“Will you allow us to pass?” I asked. “We want no trouble.”
Magdala studied my face for a moment. Then, she re-sheathed her dagger and motioned to the campfire. “We have enough food if you would care to join us and rest yourselves for a bit. It’s a long hike to the next rest stop, and you look frazzled. Did you encounter the goblins earlier?”
I let out a long breath, relieved. My sense was correct. They weren’t out to hurt us. I glanced back at the others, and they nodded. Turning back to Magdala, I sheathed my sword.
“Thank you. We appreciate the offer, and if you truly mean it, we’ll take you up on it. We don’t know the way through the pass. Maybe you can offer us some suggestions?” I asked. Then, because it seemed only appropriate, I added, “Would you like a loaf of bread or two to go with the stew? We don’t want to deprive you of your foodstuffs.”
Everybody visibly relaxed, and we joined them at the campfire. Rupert was sorting through a pile of sticks to stoke the fire.
Thornhold joined him, offering a couple of the sticks of wood that we were carrying. Rupert accepted with a smile. I motioned for Reggie and Ray to spread out a couple of our tarps for everyone to sit on.
“We have plenty of food, and we don’t live far from here. Keep what you have. If you’re traveling through the mountains, you’ll need it. So, you aren’t mountain folk?” Magdala asked.
“No, we aren’t,” I said. “We started out from Dusmaria.” It seemed easier to say that than to try to explain everything that happened. “We’re headed toward the Summer Kingdom.”
“You have quite a journey ahead of you,” Aisling said, his eyes flickering to Brynn. He was openly staring at her, but it didn’t feel creepy. At least not in a stalkerish sort of way.
“Do you know how far we have left to go? We’re forging ahead using directions that were given to us. None of us have ever traveled this way.” I said.
“Oh, you’ve got a couple of weeks left ahead of you, and the going is rough. But you are, indeed, headed toward the Summer Kingdom. There are other passes that lead to other places, but this is the pass that leads into the Valley of the Sun.” Aisling moved to help Magdala, who was ladling stew into mugs.
“Do you have utensils of your own?” Magdala asked. “I’m afraid we don’t have enough mugs for everybody, although there’s plenty of food.”
“We can supply our own,” Thornhold said, as he and Brynn began sorting through their packs, pulling out mugs and spoons.
I handed the cups to Magdala. She filled them and then handed them back to me. When everyone had a cup of the hearty stew and a chunk of what smelled like sourdough bread, we gathered near the fire, sitting on the tarps, and theconversation lapsed as we dug into the rich, thick tomato-beef base. The snow fell silently around us as we ate, and for the moment, a quiet peace fell over the camp. I relaxed for the first time in a while.
CHAPTER 56: THE TRUTH COMES OUT
As we ate,we slowly got to know one another. Magdala and her children seemed nice enough, but there was something about her that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. A magic, of sorts, but it was foreign to me, and the closer I came to figuring it out, the further away I ended up. I finally gave up and focused on my meal. The stew was excellent—I could taste the salt of the bacon, along with thick chunks of beef, quartered potatoes, and a savory gravy.
“This is wonderful,” I said. “I’d love your recipe.”
Magdala beamed. “It’s all in how you handle the meat. Master the braise, you master the dish.”
Aisling chuckled, but when I glanced at him, he was staring at Brynn. I knew men well enough to know that he was interested. Brynn didn’t seem to notice. She just focused on her food, looking tired. I knew the goblin fight had demoralized her.
“Well, you’re a master with the cooking pot,” Thornhold said. “If there’s plenty, I wouldn’t mind a second helping—but not if you need to save it for later.” He glanced at me, giving me a subtle nod, and relaxed. It was obvious that he also felt safe with the Ossayla clan.
Magdala held out her hand for his mug, refilling it with a smile. “There’s more than you think, so anybody who still hungers, you’re welcome to a refill.”
Alina turned to me. “You carry a great magic with you,” she said, holding my gaze. “I can feel it. It’s dangerous and chaotic, but…” She blinked, shaking her head. “You can’t get rid of it.”
Startled, I glanced over at Magdala.
“My daughter is a visionary. She’s the only one of our family clan who can step into the slipstream and see behind and beyond.” Magdala frowned. “I don’t want to intrude, but…”
“Wearen’t dangerous, though yes, I carry something that is connected to a great evil. I can’t just throw it away. In fact, we’re searching for a way to destroy it.” Actually, I wanted to just toss it the hell away from me, but images of Frodo and the ring kept popping into my head.
Magdala smiled. “Oh, you’re dangerous, all right. But perhaps not to us.” She glanced at her daughter. Alina gave her a nod, and everyone relaxed.
After dinner, Magdala yawned as Aisling stoked the fire and everyone gathered around it. “I wouldn’t continue the climb right now,” he said. “There are ice giants in the area. And stone golems. Both are extremely dangerous, and neither is easy to kill.”
“Where are you headed?” I asked. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.” I was learning that not everyone wanted to give up their secrets too easily, and sometimes it was better to leave others to their lives and not intrude.
“Our village is another day’s hike from here. We live high enough on the mountain to avoid most bandits, but not so high that the dragons notice us.”
“Dragons?” Reggie squeaked. “You have dragons here?”
