Orenda followed Bella into the back room of the bar, behind the counter, and was intrigued by what she saw there. The place was nice and homey enough- most of it was taken up by a large kitchen, but part of it had been dedicated to a sitting room. A fire blazed pleasantly in the large hearth of the kitchen, and a human man who had to rival Impy for his age was boiling water there in a large kettle, with his bare feet by the flames, sitting in a kitchen chair he seemed to have pulled up for that purpose. It wasn’t monumentally different from what she had seen on the fire continent.

“I’m told,” He said at length, “That you’re looking for the white rabbit.”

“We are,” Bella said, “I know him well. You know that.”

“Lotsa people come through here, lookin for rabbits,” the man said. “Don’t know that I know much about them.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Greath huffed and crossed his arms.

“Specially folk who don’t show their faces,” The man said, and pulled a pipe from his shirt pocket.

“We haven’t got time for this, Feno,” Bella begged, “I know you remember me. It’s me, Bella. This is Orenda- you remember her mother, Sokomaur.”

“Don’t look nothin like Soko,” the old man said, puffing away on his pipe.

“I’m told I take after my father,” Orenda said. “Garon Firefist. I’m told that Xaaxc Brigaddon could have just as easily been my father, and we have word that he may be in danger. I’ve come to warn him.”

“Have you now?” The old man asked, staring intently at Orenda as if he was trying to make up his mind about something.

“Well,” he said after he seemed to have made it, “Sit down. Have a cup of tea.”

“Why are you pulling this?” Bella leaned in closely to whisper to him, “We pick up your runaways all the time. Why are you acting this way?”

“People are gettin nervous,” The man said quietly, with a completely different tone, much more serious, much less playful, “Word is Xandra’s sent the Emerald Knight off to the Frozen North. It’s the last place on Xren she ain’t touched. Somethin’s goin down at the capital and don’t nobody know what. We can’t get no intel. We can’t get that close.”

“Not after Harry Hillheart,” Falsie said.

“Exactly,” Feno said, “Was right after we got the message about Harry that folks started droppin like flies. She can see into people’s minds. Don’t know how, but she can. We can’t get no spies in that castle. It’s too risky. Last one we had in there, Annie May, you remember that girl? Worked as a laundry maid? Was gonna work her way up to that library? She was one that dropped, and after that everybody who knew her was in rough shape. Somethin about Xandra’s off. That girl ain’t right.”

“You think Xandra knows about the Frozen North?” Bella asked.

“I can’t figure that one out,” Feno scratched his beard and tapped his pipe against the side of his chair in thought, “Ifin she knew what the white rabbit says about the Frozen North, ifin she knew we could get that armor… she’d’a raided the Burrow. There ain’t no call to go all the way up there to get what she could get down the road. We both know she’d have him and all the younguns locked up at the castle, spinning hair into gold.”

“Perhaps it’s a rumor,” Gareth said, and Orenda knew he did not believe it.

“Either way, I can get you as far as Basilglen,” he said, “But you’ll have to leave… right near after you finish your tea.”

“Is the safehouse still there?” Gareth asked, “The textile merchant?”

“Sakala’s still shilling fabric as far as I know,” he said, and stood when the kettle began to whistle. “Last I heard was a few days ago. I reckon everything’s alright. Agalon’s still commander of that province, so we got friends, such as they are, in high places.”

“Agalon’s not exactly a Knight of Order,” Gareth argued.

“That ain’t my business,” Feno shrugged. “I mind my business. Folks round these parts know as little as possible and don’t write nothin down. So don’t tell me what you know.”

“I’ll tell you this,” Orenda said, “I’m the Chosen Child of Thesis- I’ve pulled the Sacred Staff from the Sacred Flame, and I’ve come to liberate us all from the Emerald Knight!”

She unwrapped the cloth from the top of the staff to reveal it in all its sterilite brilliance, but the man seem unaffected. He glanced up at it, then went back to pouring their tea.

“Are ya now?” He asked. “Little lady, I don’t know nothin about no mage staves. Never had much skill for magic or much in ways of practice or acumen. The Chosen One would have the sword, and the only place we ever see that thing is on them posters of the Emerald Knight.”

“If the Chosen Child of Thesis can wield the sword,” Orenda said, “Then I shall claim it when I defeat the Emerald Knight.”

“I feel like we lost enough brave, dumb kids to that monster,” he said, “But, again, that ain’t my business. You can try. I hope you don’t know much about the Order, and I’d leave that pretty staff with your next of kin- probably the other redheaded feller? That looks expensive. Hate for the whole family to lose it.”

“What’s up?” The fiddle player from the bar came striding into the room with a smile on her face, looking as if she had every right to be there.

“Sarya, this here is Bella and Captain Nochdifache, Falsebeard, the little’in who’s name I didn’t catch because she’s so quiet I reckon she’s about to rob us, and the Chosen One, out here lookin to get to the Burrow. Assorted pirates, this is Sarya, my daughter.”

Sarya noticed the confusion on their faces and explained, “During the last famine Autumn and Feno took me in. I don’t know what would have happened to me without them.”

“Famine?” Anilla asked.

“The legend is that every time the empress grows angry, the crops refuse to grow,” Feno said, “Lots of legends round here. Nobody actually knows nothin. We get by.”

“Who’s the Chosen One?” Sarya asked, with her eyes as wide as saucers.

“I am,” Orenda told her, “I have taken the sacred staff from the sacred flame in the sacred temple on the sacred mountain on the fire continent.”

“That’s a lot of sacred stuff,” The girl agreed, “Whole lot of sacred stuff. That sounds important. I can get you at least as far as Basilglen- there’s a safehouse down there. We probably oughta leave tonight while it’s dark. Them guards on the night shift don’t care as much as the ones up durin the day. Course nobody cares much around these parts. Ain’t nobody ever attacks us. Not from the sea anyhow, and anybody comin the other way is wearin a Urilian symbol.”

“Perfect,” Gareth said. “We don’t have unlimited time, unfortunately.”

“I loved your song!” Anilla told her, “You make such beautiful music.”

“Yes,” Orenda agreed, “It was lovely.”

“Thank you kindly,” Sarya said, “If y’all wanna let me run and get my traveling companion, I’ll meet you at the stables.”

“They haven’t had their tea,” Feno said.

“Well there’s probably time for that,” Sarya said, “I’m gonna go set a wagon up, though. I reckon I can say I’m doin a supply run.”

“You may actually need to do a supply run,” Feno said, “Ask your mother.”

“Alrighty, daddy,” She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, and went out the way she had come in.

“This here is my lady friend, Barbra Allen,” Sarya said to the group.

They were all standing in the stables attached to the back of the bar, which was not nearly as full as Orenda had assumed it would be. She inferred that most of the patrons must live nearby, within walking distance. Bella had said something about this being a fishing town, so perhaps most of them had no need of horses?

Sarya was directing their attention to a human woman who looked around Orenda’s age. She was wearing traveling clothes similar to the ones Sarya was wearing, and to Orenda’s shock she had her hair cut short, exposing her neck for the world to see. She spoke before she could stop herself.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll get caught?” Orenda asked, “Put on a scarf or something! They’ll be able to see it just by looking at you!”

“Actually,” Barbra Allen said, “Sarya bought me fair and square She does that sorta thing all the time, saves up money and buys folk, then puts them on a ship to head off for greener pastures. We travel around a lot just a pickin and singin and makin our way- we make good money some nights.”

“Oh,” Orenda said, “And you help to… to transport people? I’m guessing.”

“Yup,” Barbra Allen smiled, “Just me and Sary and Mr and Ms Clops.”

“Horses are so cute!” Anilla said, “We don’t really have draft animals back home, but we do go riding occasionally. We use dogs, though. There’s a big race once a year, on sleds.”

“Ain’t time for sleds yet,” Sarya said. “Be at little while before the first snow. You’ll be there way before then.”

“Well,” Gareth said, “No use sitting around. We should get moving.”

“Hey stranger,” Sarya asked, “Why you wearin a mask?”

“I like it,” Gareth said, “Why? You don’t like it?”

“I like it alright,” she said, “I just thought maybe you got your time mixed up.”

She seemed as if she sincerely believed this, and Orenda found herself doubting Sarya’s intelligence, at least when it came to social situations. But she also reminded herself that she was in a new place, and it was possible that things were different here in Uril.

“We got all these empty boxes,” Barbra Allen said as she led the party to the back of the wagon, “So if we run into trouble y’all can probably hide in here. I mean, usually we can fit folks in here. But I guess… it looks like we got a pretty big crew this time. Might have to prioritize who we hide. Definitely gonna wanna cover up them fire elves and the human. What’s y’alls names?”

After they exchanged introductions, Barbra Allen seemed fascinated by Bella’s name.

“I know a lotta Bells,” She said, “Pretty common name. Ain’t none of um look like you, though. You ain’t from around here.”

“No,” Bella said, “I’m from the Frozen North.”

“Oh,” Barbra Allen said, “Well… I hope your folks are ok.”

“I’m not… particularly worried about it,” Bella admitted.

“Are we all settled?” Sarya asked.

“Reckon we’re as settled as we’re gonna get,” Barbra Allen said.

“Well, we’re all hitched up,” Sarya said as she climbed behind the dashboard, “So we might as well head out.”