“I’m going on my evening walk,” Era yelled up to Gabriel. “I’ll be back before dark.”
Gabriel waved him off from the top of the stairs, and Era set out quicker than he usually did; this time he had a destination in mind. I hope there’s still a shopkeeper around when I get to the city, he thought, trotting off towards Sarmanna.
Luckily for him, there were still a couple of peddlers roaming the streets. Era ran up to the nearest one, an old man behind a stand filled with tiny carved figurines made of wood and stone and glass.
“Sir,” he said quickly, “I have a question for you, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“Of course not. What would that be?” The old man smiled, the skin around his eyes crinkling.
“I’m… about to go on a journey,” he said, “to a faraway city. Would you be able to point me in the right way?”
“You’re about to travel without knowing where you’re going?”
“Or what I’m doing.” Era looked down, knowing he sounded foolish. “But I need to get to the castle town… it has the answers I’m looking for.”
“You’re headed to Elsequaire, are you? Well, that’s quite a ways away.” The man began idly rearranging some of his figurines as they spoke. “Especially if you’re going by foot.”
“I know. But it’s horribly important to me.”
“I don’t doubt it.” The man looked him in the eyes. “Travel light and rest in places sheltered from the wind, it gets cold at night. And never, ever lose sight of where you want to be, because finding the motivation is the hardest part.”
“I see,” Era said quietly.
“You’ll want to follow this path as far as it goes,” he continued. “When you hit any forks in the road, take the middle path, or the left one if there’s only two branches. And,” he added, “don’t be afraid to ask for directions.”
Era smiled broadly. “Thank you, sir. I truly appreciate it.”
“Good luck,” he replied.
Just as Era was about to head home, the man stopped him with a tap to his shoulder. “Take this with you,” he said, handing him a small wooden figurine. “It will help you through times of change.”
Era took one look at the figurine and realized it wouldn’t be he who would need it.
Still drunk off of sleep, Gabriel stumbled down the stairs.
“Mornin’, Era,” he mumbled, fishing around in the cabinet for breakfast. “Hey, you up yet? Not like you to sleep in.”
Era didn’t respond. He must really be tired, he thought. Did he stay up late or something?
“Hey! Era! Wake up, kid!” he said louder, walking over to the couch. “Are you—”
Era wasn’t there.
“…The fuck?” Gabriel said incredulously. As dread crept up his back, he noticed that Era’s staff was missing from its usual spot as well. He suddenly noticed a piece of parchment folded neatly on the table in front of the couch where Era should have been sleeping, and he grabbed it and ripped it open, sending something small tumbling to the floor.
The note, written in Era’s neat handwriting, had a single sentence on it:
Thank you for everything.
Shaking slightly from a strange mixture of emotions, he picked up the object that had been folded in the note. It was a tiny wood carving of a bear.
“I told you not to do anything stupid,” he whispered.
It was only noon, and Era was already past the city limits.
He had a few coins he’d picked up in the street to live off of, but for the most part, he would be foraging for food. He traveled with only the clothes on his back, a small pack with a single change of clothes and his coins, and his staff. The man did say travel light, he tried to assure himself, but the entire ordeal had made him a nervous wreck. He stopped, looking back at the city that still felt within reach.
I feel horrible for leaving Gabriel like that, he thought glumly. Crisilla might wonder what happened to me too. Looking down the road, he shivered at the thought of his long journey to come, and the shiver turned to fear of the unknown.
I still have so much to learn… about everything. And that’s why I’m here now: to find out who I am. The path was long and rough, but as he looked to the horizon, he allowed hope to well within him again. I can make it, he thought with confidence, and nothing’s going to stop me.
Era felt bold as he picked up step once again.
The road ahead was mostly occupied by merchants heading through to Sarmanna from all corners of the country. Most simply ignored Era’s presence, passing by the stranger on foot without so much as a second thought. Some were polite enough to tip their hat to him, and he responded with a smile and a nod; some nearly ran him over with their horse-drawn carts, startling the living daylights out of him.
Thankfully used to long, unbroken walks, Era wore a smile on his face for most of the day. However, as evening set in and the air grew chill, his smile ceased and his stomach moaned. He could stave off the cold with his magic chains, but food was beyond him. “I’m sure I could make something edible,” he thought aloud, “but I highly doubt it would last very long before it faded away.”
Knowing that the first day on the road would be the easiest by far, he walked well into the night despite his aching limbs and crippling hunger. He finally rested when the moon was high, feeling more physically and mentally drained than he knew was possible. He struggled to keep his chains in place, the only things keeping him from succumbing to the freezing cold of the autumn night. Leaning against a rock and dead tired, he unwillingly gave in to sleep.
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