8, On the road

The rode north was well maintained, and the weather was nice. Ayya enjoyed herself as they trotted along. As they made their way through the countryside, they received a lot of attention. It was not every day a group of riders and an aari came through these parts.

The first day Ayya thought of the journey like the beginning of an exciting adventure. They stayed in the saddle the entire day. They had packed dried fruit, bread and cheese in their saddle packs that they ate as they rode.

When they came to a halt just before dusk, Ayya felt a little less cheery. Her body felt sore and numb in places. She looked over Estrela extra carefully, but the horse didn’t seem to mind the day long ride. Ayya sighed and unfolded her sleeping bag at the place Sinhera had told her would be her spot around the campfire.

“Everything alright, Ayya?” Sinhera asked as she came walking.

“A little sore, but nothing that will kill me,” Ayya confessed. Sinhera chuckled and held out her hand to help Ayya up.

“They are getting water in the stream nearby for dinner at to fill our water skins for tomorrow. Will you help us purify it?” Sinhera asked.

“Sure, I’m happy to be of use,” Ayya said.

The riders came up to her with six skins of water. Ayya let her magic flow through the water to remove any impurities.

“All done,” she smiled at the riders, and they nodded and started filling the waterskins they had fastened to their saddles.

They boiled water for tea. Their dinner composed of bread, cheese, and dried meat. Ayya slipped some herbs into her tea. She would need something for her sore muscles. They stayed around the campfire for a while, talking and discussing the coming day’s journey.

The following day, they woke up at dawn and ate a breakfast of bread and cheese with tea. They saddled up and got on the road again. The day was almost a copy of the first day. Except for Ayya’s sore muscles, which made the journey less enjoyable.

That evening, as they made camp, Ayya had a hard time getting her legs to stop wobbling as she dismounted from Estrela. Estrela let Ayya support herself against the horse as she groomed her.

“Feeling worse today?” Sinhera asked as Ayya slowly walked over to the campfire to unroll her sleeping bag.

“Yes,” Ayya sighed.

She was wise enough to not sit down but to remain standing as she waited for the riders to bring the water. She purified it and then carefully sat down on her sleeping bag.

“Do you want us to go a little slower and add in some breaks?” Sinhera asked as she brought over Ayya’s tea and supper.

Ayya sprinkled in some extra herbs into her tea and chewed on her bread while she contemplated the question. If she accepted, they would spend at least an extra day on the road, and she needed to dismount and mount Estrela a couple of more times every day. She didn’t like that alternative.

“No, it’s not worth it. I can power through. We will be there in two days. That is doable,” Ayya said.

“Good. Try rubbing this on your legs and lower back tonight. Wash your hand thoroughly after,” Sinhera told her and handed her a glass jar with some kind of ointment.

“What is it?” Ayya asked.

“You will see,” Sinhera smiled. “Now eat up and get ready for bed.”

Ayya nodded, and when she went to relief herself before going to sleep, she rubbed the ointment all over her legs and lower back. Almost instant a pleasant warmth spread over Ayya’s skin and seeped into her muscles.

“Better?” Sinhera asked as Ayya came back.

“Much. What is this heavenly thing?” Ayya answered and held out the jar to Sinhera.

“No, you keep it. I brought it for you. It’s a remedy with pepper and chili, it stimulates blood flow,” Sinhera told her.

“It’s a lifesaver,” Ayya smiled.

“Apply morning and night and it will make this a little easier,” Sinhera advised her.

Ayya slept well and when they got up at dawn the next day, her muscles felt a little better. She put on the ointment and got Estrela ready for the day. They ate their breakfast and were on their way.

Between the amazing ointment and the herbs Ayya used, she felt a lot better and started enjoying herself again. She spent the day talking to Sinhera. Sinhera was originally from the northern parts of Salmisara. Not as far north as the mountain villages, but almost. Sinhera told Ayya that her family had traded with the mountain villagers when she was younger.

As they made camp for the evening, Ayya found that the day in the saddle hadn’t killed her. Still, she felt grateful that this part of their mission would be over the next day. When they sat down to eat their usual supper, they discussed the next day.

 “We should arrive just after noon,” Sinhera said. Ayya nodded.

“When we get close, we will find someplace to stop and make ourselves presentable,” Sinhera added.

Ayya looked around the campfire at the riders, and she smiled. They looked a little rough around the edges after three days on horseback.

“That’s a good idea,” Ayya said.

“Looking forward to actually start your first mission?” Sinhera asked.

“I’m looking forward to not spend every day in the saddle,” Ayya confessed, and there was a chuckle around the campfire.

“But I’m a little nervous about the next step. Then it’s up to me,” Ayya said.

“You will do fine,” Sinhera reassured her.

Later, when Ayya was snuggled into her sleeping bag. She looked up at the stars and tried to calm her nerves. The stars were magnificent. They reminded her of her first night out on the plains with Tenac. The memory made her smile.

She could do this, she thought. Ayya had done worse things in her life. She couldn’t think of any at this moment, but she was sure she had.

The next day, they started out as usual. During the four days of their journey, the surrounding nature had changed from grassland, to farmland, to forest and now the forest gave way to the shrubs and stony landscape at the foot of the mountain. The road climbed upwards, the altitude steadily increasing.

They stopped at a mountain stream to wash up, and Ayya changed into her other dress. White dresses didn’t look all that white after four days on the road. They spent some time grooming the horses to get rid of the day’s travel dust.

After continuing upwards for a while longer, the climb was levelled to a plateau of lush meadows. In the north, vast mountains rose like ancient guardians over the plateau. Ayya was struck by how clear and thin the air was and how beautiful everything around her was. Everything was brittle and almost apologetic to its existence.

The group shifted its positions. From having four riders leading the group, followed by Ayya and Sinhera, and last, two riders leading the two pack horses. They now rode with Ayya at the point position, Sinhera slightly behind her to her right and then the rest of the riders.

The road led the group midway between two small hills and, as they passed between them, they could see the village. It was in the centre of a large valley bounded on the north by the mountains, on the east and west by large forests spreading out, and on the south by the two hills.

Around the village, green grass meadows spread out and on the other side of the village, as seen from the road where Ayya and the riders stood, there was a stream flowing that crossed the plateau. Ayya and the riders paused for a moment and took in the surroundings before slowly making their way towards the village.

Around the village, animals grazed off the grass. Ayya could see horses, sheep, and goats. They did not seem to walk in divided herds, but all walked together. Amongst the animals, men were scattered, some on foot and others on horseback. They looked up as the small group approached on the road, and most of them bowed their heads in a greeting.

Ayya and the riders answered their greeting and could see that a man on horseback set off towards the village, presumably to notify the rest of the inhabitants of their arrival. As they entered the village, Ayya took a deep breath, hoping to chase away both the fatigue and nervousness. She mustered her last energy to put up what she hoped was a genuine smile.

They rode into the village, and the road led them towards the centre. The village was built with a square as the centre and around the square stood the slightly larger buildings that looked to be official buildings and an inn. All built by rough logs.

The square was full of people watching the group of grey-clad riders and Ayya. The building that Ayya assumed was an official building, because of its size and central location, had a staircase leading up to the large entrance door. On the stairs stood a group of men.

The men differed from the other people, and Ayya steered Estrela towards the group. The people standing in the square respectfully retreated, leaving way for the group of riders. Ayya felt more than saw how Sinhera had ridden up near her and was now holding her horse close to Estrela on Ayya’s right side.

It felt safe even if Ayya thought it was unnecessary. They were among friends who had asked for their help.

Ayya held Estrela in, some distance from the stairs and dismounted. She tried to make it as graceful as she could, but it was complicated because her muscles were protesting and Sinhera had stopped so close to Ayya that it made it almost impossible for Ayya to dismount without kicking Sinhera’s horse.

With an effort, Ayya got down on the ground while the men on the stairs had made their way down and were now standing right in front of her.

At the front stood an elderly man. He had a thick white beard that was kept well-groomed and short. His clothes testified that he probably took part in physical labour. But unlike the other men, he wore a bright red headband and around his waist was tied a waistband of the same colour that was lined with gold thread.

Ayya assumed that this was the chieftain who had asked for help. The man took a step forward from his comrades and bowed deeply to Ayya.

“Your grace, it is an honour to welcome you to Tem’Enen,” the man said. “My name is TasBiorin nor Kahane and I am the chieftain of the village. I was the one who called for help,” he introduced himself.

Ayya bowed at him, albeit not as deep.

“It’s an honour to be of help to you. I am lady Ayyanapia, we got your call for help and came as soon as we could. Let me introduce captain Sinhera of the grey riders,” Ayya replied, gesturing towards Sinhera who took a step forward and bowed towards the chief, who responded with the same gesture.

“You are all more than welcome. The truth is that we may need all the help we can get. I’d like us to get started discussing our problem in more detail. But I realize you’ve come a long way and probably want to wash off and rest before we start,” the chief said politely.

 Ayya could see the stress in his eyes, and she was impressed by how well he held it back.

“That’s kind of you. We’re ready to get to work as soon as we can saddle off the horses and stow away our packs,” Ayya replied.

The chief nodded, looking relieved that the guests didn’t seem to need any longer recovery.

“Our horsemen will make sure that your horses are taken care of and allowed to go out to the pasture. We have made sure that you have rooms at the inn. Unfortunately, it’s not big enough to give you all your own rooms. I hope you can share,” the chief said.

“We have no requirements for our own rooms, or for rooms at all, for that matter. If your inn needs the rooms for other guests, we’ll be fine with simpler accommodations,” Ayya replied.

The chief waved away her suggestion.

“Out of the question, we’re not a big village, but we’re hospitable and in times like these it’s safest to be within four walls when darkness falls,” he said, and Ayya nodded to show that she accepted.

“I would have liked to have shown you your rooms, but I am urgently needed in another place. I hope you won’t take offense if I leave the responsibility to my son,” the chief said.

“We understand that you have things to take care of” Ayya smiled, and the chief again looked relieved at her response.

 He raised his hand and gestured. Soon, several men stepped forward from the crowd and respectfully approached Ayya and the riders. Ayya realized that these were the men who would take care of their horses.

She turned to her saddle and untied her pack before turning to face the man waiting to have her permission to take Estrela. She gave the man a smile and held out the reins to him.

“She can be a little moody with people she doesn’t know,” Ayya warned the man.

“I’ll take good care of her your grace, she’s a magnificent animal,” he said with awe in his voice while letting his gaze sweep over Estrela.

“Yes, she is,” Ayya said, smiling, giving the horse a pat on the neck. “Behave,” she then said to the horse as the man led her away.

Sinhera came up to Ayya and, without a word, took her pack from her. Normally Ayya would have protested, but with all the people whose attention was on them, she let it be and instead turned to the chieftain.