I left the building and found several carriages parked in the space between the boy's and girl's dorm. Four of the carriages were regular wheeled carriages while the other four were of the levitating kind. Thanks to my heavy luggage I would take one of the wheeled carriages since the levitating ones were weight sensitive and charged extra for super heavy items.

"Which one is going to Stutra?" I asked one man handling luggage by the carriages.

"That one." He said and pointed towards the one closest to the boy's dorm.

I walked to the man attending this carriage.

"You need something little miss?" He asked me when I neared him.

He gave me an odd look and studied me for a moment.

"This is the carriage to Stutra?"

"Certainly is. You need a ride?"

I nodded.

"Any luggage or are you going with just the clothes on your back?"

"I have a large chest I need help with."

"How large we talking?"

"You'll need that pole," I said pointed to a pole that was used to help carry heavy objects.

The man looked slightly confused, "Come again?"

"You will need that pole."

"Oh. I thought that might be what you said."

The man retrieved the pole.

"Where to?"

I motioned for him to follow me and went to my room.

"Hi Salis," Arty said when she saw me enter the room.

The man walked into the room.

"What do you need me to carry?"

I pointed to the chest at the foot of my bed.

The man walked over and tested the weight of the chest, "What do you have in there?”

"Lots of rocks,”

The man rolled his eyes, "Let me go get some help." He left the room.

"I bet you could help carry it," Arty told me.

"Maybe, but the height difference…"

"Oh yeah," Arty then looked down at me as if noticing my height for the first time.

I picked up the pole the carriage driver had placed and placed it through the two rope hoops attached to either side of the chest.

Arty walked to the side opposite of me and grabbed the pole. She then pulled up as hard as she could.

The chest moved slightly but no part of it left the floor.

Arty finally let go of the stick and sat on the bed, defeated.

I picked up the stick and tried lifting it myself. I already knew I could not pick the chest up by myself but wanted to find out how far I could tip it.

I pulled up on the stick. The chest was heavy, but I lifted my side off the floor.

I could feel and hear the gold coins shift inside the chest and lifted more slowly than I otherwise would have so they wouldn't shift too quickly.

"I do not think even Calren is that strong," Arty said.

It wasn't the first time she had seen me try to lift the chest, but this time there was less in it and I held it up more easily.

"Hey!" The carriage driver yelled when he came back into the room. "Put that down. 'Tis a good way to break the stick that is."

I lowered the chest back to the floor.

"Come now" a second man said entering the room after the carriage driver, "no way the chest is that heavy if a child can lift it."

"You tell me." The carriage driver beckoned the second man to try lifting the chest.

The man obliged and walked to the chest with little expectation on his face.

I moved away from the chest and let the man take my place. He grabbed the rope and lifted. It was easier for him to lift it than it had been for me, but I could tell he had to put some effort into picking it up.

I cringed at the sound of the coins moving. I didn't want anyone to knowing the chest was full of money and be tempted to steal it.

"What you packing in there, girl?" The man put the chest down.

"Rocks apparently," The carriage driver said.

"Sounded like coins to me."

"No way a girl her age has enough money to fill that chest."

"She IS a Terran."

The carriage driver shook his head, "Best not to get into other people's business."

"Just curious."

The carriage driver took his place opposite the other man and both picked up the chest.

I picked up my smaller chest and followed the two men out the door.

"Bye Salis. Sorris protect and Vellis visit often," Arty waved at me.

I looked back at Arty and nodded. I wasn't too keen on Vellis visiting, but only a fool would turn down Sorris' help.

"Let me take that other chest for you little miss," The driver said when he had stowed my chest in a compartment on the back of the carriage.

I didn't give it to him and instead opened the chest and gave each man a silver coin. Normally I would have only given them two copper coins, but I didn't have any.

"Very generous of you," The second man nodded to me, and left.

"Wait inside the carriage little miss and we will leave as soon as the other passengers arrive and get their belongings sorted out." The carriage driver told me.

I did as he had asked and climbed into the carriage.

Just as I had hoped it wasn't full and only three other children and a parent were sitting inside. I didn't recognize any of them.

I sat on the rear bench, it being the least crowded, and put my chest under it.

I looked out the window for the next few minutes. I was not looking forward to the ride as it would be bumpy and long. We also would not be arriving in Stutra until well into the night.

I noticed the driver close the rear compartment and head to the driver's bench at the front. Ferret followed him. The driver opened the carriage door, and she climbed in.

She sat down next to me.

"Oh, hi Salis," She grinned, "Are you heading to Stutra too?"

The urge to jump out of the carriage washed over me. There would be another one leaving tomorrow morning so I would be okay. Well, other than the fact my chest of gold locked in the back of this carriage.

"Are you heading to Porra-Kel tomorrow?" She asked. "Of course you are! You must miss your family. I can go with you if you want and stay for at least a day. I want to meet your family and see where you lived. Can you also show me the spot where you appeared?"

I looked out the window and watched as we started moving and pulled away from the dorms.

I had mercifully fallen asleep sometime into the trip and didn’t wake until Stutra was in sight.

"Salis. Salis! Wake up," Ferret shook me until I opened my eyes, "We are here."

I stretched my neck. It was sore from the awkward position I had slept in. My butt was sore as well, but I couldn't remedy that until I got out of the carriage.

"It has been a while, Stutra," Ferret peered out the window. She then turned to me, "Are you going to stay at the same inn you did last time?"

I shook my head but said nothing.

Ferret looked at me thoughtfully but said nothing until the carriage pulled to a stop.

"We have arrived!" She jumped out of the carriage.

I grabbed my chest and followed close behind her.

"I do not think I will ever come to like being stuffed inside a carriage for so long," She began rubbing her butt, "They should at least put in softer seats."

I heard one passenger behind me offer their agreement. I didn't look back to see who it was and headed for the rear of the carriage.

I noticed that three men had exited a nearby building and were approaching the carriage. The carriage driver met them and the four of them soon began unloading the carriage.

"Gonna have to get your chest last little miss," The carriage driver told me as he opened the rear compartment.

"Did you bring that humongous chest that was in your room?" Ferret asked me.

She had a large bag slung over her shoulder that looked to have not only clothes inside but what I guessed to be a practice sword. She was also holding a stringed instrument she was so fond of.

"That she did," The carriage driver replied, "Not the heaviest thing I have ever hauled though."

Ferret's eyes brightened.

"Are you going to give it to your family? I knew you were not as selfish as everyone thinks you are. My family could live off of that much money for years."

I looked around to see who could hear Ferra. Most of the children in the carriage were no big deal, but the older people might pose a problem.

The carriage driver noticed my reaction, "Best not to talk about that, miss. Never know who is listening."

Ferret's face turned bright red.

"Oh, right."

"Besides," the carriage driver spoke again, "this here chest is filled with rocks. Is that not right little miss?"

"It's a dead body," I said.

"Is that right?" The carriage driver said.

"Whose is it?" Ferret asked, her eyes wide.

"Helnion."

"Helnion! Is that why she was missing this morning!"

Ferret jumped into the carriage next to the chest and began moving it.

"Hey!" The carriage driver yelled. "Do not be stepping on other people's belongings.

Ferret ignored him.

The carriage driver looked at me, "No way she believed you had a dead body in there, do you think?”

"I try not to think about it," I replied.

"Can you at least get her out of there?"

I nodded.

"There's no dead body in there."

Ferret jumped out of the compartment, an actual look of disappointment on her face, "I thought so…" She then began grinning, "You would never kill someone, right Salis?"

I ignored the question and turned to the carriage driver, who had resumed unloading the rear compartment now that Ferret was out of the way, "Any inns nearby?"

Ferret answered instead.

"There, there and there," She pointed to three different buildings.

"Which one are you staying at?" I asked Ferret.

"Who knows?" She said and looked away, trying to act innocent.

"Which one is the highest class?" I asked the carriage driver.

"Use your eyes, little miss. It is easy to guess." He said, in the middle of passing a large bag to one of the waiting children.

I looked at the three buildings Ferret had pointed to. The first one was roughly adjacent to the building the men had come out of earlier and, while in good repair, was not the most comely building.

The second building was on the opposite side of the road from the first and was nearest to the edge of Stutra, only a few shops and homes past it before the fields started. The building itself looked to be a little more run down but not terribly so.

I turned to the third inn. It was much farther down the street, nearer towards the center of Stutra. If I had paid more attention earlier, I would have noticed its more fine construction. Unlike the other two, the building was square and built with wood, brick and plaster instead of the round mud and brick construction the more traditional inns used.

"You decided where you are staying little miss?" The carriage driver had unloaded all the other luggage.

"There," I said pointing to the third inn.

"Thought so," He called over to one of the other men.

"Can I try?" Ferret said as the carriage driver began positioning the chest for removal.

"Be my guest," He handed the pole to her.

Ferret took the pole and placed it through the ropes.

"Be careful now." The carriage driver said. "Do not want you dropping it and hurting yourself."

Ferret grinned at him. "I got it! Instructor Benc makes us lift heavy things all the time."

To Ferret's credit, she easily lifted the chest and pulled it halfway out.

"Who would have thought?" The man the carriage driver had called over said.

"With girls like you, Toa Mirr will have no chance of taking us back over," The carriage driver said then turned to me, "The little miss here can do it too, but that is a Terran for you."

"Will someone get the other side, please?" Ferret’s looked antsy.

The carriage driver moved first and grabbed the other side of the pole and lifted the chest fully out of the carriage then looked at me, "Best run ahead and get your room sorted out little miss.”

I nodded and jogged to the inn.

"Welcome," I heard a man's voice say as soon as I entered.

It was an older man, with grey, balding hair. The way he stood told me he had a somewhat proud upbringing.

"Oh?" He said after getting a better look at me. "How rare it is to see a Terran, and such a small one at that." He looked me over again. "Will you be staying alone or are there others with you?"

"Alone, though some others are just behind me with my luggage."

"Your servants?"

"No, though I would be wary of the noisy one."

"I see."

I put down my chest on the counter the man was standing behind and pulled out my coin bag.

"I see I do not have to worry about payment." The man eyed my coin bag, "What kind of room were you wanting?"

"I want your softest bed."

It would be welcome after that carriage ride.

“Certainly. And how long will you be staying?"

"Just tonight."

"Five silver."

"I'll give you a gold if you ask to charge that much to the noisy one if she asks for a room," I said.

"As tempting an offer as that is, it is against my principles to do so."

Great, I had probably found the one honest man in Stutra.

"Can you at least not put her in my room?"

"That I can do."

I paid the man five silver coins.

"Do you want me to take you to your room now?" He said.

I shook my head and looked to the door.

"Whenever you are ready."

I walked to the door and opened it. Ferret and the carriage driver were only a few steps away.

"Did you get a room?" Ferret asked me.

She didn't look the least bit tired and was smiling.

"I nodded."

I moved out of their way and closed the door after they came in.

"This way." The innkeeper said and walked into a hallway on the right side of the room.

Ferret, the carriage driver and I followed him down the hallway until he stopped in front of a room and opened the door.

"Is there anything else you need?" He asked me as the other two entered.

I shook my head.

"Very well. If you need anything, I will be upfront for a few more minutes." He looked into the room before walking off.

I went to enter my room but had to step back as Ferret and the carriage driver came out, "I best be getting to bed little miss. More driving to do in the mornin'. You two dream well."

He walked off.

"Bye!" Ferret shouted.

I began to walk into my room.

"I better go get a room too." Ferret jogged to the innkeeper.

I closed the door. Like many doors on Calorin it did not have a lock, but it had a wooden bar that I could bar the door with, which I did.

I then turned to my bed. I was large and looked very soft.

I set my chest on the nearest table, threw off my outer clothes and jumped into the bed. It was even softer than it looked and only Helnion’s bed rivaled it.

Despite sleeping almost the whole way to Stutra, I soon found myself asleep.