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While Miko takes his crossbow along with Uther and Jorry to scare up some dinner, he and the others begin gathering what dry firewood as can be found. “Not much to start a fire with around here,” comments Fifer as he brings in his first load.

“We’ll get a fire going then set wood around it to dry,” Jiron says. He was fortunate to have found a section of moss hanging from the underside of one of the trees that is relatively dry and is using that as the base for the kindling.

Taking out his flint, he strikes a couple sparks and then gently blows as he tries to coax a fire to life. At first a small amount of smoke appears, then a fire catches and begins to consume the moss. Putting several smaller relatively dry pieces on, he gradually gets a fair sized fire going.

When Miko and the others return with a small game animal, the fire is going well and enough firewood has been gathered to last through the evening. By the time the animal is roasting over the fire, the sky has grown dark and the occasional baying of wolves can be heard from the nearby mountains.

Dave appears to be doing better, his jovial mood having returned which soothes the worries James has had over his friend. If there was a way to get him home, he would send him there in a heartbeat. As for himself, ever since Dave raised the question as to whether he wanted to return home or not, he’s begun to wonder.

Despite the ruggedness of this world and the small fact that several groups out there are bent upon his destruction, he rather likes the life he’s living. And Dave’s right, here he is someone. Back home he’s just another teen looking for a job with little prospects for a future, job market being what it is and all.

Do I really want to go home? No, I don’t think I really do. It surprises him that he thinks that way, there are many things from back home he misses. His family for one, sure they were a bother, but whose family isn’t? They loved and cared for him and he hates what they may be going through on account of his disappearance. He wouldn’t mind returning briefly if for no other reason than to put their minds at ease.

Computers. Man does he miss his computer and all the games. Aside from reading, that was the one thing he really liked to do. Empire building was his favorite type of game and it occurs to him he may have inadvertently been doing the same thing here.

Starting out with nothing, he now has a place to live, a small army and enough money to do what he wants. However, the stakes of the game have changed. Where before on his computer he was out for either world domination by conquest or for accumulation of wealth, here he wishes to simply be left alone. Of course that doesn’t look as if it’s going to happen for quite some time.

When it’s time to bed down for the night, he finds a spot under a tree which will afford some protection from the rain should it begin again in the night. Dave takes a spot close to him and is soon out. The others take turns at watch throughout the night, they don’t bother James with it and they don’t trust Dave to do it.

Uther has the first watch and his moving around the camp is the last thing James sees before succumbing to sleep.

Chapter Twenty

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The next morning they rise to another dismal day of rain. The tree under which James had spent the night kept most of the rain from him though he is still slightly damp from what did reach him. A quick breakfast and they’re on their way.

Several hours after they leave the last of the sisters behind, they come to a small community situated at a crossroads. Not much more than an inn and a chandler’s shop, they continue on through, taking the road heading to the northeast. Just before they pass the last of the buildings, Uther pauses and asks one of the locals how far it is to the pass.

“You should reach the town of Feld in a couple hours,” the man tells him. “It lies just before where the road begins its climb up into the mountains.”

“Thank you,” Uther says and then they continue along the road out of town.

“We should