Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or this world that they are in and I am making no money out of this. I just want to write a sequel to a really good book that I wish had one.

Also I got the names of the towns and inns from some maps I found here are the links if you look carefully at the one from grabthelapels, at the place where Valdemar, Hardorn and Karsite meet you will be able to find The Sun Serpent River on both of them and then I used the one from printerest to read the other names.

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Chapter 12

Tanea was proud. It had been two and a half week since that incident with the thugs the boy had turned away with fire. She had been practicing that shielding the boy had told her of. Now she was able to keep it up with ease whilst she was awake.

They were travelling along the south trade road now and making much better time since her curses were no longer bothering her if someone walked by.

They had just left the town of Horn and were in their way to Kettlesmith, the next village on their journey. And the last before Haven With luck they would be able to sleep at the Dog Inn tonight.

As they were travelling something felt odd. She tried lowering her shields so she could sense the boy.

And there it was. Deep down his emotional storm had lessened, now it probably felt more like heartache than unbearable despair.

It was approaching dusk when she reached the Dog Inn. As they approached the in a young boy no older than twelve summers old walked up to the horses.

"Are ye gonna be stayin at our in. We don' 'ave many guests t'night"

Tanea thought on this. It would be nice to sleep in a bed tonight, and there wasn't much strain on her shields, proving that there were so few guests tonight that she could count them all on one hand and still have a finger or two left over.

But it would be a risk. She might not be able to buy enough supplies in Kettlesmith for the last leg of their journey. She decided to take the risk.

"Aye yung lad. How much fer a room an a place in front of the fire. No food er drink."

"Why te fire?"

"This lad got hurt and can't awake, so I be takin him t'the Healers in aven".

The boy looked at her with what she thought was a hint of awe.

"That be a mighty kind thing fer yer t'do. But shouldn'ta is family be doin that?"

"Don't know if he even has any family."

"Oh. Well it be three coppers, miss."

Tanea dug three of the coppers she had painstaking gained by selling some ointments to passing traders who were on their own. Which was rare, considering how close to the Karsite boarder she was.

The boy led her and her goats to the stable. Shy dragged the boy in front of the fire. Not to close so a leaping ember wouldn't set him afire in the night eve if he rolled a little, eve thought his rolling was rare.

Then with some help from the boy who had taken care of the goats, she wrapped him in some blankets.

As she sat in the dining hall of the Dog Inn, she ate some bread from her supplies. The boy from earlier came in and put some logs on the fire, and banking it for the night.

"It be a same ye didn't arrive a few candlemarks earlier."

Tanea turned to face him "and why be that yung lad?"

"'Cause some 'erald and twa Healers came through, looked like his wife an daughter, but who knows, maybe ye'll catch up ter em t'morrow."

Tanea thought on this a moment. "Aye meby I will."

After that, Tanea finished her bread rather quickly after that, and making sure there was nothing on the boy that someone might feel like snatching for themselves. Tanea went upstairs.

She found her room with relative ease. And once she did, she kicked off her shoes and fell into her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.

Tanea awoke early the next morning. Hoping to catch up to the Herald and Healers. Once up she got around to the business of moving on.

The sun had barely risen by the time she and the boy were on the road again, she had said goodby to the hostess of the Dog Inn before she left. As the hostess was up to start making breakfast for the other travellers upstairs.

Now they were on the road again, heading for Kettlesmith and hoping to encounter the Herald and Healers, so she set the goats off at a brisk trot.

As they traveled, she wondered what would happen if she did encounter them. Would they just brush them off, as they weren't in Haven? Would they help? Could they help?

These thoughts were running around and around in her head and it startled her so much when the mind shout came.

It was mid afternoon, when the mind shout that called so desperately for help came, she nearly missed it when the boy sat up and leapt from the stretcher, and started running into the woods.

The boy was up, and running after a moment she snapped herself out of her startled daze and urged her goats after him. She lowered her shields to check on him. And to track him. He was pulling ahed fast, than again she had to go slower to accommodate four goats.

The boy was slowing, he was fighting to stay awake but he also seemed angry, this much she could tell. She almost didn't duck a tree branch in time. She sensed eight minds ahead, three were full of fear and five were full of malice.