Taltil and Theko’s arrival was marked with loud cheering from their goblin compatriots. Their arrival was shortly before midnight. Theko was held by fellow goblins while Taltil still managed to slip away and sought me out. When she finally found me, she gave herself a moment to compose before greeting me.

“Dark Mistress, I have come back.” She said as she tried to pluck debris and twigs from her clothing.

“Good to have you back Taltil,” I responded all the while I was genuinely happy to have her company.

“More people come. But not move. They are preparing. Will come. Maybe morning or tomorrow.” She wiped her big beady eyes with the back of her hands as she finished her report.

“Good, We are breaking now. We will soon leave.” I answered while noticing the tiredness in her small body. I added, “But you deserve a rest, You and Theko can rest in the cart while we travel.”

“Dark Mistress, I can walk.”

“No, you take the time. When the day begins, there are other ways for you to help. And I want you to be fresh.” I finished with a definite tone.

Taltil merely nodded her head and headed towards the cart. Arlene, suspecting the change in atmosphere, approached me.

“Can you get the boars ready? I think we should leave now.”

She might have suspected the urgency for she gave a quick glance and replied, “I will give Dar a shout and I will get the Mr Snout and Mrs Bellyrumble ready.”

“Wait, who?”

“Mr Snout and Mrs Bellyrumble,” Arlene repeated it like a universal fact.

“But who are they?”

“Oh, yes, the dire boars. Little Esme named them in the afternoon. She has a charm.”

I made a mental note to get the name of all the goblins and enter them in a record before I end up with Mr Twinklytoes and Bellybutton Bob.

“Don't worry about Dar. I will inform him.” And without waiting for a reply I pushed myself in the direction of the peddler.

When I found Dar he was wide awake and was staring at a board with some geometric patterns drawn and some small coloured pebbles occupying the board in a seemingly random location. I felt sorry for disturbing his guilty pleasure.

“Dar, it is time. We should leave.”

“Yes, Madame. I will get Razia and Nemeash. We have already prepared.”

“Who? Are those the name of your horses?” I uttered while straightening my back.

“Surely, You jest madame. I never thought you would be such a jovial person. Razia and Nemeash are my apprentices.”

So those are not the name of his horses. I bit my tongues to prevent myself from loudly cursing Arlene.

“Well, they are not apprenticed in a traditional sense. I am a peddler, so no guild or anything. I call them apprentice but they are people who help me with moving.” He added further.

Of course, another fact that I missed. He needs to have helpers. He had two Wagons. It would be downright foolish on my part to assume that he could drive two wagons.

I had other burning questions. Aren’t peddlers usually reluctant to reveal their trading route or their core customers? Most peddlers would hate the competition. After all, the fewer the peddlers who visit a given village, the more he is expected to sell there. So why did he decided to allow two other people with him?

There would be enough time to explore those questions during our trip. These questions can wait. So I pushed the issues to the back of my head, in a dingy corner of my mind.

Dar clapped his hands loudly and shouted, “It is time. Wake up. We are ready to move. And fast.”

An unwashed and shabbily clothed girl of indeterminate age appeared first. She was followed by a young man. The girl, I presumed is Razia and the man would be Nemeash.

Razia wiped the sleepiness from her eyes while stretching her back. She pulled her dark green woollen cloak tightly over her brown smock. Her hands disappeared into a small pouch that adorned her waistline. The young woman took a leafy content from the pouch and started chewing.

“Sage, keeps me awake.” She answered as she noticed me. “Would you like some?” She offered.

I responded with a simple thanks for her hospitality and refused the offer.

Nemeash just stood there scratching the back of his head. His gaze shifted from one wagon to another as if trying to decide between the lesser of two evils. Unfortunately, he was denied the choice between both when Dar decided for him by walking directly towards one of the wagons.

Razia and Nemeash exchanged a short glance with one another before Nemeash unwillingly willed himself towards the other wagon. Razia quickly fell behind Dar.

*****

Taltil, despite her initial protestations, seemed to enjoy the cart ride. One of the dire boars, I presume, Mrs Bellyrumble assigned the solemn duty of pulling the cart. The dire boar with its endurance and sturdy build was not hindered by the weight of the cart. Mr Snout, the other dire boar moved ahead while being guided by Arlene. I would have preferred Arlene to lead the scouting ahead with the goblins. But Vitalia brought a salient point. We needed Arlene’s skill to keep the dire boars docile. Arlene, on her part, seemed content with the decision. Since that would allow her to train the dire boars further.

The first day of our travel was dull. Our biggest challenge was to forage enough for the dire boars to have their fill. My goblin followers proved their worth. In spite of their small frame and supposedly minuscule presence were crafty in foraging in the wild. The goblins under Taltil as their unofficial leader brought back roots, berries, mushrooms and a few games which they hunted. Once the evening began, Dar requested a camp to refresh. The dire boars were robust and showed no sign of tiredness but the same could not be said for the draught animals which Dar relied upon.

We volunteered to load a few of his goods on one of the dire boars which were declined by Dar.

Once we agreed on a suitable camping place, Arlene calmed the dire boars and then set out to hunt and forage food for the dire boars. Theko, without being asked, willingly took on the role of the chef and soon a warm gruel was passed to the eagerly waiting goblins.

From a distance, Nemeash approached me with a hesitant look.

“Madame, would you like to join us for supper?” This is the first time we spoke.

“No thanks, I would take my supper with my Irregulars.” I declined politely.

He appeared disappointed but he did not push the issue further.

“Then I wish you a good meal.”

“I wish you a good night then,” I said my goodbyes before joining my merry band.

Later Razia approached us while we were having an informal update on the day’s progress. Arlene had already returned with a few more dead animals which were promptly loaded on the cart. Taltil still held her reservation about Arlene. Maapu just considered her a threat and did not bother hiding his intentions. Only Theko extended friendly gestures towards the half-elf ranger.

We broke our meeting as Razia neared us.

“Sorry for disturbing you, but Arlene is this a bad time?” She directly addressed Arlene.

“Can it wait? I will be there in a short while.” Arlene responded casually.

“Arlene, we are almost done. Feel free to.” I extended my help.

“What happened?” Arlene asked while she moved in small strides towards the peddler woman.

“One of the horses is acting a bit. She has lesions around the udders. Can you come and take a look? You are good with animals.”

“Show me.” Arlene swiftly disappeared.

She returned after a few moments.

“There is a small change.” She announced.

“I will lend Mrs Bellyrumble to pull the wagon. One of the horses got infected.”

“infections?” I enquired while mentally tallying my plan on the plausible delay that would incur.

“Nothing serious. I have seen a few herbs while foraging. I will take a short run and collect a few herbs to prevent the inflammation. With careful treatment, we should be able to get the horse back in two or three weeks.” Her tone betrayed any seriousness to the matter.

“I would be riding the Wagon with her since she cannot control Mrs Bellyrumble and I will get Mr Snout to pull the cart.”

“So you two know each other?”

“We are not friends. I just know her by name. We run into each other a few times. She mostly sells various oddities and I occasionally buy from her, if I do not see any better deal.”

“So not the best of working relationships, then?” I prodded. I wanted to make a last round of the camp and this served as a good conversation topic.

“Naah, she usually sells at a flat price. Cannot haggle with her and does not barter. The man Nemeash might be your best bet if you looking to barter. But Dar is better. You can haggle and barter with Dar.”

“I take it that you know them both for a while then?” We passed by the dire boars as we spoke. Theko and a few goblins were busy scooping mud and rubbing it over the dire boars. Mr Snout and Mrs Bellyrumble tolerated the goblins for they seemed to enjoy the attention.

“Keeps them calm and cools them.” Arlene provided the details.

At this moment, I felt that it was a good decision to tame the dire boars. Since the goblins seem to complement well with them.

We left the dire boars and the goblins to their odd practice.

“Actually, I don’t know them. They sometimes accompany Dar. I think Razia mostly gets by panhandling in nearby towns, She only comes to Dar, if there are no other options. Nemeash, is just itinerant. I think he likes that. He moves from one place to another. Works a bit, then moves. Buys some stuff and sells, waits till the money runs out and then he moves again. I think that is the kind of person he is.”

“From what you describe, neither of them seem like a reliable company. Why does Dar keep such people? especially on the roads.”

Arlene just shrugged.

“That is a question for Dar. Maybe ask him yourself. Though I suspect you will get any decent answer.”

With that, we made our rounds and Arlene took leave to collect some medicinal herbs.