Rhodarr and the other survivors have made a rather good job of cleaning up the carnage. After they killed the druid and the squirrels dispersed, they could collect enough dry wood to cremate the people’s corpses. It was gruelling work, but it had to be done.

Apparently, they have broken up many wagons to use them as fuel during their fight against the druid. But as we lacked the horses to pull more than a few wagons anyway, it was not a significant loss.

The surviving drivers decided to make a tally of the valuables and distribute most of them to the deceased’s families. A large part of the wares was ruined, another share we had no hope of transporting with the number of horses we had, so we mostly took the money, jewels and bullion. And books, of course. In fact, from the five wagons we have managed to bring with us, one was filled with books to the brim. Trueanvil refused to leave behind even one of his precious volumes. In fact, he even added a few new ones to his collection. I assume he pilfered those from ruined wagons or the baggage of dead men.

It was already the 6. of September when we finally started on our way. It took three days to cross the forest. Thankfully, there weren’t any further incidents. Trueanvil, Jim and I were on our toes for any case, cooking in our armours all day.

Finally, on the 9. of September, when we left Káed forest behind, the weather became bearable and more suited to the season. It took two more days to reach Sky Hall, where we unloaded Trueanvil’s books and said goodbye to the sorry remains of our caravan.

Sky Hall was our most important port of call before Golden Grove. The city was Beldrak's hometown, and populated by his ilk mainly, which probably explains the name.

Dwarves like to live under the ground. The deeper, the better. Sky Hall was not an exception to that rule, most of the city was at least fifty paces under the surface. The sizeable and ornate city hall, however, was carved into a hill, with windows opening to the surface, letting in genuine sunlight. That architectural peculiarity in the opinion of dwarves warranted this pretentious name.

Be as it may, Sky Hall was a very prosperous city. One would think that a people dwelling in caves and shafts had little place for themselves compared to those living on the surface, but the opposite was true. Beldrak's parents were not particularly affluent, but they still had as many rooms as our Palatine house. The often mentioned library that enjoyed Trueanvil's patronage was big enough to house hundreds of thousands of books, and the city hall was so large that the temple of Saturn would have fit into it four times over.

“It's because of the War of the Ale-Brewer. It ended two hundred years ago,” explained Beldrak. “It was between the League of the Seven and the Marniss Confederation. I am not surprised you never heard of it, your grasp on history is abysmal. Get a membership in my library, and we will work on that.”

“Or you could just tell us,” I suggested.

“In short, Sky Hall was occupied and sacked under the war. We won in the end, and expelled the ork tribes from the Misty Hills, their confederation was dismantled, and they still haven't scraped together the courage to come down from the northern highlands. But most citizens of Sky Hall perished or made their home elsewhere. And now ten thousand dwarves live in a city that once held ten times as many. So we have a lot of place.”

“Are there no immigrants? This is a rich city.”

“Humans and elves don't like to live underground. They'd rather live in Golden Grove or Sheepsford, which are richer still, and built mostly over the surface. For dwarves and gnomes you have Isogynogy. Big city with bustling trade by the sea, while we only have the road and the river Darpa.”

“Also our main occupation here is mining a few valuable ores, but the lodes are thin. We already have enough people as it is to mine them, smelt the ore and work the metal. Even if a dwarf would move here, it is not sure he could find employment.”

We only spent one night in Beldrak's hometown, then set out for Golden Grove. Now that we didn't have to carry the books anymore, we could travel by ourselves without having to pay for a caravan. Our costs were drastically lower this way. Also, Jim has already proved himself a decent scout and an able woodsman, while Trueanvil and myself weren’t slouches either.

Usually we walked eight hours a day, leaving behind about twenty-five miles. We could have gone faster if only we had a mule to carry our belongings, but the others have talked me out of buying an animal.

“You are a big boy, and you can carry your own damn things,” was Jim's opinion, and even Beldrak, who never once left the comfort of the wagon until the tragedy of Káed’s forest struck, was intent on bearing everything by himself.

“A mule needs fodder and stabling, and stables in Golden Grove are especially pricey. It’s only a short journey anyway. While we are travelling so light, there is no need for mules.”

“Easy for you to say,” I grumbled. “My armour alone weighs almost fifty pounds, you know!”

“Are you suggesting that if you had a mule, you would walk around on the road without armour? Because that is a horrible idea. If nothing else, Káed forest should have taught you that much!”

“Yes, but this is a civilised land, with villages and all. There are no monsters here, I hope!”

“Highway robbers exist too. Also, I am sort of working for Golden Grove University’s rector, and she has her fair share of enemies. If you could march in your armour in that schorching heat in the forest, you can do that here too.”

“If you want to argue,” interjected Rhodarr, “I would like you to do it in Draconic. Arnold, how do you say mule again?”

I can't say I was convinced, but I put off buying a mule for a while and travelled wearing scale mail, as if I was a soldier serving with the heavier troops. This was one of the reasons why I stayed veles so long - wearing leather armour all day is so much more comfortable than carrying proper mail!

The distance from Sky Hall to Golden Grove was only about hundred and eighty miles as the wolves run, so we covered it in mere seven days. Despite Beldrak's misgivings, we haven't met any trouble. All the travellers we came across seemed honest folks, or at least didn't have anything against us, and there was no sign of outlaw bands.

“The road is mostly peaceful these days,” the wizard admitted as we glimpsed the walls of the city. “But one can never be too careful.”

“Especially one serving important people who have powerful enemies.”

“Especially.”

“At least these powerful enemies don't seem inclined to highway robbery,” said Jim.

“I wouldn't put it past them,” answered Beldrak. “University politics can be rough.”

“That sounds worrisome,” said Rhodarr. “I find that getting into fights has a really noxious effect on my health. I had enough of it in that damned forest. So how about I stay behind and do not associate with you in any way? At least until you have delivered this apple of yours. Just in case. You will find me later at a tavern or at a brothel.”

“Your confidence in our ability to get out of trouble is touching,” I growled.

“Hey, I have been travelling with you for more than a month, remember? I have every confidence that you can solve your problems in your usual violent way. I just want to be very far away from you when that happens.”

“I cannot condone this sentiment,” declared Beldrak. “But since you are our teacher and not our bodyguard, I cannot raise any valid objection either. Good whoring, Rhodarr!”

“You got it, chief!” grinned the dragonborn, sat down at the roadside, and pulled out his lunch. “You can always count on me when it comes to whoring and drinking.”