“No, Seda, I do not. I’ve done many horrible things. I do not deserve to live in peace or remain with these kind people before us, despite my wishes.”
Seda disagreed, knowing Elco had a kind heart and that his experiences at the Camp weren’t his fault—he had to eat to survive.
They sat in silence, listening to Orion snore. Lucja approached, holding a cup of steaming coffee in one hand and a pile of clothing in the other.
“Oh, look, there’s Orion! And Seda, I’ve found some clothes for you to try. Would you like to come back with me to the house?” she asked.
Seda said goodbye to Elco and followed Lucja, who carried the clothing in her arms. When they entered the room, she placed the items on the bed and looked at Seda intently as she examined her body. “We can make this work, dear. I will need to modify a bit, but this will do.”
“Which do you suggest first?” Seda asked as she looked through the earth-tone clothing options.
“Well, I would suggest a dress for a beautiful lady like yourself, but since you’re on foot through these woods, pants might be a better choice.” She held up a pair of light brown pants and amatching top with laces up the front. She noticed Seda’s hesitation. “Don’t worry, dear, I will turn around, and the door is locked. No one will come in.”
When she turned around, Seda removed the scratchy dress she wore and pulled the pants up her legs. They were a little tight and reached her mid-calves. She then tightly laced the top and sighed with relief, glad to have her breasts supported. “I’m ready.”
Lucja turned around and smiled. “Already much better. Let’s fix those pants.” She waved her hands through the air, and the natural material of the pants elongated, with weaving fibers surrounding her calves and extending to her ankles. The pants also stretched slightly, and Seda took a deep breath, feeling she could breathe more easily in them.
“Now for shoes,” Lucja said.
“Oh, no, I’m okay without shoes,” she said.
She enjoyed the sensation of her bare toes in the dirt she had been walking through.
“The terrain north of here becomes icy and rocky. Are you sure?”
Seda reconsidered; the idea of losing her toes to frostbite or slicing them on sharp rocks sounded horrible. “What do you have?”
Lucja walked into a small closet and pulled out a pair of men’s lace-up boots that would reach Seda’s mid-calf. “These might actually be big on you. They used to belong to my husband. He is now with the Mother Goddess, bless his heart, and I know he would love to see them used again.”
Seda thanked her and pulled them on.
“Hmm, leather I cannot modify as it does not grow from the ground. Do the boots fit okay, dear?” Lucja asked.
They were a bit big on her, but not overly so. She nodded and thanked her again. Then they both left the house and went their separate ways.
She caught sight of the Corvids circling overhead and thenglanced over at Benny and Askold, who were sitting by a small campfire. She made her way over to them.
Benny caught sight of her and turned red. “So, uh… how was your night?”
“Not as eventful as yours.” She poked his shoulder and grinned.
Just as Benny was about to speak, his mouth dropped open, and Askold burst into laughter. “Benny’s shacking up in the birdhouse,” he said.
Benny closed his mouth and blushed. “Zero regret,” he finally said and shrugged.
“Nice outfit, Seda!” Askold said, eyeing her approvingly. “Sweet boots. I would wear those. No more hitching rides from strong men, huh?”
Seda laughed. “No more hitching rides.”
She also wasn’t comfortable asking Kalon to hold her again after what had happened the night before.
“I think we should gather everyone and see about heading out soon,” Benny suggested.
Seda and Askold nodded, and the three of them walked off to find the others. They found Ojore wrestling with two Vatte behind some trees. They were attempting to jump on him from behind, and he was maneuvering around them, showing them how to defend themselves.
“Ojore! We leave in fifteen minutes,” Benny shouted, and Ojore saluted back before being tackled to the ground by the Vatte.
They gathered the others, except Kalon, and talked about their plan to move further north.
