Horses can’t move forever and merchants can’t go unfed. It was inevitable for the caravan to come to a crawl, then to a halt. A wagon ring was formed, wide enough to enclose both the animals, the merchants, and most importantly, Marion, Eris, Jacket, and Ulysses.

The latter of the four had taken to scampering gleefully around the campsite. Eris resigned himself to staying in the back of the wagon, sprawled out in the space he and Marion shared. The knight was beginning to worry ...