The Seamstress

CHAPTER SEVEN

The caravan was more than happy to stick with them on the road for a few days. In truth, Kae suspected that Barkoway just wanted Rehan's protection without technically having to pay him for it, but he never protested. Other than the bandits that had first attacked him, the next two days with the caravan went rather smoothly.

In fact, Kae was having the time of her life. Each meal, she was given first choice, per his customs, and Barkoway stopped the entire caravan to pray to God at dawn and sunset every evening. Kae enjoyed it and the man seemed to have a lot of wisdom. Where he lived in the Kingdom of Bara, down in the deep south—further south than even the Dark Elf forests—they actually had writings about God, which they often read and studied for many hours, he said. With Bara going bankrupt, the writings were now worth a fortune, far more than he could afford.

Farowyn used oral stories to speak about God. Aunt Vollie had sat for hours with Kae, telling her things that had been passed down to her and Kae's mother from their parents, whom had learned it from their parents and so on. Kae couldn't imagine having actual writings about God, but it fascinated her.

Barkoway also told her the many different types of magic that Bara had once had. Kae sat on top of Dromyr while Rehan rode Snowmark on her right and Barkoaway rode his own horse on her left, with Kae's mule straggling behind them. "Ah, we had so many offensive and defensive spells—wonderful things, you see. Now, of course, there aren't anymore."

Kae stared at him in awe. "The only magic in Farowyn are simple things—to change your appearance and hair. And—" Her voice cut off short, as she stared at the ring glistening on her finger. Magic was no simple thing, she reminded herself. It had mostly cured her stutter, at least until the ring's enchantment would have to be refilled.

Rehan laughed and glanced at Barkoway around Kae. "Don't listen to her. She hasn't exactly gotten out of the city, much. There's all kinds of magic in Faroway. Especially creatures. I've seen some of the most powerful magic come from them."

Kae shot him a glance, gently petting the side of Dromyr's neck. "Like what?"

Rehan smirked. "Creatures taller and skinnier than trees that can destroy or regrow entire forests. Others can burrow through the mountainsides if they chose to."

"Wow!" Kae's jaw dropped, trying to imagine such feats, but she couldn't.

After another day of traveling together, the road split off once again. Unfortunately, Barkoaway and his caravan were both heading deeper into Faroywn whereas Kae and Rehan were heading north to the dunes. They said their goodbyes and parted ways, much to Kae's dismay. Rehan was great company and he still treated her nice. She enjoyed every moment she had to spend with him, but she would deeply miss Barkoway.

Rehan pointed to a tall, orange-colored rock formation on the road ahead of them. The road traveled to it and suddenly stopped, as if it was a dead end. Kae could clearly see that wasn't the case, though. It was as if the forest, the mountains, the hills, the creatures and everything stopped right where the formation was. It stood in the center of the road, stopping it, but there was nothing on either side of it. Behind the formation, sand stretched out along the horizon as far as the eye could see. "That's the marker between Faroywn and the North—the sand dunes."

Kae swallowed and heat radiated from the sand, slamming into her even though she and Rehan were still hundreds of feet away. "It's so hot..."

Rehan brought Snowmark to a stop, so Kae did the same with Dromyr as he reached into his saddlebag behind him. He pulled out a cloth and handed it to her. "Here. This will protect you from the sun. They say the north is closer to the sun, which is why it burns constantly here. Exposure to it for more than few minutes will burn you worse than fire can."