A day’s walk along the river—with more attentive step—brought Sabit to a crossroads. Several eastbound travelers filled their skins, amphorae, and jars with as much water as the containers would hold. Westbound travelers tarried in the cool waters, drinking as much as their bellies would hold.
A caravan of well-provisioned eastbound merchants—their wagons laden with bolts of brightly-colored cloth—had much trouble speaking with Sabit. With thick accents and soft voices, they leaned close to her to make themselves heard. They were poised to venture onto the hard road that wound through days of badlands before reaching the fabled oasis at Elpasné. The reasons for such a hard trek were unclear, but certainly of utmost urgency. The caravan held no position for an experienced guard, particularly a woman like Sabit. As soon as the wagon-boys had filled the last waterskins, the merchants were off.
Some of the other travelers spoke the tongue of the trade routes. Sabit learned of the new silver vein now coining rich men in the mountain town of Dzenik to the west. The plague in the northern city of Vlardin had only grown worse in recent months. Sabit shared as much of the tale of her time in the southern land of Ghabar as she dared among strangers. None knew of solid prospects for a woman skilled with a spear.
As the sun sank, Sabit laid down for the night. Perhaps tomorrow would bring better prospects. However, she found the inner lining of her belt was soft and empty. The thick silver necklace she had found in the river was gone!
Only the eastbound merchants had approached close enough to have taken it. They had half a day’s lead on the road. There were nearly a dozen of them, armed with long knives. The necklace was as good as gone now. The wisest course was a good night’s sleep and better prospects tomorrow. She should pay it no mind. What claim did she truly have on a bauble pulled from the wild river?
The western sky still glowed a reddish hue as Sabit filled her waterskin, held her spear in hand, and strode onto the Elpasné road with a determined pace.
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Wayfarings of Sabit: Blossom of Ruin is copyright (c) 2016 by Michael S. Miller. All rights reserved. New chapters post every weekday. You can support this and other stories on Patreon: https://patreon.com/michaelsmiller