The Butterfly Effect

{-Aither-}

He hardly noticed, at first, when they came back; he was too busy gathering his own things, repeating words that did nothing to assure him.

“We got the bag you wanted!” Koyana announced, making him jump. “Or at least, we hope it’s good enough.”

“It’s bigger than what you have now, durable, lightweight, and keeps things fresh,” Evelina added thoughtfully as she handed it to him.

Aither gave them both a thankful smile. “That should be perfect, actually.” He paused, noticed the boys returning, then looked between them and his things and asked, “I’m sure you were curious about what I needed it for, huh..? I didn’t mention it earlier but I realize now that it probably would’ve made it a little easier…”

“I wasn’t completely sure, but I… do have a guess,” Evelina said. “Does it involve the ambrosia you have with you?”

“Ambrosia?” Koyana repeated. She mumbled a greeting to her brother when he got close enough, but both boys refrained from sharing their progress.

“It’s what’s in these jars,” Aither explained. “It’s nothing the four of you need to be particularly worried about. It’s like… a safety measure, in case something happens to me.”

Demery frowned. “Is this going to end up becoming dangerous?”

“No, not at all. Day just wants me to have them. I’ll be honest, a lot is going to be happening soon.” Aither tried his best to think of a good analogy, without remembering Mazel’s examples nor wanting to give too much away. “It’s going to be a bit like a flood in a town close to the river. It’s the job of the Fos to get as many of those townspeople far away as soon as possible—that’s the same reason I’m helping the four of you. We can’t risk losing any more Fos, so Day’s made sure we’re all extra-prepared.”

“You’ve mentioned this to us a little bit before,” Olle remarked. “Are you sure we can’t get a better explanation..?”

Aither shook his head. “That’s the most I’m allowed to tell you. Believe me, knowing isn’t going to make you any more at ease. All I can say is that you won’t have to worry about being a part of it… and you’ll definitely know what it is when it comes.”

“Next question,” Demery continued with a certain kind of hesitance, “what exactly did you make us get all this for? There’s a lot of different stuff for just a hike.”

“We’re going to be heading towards the base of the mountains,” Aither explained. “Near the non-desert portions of the Solaris region.”

“What could we possibly need to do there..?” Evelina asked.

“You’ll probably be able to understand once we get there—there’s some people we need to meet.”

…

He tried not to reveal too much more to them; he knew that, once they had one piece, they were going to be able to sort out the rest. It was probably better if they didn’t get the whole thing figured out that quickly… it kept them from having time to process each individual detail. Day had stressed that to him. She had faith that he’d be the best Fos for the job and he didn’t want to let her down.

They walked to an unfamiliar town, holding a casual conversation that amounted to nothing. Neither side said much to each other to give away information they’d rather keep to themselves, just enough to fill the silence. Aither hoped that, soon, they wouldn’t feel a need to hide.

After a night at the inn, he explained their plan: they’d first try to find another group to travel with. It would probably end up being quicker and have a bit more safety in numbers. If they couldn’t find one heading to the same general area they were, however, they’d simply head out on their own.

Words could not express his relief when they found a traveling caravan that both looked friendly and were heading towards the base of the mountains.

“Why are you so curious to know where we’re going?” the presumed-leader of the caravan asked. He eyed each of them, but not in a cold way—it was like he was looking for something, trying to discern the situation on his own.

“We’re hoping to find someone to ride to the edge of the Solaris region,” Olle said.

“We’re all travelers,” Evelina explained, the better of the two at stretching truths, “and old enough to be on our own.”

“What about the short one?”

Aither, in a rushed, nervous tone, blurted, “I’m probably older than all of you combined.”

Another one of the caravan’s members laughed. “I like that kid! Is he your little brother or something?”

“His mother is trusting him in our care for a little while,” Demery said. “In fact, most of the reason we’re heading over there is because she wanted us to.”

“Places that close to the desert are usually pretty dangerous for kids like you,” the presumed-leader pointed out.

Demery’s casual expression didn’t waver. “Why do you think we’re looking for someone to travel with to get there?”

“I’m perfectly fine with letting you all on. You look like you know what you’re doing. I just need to make sure none of you are kidnapping anyone or running away from something. I’m sure you can understand why I don’t want to get mixed up in something like that.”

“We’ll do what we can to help out while we’re together and we’re not going to cause you any trouble. If there turns out to be some kind of difference along the way, then we’ll leave. If you need confirmation, you can send a letter to Deron Tyrus—he can tell you we’re meant to be traveling together.”

The leader gave one last look between all of them and shrugged. Apparently that had been enough for him. “Honestly, there’s a bunch of kids that won’t even give a name. As long as you keep your word—carry your weight, don’t give us reason to dislike you—you can stay with us until the foot of the mountains. Our business is in Andrea Province, so after that, you’re on your own.”

They all gave grateful smiles as he motioned two of the other members closer. “I’m Peppe, that’s my wife Caryn, and that’s our biggest helper Giona. You find yourself needing any help, and you just need to find one of us. Some of the others don’t take well to strangers.”

Olle gestured to each of the five of them. “I’m Olle and these four are Evelina, Demery, Koyana, and Aither.”

“Welcome aboard, kids!” Peppe ushered them all out of the inn and towards their caravans. There were three covered wagons each half-full of wares and a few wary strangers. “I’m gonna put you five and Giona in that one. She’ll show you how to get started—I don’t think you’ll find it hard to get the hang of.”

Giona didn’t need any other instruction. She hopped on the wagon, watched the others get on, helped Aither up, then sat down beside a large box. She waited only for Peppe’s warning that they’d be leaving in a minute before beginning her explanation.

“We get raw gems up from the mountains around here and send them back down to the jewelers in the Province. Peppe likes to separate them by type to make it easier for the buyers. Use these papers to figure it out—if you can’t get it, let me look at it. I’m something of an expert. There’ll also be some smaller bits that can’t be used for anything, put that in that little box over there.”

After a bit more shouting from outside, the entire caravan started moving. Aither shivered at the odd feeling that followed; the activation of their charms for faster travel. It was hard to tell if anyone else noticed it.

Giona continued to explain a little bit more of what they’d be doing, before leaving them to it. She held a hushed conversation with another kid in the corner for a while, only sparing them glances to check their progress or answer questions.

“We’re probably gonna stop in a couple of hours to eat,” she announced after a little while. “Since you’re helping us, you’ll get to have what Caryn prepares. I hope you don’t mind eating and riding, though, because we usually travel right through the night.”

“Do you know when we’ll reach the spot where you’re dropping us off?” Demery asked.

She shrugged. “Let’s say about two days. But there’s almost always some kind of setback on these kinds of trips, so it’ll probably end up being three. Who knows, maybe you’re all lucky or something and you’ll help us make record time.”