BOOK 10: CHAPTER 32: A GRUELING JOURNEY

Nara bent down, helping one of the children to her feet.

“You need to let us know when you’re tired, little one,” she chided. “We can carry you.”

The little boy looked up at her, his eyes narrowed in determination as he said, “I’m strong enough.”

It broke her heart. She’d never have come to Earth if she’d known the hardships she’d be forced to witness. The dirty-faced child was only the latest example to test her resolve, and she knew it would not be the last. Hooking her hands below his armpits, she pulled him to his feet.

“We need you to be ready to protect us,” she said. “Look to the others. They conserve their strength so they can respond to any threats. You should do the same. There is no shame in leaning on your family for support.”

“I…I don’t have a family. Not anymore.”

Nara’s heart tightened at the mistake. Of course, she knew that his family was gone. His mother and father had been slain by the pirates, and his sister had set off in search of better opportunities than a sundered grove could provide. No one had heard from her – or the half-dozen other young ones who’d accompanied her – and Nara didn’t expect that to change. Especially not now that they’d abandoned their settlement and set off across the land to find a Druid’s grove none of them truly believed existed.

Sure, there were stories. Each one was more fanciful than the last, and to Nara, they sounded like tall tales. The notion that a Druid could be the most powerful man on the planet was ridiculous enough – especially so soon after the World Tree had extended its branches to Earth. That a native could nurture an immensely powerful grove was even more unbelievable.

After all, doing so would require constant guidance. And while a Druid would certainly gain levels in that way, it was not a quick process. More importantly, with that weight on his back, there was no way he could do anything else required to achieve significant power in a short timeframe.

And that wasn’t even considering that the seeds for such a grove were few and far between. Nara’s grandmother had broken many laws just to get her the corral polyps that had become her grove. So, unless the Druid in question – Elijah Hart – had stumbled upon an appropriate natural treasure, he shouldn’t have been capable of founding a grove at all.

No – it was likely a lost cause. There was every chance they’d set off in search of a paradise that simply did not exist. Yet, Nara knew they hadn’t had much choice. Remaining where they were was a recipe for disaster. Already, pirates had destroyed everything they’d built, and it was only a matter of time before some other problem finished them off.

It was inevitable.

Druids were not meant to be alone. A grove needed an extensive support system simply to exist, much less remain healthy enough to gain significant power.

Nara’s thoughts continued to dwell on the subject as she helped the boy into one of the nearby wagons. It was a crude thing, pulled by an even cruder – and remarkably stubborn – beast of burden, but the wagons were absolutely necessary. Without them, they would have been forced to leave their settlement with only so much as they could carry on their backs.

Nervously, Nara used One with Nature to inspect the all-important treasure sitting in the center of the wagon. Just a clay jar filled with specially-prepared seawater and packed into a crate filled with straw – it seemed innocuous enough. But it was the key to everything, assuming the grove even existed.

Vesk glanced back from where he sat at the head of the wagon and said, “It’s safe. You don’t need to keep checking.”

Nara turned her nose up, responding, “I was only helping young Doss into the wagon so he could recover his strength.”

Vesk looked toward the other wagon she’d bypassed on the way, then just shook his head.

“How much further until the next town?” she asked, wanting to change the subject.

“A few hours, assuming no more of the wagons break down.”

Nara frowned at that. The wilderness was unkind, and the wagons they’d bought in a human settlement whose name she couldn’t remember were entirely mundane. That was all they could afford, and even then, the purchase had required everyone to pool their ethereum. It hadn’t left much room for upgrades, and they’d barely had enough to purchase supplies for the road.

“And then to our destination?” she asked.

Vesk let out a sigh. “You know the route as well as I do by now. Asking won’t change anything, Druid tel’Amoris,” he responded. She fixed him with her most venomous glare, and he went on, “A few days through the mountain pass, and we will reach Ironshore. After that, I don’t know. The grove is supposed to be nearby, but there aren’t many specifics available. Lots of stories, but not many real details.”

She nodded. It was as she’d expected. If Vesk had better sources, perhaps their information would have been more accurate. He wasn’t that sort of Merchant, though. Instead, he often consorted with the worst sort of people – criminals and other ne’er do wells – and his clientele was no better. More than once, Nara had wondered if Vesk was a criminal.

But then again, it didn’t matter. He was loyal and a lifelong friend. Criminal or not, he would see Nara and the others safely to their destination. She did hope that she’d read the signs wrong, though.

Whatever the case, she kept her concerns to herself as they continued along the worn track. It would have been generous to call it a road. In reality, it was just a snaking path through the prairie, identifiable only by the slightly flattened grass.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Not for the first time, Nara wished that they could have simply followed the coast. However, due to the craggy terrain and the winding shore, that would have added months to their journey. Overland was better, if only slightly. ℞âℕоᛒÈś

“I miss the sea,” she grumbled.

“You will acclimate,” Vesk responded. “There is beauty to the dry places of the world. You saw the desert.”

A tremble traveled up her back. They’d only skirted the very edges of that hellish place, and even that had been enough to speed her on her way. That anyone would willingly subject themselves to such harsh conditions was a mystery to her. But according to Vesk, one of the world’s greatest cities stood at the center of that desert. What’s more, there were sand elves somewhere out there as well.

Thankfully, they’d only been forced to endure the outskirts of the desert for a few days before they reached the prairie. It wasn’t much better, but it was an improvement nonetheless.

“How long have we been traveling?”

“Three months, one week, and two days,” Vesk answered. He glanced up, squinted at the sun, then added, “And a few hours. Approximately.”

It felt like longer. And simultaneously, as if they’d only just set out on their journey. Along the way, they’d been forced to defend themselves from would-be bandits a handful of times, but those desperate people were all low-leveled and inept at their chosen profession. Not surprising, considering that Vesk claimed they were traveling the “back roads” in order to avoid the more capable rogues.

Thankfully, the wildlife left them mostly to their own devices. Such was the advantage of being a Druid and traveling in the company of nature-attuned people. Otherwise, they’d have been eaten alive a hundred times over.

“If only we could afford the Spires,” Vesk sighed. “Travel like the big shots, you know? Jumping from one end of the world to the next in only an instant.”

“Nobody can afford to travel like that,” Nara said. Perhaps she could have afforded the fare for a single trip if she had been alone, but it just wasn’t possible to move everyone like that.

“Not true,” Vesk pointed out. “I personally know Merchants who use the Conclave Spires to transport vast quantities of goods. The only limitation is how the spatial magic reacts to spaceholds. Some are permitted, but if they’re too powerful…well, bad things can happen.”

Spaceholds was a colloquial term from Kashii, referring to any container that held more than appeared possible from the outside. On their home planet, they were fairly common, but no one who’d come to Earth could afford the fee charged by the system to bring any along. Fortunately, their creation wasn’t difficult, and the natives had already begun to explore what was possible with that technology.

That didn’t mean Nara or any of her people could afford such luxuries.

“It does not matter, Vesk. We barely have enough money for necessities, much less to travel like nobles.”

“No nobles here, Druid tel’Amoris.”

“I have told you a thousand times – I’m just Nara.”

He shrugged. “Have you thought about what you’ll say to him?” he asked. “Assuming we make it, of course.”

“I have given it some thought,” she answered.

“And?”

“I am not certain.”

“Well, whatever you intend, make it convincing. He doesn’t sound like the patient sort.”

Nara looked away and across the seemingly endless grassland. It looked like an ocean of green, broken only by the occasional tree. In the far distance – probably a hundred miles away – loomed a massive mountain range. But she barely saw any of it. Instead, she focused on the stories she’d heard concerning the Druid Elijah Hart.

From every tale she’d been told – in various towns they’d encountered in their travels – it was clear that he was both powerful and savage. Almost wild. Crossing that sort of person was out of the question.

But as she’d told herself a million times since they’d left their failing settlement behind, they did not have a choice. If they wanted to maintain some semblance of their way of life, they needed a grove. And this man represented their best hope. Otherwise, they were better off scattering and finding lives elsewhere.

As a Druid, Nara couldn’t endure that even if the others probably could. If she’d wanted to slave away as a glorified farmer, she could have simply stayed on Kashii.

Slowly, the train of four wagons and a little more than fifty people made their way through the grassland. As it turned out, it took the better part of three days before they reached the foothills, largely because one of the wagons broke an axel they couldn’t replace. So, they had been forced to redistribute that wagon’s contents to the others, then cycle the beasts – mules, they were called by the locals – so they wouldn’t be ruined by the increased workload.

Even then, a few of the stronger members of the group had to carry slightly heavier packs, lest they leave some of their precious possessions behind.

Thankfully, the way saw no more hardships, and they reached the small fort that guarded the pass through the mountains without issue. Vesk negotiated with the guards – a mix of races heavy on dwarves and goblins – and soon enough, they were allowed through.

The pass was steep and switched back dozens of times, and due to the trip taking multiple days, they were forced to make camp in the mountains. There, they were treated to the unmistakable sound of howling wolves. More importantly, Nara could feel a steep rise in the ambient ethera.

“What do you think it is?” she asked as she sat next to Vesk by the fire. Most of the others had already gone to sleep beneath the wagons. “A tower, perhaps?”

“That’s just Ironshore. Everyone I spoke to said it has the highest density of ethera in the world.”

“Even thicker than the Primal Realms?” she asked, her eyes wide. On Kashii, Primal Realms were highly regulated, so she’d never dreamed of visiting one. The very idea was enough to give her nightmares.

Vesk shrugged. “That’s what they say.”

The rest of the night passed without incident, and after four more days, they finally began their descent. That went even slower, largely because the weather suddenly turned very cold and rainy. That, in turn, meant the loss of another wagon that tumbled over a cliff when the ground collapsed underneath it.

For a while, they attempted to climb down the cliff to retrieve those possessions, but in the end, it just wasn’t worth it. So, they moved on. Nara did put her special jar in her pack, though. That was the safest place.

Another week went by, and they barely made any progress. The wagons kept getting stuck in the mud, and they were frequently forced to take shelter from the driving rain. Most of the adults could endure the inclement weather easily enough, but the children could not say as much.

Finally, the weather broke, and the parting of the dark clouds revealed deep blue skies and the welcome light of the sun. It wasn’t particularly warm, but after what felt like an eternity in the dim light of the storm, it was a welcome change nonetheless.

Still, the way only became marginally easier, and they continued to fight many of the same issues. The terrain was anything but cooperative, but at least they’d begun to encounter other travelers. Like a helpful dwarf who single-handedly dragged one of their wagons out of a mud pit.

He also gave them some insight into the path they needed to take. None of the elves were particularly familiar with mountainous terrain, so any advice was welcome.

Following the dwarf’s directions, they made better time until, nearly three weeks after they’d entered the pass, they caught sight of Ironshore.

It was still miles away, nestled against the mountain range, but there it was.

However, Nara’s eyes soon found the mist-wreathed island a handful of miles out to sea. She didn’t need to study it long to recognize it as her true destination. At last, they’d finally found the grove.