The Travels of Traders

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Though her companion- whose name, she discovered, was Azapoit- continued on at the same pace, Atoi slowed her pace almost to a stop. The mire and water of her native swamp had ceased to suck at her thin shoes. She looked up at the clear afternoon sky, and marveled at the unobstructed view. The trader, noticing her disappearance from their makeshift convoy, stopped and turned.

“What’s the matter, sister?” he called.

“Nothing, nothing, I just… Well, this is the farthest I’ve ever been from home.” She laughed quietly. “I’d never left the swamps before, not really.”

“There’s something special about that feeling, isn’t there? I find it always clears my head, going from one landscape to the next. However, we must keep walking. There is still a good distance to cover until the sun begins to set.” He strode forward again, hefting his heavy pack, and Atoi followed.

Part of her despaired, for they had kept the same unforgiving pace since they had left her village over a week ago. However, mostly she felt a persistent joy. She had always wanted to travel, and travel far. Her father always said that she’d inherited the trait from her grandmother. The tales said that in her hunting days, the woman whose blade Atoi carried had ventured as far as the northern groves, tracking a powerful bear. When she returned, she was called *tadamodai*, or master of the forest. Atoi felt warm at the thought that maybe she was following in her grandmother’s footsteps, and seeing the same wilds that she had.

They camped in a small clearing that night. The stars shone brightly in the absence of the moon. Azapoit threw back his hood, took a swig from his flask, and stared intensely at them. Though Atoi did too, she could not determine what he was looking for. Stumped, she cast her eyes back towards the ground, absent-mindedly running her fingers through the damp soil. He grunted, pleased, then stood and stretched to get the kinks out of his neck.

“I’ve found our heading, sister. Our path has been true so far, and with any luck we will continue apace.”

“Where are we headed, Azapoit?”

“Ultimately, we head to the strange lands in the north. For now, though, we seek the village of Ipon.” Atoi nodded; she had heard of it a few times before, though she had never been that far. “I advise you to get some rest, *sati*, for the town is high up, and the path we walk will be steep.”

Azapoit had not lied, the path  was indeed steep, and Atoi’s sides stung as they climbed. Nonetheless, she was glad to be on a path again, for she was tired of pushing through the wilderness. Here, at least, she knew she was not the first person to come this way. The trader’s spirits were high, too, for he expected to do some business in town and lighten his jangling pack. A few children spotted them as they neared Ipon, and they ran giggling into town to spread the news. Atoi smiled. They were greeted warmly by the townspeople, and Azapoit was immediately surrounded by eager buyers. He managed to fend them off long enough to give Atoi a handful of currency-seeds. “Find us a room, sister,” he called, “ for I will need a soft bed once I am done here!”

She made her way out of the throng of villagers, and looked around for an inn. She chuckled as she caught sight of a jaunty sign advertising the “Flying Goat”, and walked in, pushing her way past the knotted rope curtain. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and walked up to the counter.

“What can I do for you?” called the innkeep, looking up from his whittling.

“I’d like a room for two, if possible,” she answered. He grunted, tugged at his beard and stood.

“That shouldn’t be difficult; we’ve had few travelers lately. You came in with that merchant, did you?” Atoi nodded.

“We came from Norai, south of here, but the trader comes all the way from the Blood lands.” The innkeep whistled appreciatively.

“That’s a long way to travel, for certain… I’ll have to see if he has a mallet, I’ve been needing a new one.” He grabbed a worn iron key from the wall and handed it to her. “Any friend of a merchant is welcome here. The room at the top of the stairs is yours as long as you stay in Ipon.” She thanked him, then walked up as the innkeep took his leave.

The room was small, but it was well-kept and clean. One bed lay under the round window, the other was pushed up against one wall. The only other furniture was a roughly-hewn table. Atoi set her pack down on it, then sprawled on the bed near the window. It was good to finally be off the road.

When Azapoit arrived at their room in the inn, he found Atoi sleeping deeply. He chuckled, threw back his hood, then busied himself with packing away the profits of his sales, as well as some interesting artifacts he had bartered for. Then he, too, gave in to sleep.

They awoke by the gentle light of the rising sun threading through the morning mist. They ate a simple meal with the innkeep, then bid him and the town of Ipon farewell. In this way, they traveled north, through Tenoa and Olkan, and into the rocky spine of the Parimx Ro.

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