Well…”

Keenin was distracted by a tug on his leg. When he looked, the bird was pulling on a red string tied around his ankle, a string he had not tied there or ever seen, on the foot that was injured and had felt unusually cold. 

“Oh, do you believe in fate?”

“Why would I?”

“It's what a red string means. Where do you say you were headed?” the female gnome said. 

"The city," Keenin admitted.

He couldn’t decide if this fate they referred to was good or bad. 

"Kids these days like to run away early," Bodwin told them.

“You should come with us,” the male gnome said. 

“Dear, I’m sure they have other places to be.”

“We’re going to Behoden for trade,” Bodwin said speaking up, “I’m afraid if we don’t start walking it will take us another day.”

“We’ll be on our way then,” the female gnome said.

“Right,” the male said scratching his head in thought.

His wife got him turned around.

“Oh” he said remembering his thought and turning back. “Boy be careful with that fire. It has an extra kick to it.”

“What fire?” Keenin asked.

The woman gave her husband a whack on the side of the head and stubbornly left him behind.

"Lokeshi dear, I was just trying to be nice,” he said trying to catch up to her. 

“You and your foretelling. It worries people,” she grumbled. 

“It was not a foretelling. It was the earth speaking to me. Don’t deny me woman! Not when we have the most grapes!”

Keenin sighed and pulled out his knife to cut this so-called string of fate. He had already decided his path. 

Bodwin held out a hand and pulled Keenin to his feet.

“I’m carrying enough weight as it is so watch your step,” Bodwin advised.

“Geez. Admit it. You're just fat,” Keenin said to distract from the secrets. 

Bodwin chuckled. They walked and Bodwin told his stories. He spoke of the time he had gone into town for supplies only to find the entire town sick with Burflu. Then there was the time when he had all his possessions stolen and …

At one point Keenin paused and all he saw were the tall yellow swaying flowers. Keenin had never thought he could feel sick of flowers. 

“Are you sure we're still going the right way?”

There was no response, Bodwin was still walking ahead. He didn't really feel the need to catch up though. 

He sat down to fix the bandages of his foot and noticed he was watched. Tess crouched down looking at him. He blinked.

Next he knew, a hand clamped around his arm and pulled at him to stand. 

“Come on. We need to run,” he said nervously. 

“Run?”

He had just sat down. The scent of the flowers had even turned sweet and relaxing.

“Get up and move or you're going to die in this stupid flower field. Don't make me regret this,” Bodwin stressed.

“It might be nice to die in a flower field,” Keenin said. 

Bodwin tossed his bed roll and other items from his pack. Keenin was picked up over his shoulder. Behind them Tess was standing in the field holding out a flower. Keenin reached out a hand. She smiled and her lips moved.

Idiot.

*

This time the dream was with Lester. They sat beside a small stream, his feet cooling in the water. Silver minnows darted past, glinting in the sun. Lester was flicking a coin up and catching it again. Then he lowered his hand and rested back.  

“Keenin, were you never honest with me.” 

“Hmm…”

“Do you remember? I asked you if you wanted to stay here. You often looked like you didn’t want to. And then… you disappeared.” 

“I…” 

Keenin looked down in shame. He really did act like that. 

“I didn’t think things would ever really change. It was my dream. Only ever a dream.”

Lester sighed. “I still wish you would have told me. I wish we could have gone to Behoden together.”

“Me too. I know…I know you wanted to protect me.”

“Still do, kiddo.”

“I didn’t want to lose anyone else. Tess. Aleban. My home. Even so…you're the most important. I couldn’t tell you that.” 

Lester chuckled and sighed.

“What a way of showing it.” 

*

He woke to the smell of roasting meat. Keenin dragged himself up off the ground and rubbed his head, trying to soothe away a lingering headache. Then he looked annoyed at the pine needles sticking to his hand. At least they were out of the meadow.

Bodwin sat by the fire, holding a stick of meat over the flames. Nearby an emptier travel pack and Keenin’s small bag rested.

“No need to thank me,” Bodwin spoke up. “You can have that meat that's already cooked.” 

“Uh, I don’t really remember how we got here,” Keenin muttered.

“Then forget it.”  

“But…”

Bodwin picked up the cooked skewer and held it out. 

“Seriously, eat. We will arrive at the town tomorrow and I’m sure you don’t have money for this.”

Keenin thought to ask Bodwin what he was keeping a secret, but instead he took the offered food.