Although it was impossible to be certain, Isa felt like it was about time for her to start looking for the bear shaped rock. Correction: the teddy bear shaped rock. A bear and a teddy bear are as different as well, an animal and a toy.

There were many things that Isa neglected to ask Joth, including what “teddy bear shaped” actually meant. “Note to self: you need an order form filled out before you take another quest.”

The sun was hitting the tops of the trees as Isa came around the bend of a curve. Below lay a marshy area. Light glinted on the water as a slight wind moved the reeds at the water’s edge. The beauty of the scene pierced Isa’s heart. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a hike or even a walk along the waterfront downtown. What was happening in the real world, she wondered. Had anyone noticed she was missing? Surely Miles would have tried to call her when he realized that he’d have the twins to himself. Or Nora, Nora would try to reach her for sure. Make sure Isa wasn’t too sick to call herself.

Or maybe time hadn’t moved for them. Maybe it was still just after 11pm in Portland. Marissa would be humming to herself as she cleaned up from hosting the D&D game, pouring the dregs of red wine down the drain and putting the bottles in the recycling.

Isa felt tears in the corner of her eyes. Of course she was homesick. How could she not be? But then things promised to be a little simpler here. No work schedule, no housework, no ex-girlfriend, no student loans. But back there - she couldn’t help but think of Portland as being behind her somewhere - she had friends she could trust, a place to live, meaningful work. Well, meaningful enough while she saved up money so that she wouldn’t have to work full time while she went to the OHSU School of Dentistry.

Celeste and the breakup, that had thrown her plans off a little bit, and now with this little adventure, well, Isa wondered if she’d be ready for the spring term.

But all of that seemed to be a million miles away -- might actually be a million miles away for all Isa knew. A stiff breeze recalled her to the present. She’d been standing here at this rise lost in thought. Better to get moving. She had at least another hour on foot to make it to Fedru’s house.

Another breeze stirred her hair. She’d need to get a hat or a scarf somewhere. No doubt Anne would be happy to sell Isa some well-used hat for all the money she had.

In the sunlight Isa saw thin strands of spider web tangled in the limbs of a dead tree. They shone like tinsel on a Christmas tree, waving gently with the motion of the breeze. Spiders. What had Joth said? The spiders are kind of big here. What did that mean exactly? She should have asked him to elaborate. That was a bad habit: she never asked for clarification. She didn’t want to appear dumb. Which was dumb. You can’t know everything, Isa. If her mother told her that once, she’d said it a hundred times. It never sank in, until now. It had never seemed to matter as much as it did right now.

She’d been standing here, stock still beside a be-webbed tree for at least 5 minutes. Her hand went to her dagger as the hair on the back of her neck rose. Slowly she turned around. The path behind her was empty. She took a step away from the tree and froze. A noise to her left. The tree was now to her left and mostly out of her line of sight. She would have to learn better tactics. That is, if she survived the day.

Isa took the other dagger into her right hand and prepared to turn to face the tree. The daggers become your hands, that’s what Lund had said. I wonder if he’ll give me fighting lessons. You should have asked about that before you set out on this little mission, another part of her said. “Give me a break,” she muttered. “It’s my first quest.”

There halfway up the tree trunk sat a spider about the size of a corgi. It was round and furry; its mandibles looked huge and powerful. It was slowly coming down the trunk, and Isa instinctively threw her left dagger at it. She’d always been pretty OK at darts, but a dagger isn’t a dart, and the hilt bounced off the trunk about 4 inches below the spider.

“Brilliant.” How much do daggers cost? Isa moved the remaining weapon to her left hand and took a step back. She could try to kill the spider and retrieve the other dagger, or she could try to run away. She took another step back. Maybe Lund would let her wash dishes or something to pay back the cost of the lost dagger.

Some deep buried survival skill made Isa glance over her shoulder. A second dog-sized spider stood not two feet from her. She whirled around so that she had the spiders to her left and right. What she needed was something with some reach. The dagger, while nice and pointy, was too short for comfort. Isa’s eyes swept the ground and spied a broken branch. It was only about 2 feet long but that was better than nothing.

With her eyes on the nearer spider, Isa grabbed the branch and quickly realized that she should have the branch in her better hand. In a panicked fumble Isa transferred the dagger to her right hand and the branch to her left. “OK,” she said aloud. “I’m ready.” She took a practice swipe with the branch. It felt a little light. Would it break on contact?

The gravity of the scene settled on her shoulders. Was she actually considering fighting two giant spiders? In what scenario did she not end up dead? Even one corgi-sized spider was too much. “Look I’m just passing by. I didn’t mean to disturb your household.” The way ahead seemed clear so Isa took two steps forward and turned around, stick pointed at the spider on the ground. She took another step down the path. “I’ll go my way; you go yours. Right? We all live to see another day.”

The spiders didn’t move. Isa took another three steps and then turned and began to run down the path. She glanced back and saw that one spider had disappeared. Was that a good sign?

Before she could decide, Isa’s foot caught a root, and she went sprawling to the ground. Her remaining dagger flew from her hand and skipped a few feet. She managed to hold on to the stick. As she pushed herself off the ground, Isa vowed to not run with a dagger in her hand ever again. Her mother used to yell at her for running with scissors - imagine what she’d say if she saw her daughter now?

She bent to pick up the dagger and noticed that the blade pointed at a stone that did vaguely look like a teddy bear sitting with its arms and legs splayed. One mystery solved at least. Isa started down the side path just past the rock, keeping one eye out for spider webs. As she walked she berated herself for losing one dagger. Of course maybe she could retrieve it on the way back. If the spiders didn’t take it. Do spiders like shiny things? Or maybe they’re smart enough to know to hide the pointy object. Dog-sized body, dog-sized brain?

Isa vowed to lock herself up in one of the rooms above Lund’s and not come out until she knew everything there was to know about this new land. OK maybe not everything but something at least. Basic flora and fauna. If the spiders are the size of dogs, how big are the damned dogs? She winced - the way her luck was going, she was about to find out. She’d come up over this hill and be face to face with a dog the size of a pony.

Isa shook her head. Stop spooking yourself! You know who might have some answers and advice? This Fedru guy, so pick up the pace.

With that Isa broke into a jog. She kept to a slow, steady pace, one that would get her there quicker than walking but wouldn’t leave her breathless at the end. She glanced down at the scuffed running shoes she’d worn to Marissa’s house. Hooray for lesbians and their sensible shoes, right?

Ahead Isa saw that the path curved between two hills. She slowed down and then stopped. Something told her that landscape like this made for a great ambush spot. Was there someone lying in wait? And if so, had they already spotted her? What should she do? Speed or stealth? She could try to sprint through this section, but she didn’t know how far this terrain lasted. Or she could try stealth - quietly go off trail and sneak behind them. Assuming she could sneak, assuming she could pick up the road again, assuming there was someone waiting to harm her.

“Fuck it,” she muttered and took out her dagger. You can drive yourself crazy with what ifs. She had no reason to expect an ambush beyond her own paranoid imagination. Without more proof she was just going to continue as she had been. But with her stick and dagger ready.

No one leaped at her. No arrows flew past her head. No ominous cracking of a twig deep in the forest. In short, the passage through the two hills was boring. And as the right hand hill sloped away Isa could see water. A pond or perhaps a small lake. The road curved toward the water and stopped. Literally stopped at the water’s edge.

She turned around. Where was the house? Joth said that the road brought you right to Fedru’s house. Well, where was it? This was the right road, right? Maybe that stone hadn’t been the correct bear-shaped marker. Maybe the landscape of this damned place was littered with bear-shaped stones. That would be brilliant, wouldn’t it?

When she got back to Lund’s, if she got back to Lund’s, she would drag Joth outside by his hair and-- A polite cough interrupted her revenge daydream.

Standing beside the water was a tall man with a white beard. He wore a long purple robe and a slouched purple cap. That was outlandish enough, but as an added detail, the man also had a pentagram drawn on his forehead. Tattoo or paint, Isa couldn’t tell, and it didn’t seem like asking about it was the proper way to meet a stranger.

“I’m looking for Fedru’s house. Perhaps you can help me?”

“You want the abode but not the man. Intriguing.”

“No, I want to see him, too. I didn’t -- I’ve got a book for him.” She touched the bag. “From Joth Wind…. Windbrbrer,” Isa mumbled.

“Indeed? The two are great friends, I hear.” The man tucked his arms into his wide sleeves. “But why then wouldn’t this Joth come himself?”

Robes, cap, beard, weird tattoo, was this guy some sort of sorcerer or necromancer - was that a thing in this world? Odds are this was Fedru, but he was being sketchy with her for some reason. Tread lightly, she told herself. What’s the right vibe here? Bored, harried, but semi-tame, like a bike messenger. No emotional attachment to the outcome.

“Can you help me out, you think? I have other deliveries to make.” Was it the sunlight or had the man’s eye glinted for just a moment? “I mean, this is the priority package, of course. Joth paid, uh, top coin for this one.”

“Does everyone lie so freely where you’re from?” Before Isa could try to answer him, the man waved one hand, and the pond disappeared. In its place was a wooden house with a low roof. “Joth Windbane never pays ‘top coin’, as you so colorfully say, for anything. If he gave you 50 copper I’d be surprised.” He held out his hand. “I’ll take my book now.”

Fedru’s words seemed to clang inside her head, and without another thought, Isa holstered the dagger and pulled the bag over her head, handing it to him. Fedru peered inside and then said, “Tea. Do join me. You need refreshing before you continue with your deliveries.”

“I really only had this one,” she said.

“I know, but your story has a certain otherworldly charm.” A hint of a smile appeared from the depths of his beard. “Where are you from, child?”

If he was trying to get a rise out of her, it wouldn’t work. She followed him into the house. “Oh, here and there. Most recently I lived in the land of Foster.”

“Hmmm, you must show me that on a map sometime. I am most interested in maps.” He put a hand on his chest and gave a slight bow. “I am Vernal Fedru.”

“Isa. Chamberlin. Say, can I have the bag back? It’s--”

He turned and entered his house, stooping to clear the doorway, but Isa passed under it just fine. Inside the ceiling rose well over 10 feet. How was that possible?

In the center of the room burned a fire with a black metal pot suspended over the heart of the flames. Fedru placed the book on a table in the corner and bent over it, ignoring his guest. Isa leaned the stick against the front door frame and took a step toward the fire. Inside the pot something bubbled. Odorless, but thick, like gravy. Isa took another step closer.

“Tea.” Fedru turned and leaned against the table. “And cakes. You must be hungry from your journey.” Without looking he reached a long arm to a shelf and pulled two handless cups to the table. He strode toward her so quickly that Isa gasped, but he went past her to a bundle of herbs hanging from a window. “Mint?” He stopped short. “Or maybe something darker, sharp and bitter.”

Isa realized he was waiting for her input. She shrugged. “Whatever’s fine.”

“What do they drink where you’re from? Perhaps I have it or can make it.”

“Coffee. We drink a lot of coffee.”

“Oh. How very pedestrian. Can’t stand the stuff myself. I have some dandelion root powder. Much better than roasted berries, I assure you.”

The sun shone through the front window showing fine dust floating in the air. “What time does it get dark here? I need to get going.”

The man handed her a steaming cup of brown liquid. “What happened to your other knife?”

Isa automatically took the cup. The warm porcelain felt good in her hands. “I, ah, lost it.” She took a sip. The tea was hot and thin with a bitter, earthy taste. “Thanks for this.”

“Lost it? That’s not good.” His words hung in the air as he sipped his own tea. “Just right.” He leaned forward and offered her a slice of what looked like cornbread. “Cake?”

Who knew when she’d eat again, so she set the tea down and took the plate.

“Have you always favored your left hand then?”

The man’s voice seemed casual, but Isa froze with her left hand halfway to her mouth. Didn’t some cultures believe that left handed people were cursed? Best to ignore the question. “Is there a reply? For Joth, I mean. I could deliver it for you.”

“Do you believe in prophecy, Isa? I woke this morning with an overriding thought in my head. Do you want to know what it was?”

The man’s pentagram tattoo seemed to flash in the beams of sunlight. She laughed nervously. “Probably not.”

“Even if it could be of great benefit to you? Treasure, glory, fame, don’t you seek these things?” He leaned forward and looked into her eyes. “I see ambition there. Drive. You’re a fighter, Isa Chamberlin.”

The air seemed to tingle, and once more Isa felt the hair at the back of her neck stand up. She pushed away from the man and stumbled backward to the wall. Her hand grazed the stick she’d found, and her fingers curled around it. “What do you want from me?” she rasped.

“Nothing right now. Later, no doubt, we’ll have business together. Joth wouldn’t have sent you otherwise. For now I’ll send you on your way with that bag you asked for and a piece of advice. There’s a man named Morgan. Bring him deer hide, and he’ll happily trade you a leather tunic. You could use better protection. Tell him Fedru sent you - he should offer you a somewhat better deal than otherwise.”

“A deer hide. You think I’m going to kill a deer?”

Fedru stared past her head for a long moment. “I don’t see that you have a choice.”