The scent of fresh bread and hearth smoke filled the lower floor of the inn. Aria sat on a stool near the fireplace, swinging her legs as she hugged her doll, Sir Bramble, close to her chest.
Marna's soft humming came from the kitchen, along with the occasional clatter of pots and pans. It should've been a comforting morning, quiet and warm.
But Aria's ears perked up when she heard two older men speaking just outside the window.
"Did you hear?" one whispered. "Another party didn't come back from the Western Cliffs. Bears this time, maybe. Or worse."
"Those woods are cursed," said the other man. "Too many young hotheads thinking it's easy money."
"They should train rookies better. Some of them can barely swing a blade. And the guild still lets them sign up."
Aria's fingers tightened on her doll.
She slipped off the stool and walked quietly to the window, peeking through a crack in the shutters. The men were standing in the alley just outside, both wearing rough cloaks and weathered gear.
"And that silver-haired woman," one muttered. "Always going off alone, now dragging around a kid, I heard."
"Crazy way to live. One mistake out there, and you're never coming back."
Aria stepped away from the window, heart pounding.
She looked toward the door, the road beyond it, the wide world she didn't understand.
And then she looked down at Sir Bramble and whispered, "Liora's strong. She'll be okay."
But even so… she hugged the doll a little tighter.
Meanwhile…
The sun crept higher, casting golden shafts between the stone ridges and trees as Liora and Tessa reached the Crystal Ridge foothills. Jagged white stone jutted out from the forest floor like ancient bones. Tufts of green moss clung to their sides, glimmering faintly with morning dew.
"This is it," Liora said, crouching beside one of the moss-covered rocks. She inspected it carefully, then sliced a clean patch off with her dagger, placing it into a wax-sealed pouch.
Tessa knelt beside another outcropping, mimicking her movements.
"Is this the right kind?"
Liora examined it. "Yes. Be gentle. Don't strip it all, leave some behind so it grows back."
"Right."
For the next hour, they moved together across the ridge, collecting carefully. Tessa asked a few questions, just watched, listened, and followed. Once or twice, she even spotted a cluster Liora had missed.
When the trail steepened and rocks began to shift underfoot, Liora tested each step before moving. She glanced back at Tessa often, but the girl kept pace, steady and sure. No complaints. No missteps.
At one point, Tessa offered her hand across a narrow gap between two ridges.
Liora paused, surprised.
Tessa grinned. "I saw you help Aria cross a creek like this once. Fair's fair."
Liora took her hand, and they leapt together.
By midday, their pouches were full, and the ridge behind them glistened with sunlight and success.
Liora turned to Tessa and nodded approvingly.
"You did well. Quiet. Careful. Focused."
Tessa blinked, then beamed. "So… does that mean…?"
"We can file the paperwork for a party at the guild when we get back," Liora said with a small smile. "If you still want to."
Tessa gave a soft, disbelieving laugh. "Yeah, I do."
As they began the descent, Liora's thoughts drifted to Aria, to the stories people told in the village, and to the path she was walking now.
Not alone anymore.
But as a mother and now a guide.