Orion hated how the village houses while seemingly empty, still managed to leer out under the warm midday sun. He followed Romril down the beaten path and wondered when was the last time the villagers had found the time to thatch and mend their roofs. And yet doors sat open, almost welcoming visitors into the dark spaces that lay beyond. Children ran freely through the street, chasing dogs, cattle and small creatures that Orion quickly identified as rats.

Orion shuddered and moved to get out of the way. It was then he caught sight of Laurel gaping wide-eyed at the scene before them. He slowed his

"Are you alright?" He couldn't believe that he was the one checking up on his keeper. Still, Laurel had made a few efforts to extend a kind hand. Perhaps now was the time to reciprocate.

"I--no. No, I'm not alright." She shook her head and moved to push a few strands of blond hair away from her eyes. "Allowing these bulls to wander freely among the children is a recipe for disaster."

"Disaster?"

They ducked to keep left among the row of houses that loomed before them. Orion was uncomfortably aware of the prying gazes and followed their every move. And even the scrawny dogs that darted through the streets shot away to hid behind rickety carts and moulding bales of straw.

"I've seen it before. Bulls are bad-tempered and easily spooked. Whats to say that they won't maim these children?" Laurel quickly nodded and motioned for the children to move away. But they only stopped to watch, dark-eyed and curious, as Orion and his keepers shuffled deeper into their village.

Orion frowned in concentration. "You're right, nothing is stopping them, but you do have to admit that they look happy. And besides, villages near these rocky mountains believe that letting the bulls mingle within a herd of cows calms them."

He paused as a woman with her hands full of dough leaned out the window and caught his eye. She watched him wordlessly before her gaze shifted to Romril who had stalked ahead. Then as quickly as it started, she moved away and closed the shutters behind her.

He heard a sharp intake of breath beside him as Laurel moved to catch up with Romril. A few sharp words later and Romril reluctantly shoved his blade further under his cloak. Orion quickly ducked his head and wished that he had asked for a cloak before leaving the Dilid stronghold. Romril's weapon might have frightened the lady, but in a village that most likely dealt with wolves and the injuries they brought with them, Orion had a sinking feeling that his bleeding arm was what frightened her the most.

The flutter of moving feet caught his eye and Orion looked up to see that the elves had settled under a large tree within the village square. Beyond that lay another low stone wall where a group of young men stared out from behind the safety of the rocks. One of them, a tall fellow with features like stone, turned to the boy beside him and mouthed something. They both laughed. Then Romril turned with a hiss and the laughter slowed to a trickle.

"Empty air-headed fools." Romril had placed himself squarely in the shade to glare out at those who look on for a little too long. "In fact--" He paused to pick something--a leaf--off his shoulder before turning to Orion with a grin. "We might have a little more luck finding our way to the citadel if we send you to ask the questions."

Orion scoffed. "A little more luck. Sure. But given that your queen put you in charge of ensuring no failure, I would have expected a little more effort with the planning. All this--" He gestured at the scene before him. "Seems very haphazard."

"You..." Romril rose to his feet his a low growl but a sharp tap on his shoulder forced him back down onto his seat.

"Don't cause a scene."

"Why? We're supposed to be a family and this is what families do." Orion looked at her blankly, then immediately regretted it when a look of sadness flashed across Laurel's face.

"That might be so but families also have a structure that demands respect. And as for you," Romril roughly pulled Orion down onto the ledge beside him. "you need to learn when to lose the lip and behave."

Laurel folded her arms, pinched the bridge of her nose and turned to look out at the children who had now gathered to observe them from behind the safety of a nearby doorway. "Let's not forget that our queen gave us a deadline to complete our task."

Orion's heart sank. A deadline was the last thing he wanted to face right now. Then again, it was consistent with the pattern of keeping him in the dark. He took a deep breath and fought to control the rising panic within him. The elves kept arguing.

"The boy has a point. You were supposed to lead this expedition, and yet, three days into this journey and we are still leagues away from where we are meant to be with no way to get there."

"We had agreed that finding human civilisation would be a guaranteed way to find transport towards the main city. You agreed that my idea would work. If anything, you are just as responsible for where we are right now."

"Look around us Romril. The people are struggling to coax their crops from the soil. What makes you think that anyone will be willing to transport us to the city? We don't have anything to pay them." She started to frantically rummage through her pockets and the thought of running away briefly coasted through Orion's head. Would they even notice?

He sighed and rolled his foot gently on the ground. Walking to the Alstras was most likely out of question. He picked at the weeds growing out of the ledge, slowly rolling through the thoughts in his head. He hated to admit it, but Romril's idea wasn't completely foolish. Once away from the forest and its ageless evergreen pines, the air was brisk upon his skin and it was easy to see that autumn was well on its way. He eyed the scene before him and caught sight of the scattered crates laying in the shade cast by the house beside them.

One look into the crates and he felt himself begin to smile.

"Laurel?" Orion turned, eyes widening when he saw that the elves argument had progressed to suppressed yelling and indiscreet pushing.

"Laurel." He slowly raised his voice, keenly aware that in doing so, he drew the attention of a gathering crowd of onlookers. A young amber-eyed girl caught his eye. They blinked and he felt a twitch run through his head. Then before he could react, she ran off with her blue dress fluttering below her knees.

"Romril's original plan might still be salvageable." He held up a potato and tossed it towards Romril who caught it with a scowl. "If I'm not wrong, someone in this town is heading out soon enough. We just need to figure out if it's in the direction that we want."

"What?"

"No one would box these up without a good reason. If you ask me, it seems like the villagers haven't forgotten about harvest time."He nudged the second crate with his toe, knocking the lid off to reveal radishes nestled among a bed of straw and fallen leaves. He shrugged at the elves confused looks and continued with a sigh. "Every year my aunts used to drag me into town in order to buy enough produce to last us through the winter."

Someone cleared their throat and a shadow passed over Orion's foot. He turned, cheeks reddening when he saw the burly man standing before him. The young girl from before hovered hesitantly a few paces back. "I--" He looked at where his feet had been and gave a sheepish grin. "I was just curious about what was in these crates."

"Humph. You look like quite the troublemaker."

"And as for these two, I don't like the look of them." He held up a hand, silencing the group before anyone could utter a word. "Nothing good ever comes out from deep in the Twinwoods Forest. Nothing except wolves and those infernal elven critters.

"We promise that we harbour no ill intentions towards you, your family or your friends within the village." Laurel paused with a frown and nudged Romril with her foot. He quickly straightened up with a firm smile.

"Indeed. We..." He quickly glanced at Orion. "We are nothing more than inhabitants of the small town beyond the mountain range--"

"Addersfield." Orion quickly interjected with a nod, desperately hoping that his guess was somewhat believable. If memory served him well, Addersfield was indeed on the other side of the mountain, far enough to justify never coming into contact with this village. To his relief, the man relaxed and whistled for his dog to return calmly to his side.

Romril gave Orion a grateful stare before gesturing at Orion's arm. "As you can see, my nephew, among his many other ailments, has had the misfortune of injuring himself. So my wife and I seek the help of the healers in Altras."

"Is that so?" The man narrowed his eyes and drummed his fingers against his thigh. "You have a glib tongue, more so than the snakes that creep in during the dead of winter. But I do believe you when you say that your boy needs help."

He nodded to the young girl who had remained close to his side. She darted away, eyes wide, into the shadows of a nearby doorway. From within, Orion caught the quick flash of an apron and the firm stare of a hallowed mother.

"You've already created quite the disturbance and we're far too busy to entertain distractions." The man moved to help Laurel off her perch on the low stone wall. One firm look from him sent the remaining stragglers back to the corners where they'd wandered in from. He guided them quickly into what seemed to be his home and shut the door firmly behind them.

"You're in luck." He funnelled them into a dimly lit room filled with clutter and a few rickety pieces of furniture. "I had planned to venture in the direction of Altras in a few days. But what difference will a few days make? The sooner I leave, the sooner I can return to my family."

"So you're agreeing to bring us there?" Romril's face lit up with a look of excitement, then he caught Orion's eye and quickly sobered up.

"Agreeing? No. I'm extending an offer because the decision would work in my favour. Your nephew might be injured but he's still strong. With his help loading the cart, I will be ready to go much sooner than expected."

They all turned as the door creaked open behind them to reveal a woman with two steaming bowls of what smelled like a stew. She smiled and handed them to the elves. "You'll have to excuse Brom's surliness, with all the strangeness hovering around, it's hard not to be guarded when meeting outsiders."

"Strangeness?" This time Laurel was the one to pip up. The spoon hovered awkwardly between the bowl and her mouth.

"Indeed." The woman sighed and pushed her braid back behind her shoulders. "Perhaps your hometown has been lucky enough to avoid the worst of it but this year's harvest has been dismal. Not to mention the crop abnormalities..." She trailed off before quickly shaking her head, a small uncertain grin crawled across her face and she patted Orion's on the shoulder. "Let's just say that our cattle have never given sour milk before a few months ago. But enough of my prattle, let's see what's happened to you."

She pulled him out into the kitchen, gave him a once over and sucked in her breath. "Goodness, when Brom told me about your injuries I had expected a broken bone or two, but this..." She paused before quickly shaking her head. "No matter. What is done is done and those dressings look like they need to be changed."

With that, she began to bustle him towards the kitchen table.

"Should I..." Laurel's voice drifted towards them and Orion looked up to see her hovering in the doorway.

"Absolutely not. I don't know what you've done to this child but you've done enough." She pushed Orion gently down into a chair and Laurel reluctantly backed into the living room without another word.

The chair dug painfully into his back as Orion watched the woman flit quickly around the tiny kitchen. A small brown pot stood bubbling over the strove, and above them, tiny clusters of vegetable hug drying in the cloistering heat. The woman returned with a handful of cloth wrappings and a bundle of herbs. At Orion's uncertain gaze, she offered him a small smile.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself. You may call me Ida and I promise that I don't mean any harm." She gently pulled the crude bandages off Orion's arm, giving him time to wince as the damp air rushed towards his skin. Upon seeing the wound, Orion groaned. Puncture marks lined his skin, their edges turning purple and clear pus had begun to gather where the bites ran deepest.

If Ida was shocked, she didn't say much. Instead, the woman firmly gripped his arm and uttered a short apology before running a damp cloth over the gash.

Orion's hands instantly went to grip the table as a searing sting raced up his arm. Ida hushed soothingly and patted his knee. Within seconds she had expertly cleared fragments of wood and soil from his arm. Before he knew it, Orion's arm was bound once again.

They sat in silence. Orion was on the chair and Ida kneeling softly on the ground before she turned and ran a tentative finger over his wounded eye.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what happened to your eye?"

Images of the Dilid queen and her cruel magic raced through Orion's mind. He shuddered and shook his head half expecting Ida to push for more information. To his surprise, she only nodded.

"If that's the case, I won't dig. But if there's anything, and I mean anything, that I can do to help you then be sure to let me know." She pulled a bowl of warm soup from the stove behind her and handed it to him.

Orion nodded dully and turned his focus to eating. The warm meal tingled on his tongue, and without realising it, Orion found himself shovelling spoonfuls of turnip and meat into his mouth. The meal was a world away from the mushrooms Laurel had been foraging from the forest floor. And his stomach rumbled in reply. He blushed and cast Ida a sheepish look. She only smiled spooned another dollop of food into his bowl.

Once he had eaten his fill, Ida emerged from behind a door and handed him a faded blanket. Then she led him back into the room where Romril and Laurel were sullenly waiting. Brom and his daughter were nowhere to be seen.

"If you're going to depart with my husband, then you'll need to get some rest." She nodded at the two sullen elves in the corner and ushered Orion towards a large chair with a smile. Romril grunted thanks and watched as she shut the door firmly behind her.

"You better not have said anything stupid."

"What?" Orion scowled and pulled the blanket around his shoulders. Romril wasn't the one with the copious injuries, yet he somehow managed to be the most ill-tempered of the three.

"I said--"

"Give it a rest Romril." Laurel reached over and gave him a short kick. "I heard their conversation through the door. All she did was change his dressings."

Orion watched a hint of anger race across his face. Then it vanished and the elven man retreated into his cloak without another word. Orion suppressed a smile, then turned to Laurel to mouth a short word of thanks. But she only shook her head and motioned for him to go to sleep.

Sleep came for Orion much faster than he expected and before he knew it, he was being pulled out the door and into blinding sunlight. Under the watchful gaze of curious neighbours, Brom ushered him quickly towards a large rickety cart laden down with the crates seen before. Among them, bundles filled with moulding greens peeked out from within the corners.

The mottled brown mare stamped impatiently. And Brom moved to comfort the horse.

Orion turned his attention to the two elves who had already settled squarely into the cart. Laurel waved him over.

Slowly he climbed into the cart. But without the use of his second arm, Orion had to strain to avoid falling over. Someone snickered but Ida quickly shushed the snooping girl and handed Orion a small cloth bundle.

"Oatcakes for the journey." She nodded before quickly retreating into her home.

The cart suddenly lurched and Orion had to work to suppress a yelp. Firm hands gripped the back of his shirt, pulling him safely into the opposite corner. Brom offered a short apology and Orion mumbled a quiet word of thanks.

Orion couldn't help but gaze at the passing gates as they made their way steadily towards the edge of the village. A well-worn path spread evenly before them and the sky was clear. If Brom was correct, they would reach the king's citadel before the week was over. Yet Orion could not help but worry about what was to come.

He sighed and traced his fingers along the edges of his wound dressings. Streal the Dilid queen's necklace, return it to her and then he would be free to go home to his aunts. Flashes of their encounter raced through his mind and he frowned. Aunt Reuna had always reminded him to find the positives in everything that he did. And when else would he find the time to embark on an adventure like this?

The cart lurched as they went over a ditch in the road.

The Dilid queen's bracelet bound him to his duty. And his heart pinched when he remembered her offer to tell him more about his mother. But while the birds soared freely above him, Orion realised that the queen had never promised to set him free.