It is the morning of the day after I set out from Bree, I think; having walked until at least midnight I may have lost count of days. The camp that Munce led me to is scarce more than a flat spot atop a hill, with a few meager tents, none of which are for my use. Liffey would be amused at my discomfort, and I shall not deny to her that I slept poorly, but she perhaps imagines I have never passed a night beneath the stars, and my lumberjacking work has required that on several occasions. Still, I did not bring even so much as a blanket, and the night was chill.
Munce has been busy speaking to his brother about some plan the two are hatching to recover priceless trinkets for sale, and having gotten me where he said he would, seems to have all but forgotten me. But there is one fellow called Osmann, a deputy to some constable of Bree-land who works with the Eglain. This deputy informs me he means to make for Ost Guruth, setting out later today, and he promises to show me the way -- without so much as a coin exchanging hands. He waved the very idea off; he's traveling in that direction anyway, he says, leaving at noon, expecting the journey to take two days, and it won't be slower with or without me, so long as I have my own food. He does not expect any trouble, so doesn't mind that I know nothing of the use of this sword, beyond a few pretty stances learned from Odelynne's book.
If all goes to plan, we shall arrive in the early evening two days hence. My food should not quite be run out by then, though it will not be enough for the return journey. I have given little thought to how I should return, in fact. I have neither the supplies for it, if I cannot trade for more at Ost Guruth. I might know the way; the road is easily followed, and Osmann promises to show me where wholesome water can be found, something that many who travel this road do not know. But, while the land is blessedly free of dragons, and even nine-toothed vicious squirrels are rarely seen in this age, he tells me goblins are indeed a threat. They dwell in burrows, or lurk in old ruins, and none of the free folk know what moves them to lurk this day, then come out and attack without warning or provocation another day. Most travelers may pass by and never see sign of them, but unless you know what to watch for, you cannot pass safely by merely hoping your travel fails to coincide with one of their times of aggression.
Thus, I now realize, if I come to Ost Guruth and find no welcome, either at the hands of the Eglain, or of Liffey, I am in between a rock and a hard place. I cannot return without supplies, and if I go without a guide, I take my life into my hands. And there is no other shelter I can hope to find in this dry and desolate land. How could I have come this far without even considering the means by which I might return?
