The World Which Is

Chapter 40

"Thank you," I say before he can reply. "For the tea."

He glares at his sister before looking in my direction. "You're welcome. How are you for food? Even with your buff, Silver, I don't want to spend anymore time than needed stopped."

"I have enough jerky for everyone," I say. "For a while, too. I stocked up on it before getting to the club."

"I have a few days's worth of travel cake," she answers.

"Good. Both things that don't go bad. Good thinking. Finish your teas and we'll get moving. We can eat while we walk." He pauses. "You did think to bring food, right Hel?"

"Why no, Brandon. I figured that you, as the strong man in the family, was going to insist on providing for poor little me."

He rolls his eyes and drinks.

I exchange a look with Silver. How quickly is this going to take to get old?

* * * * *

It takes just under an hour to walk out of the fields, then it's maybe another one to reach West Road, with a caravan moving along it. I hurry ahead, then call out to them, only to skid to a stop as the closest guard turns, hand on her sword, and doesn't look happy to see me.

"Hi," I say as she looks beyond me.

She looks at the distance separating us, and I raise my hands.

"Hi," she says, tone cautious.

"We're heading in the same direction as you. I was wondering if we could travel together."

"We don't take passengers once we leave the market."

"I was just thinking of walking next to—" I step back as she pulls her sword out a few centimeters.

"I told you, Dennis," Brandon says. "Caravans don't let people join them once they leave. Too dangerous."

"We're not dangerous," I protest.

"I'm pretty sure every brigand on the road will claim the same thing," he replies. "Come on, with the buff we have, we can make better time on our own, anyway." He taps his forehead as he nods to her and heads alongside the carts, his pace faster than them. Each guard we encounter looks at us warily with a hand on their sword, and one on a pistol.

Helen pulls me when I end up staring at it long enough the man's expression turns suspicious.

"It isn't polite to stare," she tells me.

I know that, but it's not everyday you see a pistol. I mean, the only places I've seen one before now are in Base's movies. He has stories about them. They were more prevalent in the early days of the system, but over the years making them and the bullets became tougher without the machines of before, so they aren't common anymore.

We take a break when the buff expires, just long enough to have more tea, then Silver applies it again, and we're on the move. We need another one before we reach the rest point and the inn there.

"This doesn't look good," Brandon grumbles at the carts on the vast expanse of terrain between the inn and the road.

"Maybe they're staying with their carts," I offer.

"Some definitely will, but that's two caravans' worth of carts. You might be stuck sleeping in the barn, Hel."

"I'm okay with sleeping there," I say, so she won't feel pushed out.

"I'd prefer a bed," Silver says, "but I'll take anything that isn't the ground."

I look at Brandon, and he gives me this bewildered expression in return.