No one uttered a word, no one looked back to see if the Fangs were following. After a long, winding climb over gravel and boulder, Elisheva, the Igibys, Podo, and Oskar reached level ground by dusk.

Soft green grass stretched before them for a short distance before the trees of the forest gathered into a green wall. They stood in a clearing roughly the size of the Glipwood Township, an oasis of open space surrounded by glipwood trees. The area was littered with large stones, but they weren't the rounded boulders of the Falls. They were squared, stacked in places, and overgrown with weeds. Beneath the grass, the trail they followed up from the river became a cobbled roadway, the stones the ruins of a cluster of buildings.

There they made camp and built a fire where they all solemnly sat in a circle.

Leeli leaned into her mother's arms and wept. Nia held Leeli's head to her chest and rocked to and fro while Oskar patted her back. Tink sat on the ground with his back to the stone bench and absentmindedly pulled weeds from the cracks between cobbles.

Elisheva felt like she'd run for miles. The whole escape felt like some crazy epic.

The horrible rockroach den, then those huge trolls! And where was Peet now?

Sure, it's worrying that he'd been caught but if she had to go on what Nia and Podo told her, the poor man had survived terrible things for years.

Janner sat next to his younger brother, trying to process everything they'd gone through that day. There was something about the way Zouzab watched Peet from the troll's shoulder left him certain Gnag wanted the Sock Man alive for some reason.

Furthermore, Janner didn't like the way that traitorous sneak had eyed Elisheva either. It made him think of a starving man... Or a man who sees something that should and would be his.

Oskar was sober. "I was just thinking how all the old legends must've begun as ordinary days. Things that simply unfolded as someone went along." He mused. "It was only afterwards once it was done that it became... in the words of Angar the Scribe, 'More obvious'."

Podo looked to him. Elisheva also looked at Oskar contemplating his words.

"What I mean to say is," said the old scholar, "If I survive these times, perhaps it will be my lot to scribe what I witnessed today. Tale of Legend, come to life. A king in exile, the flight of the Jewels joined by the Key. The mighty stand of Podo and Janner. And the battle of Miller's bridge."

"Don't forget Nugget," said Leeli.

"Of course, dear," said Oskar. "Nugget would merit his own song. His own Epic. The mighty Nugget, whose bark shook the trees. who gave his life to save the Song Maiden Leeli Wingfeather to save them all. No we shall not soon forget our brave Nugget."

Leeli didn't cry. She worked her way to her feet and rummaged around in her pack for her ancient whistleharp. Then she limped to the precipice above the bank and sat. She took a deep breath and looked out over the Dark Sea of Darkness. The sky in the east blushed at the coming darkness.

Elisheva watched her for a moment before slowly following in the event the little girl wished to be a lone for a minutes.

Leeli raised the whistleharp to her lips and began to play a haunting dirge, its mournful melody carrying across the air. It was a tribute to her fallen companion, Nugget, whose bravery and sacrifice would forever be etched in their hearts.

As Leeli played, her fingers dancing on the whistleharp, she glanced at Elisheva with a silent plea in her eyes. And in that moment, Elisheva understood. She took a deep breath, her voice strong and resonant, and began to sing a threnody in Hebrew (those childhood lessons from Zayde Joel and Bubbeh Keilah paid off). Her voice carried the weight of their collective grief and the profound gratitude for those they had lost.

ביום צרתי

אני צועק אליך

אדוני

כיאתה מחסי

בעתותצרה

כיאתה תנחומים

בעתותעצב

Together, Leeli's melancholic tune and Elisheva's heartfelt song created a poignant harmony, a tribute to the fallen Wingfeather family pet.

Janner and Tink joined Leeli's side and stared out at the sea, the song conjuring images of Anniera, feelings of home, of fire in the hearth. Leeli poured her heart into the song as did Elisheva and filled it with everything they felt. With it came memories of Nugget.

Memories the children had of the dear little dog running through the pasture, fetching a ball, wagging his tail as Leeli stooped to hand him a hogpig bone. The images hovered like smoke from a pipe, scene after beautiful scene of Nugget in all the stages of his life.

Janner shook his head and looked at his brother. Tink saw it too. He smiled with wonder.

Just then the children looked perplexed as if they were seeing something.

Elisheva was puzzled for a moment then then suddenly, like a dream hovering just before one awakened from slumber, she actually saw what the children were seeing. The image swirled like a reflection in a pot of stirred water, then everything around Elisheva resembled... underwater.

Nearly darkened, but with tinges of teal blue.

Leeli glanced around uncertainly, then Janner gently told her, "Keep playing." Leeli did so, albeit with open eyes.

It almost felt as though Elisheva and the children were all in front of a giant aquarium, but instead of fish...

A deep sound shook the air, a sound Elisheva heard at some point but couldn't recall. Then she gasped softly. The sea dragons.

The four appeared to be looking under the Dark sea of darkness at a multitude of sea dragons swimming. Their voices reverberated through the air, transcending the great distance and the roar of Fingap Falls. The harmonious dragon song intertwined with Leeli and Elisheva's music, creating a symphony that pulsed with both sheer joy and profound sadness.

The sea dragons were a sight to behold, their beauty matched only by their fearsome presence.

Wind stirred Tink's hair, and he stared at the empty air before him; his eyes flicked back and forth as if studying a drawing that hung a few feet before his face.

The song changed to a gentle hum. A magenta dragon glided past, bearing something black on its snout, nestled between its fins. It was Nugget.

The other dragons wheeled into formation around the one bearing the great dog, their long, graceful necks still arched as they sang. They brought their noses close to Nugget's wet, battered body.

Elisheva reached out a hand as they passed, one dragon gently swam through with a gentle call.

To Yurgen's crypt where heroes lie, said a voice. It whispered and screamed and sang at the same time.

In gentle astonishment Elisheva watched as the scene unfolded before her eyes, her heart filled with a mixture of awe and nostalgia. For a brief moment, she felt like a heroine from a beloved Disney princess flick, immersed in a magical encounter with majestic creatures that seemed straight out of a fairy tale.

The dragons carried Nugget's body to underwater ruins and gently placed his remains there.

Leeli's song came to an end. Whatever power the song had awakened in the three Wingfeather children and in Elisheva would leave a terrible emptiness when it was gone.

She must have sensed some new thing approaching, because she paused only for a moment. She played another tune, low and dark, with a melody that gave Janner a feeling of danger.

Now Elisheva felt herself floating and everything around her seemed as though she were underwater, except she was able to breathe. Was this a strange... dream? Or is it a vision?

He is near you, young ones. A deep sonorous male vice spoke.

It was another dragon, but it was ancient, even by a dragon's standards. The other dragons had twisted and danced, but this one was still. The others had shimmered, but this one was gray and light- less except for the pale shine of its ice blue eyes.

Elisheva yelped a little. This was the same dragon they'd seen on the cliffs of Glipwood, the one Janner claimed spoke in his head. Oh boy, this raised a lot of questions on her end.

To her astonishment Janner floated close by, looking up at the ancient creature.

Janner trembled, but he wasn't afraid; the voice wasn't evil.

but the voice spoke again. He is near you. Beware. He destroys what he touches and seeks the young ones to use them for his own ends.

"Who?" Janner whispered, not sure if the dragon could hear him. "Gnag the Nameless? Who?"

We have been watching, waiting for him. He sailed across the sea, and he is near you, children. We can smell him.

Stunned, Elisheva stared up at the dragon, wondering what he meant.

And the dragon's voice spoke again. He is near you. Beware. He destroys what he touches and seeks the young ones to use them for his own ends.

"Who does?" Elisheva murmured.

"Who?" Janner whispered, not sure if the dragon could hear him. "Gnag the Nameless? Who?"

The dragon lowered its head to look into their eyes. We have been watching, waiting for him. He sailed across the sea, and he is near you. We can smell him.

The dragon then swam away. Elisheva's eyes snapped open and she stumbled back, falling onto her rear on the grass. "Whoa! That was an interesting experience."

Janner rubbed his eyes and shook his head, still not sure whether or not he was dreaming. Then he straightened up, pale as death. "He's here, close!"

Nia had come up worried, "Who?"

"Gnag the Nameless!"

The next day, neither Janner nor Elisheva had forgotten what the ancient dragon had said to them.

If Gnag the Nameless was nearby, then it made no sense to remain in that spot. They had to get away or at least hide.

"Grandpa," he said, and Podo fixed him with a blazing eye. Janner resisted the urge to cower and apologize. He had to say something. "Grandpa, the dragon spoke to me and Elisheva last night and warned us about Gnag."

Podo's face was hard. "Aye." he rumbled after a moment. "So you said."

Janner sat back looking at the First book in contemplation. "So, what should we do about it?"

"Do?" Podo looked at him, his eyes questioning. "Did that dragon actually say Gnag's name?"

"Y-yes! Well, no..." Janner said uncertainly. "It said that he was near us, that he sailed across the sea that they could smell him and that he seeks the young ones and he destroys what he touches."

Oskar and Elisheva walked over to the campfire where Janner and Podo sat.

Podo scowled. "Well did the sea dragon also tell ya that his whole race is a bunch of scaly liars? Manipulators, tricksters?"

What? Janner thought about the rush of emotions he always felt on Dragon Day. The sea dragons were frightening, fascinating, even haunting-but not evil. It was Leeli's song that had beckoned them, and Leeli certainly wasn't evil. And then there was Nugget's body. The dragons had carried him away with such care-there was nothing evil about that. But how could Janner argue with a pirate? Podo knew more about everything than Janner, especially the sea.

"You think the dragon lied about Gnag?" Janner questioned Podo.

"I know it lied! You know how I know? Because if Gnag were nearby, we'd all be dead! And the best I can tell you're breathing just fine."

Irked with Podo's words, Elisheva retorted. "Well the dragon obviously wasn't talking about my late mother's hard- erm, I mean, bossy boots father, or her vicious ex-husband BEFORE she was able to marry dad."

Janner pointed at Elisheva. "She heard it too! Didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did. 'He's near you, destroys everything he touches,' etc. The whole shebang." Elisheva nodded. "And so far aside from the Nameless Big Bad, the only two people who accurately fit that description would be..."

Her face hardened.

"Suspect one would be: Grandfather Cleavon Sonnenberg, greedy amoral lawyer and a control freak. Suspect 2: is my mother's late ex, alias the Huntsm-" Elisheva cut herself off.

She saw that Janner, Oskar and Podo were all looking at her in bewilderment. For Elisheva had only spoke of her father, younger brother and late mother but not about other members of her family. Let alone her deceased mother's background.

"Uh, that's... another long story I'll have you tell you another time." Elisheva sweat dropped. She didn't know why she'd just mentioned the last one.

Now Elisheva had always thought it was just a fancy embellished version of her parents love story, and hadn't given it much thought since she and her loved ones moved to Innwood. But with everything she'd seen and experienced here in the world of Aerwiar, anything was possible at this rate.

"That's what it said. I just-I just thought you should know," Janner said quietly, unable to meet Podo's eyes. If he had looked up, he would've seen that Podo wasn't able to meet his eyes either.

Oskar whispered. "Janner, have you read of Yurgen?"

"No sir. Sounds familiar, though."

"He was king of the dragons, long ago," Oskar said.

Janner dosed his eyes and flipped through the pages in his mind. "In the First Epoch. I didn't know his name, but I remember the story. He sank the mountains, digging into the earth to try to find...what was it?"

The holore," Oskar said.' "That's right—the healing stones. He needed them to save his wounded son, right? But he never found the stones, and he dug so deep that the mountains collapsed—"

The moment Oskar mentioned king of dragons, Elisheva remembered why the name was familiar to Janner and herself. That was the name mentioned in the end of that mysterious song Leeli had sang.

"I always assumed it was just a legend," Oskar said.

"It's no legend," Podo mumbled. "I've sailed through the Sunken Mountains, and a sadder place you'll never see. Aye, sea dragons are ancient critters. One look into their eyes and ye feel yourself fallin' back in time. There's more to 'em than pretty songs and long teeth. They know things." Podo shivered and closed his eyes. "They remember things."

Finally Oskar cleared his throat. "They remember things, do they? Well, I do too." The old man forced a smile, trying his best to clear the creepy air. "I remember reading in an old book that there was once an alliance between the sea dragons and the kings of Anniera."

"This was two epochs ago," Oskar continued, "so I thought it was just a legend. After tonight? I'm not so sure. Perhaps your mother knows more than I do, children. She was the queen, after all."

Nia shrugged. "Esben mentioned the sea dragons once in a while, but it never seemed of much importance. I heard talk of the old days, when the young dragons were hunted."

"Wait what?" Elisheva's jaw dropped.

"It was a terrible thing, and it was a long time ago," Nia said. "I don't know anything about an alliance."

"Ah! But you didn't know anything about Miller's Bridge, either, highness," Oskar said happily. "I'm going to read the old books much more carefully from now on, I'll tell you that. In the words of Bimm Stack, 'I've an idea! Attend closely to me and you might find your shoes.'"

"Mister Reteep?" Janner said. "Is it true that Gnag the Nameless only came to Skree because of us? because he wanted the Jewels of Anniera?"

"Yes and no," Oskar said after a moment. "It's true he sent his armies here because he thought you had come this way, but he would have come anyway, sooner or later. Don't blame yourself for what happened in Skree."

"But why would he have come, if not for us?"

"You remember your history, don't you, son? How many times did a wicked man come to power and suddenly find his kingdom too small? The Praxons did it in the Third Epoch. The Shriveners did it when Tilmus the Bent took the throne, and look what happened to the Furrows of Shreve. There's nothing left but the Woes, a terrible waste where there was once a garden the size of an ocean." Oskar stepped over a fallen branch. "No, when a king forgets who he is, he looks for himself in the rubble of conquered cities. He is haunted by a bottomless pit in his soul, and he will pour the blood of nations into it until the pit swallows the man himself."

Janner shuddered. That deep, hungry darkness scared him because he felt it too, though he found he wasn't afraid of falling into it, not when he thought of his family. It was as if, between himself and that inner darkness, there were many arms reaching out to catch him, arms like the branches of a tree, there to break his fall and give his hands and feet purchase.

"That's why Anniera was strong, lad," Oskar continued. "The Throne Warden protects more than the High King's flesh. He protects his soul by reminding him at every turn what is good and noble and true in the world. The Throne Warden protects not just the king but the kingdom as well. It is his job to remember and to remind. And sometimes, as you have seen, it is his job to sound the horn of battle and swing his blade for those he loves."

"Do you think Uncle Artham is all right?"

Oskar nodded. "Aye. If he's survived this long, it's either because of his wits or because Gnag the Nameless wants him alive, as he does you. Perhaps it's a little of both. No, I'm certain Peet the Sock Man will show himself again someday. He's no ordinary man, you know."

"He's definitely not ordinary," Janner said.

"That's not what I mean," Oskar said. "It was said that Artham P. Wingfeather shone with Eremund's Fire.' The wicked fled before him, and for all the years he and your father occupied Castle Rysen, peace and joy ran deep as a river." Oskar recited every strand of Annieran poetry he could remember.

Elisheva solemnly watched Oskar's face light up upon noticing Janner was holding one of the first books. She wondered if her father and brother were having a similar conversation, or if they were alive. Even if her heart told her they still lived. Like Janner, Elisheva wanted to know if Peet survived and how will she work out her new gift as the Key?

Her first attempt at a portal had been a complete failure.

"Fascinating!" Oskar breathed. He reached for the book like a child reaching for a dollop of candy.

"Grandpa says it's one of the First Books," Janner said.

"One of the first books, THE first! The first editions, one made at the dawn of the world."

"I'm guessing that's a pretty ancient books worth a lot more than one hundred grand?" Elisheva surmised.

Ah, this is a priceless artefact. " Oskar pointed out. "There are many legends, one is that the Maker himself wrote them and gave them to Dwayne-he was the First Fellow, you know- as a gift for the care and governance of Aerwiar. The Books taught Dwayne the ways of wisdom and guided him as he reigned throughout the First Epoch. "

"Dwayne, the first man?" Janner asked.

"Wait, first man as in...?" Elisheva blinked. So this world has its own creation story too.

"Can you translate it?" Janner asked, "Mama said it's in Old Hollish."

"Perhaps my old Hollish is poor. Nia?"

"Don't look at me." Nia stood up as she mixed eggs for their meal. " I speak Hollish, but not Old Hollish."

"Breakfast!" Tink ran up to eat.

"Wasn't Dwayne the one who named the whole world?" Janner asked.

"Indeed." Oskar confirmed.

Janner gaped, Elisheva faced Oskar directly wanting to hear this.

"Upon his creation, Dwayne sat up, looked at the first woman that is and said, 'Well there we are.'"

Tink chuckled. "'Ere we are."

Poor Leeli sit on the hill from the other night, looking out at the horizon. She missed Nugget terribly.

Nia went to bring her some food, Elisheva watched sadly. Leeli needed her mother's care right about now. And this reminded her of how much she missed her own mother.

She didn't even notice as Janner rebuked Tink for messing around with a stick that still had sparks of fire on it.

"You lighten up too." Tink said, making Elisheva look up. "Relax we're all finally someplace safe!"

"Toothy cow!" Podo shouted, "No drill! Toothy cow!"

The crunch and snap of breaking branches echoed through the forest. A toothy cow, bigger than any she'd seen, lumbered toward them.

Elisheva fetched her sword before she was yanked by the collar by Podo. As Podo shoved Janner behind the stone section while Tink clambered up a Glipwood Oak. Nia picked up Leeli and fled behind a stone column.

Seconds later, they watched the giant beast as it limped around the trunk of the tree. Blood dripped from its teeth. The cow's milky eyes rolled, wild and unable to focus.

This was due to having a spear that hung from its right shoulder.

The cow gurgled. Its eyes fluttered, and with an ignoble shudder, it crumpled to the ground and died. After a moment of silence, the company emerged from their hiding places. Tink squatted near the cow's head and poked at it with a stick.

Podo wrenched the spear from the cow's side, looking at it carefully.

"Fangs?" Janner eyed the bloody spear.

"No, lad," Podo said. "This ain't a Fang spear. Far too fine a weapon for that." He threw the spear aside and wiped his hand on his breeches. "Stranders."

"Oh." Oskar adjusted his glasses warily and frowned.

"I didn't think they would be a problem yet." Nia admitted.

Elisheva was confused. What were Stranders?

"Stranders?" Janner questioned.

"Who are they?" asked Tink.

"We need to get moving, now!" Podo said and he tossed the spear to the ground.

The company was now walking through the forest. It provided shade, however it was also a double edged sword in the fact it could make cover for the group or anything else that might pop up.

"We stay off the road as long as we can!"

Leeli looked at her grandfather, as she limped alongside him, "What's a Strander?"

"People we want to avoid." Podo replied.

"But, what are they?" Leeli persisted.

"Cutthroats and thieves, they live more like animals than people."

Podo explained that the Stranders are bands of lawless vagabonds who have been forced out by the people of Dugtown. They live along the River Blapp, surviving off of the creatures in Glipwood Forest. The more dangerous a Strander clan is, the further along the Blapp they live. Each "clan" was different; some clans are meaner than others, but all of them use a developed system involving pones, a trinket that all clan leaders carry and are identified by.

Leeli frowned, "Have you met them?"

Podo grunted hesitantly before calling out behind him, "Keep up, you three!"

Janner, Oskar and Elisheva were discussing the first books.

"I thought the Maker himself wrote the first books." Janner was saying.

Oskar explained, "The First Epoch was five thousand years ago so no one knows for sure. Another theory is that the First Books were written by Will, their second son."

Janner winced a little.

"Ouster Will!" Tink teased. "Oooooh! Wahh! Scaary!"

Oskar said grimly with a frown. "Yes, Ouster Will, who caused all manner of problems."

"What kind of problems?" Elisheva asked.

"He tickles your neck like a spider's twine, smells like the sweat of a snorting swine," Nia said in a teasing tone. She approached Leeli making her giggle. "Shivers your bones and rattles your spine, Grins in the dark of the windowsill. It's Ouster Will, Ouster Will!"

Janner listened nervously, Tink grinned. Elisheva was at a loss.

Nia elaborated. "Here in Skree we have the Black Carriage to scare children while they lie in bed awake. When I was a girl in the Green Hollows, we told plenty of scary stories about Ouster Will. They said the ghost of Ouster Will made your house creak in the night, that Ouster Will was the spidery feeling on the back of your neck when you walked through the woods alone."

Janner's skin crawled. Tink drew a hand across the back of his neck and shivered.

"Why, is Ouster Will as bad as Maleficent, Jafar, Smaug or Aku?" Elisheva questioned wryly.

"You mean the evil sorcerers and the fire drake?" Janner recalled, raising an eyebrow.

"Or the giant shapeshifting monster?" Leeli shivered.

"To answer your question, Elisheva, the story goes that Ouster Will killed his own father." Oskar replied.

Janner's eyes widened, Elisheva gasped.

"So that he could control the First Well and all of it's powers in the center of the first Kingdom. Many believe the First Books were Ouster Will's record of the secrets he discovered. Secrets to Creation itself."

Janner looked at the book in his hands with wonder and dread. He wanted to believe the Maker had written it (though that seemed impossible), or that Dwayne, whom Janner had always pictured as a kind old man, wrote it. He shuddered at the thought that Ouster Will, some villain from the shadows of history, was the author of the book entrusted to him.

Podo has stopped and was rolling his eyes with skepticism, "Or its all fluff and nonsense. Let's all focus on moving your boots faster so that we can get to Dugtown."

"Is that where we'll meet Mr. Reteep's friends?" asked Leeli as the group continued through the forest.

"Friends of the resistance, yes. A man named Gammon." Podo said as they continued onwards.

None of them noticed the hooded figure watching them.

"And the Florid Sword?"

"Ah, the Florid Sword is just a figment. A tall tale." Podo replied.

Nia then looked back, and noticed Tink was nowhere in sight. "Where's your brother?" she asked Janner.

"I am no figment!" Tink stood on a rock holding up a dagger. He was play-acting as the Florid sword. "I am the Florid sword, the fear of the Fangs! Fear my blade!"

"What I fear is that you'll fall and break something." Nia said.

Tink jumped down off the rock. "I follow no rules!"

"We're trying to stay hidden out here, Tink!" scolded Podo. "You're the future king, you need to act like one."

"A king does whatever he wants!" Tink retorted.

"Pssh! Yeah right." Elisheva dismissed.

"Not quite, Kalmar." laughed Nia. "A good king does whatever serves his people."

"But what about all the fun parts?" Tink rambled, "Telling the servants to bring you a feast whenever you want?"

"A king serves all, he puts their needs above his own. Just like your father did." Nia said.

"But they still get to have feasts right?"

They continued onwards, Janner had been examining the first book then stopped and looked behind him. But there was no one there.

Leeli had been trying to get Nia's attention. Elisheva followed after the others, her mind full of thoughts.

There were times that she missed her old life back in New York, whether it was Brooklyn Heights or Inwood. Except Aerwiar was wondrous, despite she was still learning more of this realm, about its inhabitants and the obvious danger, it started to feel more like she belonged here than back on Earth.

But she couldn't be selfish, her little brother Zev has to finish school and her father Samuel will be needing medical care. Once Elisheva gets her family and she manages somehow to open portals, they were leaving somewhere safe. Bonus if she can convince the Igibys and Oskar to join them.

Or so she hoped.

"Mama," Leeli repeated.

"What is it, dear?" Nia asked, trying to contain herself

"Who is that?" Leeli pointed to the trees just over Nia's shoulder.

Two mean eyes set in a dirty face regarded the group. "I'm a Strander, that's who."

She was a girl not much older than Janner, draped in a short brown cloak. Tattered clothes hung from her skinny frame. In her hand was a dagger, and the way she held it made it clear she knew how to use it.

Elisheva stood her ground, eyes hardening. She'd survived her school years and public transportation long enough to recognize clear aggression when she saw it.

"Where's me cow?!" the Strander girl demanded, lowering her cloak hood. She had short cropped brown hair and a shorter braid.

"Yer cow?" Podo blinked

"Aye! Me cow, we speared it yesterday!"

"Oh, the cow! Half a day's walk behind us in the clearing." Podo jerked his thumb behind him.

The Strander girl narrowed her green eyes at Podo and considered the information. "Right." She nodded. "I believe ye. Now drop your weapons."

"Don't get too big for yer britches, lass," Podo rumbled. "Nobody's droppin' any weapons—

The girl threw the knife so fast that Janner hardly saw her move. It thunked into something wooden, and he saw with shock that it was embedded in Podo's peg leg. The girl had already drawn a second knife and stood ready to hurl it at Leeli.

"Hey, back off -!" Elisheva snarled, calling the Strander girl a swear word. She then stood protectively in front of Leeli. "What's wrong with you? She's disabled!"

Usually, when faced with a potentially confrontational situation, a street smart individual would know how to analyze the situation and not barrel in without thinking.

Which was something Elisheva clearly did not do.

"Enough!" Podo said with his hands in the air. "We'll give ye our weapons, all right? No need to do anythin' drastic."

"Good. We'll take yer packs too."

"We?"

Without a sound, more children appeared from behind trees and swung down from branches, each of them fierce as a horned hound and ready to kill.

"We'll be takin' you lot with us," the girl said. "Banikon! Take five others and find the cow. Bring back as much as ye can carry. Hurry it up."

"Which clan are ye?" Podo questioned hesitantly. "East bend?"

"Ye'll meet 'em soon enough." The girl responded. "Walk!"

At a nod from Podo, the Igibys and Oskar followed. If Podo was taking orders, then these Strander children were dangerous indeed. They varied in age and size. Some were boys and some were girls, though the girls carried themselves differently. Girl or boy, the Strander children were all deadly accurate with their daggers. Whenever Podo or Nia tried to communicate with the Igiby children, the girl leader hissed and waved her knife.

Elisheva had snarled right back, looking ready to claw out the Strander girl's eyes, and then responding about the epithet she'd called the Strander girl out of spite.

Nia had shot Elisheva a reproving look.

The Strander girl's face contorted with a mix of surprise and indignation upon hearing Elisheva's. She furrowed her brow and tightened her grip on her dagger. There was a brief moment of silence as the Strander girl processed the information.

Then, with a twisted smirk, the Strander girl retorted, "Well, ain't you a feisty one? Watch yer tongue, wildcat, or I might just have to teach you some manners meself."

Her response carried a hint of both amusement and a threat, indicating that she was not one to be trifled with. The tension between Elisheva and the Strander girl continued to simmer, each of them holding their ground with equal determination and defiance.

Leeli bore up like the princess she was, hurrying along on her crutch without complaint, and to the Stranders' credit, they allowed Podo, Janner and Elisheva to take turns carrying her on their backs from time to time.

Reluctantly, the group of seven kept walking up the trail. It looked like they'll be taking an involuntary detour.

To be continued…