Road trip

Helena was up at the crack of dawn as was asked of her, and she made her way to the merchants guild. Outside, with a cart laden with goods, were Dav and Van. “There’s a spot in the back where you can sit,” Dav said. “There’s no chance they attack us near the city, so you can get a couple more hours of sleep if you want.”

“If you can handle the bumpy ride,” Van added.

“That shouldn’t be a problem for me. Thank you,” Helena said. With a days long job like this, she’d want to remain on guard for the entire time they were at risk of attack. But as Dav said, they wouldn't attack anywhere near the city. It would be safe to get a bit more rest now. Besides, Van would be on watch.

So, Helena hopped into the back of the cart, and Dav set the horses into motion.

Experienced at falling asleep in uncomfortable places and on demand, Helena was out before they even left the city proper.

Although Helena was asleep for it, there were no issues leaving the city. After a couple hours, Van wondered, “Maybe we should let her rest a bit more. She seems like the upright type. I doubt she’ll get any sleep once we’re in their territory.”

Dav considered. At this stage, while it was possible they could be attacked, it was unlikely to happen until the second day of their journey. And it’d be good for their guard to be in top condition.

“Alright, that works for me.”

The two siblings rode together in silence, until around noon when they finally decided to wake up Helena. “Helena, could you take Van’s place up here? I want to give her a chance to hop in the back to eat lunch.”

“Sure,” Helena said, taking Van’s spot at the front.

One of Helena’s spells, Sound Center, allowed her to gather wind magic around her ears and listen to sounds across a large area. “I’ll keep an ear out for trouble,” she said to Dav.

But no trouble arose, and Van swapped places with Dav so he could eat lunch. She was comfortable with the reins and said, “Why don’t you take a quick nap, bro?”

He considered, then nodded. “Alright. Thank you.”

Helena was content riding in silence, but she noticed Van was getting jittery, as if she wanted to talk but didn’t know how to start. “So Van, this is a family business you and your brother have?” she asked.

The older woman nodded. “Yeah. Our dad left it to us after he retired. Our sister works with us too, although she’s our bookkeeper so she stays in Arthuron. What about you, what’s your family like?”

Helena resisted the urge to simply say, “Dead.” That was a response she gave to people she didn’t like, but Van was nice. “They passed away a few years ago. My parents, I mean. I didn't have any siblings.”

“Damn, real sorry to hear that,” Van replied. She took her eyes off the road to gaze at Helena. “You must have been pretty young, huh.”

Helena nodded.

“Life can be cruel,” Van said with a shake of her head.

“Indeed it can. But my hope is to make it just a little bit less cruel by taking down threats like these orc brothers.”

“A noble goal,” Van replied.

They continued to talk, Helena changing the subject back to Van’s family, and after a couple hours they woke up Dav and let Van take a nap in the back.

The hours went by, and eventually the sun was starting to set. “Let’s make camp up ahead,” Dav said, knowing a familiar spot. Soon enough, they reached a roadside spot where the dirt was too trampled for the grass to grow, a few logs sitting around a small fire pit. “I hope you don’t mind sleeping in the cart, Helena. We don’t pack tents.”

“That’s no problem.”

Van hopped out of the back with some firewood under one arm and salted meat in the other. “I’ll get to making dinner, and first watch. Dav will take second and final watch will go to Helena, unless either of you object.”

Neither did, so they set to work preparing dinner.

The sun had finally set, and the trio chatted as they ate. Soon enough, it was time for bed. Van would keep watch, while Dav and Helena would set up their sleeping bags in the back of the cart. In Dav’s case, this was on top of a few boxes, but he insisted he’d arrayed them just right so it wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

Helena, knowing the day ahead would have the highest risks, fell to sleep soon after laying down.