A short while later Rial, Brin, Gryrne, and Trian were gathered together inside the village tavern, a one story building little more than a single large room. The floor was scattered straw and a solitary long table ran the length of the room, forcing those on the far side to walk all the way around to reach the tiny bar.

It was the first time Rial had entered the building. The tavern was meant for villagers, not members of the Five Families, a place for those who toiled the land to relax and talk without fear of encountering their betters.[1] It was empty now, however, not even the tavern landlord around. The sickness had taken hold of high and low alike.

They were joined in short order by Eselwol, who brought with him another three people, a man and two women, who he introduced as Tomasu, Shaleigh, and Rei.

Tomasu, a short, stocky man with long black hair and a sword at his side, Rial knew; he was one of the strongest men of Eselwol's family, the Second.

The two women Rial did not know.

The system of Five Families within the village contained hierarchies not only within each family but between each family. Rial was a member of what was known as the First Family, an appellation that reflected the perceived seniority of their blood. Eselwol and Tomasu were members of the Second, and as such Rial saw them only on occasion.

Members of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth families did not often interact with the First, except when the leaders of each gathered together for meetings. Rial had been strongly discouraged from interacting with the children of the other Families as he grew up, and though he may have seen them from afar, he had never spoken to them. [2]

Shaleigh was a tall, muscular woman who must have been at least the same age as Brin, and the lines on her face spoke of a life of hard tasks and little complaint. Rei, on the other hand, could not have been much older than himself. Her light, almost grey hair was cut short, and she was clearly excited to be here, staring eagerly around at the others.

Which made the vicious knives that hung at her side all the more incongruous.

Rial had not realised that such high-quality metal existed in the village in these quantities. There were seven knives, aligned in a row along her belt, each individually shaped and sized. At one end was a straight, sharp dagger with a blade no longer than his thumb, and on the other was an evil-looking blade that curved back on itself until it formed a circle. The knives in between were equally unique, and all glittered in the firelight.

The sight of them brought Mead to Rial's mind. He wondered how much of this the weapon, still carried deep within his pack, was listening to, and what its reaction would be.

The thought of Mead distracted Rial for a minute. Why hadn't anyone said anything about it to him? The only person to mention it had been Tamarla, and that had been because he had been holding it right in front of her. The Kotaku was confused, yes, probably too confused to remember the 'treasure' was even missing, but Brin must have wondered. He had probably even asked Hamist.

A number of times since Hamist had departed Rial had caught Brin looking worriedly in his direction. It was always a quick glance, a furtive stare that disappeared when Rial caught the man looking, and Rial had thought it was something to do with his guilt at what had happened, but could it be that Brin knew more than he was letting on? Was he frightened of asking Rial about the treasure?

The raised voice of Gryrne grabbed his attention.

"...but do we even know where the source is?" he was asking.

"I have never travelled that far into the mountains, but the records are clear. It should be no more than a few week's travel, depending on the terrain," Brin answered.

"At least this has happened while the sun remains warm," said Shaleigh, leaning over a map they had taken from the pagoda. "In the winter these parts would be impassable."

She was pointing at two areas of dense, wavy black lines that Rial did not know how to interpret, as the others nodded in understanding. Even Gryrne!

Rial cursed under his breath - he may have travelled to the outpost, but he had not received the knowledge that usually went with such a journey. The lessons he had learnt were different.

"We will not need to pack much food, either," said the young woman called Rei, with a grakar's grin. "There's plenty of hunting 'round there, this time of year."

She spoke with an accent Rial had never heard from one of the Families. Her pronunciation was that of a commoner, of one of the villagers that worked the mills or tilled the paddies.

"And there will be plenty of chances for hunting, Rei, but it is vital you remain focused on our goal."

This was Shaleigh, breathing a sigh of exasperation.

"Who is that?" whispered Rial to Gryrne, as the conversation carried on around them.

Gryrne shrugged.

"She was adopted into the Fourth several years ago," said Eselwol.

Rial and Gryrne spun around in surprise. Neither had realised Eselwol was standing so close, nor that he was listening in on them.

"Her mother died soon after the girl was delivered, and her father was a tanner. He... was never the same after the mother's death. Turned to drink, and worse. They say he used to lay his hands on her, until one day they found him lying in the trees, sliced to death."

"She..?" said Gryrne.

"No one knows. She was devastated when she led them to the body, but from that day on she has gone nowhere without those knives."

Rial and Gryrne stared at the girl as she continued discussing the journey. Eventually she noticed their stares, and when she looked up, staring directly at them, the two turned red and their eyes fell to the floor.

"Fantastic hunter, though. Cut through a bralla skin in a minute."

Eselwol smiled at their discomfort.

"So that's settled, then. We will depart at first bell," Brin was saying.

The group began to disperse, heading to their individual rooms to prepare. Brin called Rial over as he was leaving.

"You don't have to do this, bo... Rial," said Brin. "You've been through enough."

Rial shook his head.

"I know, but I'm coming anyway. Besides, if I stay here I'll only become sick like everyone else. Where you're heading there's fresh water."

Brin looked at Rial in surprise.

"Again, a survivor's way of thinking." Brin was almost laughing. "Still, I thank you. You no longer owe the village anything. In fact, the opposite is true."

"This is my home, Brin. The only one I have."

"That may be, Rial, but I thank you all the same."

With a deep bow Brin left, leaving Rial standing alone. Or so he thought.

Rei was still standing beside the table that had held the map, head cocked to one side and staring questioningly at him. Her steel-coloured eyes bore into his.

Rial coughed nervously, and hurried out after the others.

[1] Rial had always been taught that members of the Five Families were the 'betters' of ordinary villagers. It had been Trian who had taught Rial to ask himself why, if they were indeed better, did the Families so rely on those who produced their food and tools?

[2] The relative standing of each house was changeable. Though the line to which Rial belonged had been known as the 'First' for generations, it had not always been so, and great deeds or ignominious mistakes could raise or lower a Family's position on the hierarchy