The inn was nearly empty, except for the host and Tarmon. It was still dark outside as he had barely begun to rise. Jen found herself happy that it was Tarmon who was accompanying her to Vandalor and not someone else. Why she felt that way, she didn’t know.

  She hadn’t expected Tarmon to get up before her either. Perhaps he was anxious to leave. Jen took a seat next to him. “Got everything ready?”

  “Yeah,” Tarmon said as he stifled a yawn. “The horses are ready to go, and we have more than enough supplies to get to Vandalor. We’ll need to grab some food before we head back.”

  “Good work,” Jen said, barely stopping herself from yawning. By Tarmella’s grace, she was tired! Arturo didn’t wake up this early, and she had gotten used to sleeping in a bit. The trip to Vandalor wouldn’t be like that; she vowed to make sure they both got up early. The sooner she got back, the better.

  Tarmon got up and yawned once again, then wiped his eyes. “Well, are you ready to go?”

  “Yeah,” Jen said and got up. Why she bothered sitting down in the first place, she didn’t know. Habit was likely the reason.

  They walked out of the inn, and a cold breeze caused Jen to shiver. It took her a moment to acclimate to the weather, for it wasn’t so cold that she needed warmer clothes. About a dozen women in armor caught Jen’s eye. They looked serious and were heading toward the inn where Arturo was staying. One of them nodded toward her, and she nodded back.

  Jen didn’t recognize them, but she gathered the women were part of some army. She wondered what they were called. There wasn’t any more time to think about them as they arrived at the horses, each saddled up with bags hanging on the sides.

  Tarmon was the first to get on his horse, and Jen was right behind him. They both nudged their horses forward and left the gates of Carhan. Little was said for the first couple of hours as their bodies took time to wake up and the sun rose high enough to where it started to get warm.

  The road wasn’t too busy. There were a few wagons that passed, along with a few riders and soldiers, but nothing exceptional. Jen found herself enjoying the ride. There was nothing to stress about but enjoy the weather and company.

  “Oi, catch,” Tarmon said and threw something from his hand.

  She caught the object by instinct and realized it was a biscuit. “Nice catch,” Tarmon said and took a bite of his.

  “I am a trained member of the Whispering Mists; of course, I would catch this biscuit,” Jen said and took a bite.

  “You’re telling me that a Whispering Mists member will catch everything thrown at them,” Tarmon said.

  “You think we can’t?” Jen responded. She could barely keep a straight face at the stupidity of her statement.

  “Perhaps you should give me some training.”

  “I don’t think you’re very trainable,” Jen teased.

  Tarmon put on a face as if he’d been hurt. “I can’t believe you would say such a thing. Perhaps I’ll prove you wrong,” he said and tossed an apple.

  Jen barely caught the apple and then laughed. “You’re such a dork,” she said and took a bite of the apple. The juicy flavor filled her mouth, and she went for another bite. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until eating the biscuit.

  “Well, I may not be able to catch everything thrown at me, but at least I can make you laugh.”

  Jen felt her face flush and she turned away and grabbed a flask and drank some water, wiping away the fluids that dripped down her chin. She put the flask back and saw Tarmon looking ahead. She looked and was glad to see nothing but an empty road.

  I really am getting paranoid. Jen thought. Her life had been so eventful since Arindall that she was expecting something bad to happen on this journey. An attack or something, yet that was unlikely. Despite these past few years, traveling was relatively safe. Besides, if she couldn’t handle something, Tarmon could use the power to back her up.

  A gust of wind blew Jen’s hair back, and she welcomed it. The breeze felt good as the temperature rose. This was turning out to be a nice spring thus far. She loved this time of year as it didn’t usually get too hot nor cold.

  They rode until it was nearly night. Jen and Tarmon tied their horses to a nearby tree and made camp. Tarmon tried to start a fire without using the power and struggled, despite his insistence that he never had trouble before.

  Jen laughed and pushed him aside and started the fire herself. One of many things she had learned with the Whispering Mists. “Now that’s how you start a fire,” she said with a wide grin.

  “Mine would have been better. I just needed to move a little to the left,” Tarmon said.

  “Uh-huh,” Jen shook her head, laughing lightly as she took out a flask of water and some bread and cheese. She tossed some to Tarmon and ate hers. The fire kept them warm from the cold. Once she finished eating, Jen leaned back against a tree. “What an exhausting day.”

  “You’re telling me,” Tarmon said.

  The silence grew, which didn’t bother Jen. She was comfortable talking with Tarmon or sitting in silence. Crickets echoed in the night, and the sound of a stream nearby. Jen’s eyes started to droop.

  “Before you fall asleep,” Tarmon said.

  “Yeah?” Jen mumbled and couldn’t stop herself from yawning.

  “We should spar every night until we get to Vandalor,” Tarmon said.

  “Sure, we can start tomorrow,” Jen said. She was far too tired to train tonight.

  “Thanks, I need the practice,” Tarmon said.

  Jen nodded lazily and smiled. He could use the practice, and she liked to keep in shape. She thought about responding but never got to as sleep overtook her.

  Once Tarmon was sure Jen was asleep, he got up. The fire crackled, and he went into his bag and took out the book he had bought, A Power Users Guide: A Lesson of Strength and Technique. He had been studying this book thoroughly since getting it. So much knowledge was in this book that he didn’t know if he could master everything in here.

  This was the perfect time to test a technique. Tarmon closed his eyes and placed his right hand on the ground. He gathered the power, feeling invincible as he always did. An elemental-power technique, one that would allow him to sense exactly where any living creature was within a half-mile radius. In some ways, it was better than a defensive barrier because no power user would know what he was doing or sense that he detected them.

  A skilled power user could detect when they entered a barrier. Tarmon could see many uses for this, such as finding an ambush. The thing was, some power users could never use elemental power. Nobody knew why, other than that some people didn’t have the capability. Whether it was a mental reason or something else was debated by scholars.

  Tarmon recalled being told that in training with the mages of Mortham Tower. He hoped not to be one of those people who couldn’t use elemental power. He focused on the ground and for a second, he thought it wasn’t going to work. Then, he felt it. A deer, no more than a hundred feet from this location. A rabbit, three hundred or so feet away. He could track and walk to the exact location if he chose.

  What surprised him more was that he could sense birds on tree branches. Tarmon stopped and let out the breath he had been holding. This was invigorating in a way. He wondered if it would be possible to use this move while walking. It would make it impossible to be ambushed and would help Arturo a lot.

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  “What are you doing?”

  Tarmon nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to see Jen eyeing him. “W-, I thought you were asleep,” he said.

  “I was,” Jen yawned and got up from where she had been sleeping. “What’s that book you have?”

  “Did I wake you?” Tarmon asked.

  “No, I woke up and noticed you were gone,” Jen said. She looked at the book cover in his hand. “Studying the power?”

  How was I so careless? Tarmon thought and scratched his head. He noticed the fire was out. How long had he been training? “Yeah.”

  “Why are you trying to be secretive about it?”

  “A dumb reason,” Tarmon said.

  Jen waited a few seconds, raising her brow, which prompted a sigh from Tarmon. “I wanted to make myself more useful with the power but wanted to see how far I could get before telling anyone.”

  “I see,” Jen yawned again. “Your secret is safe with me. You should get some sleep; you’re going to be tired tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, good idea,” Tarmon said. He closed the book and put it back into the bag and went back to his spot and noticed Jen wasn’t following. “Where are you going?”

  “Going behind this tree for a moment,” Jen said and did exactly that.

  Tarmon almost laughed but decided it would be best not to. He lay down and closed his eyes. Jen was right; he was going to be tired in the morning.

  The journey was going smoothly. For the past few days, Jen and Tarmon had sparred. To Jen’s surprise, Tarmon was adapting to her fighting style. Usually, that took longer, but then again, Tarmon had been fighting with her brother for four years.

  Jen had asked Tarmon why he wasn’t using the power, and he told her he wanted to be good with a sword in case he couldn’t use the power, citing Arturo as an example. The invaders were a mystery, and who knew what kind of technology they had. If the invaders could protect themselves against the power, then Tarmon wanted to be able to fight.

  It made sense. Jen wouldn’t stand a chance against Tarmon if he used the power, and he stood no chance against her without the power. At least for now. He was improving. Perhaps he would become a good warrior someday if he kept training.

  There was a bruise on the side of Tarmon’s neck, where she had hit him with her fist. “Sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to get so rough,” Jen said.

  “Don’t apologize,” Tarmon said and rubbed the bruise on his neck. He shot her a smile, which caused Jen to blush. “I told you not to go easy on me. I’ve been learning a lot, and your skills are remarkable. Much better practice than Arturo.”

  “Why is that?” Jen asked.

  “Arturo is so… different,” Tarmon said carefully. He was trying not to say something that might come as offensive. At least that’s what it sounded like to Jen. “He fights with a large sword that can cut through armor. His strength is incredible, and I am no match. Not to say I have a chance against you,” he said quickly.

  “I’m not offended,” Jen said.

  “Good,” Tarmon said with relief. “But one swing of his sword would snap mine in half and he’s quick. Hard to train against someone like that.”

  “I know what you mean,” Jen said. Her brother was a legend, even if he denied it. How would father and mother have reacted? What about her brothers? The thought made her sad because there was no way to know the answer. “It’s hard to train against someone with such a unique fighting style.”

  “Yeah, so while you are much better than me, I can at least learn. Your brother will be in the history books.”

  “It’s too early to say who will be talked about,” Jen said. Her brother may be a legend, but the upcoming war against the invaders would tell who was written in the history books. If the invaders won, she expected the Durmaddon's to tell everyone of their glorious victory. If they lost and Arturo played a key role in the war, he would be talked about.

  “I have a feeling I’m right,” Tarmon said.

  Brother, you are lucky to have someone like Tarmon at your side. Jen thought and smiled. Despite Arturo’s efforts, he had made friends since Arindall, and she hoped they could do what she could not. Bring him out of the darkness he was in. He would need Tarmon, especially when she returned to her clan. Hopefully, Modric would work with Arturo, so they could fight against the Durmaddon's together.

  A few hours of riding passed when Jen saw a broken-down wagon, with two men and a kid standing right next to it. The two men looked worried, and one of them went inside the wagon, while the kid, no older than eight, stood there saying something that she couldn’t hear.

  “Let’s see if they need help,” Jen said.

  “I’m sure they’re fine,” Tarmon said.

  “It doesn’t hurt to make sure,” Jen said and shifted her horse toward the wagon. She was a member of the Whispering Mists; she couldn’t ignore people who may need help.

  The man standing outside took a step forward, standing in front of the kid. “Easy, friend,” Jen said and stopped. The last thing she wanted to do was cause more stress. “I was wondering if you needed any help.”

  “Unless one of you are healers,” the man said.

  “My friend here can take a look,” Jen said and held back her laughter at Tarmon’s face. He did not look pleased since he wasn’t a healer, at least not in the traditional sense. “My name is Jen, and this is my companion, Tarmon.”

  “Names Utarn, and this here is my niece, Karletta.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Jen said and got off her horse. The little girl smiled, and Jen returned the smile. “Who can we help?”

  “In here,” Utarn opened the wagon and motioned for Jen and Tarmon to enter first. Once they did, he followed, with Karletta coming.

  The wagon wasn’t large, and it was a tight fit with them all inside. On the ground, covered with a blanket and pale as a ghost was a woman. She was clearly in pain of some kind. The other man was pale, and Jen would guess he was the husband.

  “Who are you?” the man at the bedside asked.

  “This is Jen and Tarmon. Tarmon can heal,” Utarn said. “This is my brother, Metarn.”

  Metarn looked at them suspiciously until he looked at Jen and his eyes widened, “You’re part of the Whispering Mists?” he asked.

  “I am,” Jen said and moved to the side to let Tarmon through. “What’s going on with her?”

  “Nuella here fell off the wagon a few days ago and broke her leg. For some reason, she’s getting worse, and we don’t know why,” Utarn said.

  “I’m going to need all of you to clear out, except for Jen,” Tarmon said.

  “Why?” Metarn asked.

  “Too many people for me to concentrate,” Tarmon said.

  “Will you make her better?” Karletta asked.

  Jen put her hand on Karletta’s head and gave her a comforting smile, “He’ll do everything he can,” she said. One thing she would never do was lie, for she didn’t know the extent of this woman’s injuries, nor did she know if Tarmon could help her. “Now get going, we’ve got work to do.”

  Karletta nodded and walked out of the wagon with the others. Once it was just them, Jen moved closer to the injured woman and Tarmon knelt on the other side. One thing was certain, Nuella was delirious. Her eyes were unfocused, and while her face was pale, her skin was hot.

  “Can you do anything?” Jen asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Tarmon said and placed both his hands over Nuella’s chest.

  Jen knew Tarmon was using the power and waited. She didn’t want to disrupt Tarmon’s concentration as he moved his hands all over and closed his eyes. She hoped he could help her, for she didn’t want Karletta to go without a mom.

  A few minutes passed, and Tarmon lowered his hands. “Her right leg is broken in a few places, and her body isn’t healing well. Whether that is causing the fever is another story,” he scratched his head and stretched his arms out. “I can heal the leg, which I think will help her recover. That’s all I can do.”

  “Let me know if I can help,” Jen said.

  “Unless you can use the power,” Tarmon said and chuckled.

  She watched him, which didn’t do much. It looked like Tarmon was kneeling there, staring at this injured woman intensely, yet it looked like nothing was happening. Jen knew better; she had seen mages heal. The power was an interesting thing, and she wondered what it felt like to use.

  “A few years ago, this would have been more of an effort,” Tarmon began, moving his arms over Nuella’s right leg. “Now I can do this fairly quickly, and it doesn’t exhaust me.”

  “From what I know, you’ve healed my brother a few times. I’m sure that helped,” Jen said.

  “More than you’ll ever know,” Tarmon said. “That book I have been studying has been useful. I can already tell I’ve improved, refining my ability to heal. I hope to prove myself worthy to fight beside Arturo.”

  “You are worth more than the power, trust me on that,” Jen said.

  “Maybe,” Tarmon said and lowered his hands. “I’ve done all I can. Her leg should be fully healed within the next week or two. Hopefully, that alleviates the fever.”

  Jen watched Nuella’s breathing appear to relax as her eyes closed. “She fell asleep,” she whispered. The fever was still there, but she had a feeling Nuella was going to be fine.

  “We can tell the others and go,” Tarmon said.

  “That’s probably for the best,” Jen said. These people would suspect something strange was done to heal Nuella but wouldn’t care. They would be grateful she was healed, and that’s what mattered. She got up and left the tent.

  “We’ve done all we could. Noella is sleeping and looks to be at ease,” Jen said.

  “What did you do?” Metarn asked.

  “I gave her a potion I had,” Tarmon lied. “Her leg should heal much quicker and relieve the fever.”

  You don’t have to give them false hope. Jen thought and bit her tongue. She had hoped Tarmon wouldn’t tell them he healed her fever, yet that was her mistake in not telling him to tell the truth. She hoped Nuella would pull out of her fever; that was all she could do.

  “Thank you,” Metarn said and bowed his head. “If there is anything we can do…”

  “Don’t worry, we’re glad to help,” Jen said. “Now, we must get going. Make sure to take it easy for the next few days and monitor Noella closely.”

  “We will,” Metarn said.

  Karletta ran forward and hugged Jen. “Thank you for saving my mommy,” she said.

  Emotions began to race through Jen that she forced away. “Tarmon did all the work,” she said.

  “Thank you, Tarmon,” Karletta said.

  Tarmon nodded but said nothing. Jen shook her head; it was funny to her that Tarmon could work with her brother yet didn’t know how to interact with a child. “All right, let’s get going then,” Jen said.

  With the goodbyes out of the way, Jen and Tarmon got back on their horses and left. Jen was glad they stumbled across those people, for it reminded her of how good it felt to help others. She hoped the family could stay far away from the conflict that would soon arise. For now, she would take solace in knowing they did all they could to help them. They weren’t far from Vandalor now.