"I'll just leave these here," Mursa said, placing Jeri's now clean and dry clothes on top of a rock a short distance from the stream the warrior was bathing in. The wizard had spent the good part of an hour casting spell after spell to remove the dirt and bloodstains from the cloth and had even done what she could to mend the tears in Jeri's shirt, although there was still a large strip of cloth missing that Jeri had torn off to create a makeshift bandage. "And you can use this old robe to dry yourself off."

"Thanks," Jeri said, not looking at the wizard.

"I said I was sorry."

"I still think you did it on purpose."

"Yes I definitely wanted to spend the last hour exhausting my magic to clean your dirty clothes while you lounged around and lost my soap."

"That was an accident!"

"Well so was me leading you into the water. I just forgot that humans can't see in the dark like I can. I've spent three decades with just Kur and Master Rheulaan for company so I have a lot to get used to out here in the world."

Jeri sighed, idly splashing at the water in frustration. "Sorry, I shouldn't be taking it out on you, I'm just upset about… well everything really."

"I understand," Mursa said. "It's been a tough day and we are both tired. But, we just need to be like your horse, he has been standing here quietly and hasn't made a noise for an hour."

"He's asleep."

Mursa looked over at the warhorse in confusion. "But he's still standing up."

"Horses do that," Jeri explained. "They can sleep standing upright."

Mursa moved closer to the horse and waved her hand in front of his face, observing Desert Wind's slow steady breathing. "Well there is certainly a lot Master Rheulaan didn't teach us," she said.

"You didn't have horses?"

"Not until recently," Mursa said. "When Master Rheulaan first organised this trip he left the tower for a few days and came back with two horses and taught us how to ride, but before then we had never seen one before. We were very sore for the first couple of days before we got used to riding them."

"I can imagine."

"Well, I had better… um…" Mursa said, pointing towards the cave and starting to walk away.

"Wait," Jeri called after her.

"What is it?" Mursa asked, pausing near the cave entrance.

"Three decades?"

"What?"

"You said that you had spent three decades with only your brother and Master Rheulaan for company."

"Yes, that's correct."

"So that means you are more than thirty years old?"

"Thirty three years old last summer," the wizard confirmed.

"But you look so young, I thought you couldn't be more than sixteen."

Mursa laughed. "Elvish blood remember. Why? Does my age matter?"

"No, not at all."

"Good. I'll leave you to get dressed then."

As the wizard turned and brushed past the vines into the cave, Jeri waded out of the water and picked up the old robe Mursa had left behind for her to use. It was the one Jeri had first seen the wizard wearing during their first meeting early that morning, although after all that had happened that meeting seemed so long ago now. The robe was torn and ragged, as the wizard had cut several long strips of cloth off it to use as bandages after Jeri had been injured fighting the goblin warrior in the river. Making a mental note to buy the wizard a replacement when they reach civilisation as thanks, Jeri quickly wiped herself down, drying herself as best she could. She squeezed as much of the water as she could out of her hair but would still be damp for a while. She had taken the time to release her hair from its normal tight braid and wash away the dirt and blood from the past day's adventures and it now hung down her back to just below her shoulders.

Once she was dry, Jeri hung the robe across a nearby tree branch to dry overnight and dressed quickly in her clothes, gambeson and boots. She had been shivering in the cold night air, but noticed as she dressed that the wizard had somehow managed to warm her clothing with her magic and the chill disappeared. Jeri doubted her clothes had ever been that clean before either, and she marvelled again at the power of a wizard's spells. After she was dressed, Jeri picked up the leather pouch she normally wore around her neck, which she had placed carefully up on a rock at the edge of the stream to dry. The leather was still damp, but she still hung the leather thong around her neck and let the pouch drop down inside her shirt where it was safe. She kept the pouch tightly sealed so she hoped the valuable gems and coins inside were still there when she next checked as she doubted that she would be able to find them again if any had been lost in the deep pool of water. Finally, she retrieved her sword belt. She had drained out the water from the scabbards before replacing the weapons, but she would need to attend to them properly in the morning once it was light. For now, she used the sword to push the vines to one side again and entered the cave.

While outside there had been just enough light from the stars peaking out behind the gathering clouds to see by, inside it was pitch black, the vines at the entrance allowing very little light to pass. Jeri could hear the wizard moving around further down the tunnel, but she couldn't see anything, so she called out to Mursa for assistance.

"Yes Jerenia?" the wizard responded from somewhere further down the tunnel.

"I know I said no fire, but could you summon some of those floating light orbs so I can see where I'm going."

"Of course."

Jeri heard the wizard moving about again and then a rustling as she searched through her belongings for the necessary components for the spell. Soon after four bright orbs of light appeared in the tunnel. Jeri shielded her eyes and blinked. "Brighter than I remembered."

"Sorry," Mursa said and waved her hand. The orbs of light immediately dimmed to a more tolerable luminance.

"You can do that?"

Mursa nodded. "I can even change their colour." She gestured again and the light changed to violet. "There, now they match your eyes."

Jeri frowned as she said, "but my eyes aren't purple."

"Um…" Mursa stammered. "Are you sure?"

"I think I know my own eye colour," Jeri replied. "My eyes are brown and have always been brown."

"Oh, I must have been mistaken then, sorry." Mursa gestured again and the orbs changed back to a dim yellow light. "I must be more tired than I thought."

"Perhaps we both are," Jeri replied. She put her sword belt and her weapons down near the cave entrance and picked up one of the saddlebags which she intended to use as a pillow to rest her head on. She then walked down the tunnel to where the wizard had unrolled Jeri's bedroll and blanket. "You take the bedroll," Jeri said, picking up the blanket and moving to the other side of the tunnel.

"All right," Mursa said after a moment of hesitation. "You won't be cold?"

"It's a cloudy night," Jeri said. "So all I should need is this blanket. However, I will see if we can buy some additional blankets and other gear at the first village we come to. They mightn't have much, but hopefully they will have a store or be able to share something with us for a few coins."

The wizard nodded and snuggled up in the bedroll, resting her head on her rolled up cloak. Jeri followed suit, and although the rocky floor and the tunnel was hard and unyielding she had slept in worse places. She rested her head against the saddlebag, pulled the blanket tight around her, and closed her eyes. Soon afterwards the orbs of light vanished and as both women drifted off to sleep a light rain began to fall outside the cave. Desert Wind woke as the rain began and after shaking himself once, he shuffled under the shade of a nearby tree to escape the worst of the rain and went back to sleep.

Jeri woke the next morning to find light streaming in through the mouth of the cave, the clouds and rain of the previous night having vanished with the dawn. Throwing off the blanket she climbed unsteadily to her feet and stretched to get some feeling back into her limbs before she headed for the entrance to the cave, brushing past the hanging vines without thinking. After a quick trip into the bushes to relieve her bladder she returned to the cave mouth and located Mursa sitting on a rock beside the stream on the other side of the cave. She was studying a large leather-bound book, the very same book Jeri had found in the tent yesterday. The wizard's purple travel bag already packed and sitting beside her and she was wearing her warm cloak, the hood pulled up over her head.

"You didn't wake me," Jeri complained.

"I only woke half an hour ago myself," the wizard said, putting the book aside for a moment and pulling back the hood of her cloak. "I needed time to study my spellbook and you looked like you could use the rest. I planned on waking you once I finished."

Jeri knew it wasn't the wizard's fault she overslept, her body obviously needed the rest. When on campaign she was able to get by with just a few hours sleep every night and over the years she had become used to waking early to take the early morning watch. However, last night she must have been especially worn out as she had slept hours longer than normal, but at the same time she did feel very refreshed this morning. "You have half an hour," she said, walking away from the wizard and back to the entrance to the cave.

In fact, it took nearly an hour before Jeri had finished sharpening and oiling her weapons, equipped her armour, and had prepared Desert Wind for the day's ride. She also checked on her wounds and although the cut to her head still ached it wasn't bleeding and she decided to leave the bandage off for now and wear her helm in case they ran into any trouble. After a quick check that she hadn't left anything behind she led Desert Wind across the stream, taking extra care not to fall in this time. Once securely past the stream, Jeri mounted up and then assisted Mursa in clambering up onto the horse's back to sit behind her. With a flick of the reins, the horse headed for the track leading down to Dezeel province and whatever they might find there.

The light rain of the previous evening had made the ground soft, but the track still held up well under the big warhorse's heavy hooves. Unlike the rough mountain track they had travelled up the previous day, this track had been widened sometime in the recent past to allow waggons to travel along it and it had also been kept relatively clear of obstructions. It was also almost entirely downhill, so Desert Wind was able to increase his speed without tiring and they were soon far from the isolated mountain valley where they had spent the evening. There was no sign of the village whose lights Jeri had spotted the previous evening, but the blue water of the Bannalach was in sight for most of the journey.

After stopping for a brief meal of dried nuts and fruit around midday they continued on and soon the track crossed below the tree line and they were again deep in a thick forest. However, the path still remained clear and the undergrowth on both sides of the track had been chopped back so it didn't foul the passage of anyone travelling by this route. Another hour of travelling and Jeri thought they must be getting close to the village she had spotted soon. Then, off in the forest just a short distance ahead, she heard a loud cracking sound that echoed around the hills. Jeri looked up and could see one of the taller trees shake and then slowly topple to one side. The sound of snapping branches followed as the tree fell sideways through the forest followed by a loud thump as it crashed into the ground. Several birds screeched in protest as they flapped off across the forest away from the disturbance.

"Looks like we have found someone," Jeri said as the din died away.

"Goblins?" Mursa asked.

"Probably local villagers," Jeri said. "But get ready just in case."

The wizard nodded and reached down to her belt and unclipped the rod she had used to blast the goblins with lightning the previous day. However, as it turned out Jeri was correct and it was local villagers rather than goblins that they found. Rounding a bend in the track, they could see a waggon pulled up beside the road and two large draft horses attached to the waggon's traces. A large muscular man dressed in homespun wool pants and shirt and wearing a pair of mud-caked leather boots on his feet stood next to the waggon watching them. In one meaty hand he held a large woodcutters axe, while his other hand held the reins of one of the draft horses. Seeing Jeri and Mursa riding slowly towards him, the man turned to someone hidden from their view and called out, "travellers."

A shorter man, dressed in a much finer cut of clothing than the first with a leather jerkin, black leather boots, and a red, fur-edged cloak, stepped out from the trees. This man was carrying a loaded heavy crossbow, but when he spotted Jeri and Mursa he clicked on the weapon's safety catch and rested it up against his shoulder in a less threatening stance. "We didn't expect to see anyone out this way," he said. "Especially coming down this track. I thought the route into Müden was closed since that rock slide a season or so back."

"Good morning," Jeri said. "We are not from Müden. We came from Deuchlach province, and from Edlenna before that."

The man's forehead wrinkled in confusion and he shared a brief sideways glance with his companion turning back to Jeri. "Deuchlach you say? Why didn't you two ladies take the main road then?"

"Goblins," Jeri said.

The first man gripped his axe a little tighter. "Goblins?" he growled.

The second man reached up and placed a restraining hand on his companion's shoulder. "A raiding party?" he asked.

Jeri shook her head. "An army, several hundred strong at least."

"Are you sure?" the second man asked. "We have seen many goblins raids in our day and there always seems to be more of the pests than their really are."

"I'm sure," Jeri replied. "I serve with Harien's Swords, you may have heard of us. We were over a hundred strong and were riding with Baron Eldred Oerwinde and his bodyguards towards Poden and we lost nearly half our number in Deuchlach yesterday morning."

The two men exchanged glances. "Turn the waggon around and ready the horses," the second man said. "We need to ride for Haldendorf at once." Turning back to Jeri the man said, "I am Tyrus Yurdvik, Mayor of Haldendorf, a small village not far from here on the shore of the Bannalach, and this is Henrik."

"I am called Jeri and this is Mursa, a guest of Baron Oerwinde."

"Are more of your company coming?" Tyrus asked, looking along the path behind the two women. "You said you lost half your company, so I assume the rest will be along soon?"

"We were separated," Jeri explained. "We came by this route to bypass the goblins in the forest, while they headed west along the main road."

"I see," Tyrus said. "And the goblins? Are they still out there somewhere or have they slunk back to their holes?"

"We think they are coming west, following the main road as well."

"Think or know?" Tyrus asked.

"I counted over two hundred torches in the forest last night roughly where we last saw the goblins. They were spread out along the road west of Deuchlach so my guess is they are coming west towards Poden."

"What about Haldendorf?"

"I don't know," Jeri said. "If I was commanding their forces I wouldn't split my army, but these are goblins and don't think the same as us so it's difficult to predict what they are planning. All I know is that they appear to be organised and in large numbers."

"Then we had better return home as soon as possible," Tyrus said. "Henrik, are you done with those horses yet?"

By now, Henrik had finished readying the waggon and with the two draft horses heaving, was able to manoeuvre the heavy waggon in a tight circle so it was facing downhill towards the distant lake. "What about the haul, Tyrus," he asked as he released the horse's reins and walked across to the others. "If we leave it here…"

"Ah yes," Tyrus said. He appeared torn for a moment before he finally made a decision and smiled up at Jeri. "Please go on ahead," he said. "Just continue on down this road and you'll soon find our little village. Henrik and I will continue our work here and join you shortly."

"What are you collecting?" Jeri asked.

The two men exchanged glances again before Tyrus replied, "just some sap from the trees here."

Jeri decided not to push them further, even if they were up to something illegal, she had more important concerns right now and anyway it wasn't her job to police the provinces of Rheulgard from criminals, especially as they were now outside Baron Oerwinde's territory and inside the lands claimed by the Meister of Poden. Instead, she asked, "is there a boat or ferry in the town? I need to get across the Bannalach to Poden as soon as possible."

"Why yes," Tyrus replied. "I happen to own a very fine vessel that may suit your purposes, it could even carry your horse quite easily. It is across the lake at Steffenberg right now dropping off a load of cargo and picking up some supplies I have ordered, but should be back in Haldendorf by late this afternoon. I would be happy to put it, and myself, at your disposal."

"That's very generous," Jeri said, although she couldn't help but feel a little suspicious his motives. In her experience very few people would volunteer their services without expecting something in return.

"Not at all," Tyrus said. "Now, why don't you head down to the village. The building closest to the dock is mine, ask for Sofie and tell her that I sent you."

"All right," Jeri said, urging Desert Wind on. The horse trotted past the two draft horses and continue on down the road while the two men heading to the forest beside the road.

"That was lucky meeting them," Mursa said as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Very lucky," Jeri agreed. "Hopefully they are all they appear to be."

"You don't think they are?"

"People rarely are in my experience," Jeri said. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"What bridge?"

"It's a saying," Jeri replied with a laugh.

The two women said very little to each other for a next hour as they rode down the track towards the village. The thick forest of the hills soon thinned out and grassland and eventually even cultivated fields appeared. This late in Autumn the harvest was over and no crops remained, but Jeri could still see the remnants of the recently harvested crops in several fields. She also noticed some scattered livestock, including one small herd of cattle being moved across a field by a farmer who waved to them as they passed by. In the distance a small fishing village could be seen huddled by the edge of the Bannalach, a faint haze of smoke from cooking fires hung in the air above it.

Then Jeri noticed something that made her frown. Just south of the village a stream of thick grey smoke was rising into the air and as she turned in the saddle to get a better look she could see several figures running across the field towards the town, carefully keeping to the shadows as they slipped from tree to tree. However, one was careless and left the shadows for a second and Jeri caught the glint of sunlight shining off steel and she realised it must be a bared blade or other weapon. She urged Desert Wind forward, while simultaneously checking that her blade was free.

"What is it?" Mursa asked, forced to tighten her grip around Jeri's waist to stop herself slipping from the horse's back.

"Goblins," the warrior replied through gritted teeth.

"I thought you said they wouldn't attack in the daylight."

"I was wrong," Jeri said as she spurred Desert Wind into a gallop and rode headlong towards the village, Mursa desperately clinging to her waist.