Orn and Kao walked in silence as the crowd slowly thinned. After an hour, the only other traveler in eyesight turned off the road. Kao noticed the man turn down a small path leading from the road and gently pushed on his shoulder to get his attention.

Orn glanced to Kao then in the direction of her finger. “Finally,” he muttered. “I thought he was going to follow us the entire way.”

“If he did we would have just stopped at one of the camp sites along the road,” Kao replied with a shrug. “The road used to be very rough, so heavy ore carts might take weeks to make the journey. They are not used a lot now, but it is a good place to rest if you need a break.”

Orn smiled at the concern. “I am fine…” the words trailed off as he yawned. “Or maybe I am more tired than I thought.”

Kao laughed. “I think your roommates woke you up a couple hours after you went to sleep. If we keep up this pace, we will make it there soon. You can probably sleep for a bit and still make Mutton around dark.”

The camp site was little more than a large stone for a fire surrounded by sand. A couple posts stood to the side for tying off animals. It seemed far to close to the city to really be needed, a fact seconded by its clear lack of use. How bad was the road that this would be needed so close?

Orn pushed the thought away, and headed for a large cedar tree not far from the camp site. Orn crawled under the low branches and placed his bag against the trunk.

“Most people sleep in the sand by the fire pit,” Kao commented as he adjusted his position to get comfortable. “It is probably softer than the tree roots.”

“To exposed,” He replied yawning again and resting his head on his bag. The words were barely out of his mouth when he drifted to sleep.

…

Orn woke to the sound of someone talking. His eyes snapped open and he quickly took stock of his surroundings. Through the low branches of the tree he saw a large cart pulled by a pair of oxen. Orn could not see the driver, but heard a pained groan.

Orn slid silently from his hiding place and strung his bow. He kept low as he moved through the tall grass. He could almost hear his Uncle’s lessons. Better to assume there is a danger and be wrong, than die unprepared.

Orn reached the side of the road, and saw the wagon had come to a stop on the far side. Seeing no alternative, he raced across the road and prepared to shoot if needed. Once on the far side of the wagon he saw a man pushing hard on a crooked wheel. The same man he had seen at the gate.

Orn cleared his throat.

The man jumped and spun to see Orn a few paces away. The man’s eyes went large as he took in Orn. “I do not have anything worth taking. I swear to the goddesses.”

Orn froze, and followed the man’s gaze to the bow, an arrow still resting on the string. “No,” Orn said waving his hands and beginning a rushed explanation. “I was actually about to ask if you needed help.”

The man laughed and wiped the sweat from his face with his upper sleeve. “That I could lad. That I could.”

The man pointed to a long bar in the dirt next to him as Orn walked closer. “If you can put the end under that beam and the rest under that block there…”

The man explained what he needed Orn to do, pointing out how to place the long bar. Once Orn put his weight to it the man was able to force the wheel to turn. Once the man was satisfied with where the wheel, he stood up. “You can let it go lad. “

Orn slowly stopped pressing on the lever as the man brushed his hand off before extending it to Orn. “I really appreciate the help. And that you are not here to rob me. I am Mart.”

“Orn,” he replied taking the man’s hand. “I am not a thief, I am a ..” Orn caught himself before he reveled he had a knight path. “A hunter.”

If he noticed the odd pause Mart did not comment on it. Instead he nodded and looked back to the damaged wheel. “I should be able to finish patching this together in a few minutes. It should hold if I travel slowly to the wheelwright. If you are not in a hurry, you are welcome to ride to Mutton with me.”

Mart laughed at Orn’s surprised expression. “There are two reasons to head out this way, Mutton or mining. You do not look like a miner, and Mutton’s the only village this way. Never been out here before?”

“First time,” Orn admitted. “Can you tell me about the area?”

Mart smiled, “I mostly know the roads around here, but I will tell you the bit I know.”

The ‘bit’ turned out to be everything Orn could have wanted to know and then a bit more. He learned about the village in the area, their produce, and even the names of the families that were feuding with each other. Orn found himself smiling and laughing along with the gossip about the antics of some of the families. It sounded much like Auntie and Uncle’s village.

Mart’s explanation lasted through the wheel repair and well into their trip. Orn listened politely and asked questions about things that he thought might be relevant to hunting the goblins. Mostly though he enjoyed being away from the tension in the academy. Here it was not about new or old nobles, it was just ordinary people, and he was just another one of them.

The sun had set several marks ago, but the full moon lit the road well enough for Mart to push on to the town. As the oxen pulled the cart down the deserted street Orn could see light flickering through the windows of a couple of the nicer houses.

When they reached the town square, Orn noticed a building lit well enough to light up a section of the square. Laughter and voices rolled out of the building, as Mart brought the cart to a stop.

“Looks like a group of miners are on break.” Mart sighed looking at the building. “The food is good, but by this point in the night, a group like that makes it hard to enjoy it. They also rent rooms if you need a place to stay. You might be hard pressed tonight, but if you tell the barkeep I sent you they will do what they can.”

Orn thanked the older man and shook the offered hand. Orn climbed down from the wagon and waved as the cart headed off toward the wheelwright on the far side of town.