War is the result of a quandary to which no solution can be found.

  - From the diary of Damien de Savant.

  The air was moist, a juxtaposition to the dry desert breeze that came from the west. The new growth that had taken over this part of the sands could not completely hide the passage of the Ravens’s wagons. My new Tracking skill, low level as it was, gave me a greater crity in my interpretation of the nd.

  Little things that I had never noticed before, or paid little attention to, came to a stark focus as my eyes roved over them. Browning grass showed where a Xaruar had in for the night, creating its bed from the crush of leaves. Broken stems here and hoofprints there told me of where the horses had been staked down for the night.

  “There’s jus’ a bit further downright!” excimed Larynda, a bright and innocent smile brightening her features. The young half-elf looked carefree and I could see that a little of the permanent darkness and tension that had been about her was now gone.

  I was just about to grunt a reply when I saw something moving under the folds of her loose clothes. For a moment, I thought that some new and alien horror would burst out of the little girl. I was to be partially right.

  Brown beady eyes popped out, looking out at the world from just under the little girl’s chin. A whiskered nose on a soft-furred face sniffed at the air. Its nose turned in my direction and its little eyes caught sight of me. The rodent, sensing a dangerous presence, retreated under the folds of her clothes. It was the Whispermews, Larynda’s new pet.

  “Stop that, Bubbles! Stay still, already!” chided Larynda, ughing gently as she did so.

  “I see you are taking care of my gift,” I commented, rolling my shoulders to let loose a little of the tension.

  “Yeah, he’s great! Stop that, you. Not you I mean,” she continued. “I think he’s just scared. He’s a really good boy and doesn’t usually act like this. And thanks for Bubbles, he really is the best!”

  “Take good care of it… him. All life is important,” I returned mely, wanting to end our conversation.

  I looked towards the other members of my little team, Kidu and Pakum, but they both seemed to just ignore our little exchange. The boy's eyes were fixed on the path upriver, guiding his charge with his stick. Kidu was nibbling on a piece of jerky to while away the time, looking much like a man who was enjoying a pleasant safari.

  I had told my companions a very highly edited version of my time beneath the earth. Something in the back of my mind told me that giving them the full uncensored version would not have been the wisest of choices. Noticing Elwin’s typical reaction to some of my accounts, I did not need much convincing.

  There had been no encounter with a fell goddess, nor the harrowing divine ordeal that had come with that. It was one of those circumstances where the truth was far far less believable than a convenient lie. No, the tale I gave them simply involved me finding my way to the surface, fighting through an underground cave system filled with monsters and bloody-thirsty locals.

  With the exception of Cordelia and Kidu, they received my account with various degrees of skepticism. However, for the most part, It was gddening that they had looked for me. It almost gave me back my faith in this world’s people. Almost.