"Through?" I asked.
Stain nodded and smiled, "There are many tunnels inside some of these mountains. I have not decided if we will be going around or through."
"How high are we going up the other mountain?" Raven asked.
Stain looked at her and his smile grew, "Why all the way my dear." He turned and walked back to talk to the captain.
"All the way? To the top of the mountain?" Raven seemed nervous suddenly.
"Is that a problem?" I leaned closer.
She looked at me and grinned sourly, "I dislike heights. I had no clue we would be climbing so high." She looked a little paler.
"We should be fine. Climbing a mountain and looking down from heights are very different." I had no great love of heights either, but with my dad I had climbed a few small mountains. "You will be too busy climbing to notice you are high up. It also depends on the mountain. Since we are taking Tag and the other packshell I assume the climb is more of just constantly walking up a shallow slope."
This seemed to calm her down slightly. "Thanks. I was worried for a moment we would be climbing solid walls of rock." She looked up.
Conium and Siniy were flying high above us. Their shadows occasionally crossed us. Conium actually did not ride the owl. She hung from a complicated harness from the owl's underside. Raven shuddered watching the owl fly and dive. Suddenly Siniy dove straight down and pulled a fish from the water. We could hear Conium cheering and encouraging the owl. Raven grew pale again.
"I do not think I will ever try flying with Siniy." She stated clearly and dryly.
I grinned, "Me either."
She stood up and looked down at me. "I am glad I get to go with you and Stain." She walked off, leaving me to consider that comment.
Before too long the boat pulled up at a large dock sticking out from the shore. Everyone helped in off loading all the supplies. Tag came last as he had to climb from the hold. He climbed up the ramp and onto the dock. We all followed him and walked to land. After such a time on water the ground seemed to be soft and moving.
"It will take a little time for your body to realize that you are not on water anymore." The captain mentioned after seeing me wobble.
Stain approached a set of buildings and went inside a long flat building. Tag followed Stain to the building and drank deeply from a trough there. "It is nice to be out and about on land once again." He stated once he had drunk his fill.
I agreed with him. "Ready to travel again?" I asked the large packshell.
Tag looked up at me. "I have been quite bored compared to all of you. Traveling at least gives me new scenery and new plants to eat. I hear we are to have a new packshell join our merry bunch?"
I nodded, "Stain said we would need another to carry supplies for so many people."
Tag blinked slowly and thought, "I suppose that makes sense. Not much space left on my shell for many more items, much less that pile over there."
Stain walked out of the building, I could tell he was quite upset. "What is wrong?", I asked.
Stain looked down at Tag and then at me, "They do not have any tortoise packshells. I told them a week ago to find one and they claim there are none in the area."
Tag looked at Stain, "So? What do they have?"
Stain sighed, "A snail, a crab, and other pack animals. I wanted a tortoise packshell. Someone to keep you company and who had the same needs." He leaned and scratched behind Tag's head.
Tag groaned, "Well the crab will not work. They are annoying. If you want a packshell then it looks like you finally have to deal with a snail. What kind of snail is it?"
Stain leaned back, "Well they have three: one that came from a watery region, a desert snail, and an air snail."
I had never heard of packshells that were snails, much less the different types. "What are the differences?", I asked him.
Tag looked at me and I could swear he smiled, "Every region has challenges. Each creature that was used to create packshells were picked for their ability to survive in those areas. The one from the watery region can probably swim, the desert one should not leave a trail of mucus, and the air snail might have an air bladder so it can float when it needs to escape."
Stain patted Tag's head, "That would be correct. There are many types of packshells. I like the tortoise ones, like Tag here. They are the most versatile Tag can swim, climb, even cross vast distances with no problems. He can carry much more weight than say a mule." Stain looked at Tag. "Well you have to travel with it. What would you pick?"
Tag looked up and nodded, "I think Raven should pick." He then went back to drinking water and refused to talk again.
Stain stood there a moment and then called Raven over. "We have a problem and I need your help."
Raven walked over and stopped, her face showing concern. "What can I do? Is there danger?"
Stain smiled and motioned both Raven and me into the building. "No danger, just inconvenience I need you to pick out a packshell."
Raven froze, "Why me?"
I smiled while Stain sighed, "Because Tag insisted you be the one to pick."
Raven looked at me and I nodded. "I heard him myself. He told Stain for you to pick."
She shook her head, "Where are they?"
"Right this way, I believe they are in the back of the building." Stain led the way into the building and past an obviously upset tradesman. I guess Stain had expressed his displeasure to him.
We walked down a hallway and exited into a large corral. There were many cages and holding areas surrounding the corral. I could see mules, donkeys, horses, even a few creatures I failed to recognize. Stain led the way to the far wall. "So the merchant failed to get another tortoise packshell. Tag seems to think a snail packshell will work. He does insist you be the one to pick out which snail." We stopped at a large enclosure. There were three massive snails inside. They moved to the edge of the enclosure and looked out at us. Each snail had distinctive markings and shells. The bright blue snail was probably the water snail. A slightly smaller brown snail was most likely the desert snail. The air snail seemed to be the one that was white and had swirls of blue in it's shell. Raven walked closer.
The water snail backed up and turned away from Raven. I could hear it make a comment about not caring for women. I guess that one was out. I could tell Raven heard the snail, her brow furrowed up. She approached the desert snail. It leaned forward and looked at her before talking.
"While I think your group is probably full of adventure I am getting too old to want an adventure. Perhaps you know of someone who simply needs some company on the road?" The desert snail's voice sounded like sand sliding across rock.
Raven nodded, "We will most likely have many adventures. I am sorry, I know of only one person who needs company on the road, but she has already left the area."
The desert snail sighed and moved away. The air snail looked at Raven. "Adventure you say? What kind of adventure?"
Raven looked at the snail, "Dangerous kinds. Plus we need someone to carry many supplies. Would that interest you?"
The air snail looked at Stain and then me. "Mages, the lot of you. Mages are always interesting." He slid closer. I could see that where I thought his shell was white it was actually a myriad of colors that all fooled the eye into seeing it as white. "I smell air magic. But I also smell other magics." He grew closer. I could tell Stain was worried. The snail stopped and looked at Stain, "You would be the leader?"
Stain sighed and nodded, "I am."
The snail looked at me, "The apprentice or follower?"
I also nodded, "Apprentice."
Looking at Raven, "Not leader, not apprentice. What are you young lady?"
Raven looked down, "I am not sure anymore. I know I am a knife juggler. Other than that I am still finding out."
The snail pulled back. "What are the terms?"
Stain stepped up, "We provide food, water, protection, and travel. You carry our supplies as needed. When either is dissatisfied we can end the ar
rangement whenever we decide. However, the arrangement will not expire until we reach the nearest town or settlement."
The snail thought a moment and looked at Raven, "Do you think those are fair conditions young knife juggler?"
Raven looked at Stain and then back at the snail. "I have a similar arrangement. Except I can not carry many supplies."
"So, a fair arrangement." The snail turned back to Stain. "You do not like snails?"
Stain looked slightly uncomfortable, "I do not dislike snails. I prefer a tortoise packshell. I have had one for a companion for many years."
"A good, honest answer. Good." It turned away and looked at the other snails. "When shall we leave?"
Stain stated, "Now. We need to arrange for a harness and such. Let's deal with the broker up front and then we shall be on our way." He turned and headed back to the front of the building. Raven and I turned and followed. The snail moved to the side of the building.
"I will just meet you in front. The hallway is a little snug for my shell." He exited through a curtained entry.
Raven and I walked in as Stain proceeded to let the broker know exactly who he was and what he expected. In mere moments a complicated harness was pulled from storage and handed to me. Other items were carried out or handed to either Raven or Stain. We walked out and a young boy helped us put the harness around the shell of the snail.
Raven was talking to the snail. "I am Raven, would you tell me your name?"
The snail leaned down and spoke quietly, "I am Evins."
Stain appeared from the other side of Evins. "I am glad to meet you Evins, I am Stain. Ott is my apprentice. You will meet the rest of our group shortly. We need to load your shell. Please tell any of us if we need to shift weights or such. Tag has been my companion for many years and I find he knows how to load his shell to the best." Stain walked over to the group of sailors and I could see that he was instructing them to bring over the rest of our supplies.
Tag walked closer, 'Evins it is nice to meet you. I am Tag. Please forgive Stain's issues with snails. He once dealt with one that caused him no end of grief."
Evins looked at Tag, "Understandable, I was getting tired of that broker and his shoddy behavior. He only talked to us when he had to, no more."
It took over an hour to load Evins shell to the point where he was happy with how it felt. Once he was loaded Stain called everyone together.
"Well, now is the time of partings. We head into the mountains and our friends head back onto the waters. Say your peace and be ready to go before too long. I must talk to the captain." He walked up the dock and climbed aboard the boat.
Suzie approached Raven, Evins, and me. Giving Raven a hug, "Take care and do not be afraid." The look she gave Raven said there was more to what she said, I just had no clue what more. She turned to me and hugged me. "Be true to who you are. You can not go wrong then." She finally turned to Evins. "I ask that you care for my friends as I must part with them."
Evins looked at Suzie, "Another mage. I can promise that I will look after them. Whether they pay any attention is a whole different issue."
Suzie grinned, "Well, they both should listen. Stain might not, but just reason with him." She hugged Raven and me again and whispered goodbyes into our ears. She walked off and climbed into the boat. Raven had tears in her eyes and I realized that tears were welling up in mine.
"I will miss that crazy river woman." Raven whispered.
I hugged Raven and agreed, "I will miss her also. But I can scry her for both of us when we need to do so." Raven nodded against my shoulder.
Stain approached us and I could tell Suzie had told him goodbye. "Time to go. We have many miles to cover before we rest tonight." He waved at Conium who stood with Siniy. She climbed into the harness and took flight. All of our companions either climbed up onto Tag or joined us by Evins. "Let's get underway. I hope to make a campsite I know of before dark. It is a good days walk from here." He walked off and headed towards a broad trail that led into the woods and towards the mountains. We all gathered up our various items and followed after him.
* * *
As we walked deeper into the woods I realized that they were much different than the woods I had grown up exploring. The trees were spiky, the plants seemed to hunker close to the ground, even the air felt different.
"Stain, why does this area feel so different?" I asked my master.
He smiled and looked around. "That is a complicated answer. One is that the plants are simply different. You are used to a certain family of plants, these belong to another. Another reason is you are feeling the difference in the magic in this area. There was once a great magical presence here. It collected magical energy and infused it into the very soil, rocks, and even the air. It has slowly bled out over the years."
Now that he mentioned the difference in magic I could feel it. I looked at Raven questioningly
"I can not feel a thing. The air smells different. The plants look like plants, maybe different." She shook her head and kept walking.
Stain stopped a moment to harvest some leaves. Turning to Raven he stated, "I plan on teaching you as much as I can about magic. I understand you know quite a bit about traveling already. Ott is learning much as we travel. Feel open to ask question or offer information as we go along." With that said he continued talking about the plants around us and their uses. Many had some form of medicinal use. Some could be used in cooking. I helped Stain harvest as we traveled. After many hours we both had quite a few things in our baskets.
"So why do you harvest so much?" Raven asked in one of the rare quiet moments.
Stain smiled and looked at me. "You answer that one Ott."
I nodded and thought a moment. "One reason is that to prepare most medicines you need quite a bit of each ingredient. You do not use it whole, you manipulate it and only use a part. Like the oil of a leaf or the seed of a plant. Another reason is that some things are widely available in one area yet rare in another. So those things, if they are harvested correctly, can be prepared in such a way as to provide healers with a wider assortment of medicines." I looked at Stain to see how I had done.
"Correct. Also there is the idea of not dipping into our own supplies if possible. So we harvest extra, make more medicines or seasonings, and then sell the extra later if needed." He continued walking along the path. "The campsite for tonight is just ahead. Ott, why not take Mophar and your bow and see if you can get some meat for the pot tonight. The owl will take care of itself, Tag and Evins eat only vegetation, so that leaves the four of us people and a few of our companions to feed. I think four rabbits or such should be enough."
I pulled my bow from Tag's back.
"Some berries would be nice. A good black one grows in this area." Tag mentioned.
"Me too! I love those black ones!" Evins chimed in.
I looked at Raven and nodded. "I will be back in just a bit." Walking up to Stain I asked, "How far is the campsite and what kind is it?"
Stain looked up, "Perhaps another hour's walk and it is a Travelers site. Look for those stones again. It is a marker." He grinned as we both remembered my first encounter with those stones.
I headed off into the woods, Mophar swinging through the trees.
"Should I be doing anything?" Mophar called down.
I stopped and looked up. "I could use a spotter. Keep an eye out for sign of small animal burrows and for those berries. Also some nuts would be a welcome addition to the supplies."
Mophar nodded and climbed higher.
As I walked deeper into the woods I realized that even with all of the differences the woods were simply that, woods. Trees still grew, animals still lived, insects still bit. I smiled and shook my head. Pushing gently I formed a weak shield to block any insects from getting near me. It swirled out and I could see the bugs bounce away from me. Continuing on I realized that there were many animals in the area. Some deer had recently passed through this area. Probably a small herd from the signs left behind.
A bear had clawed a tree. Small animals traveled though, probably looking for water and food.
Mophar called out from up ahead. "Found something." His voice was quiet yet pitched to carry.
I headed his direction and realized that he had found a large grove of nut trees. We spent a few minutes filling a large bag with fresh nuts, although Mophar ate quite a few. I tossed the bag into my magical bag, the weight not even changing. We continued on, trying to keep the main path off to one side, so as not to get lost. Eventually I could hear the sound of water splashing. I headed towards the sounds with a warning to Mophar to keep quiet. This time of day many animals were making their last visits to the local water hole to fill up for the night. I might be able to use this to my advantage. As the sounds grew louder I realized that the sounds came from waterfalls spilling over rocks. As I approached the area I could see more sign that this was a local watering area. Many tracks led to and from the area. Deer, small animals, even some I did not recognize I circled around so as to be downwind from the water when I got within sight of it. I crept forward and sighted down my arrow. The water slowly came into view. No animals were drinking currently, yet I could tell some had been there recently. I looked around and realized that I had the best view to get off a shot when something reappeared. Mophar startled me slightly when he dropped onto my shoulder.
"So, everything scurried off just before you walked up. Maybe they heard you?" He looked out at the water. "Going to sit here a while?"
I nodded, "This is perhaps the best location to get a few animals. If nothing happens for a bit we will move on and look somewhere else. Feel free to scout around."
Mophar hopped back into the trees and I could hear him moving away until he was beyond my senses. I sat there and waited as the sun slowly sank lower. Eventually I could hear the forest come back to life. Animals moved in the brush, birds flapped through the trees, I could even hear fish splashing gently. If I could not get any animals I might try to get some fish. In a water hole this size there should be a few large fish. A slight movement caught my attention. A rabbit appeared near the water's edge. It sniffed around looking for danger. I pulled my bow back and let an arrow fly. It caught the rabbit and flipped it over, dead on impact. Just like my dad had taught me, no unneeded suffering. I walked out and picked up the rabbit. Retrieving the arrow I took the rabbit back and waited again. Before too long I had two more rabbits and some large rodents of some kind. Nothing else seemed to be approaching so I decided to try to get a fish. I used my bow and stood on the rocks. I could see small fish swimming around. A large fish swam into view and I let fly an arrow. It plunged through the fish and stuck fast into the bed of the little pond. That should do it. I quickly cleaned all the kills and stored them. Keeping the pelts and such for later. I walked away, leaving the remains for the animals that might find a meal from such castoffs.
A Deepening Knowledge (A Life of Magic) Page 11