They were fed again in the morning, this time with watery oatmeal from the inn and hard bread to dip into it. Jay got to drink his fill of water, and the other guard refilled the prisoner’s waterskin twice, warning them that if they had to piss, they better do it over the side of the cart. Speaking of… Jay thought about asking for some privacy, but the look on Raul’s impatient face told him that it wasn’t a good idea. Guess I’ll hold it for a while. No big.

  The town dwindled to nothing only a five minute’s ride from the stable. No one in the cage said a word about the bag of money that Jay had chosen to keep, but all the humans looked sick as the cage bounced over the uneven road (though that might have just been the oatmeal). Azun had chosen to resume their position of meditation; after their initial discomfort, they didn’t seem that bothered by what had happened in the stable.

  The land beyond the town was flat and sparse, tufts of grass growing in clumps along the road. Strange holes dotted the ground on either side of the road; Jay only realized what they were when he saw a cracked and ugly tree stump hiding under a mound of sand. Speaking of sand, it immediately got everywhere, stirred from the motion of the wheels: a fine red cloud that smelled like clay and salt. It was hilly, here; only gentle dips and rises, but from what Jay could see ahead of them, the hills only grew bigger, until they cut off his view of the landscape.

  Every so often, they would pass a patch of land that seemed out of place; Jay marked them in his mind as they appeared. A small pond, surrounded by sickly willows, where the guards filled their waterskins. A cluster of bushes on a nearby hill, scraggly and almost bent in half from the wind. An area about half the size of a football field where furry animals grazed; they were too far away for Jay to see what they were, and by the time he thought about using his new skill, they were gone.

  He remembered what Kiran had said, in his cell at the castle (god, that felt like it had been years ago and not days): The river that fed the fields dried up, and the land went sour. Obviously, there were still pockets of land that had not succumbed to whatever illness had ruined this place. Jay felt sad thinking about what it must have looked like beforehand. Come to think of it, how far does it extend? We’re moving faster than I can walk, which means we’re probably going a mile every 10 minutes or so. How long until we reach wherever we’re going?

  Curious, Jay risked asking Raul the question, raising his voice to be heard over the noise of travel. “Will we reach the Badlands today?”

  The man shook his head, more serious now that they were outside the protection of the town. “No. We’ll get there tomorrow; there’s a village between here and Spirea, that’s where we’ll spend the night.” He glanced back at Jay, raising an eyebrow. “That’s the name of your town, by the way. We’ll set you on your seat, let the fodder out of their cage, and we’ll be off.”

  Before he could think better of it, Jay asked, “Aren’t you worried that we’ll hurt you once we’re untied? We outnumber you six to two.”

  Raul laughed, shaking a finger at him. “Ah ah, not so fast, little miss bloodthirsty. If we don’t show back up to the castle, the queen will dispatch a platoon of guards to come out here and find us. And if we just so happen to be dead, whoever or whatever killed us won’t last very long. It’s one of the things you missed while you were sleeping.”

  Jay took a breath in through his nose and out through his mouth, willing himself not to scream at the man. Restraint, Jay, restraint. A couple more days and you’ll never see him again; maybe he’ll get eaten by a wild animal, or that lizard we saw in the stable. The thought of it cheered him up, and he just nodded. “Right. That makes sense. By the way, I’m a guy, last time I checked. Stop calling me miss.”

  The man laughed again, turning around to face the front. Jay raised both middle fingers at his back, thumbs out, and then sat back down on the floor of the cart to seethe in peace.

  ----

  The hours passed, and Jay quickly got bored. He decided to try using his new skill to get a handle on the other four members of the cart; Azun was a ranger, which presumably meant that they were good with bows and nature stuff. What secrets did the others hold?

  He focused on Maude first, activating the skill in his mind.

  Maude Rosella, Level 7 Human Bard. Status: Healthy. HP: ???? MP: ???? You are not high enough level to reveal this creature’s skills.

  Interesting, but not surprising, other than the level. Bard makes sense for a woman who loves to talk. Level 7 is pretty high; at least, I think it is. Azun is only level 3. Although I don’t know how old they are, it could just be an age gap thing. Let’s try someone else.

  He tried Chatri this time, the man’s fine features coming into sharp focus.

  Chatri Samra, Level 4 Human Courtesan. Status: Healthy. HP: 15/15 MP: 5/5 This creature knows the skill Charm Person.

  The fact that Chatri was a “courtesan” probably meant that he was a sex worker, which was fine. Jay raised an eyebrow, surprised. Chatri was beautiful, and Maude’s taunts on the boat made a lot more sense with this context. He just hadn’t expected that the grumpy young man would have a job so… client dependent. But, Jay figured, he was probably able to put on a different persona if he really wanted to. I’ve put on customer service mode to get better tips. It’s not much different, really.

  Jay held a firm belief that what people did with their bodies was their business; as long as there was mutual consent, who cared? Jay didn’t think any less of him; he just wondered what Chatri had done to deserve a place here. Speaking of, what did Maude do to be here? Or Azun? Asking them outright probably isn’t a good idea, but that doesn’t mean I’m not curious. Although Maude might just tell me, she doesn’t seem to have much of a filter.

  The next person under his eye was Eid, who was napping again, this time with Deacon’s head on her shoulder.

  Eid Volkarsdaughter, Level 4 Human Baker. Status: Healthy. HP: 25/25 MP: 0/0 This creature knows the skill Catching Melody.

  A baker. That explains why she’s so jacked, and the scars on her arms. Reaching into ovens for a living will do that to you. He was more interested in the skill that Eid apparently knew: Catching Melody. There was no description of the skills, so Jay didn’t know what it did, but whatever it was, it couldn’t have cost any mana, since Eid didn’t have any.

  Determined to finish the quintet, Jay focused on Deacon.

  Deacon of the Red Flower, Level 5 Cleric. Status: Healthy. HP: 20/20 MP: 50/50 This creature knows the skill Land’s Blessing.

  A cleric. That explains the voice and the gods stuff. What the hell is a cleric doing here? Well, at least we have a pretty well rounded party. It would have sucked to get stuck with six bards. Jay chuckled at his own joke, shivering as a strong wind ruffled his thin clothing. The feeling of fall had followed them out of town; Jay hoped that wherever they were staying the night, they would at least be inside. Dying of exposure would put a damper on things.

  He leaned back against one of the larger boxes, eyelids drooping. He hadn’t gotten any sleep last night since he had been scurrying around the stable, and his eyes felt raw and gritty from the sand. It was nice to close them. Maybe he would take a nap, just for a little bit…

  He woke with a start when the cart stopped moving. Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, Jay blinked at the pitch-black sky, his brain taking a minute to catch up with the rest of him. Aw, shit. I really need to piss. His back and butt ached from sitting up for so long, and his legs felt vaguely numb. He groaned, stretching, trying to get his blood moving again, and tried to get his bearings.

  Without the sun, the land around them was dark, which seemed like an obvious statement, but Jay had never seen anything like this. The dust in the air made it so that he couldn’t see more than a few feet beyond the pool of light provided by the lanterns the drivers had lit and hung above the heads of the horses. It was so thick that even the stars had been blotted out; the wind didn’t help, kicking it up every few seconds, each gust sending another shiver down Jay’s spine. He pulled his jacket out from his inventory and put it on as best he could under the rope harness, careful not to pull too hard on the knot at his waist. Raul called over to the other guard, who was barely visible even with the lantern. “Hey, how much farther? I don’t want to run into something.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The other guard’s voice drifted over on the wind. “Maybe half a mile. Shouldn’t be long. Look, there.”

  Jay peeked his head over the side of the cart, looking ahead, and saw their destination approach out of the dark.

  There was a village there, if you could call it that. Four leaning buildings of crumbling brick sat on the opposite side of the road from a pond barely big enough to swim in, a single gnarled tree sitting leafless to the side. Two lanterns blazed on either side of the road, a helpful guide to travelers. Raul whistled through his teeth at the sorry sight, muttering “and this was the biggest one? Tough times,” under his breath as he dismounted from the driver’s seat.

  The other cart pulled up beside Jay’s, and he saw the four human prisoners huddled together for warmth on the floor. Everyone looked cold and tired, even Azun, who had stopped meditating and now sat with their legs to their chest, arms tucked in, watchful eyes scanning their surroundings. Raul turned to Jay, raising his voice to be heard over the wind. “There’s a barn somewhere around here that we’ll put you in for the night. I have to find out where it is. Don’t do anything stupid, or I’ll give one of those idiots to the orcs here for supper. Understand?”

  Jay gave him a thumbs up, and then another middle finger when he vanished into the night. He crawled over to the other side of the cart, observing the five unfortunates who had been dragged along with him. Deacon met his eyes, and nodded at Jay miserably. “These conditions are bad, Outsider, but the gods do not give us challenges we cannot handle. Everything will be calm in time.”

  Jay, a staunch atheist, just nodded and relayed the message that Raul had given him. Deacon sighed in relief. “And so their answer is revealed. Thank you, Outsider.” Jay heard grumbling from the huddle that was probably Chatri being snarky, but he paid it no mind, turning his eyes on Azun.

  The orc met his gaze, and Jay called to them over the wind. “How are you holding up, Azun? We’ll be inside soon.” The orc just flashed their teeth at him, which Jay was going to interpret as an acknowledgement. And then Raul was back, swearing as the wind tugged on his cloak. The horses moved again briefly, there was a clatter and more swearing, and then the two carts were inside a (admittedly drafty) barn that had obviously seen better days.

  Raul and the guard took care of the horses, while Jay decided if his aching bladder could hold another few minutes. He decided that it could, sitting as still as possible to try and limit the pain. Once the horses had been settled for the night, Raul stood on the driver’s perch of Jay’s cart, speaking loud enough for everyone in the barn to hear him. “Alright, ride’s almost done. We’ll be there tomorrow afternoon, and then you can start your brand new lives as miss Mayor’s esteemed council. Until then, shut up, don’t do anything stupid, and if I have to come back here before the sun comes up, I’m going to make sure it’s everybody’s problem. Understand?”

  Muttered assent from the peanut gallery. Raul grunted, throwing Jay a wink, and he and the guard disappeared into the storm with both lanterns from the carts. As soon as they were gone, Jay hung his bottom half over the edge of the cart, letting out a relieved sigh as the pressure on his bladder receded.

  The muted noise of the wind and the gentle breathing of the horses were the only sound until Maude spoke up. “Throw that bag of coins in one of the corners here and be done with it, Jacob. Chatri was right; riches like that mean serious business, and we aren’t serious businessmen. Or businesswomen. Or… businessorcs. Do orcs even have businesses?”

  Azun’s voice was flat. “Be careful how you speak, old woman. I might decide we are better off as a group of five.”

  Maude’s cackle echoed, drowning out the wind. “So they have jokes! Well, I’ve always said that humor is a sign of intelligence, so I ‘spose we only have to worry about Deacon and the Outsider!”

  The cleric’s low baritone was wearily resigned. “Maude, I beg of you to still your tongue. Taunting our robust companion would be decidedly unfunny even if we were not squeezed together in this infernal cage. Eid, that is my arm, please don’t sit on it.”

  Eid’s voice, a little embarrassed, came from Deacon’s left. “I apologize. Outsider, I must agree with Maude about the bag of coins. It is a risk, not a reward, and it would be better to leave it here.”

  Chatri’s frustrated hiss was immediate: “Thank you! That’s what I’ve been saying! Look, I know that you’re new here, but trust me when I tell you that the amount of coin in that pouch is dangerous! Someone will come for it, and I will tell them exactly who has it if I get asked!”

  Jay rolled his eyes. He had no intention of getting rid of the satchel; money like that was too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially with so few resources available to them. But convincing the others to let him keep it was shaping up to be a real pain. “I know you’re not going to like this, guys, but I have a plan. Do you want to hear it, or do you want to keep yelling at me?”

  The immediate protests at this statement took a while to wind down, after which, Jay said cheerfully, “I’m just gonna tell you anyway, so that you’re all complicit. Here’s the plan. I’m going to empty the satchel, and bury it, badly, in the corner of the barn. Anyone who finds it is going to think the obvious thing, which is that whoever stole it took out the coins and tried to dispose of the evidence. Since the coins would be sitting in my inventory, even if they suspected me, they would have no way to prove that I had done anything; as an added bonus, I’m tied to this cart, which means that I couldn’t find their hiding place anyway. At this point, if I was the owner of this fortune, my suspicion would be on the only people here who have any kind of freedom of movement: Raul and the other one. They’ll deny it, obviously, but if we all swear that we saw them with the satchel, and watched them get rid of it…”

  He trailed off, letting them connect the dots. The silence dragged on for a minute, and Jay started to get nervous, but Maude’s admiring voice put a grin on his face. “I will admit to you, that is a pretty damn airtight plan. Chatri, I’m startin’ to believe that Jacob here is smarter than you.”

  There was a begrudging sigh from the young man. “It’s not bad. Whoever’s after it might even kill those two, which would be fantastic except that we would be stuck in this cage.”

  Jay frowned. “Couldn’t I just break the lock on the door or something?”

  A weary laugh from Maude. “And there it is, my confidence shattered. The lock on that door is magical, son. It’s not poppin’ open for anythin’ less than the spell that unlocks it, and the only one who knows that information is the fucker drivin’ this cart. We would have to hope and pray that these mysterious rich people’d be nice enough to set us free ‘fore they finished the deed.”

  Silence. Jay tapped his fingers on the cart’s side panel, mouth twisted in thought. “What if they caught up to us after we already got to the city? When you were all out of the cage? Then it wouldn’t matter, right?”

  An acknowledging grunt from the bard. “But who’s to say it’ll pan out like that? It’s still risky, and addin’ more risk to this situation is not a bright idea. I like the thought of that fortune as much as you do, Outsider, but we might have to leave it behind.”

  For the first time, Eid spoke, cautious but thoughtful. “Well… if the owner had left at the same time as us, they would have caught up to us already. Every hour that we’re here is an hour that they’re still behind, and if we get to the morning and no one is here… it could be that we reach the city before them.”

  Maude hmmmm’d in doubt. “You’ve never seen a Sunbather move, dear. They’re faster than horses. But… the idea is solid. Maybe whoever was there is staying longer than a day. If so… that plan just might work.”

  Jay closed his eyes, thinking about it. Taking the gamble on not being caught until everyone is free would be reckless… but that kind of money would change everything, for all of us. He spoke, voice firm. “Listen. Like it or not, we are a team right now. That means that we all have to be in on this together. I think that this plan will work, but if all of you don’t agree, then I’ll toss the coins and we can be poor together. Eid, what do you say?” Targeting Eid first was a calculated move; Jay didn’t know what the relationship between her and Maude was, but he was taking the chance that Eid’s answer would heavily influence Maude’s, and that the bard’s approval would sway the rest.

  Eid sighed. “I think it’s worth the risk, Outsider. But I think we should wait until just before dawn to bury the satchel, in case the owner shows up in the middle of the night.”

  That’s a smart move. Okay, let’s see how the gamble pans out. “Maude, if we wait until just before morning, will you play along?”

  The bard’s voice told Jay that she was smiling. “You really know how to work a crowd, don’t you? Fine. If Eid is in, I’m in. Chatri, Deacon, just say yes so that I can go back to sleep.”

  Deacon, who had been silent this entire time, spoke next. “I will agree, on one condition. You must give me your solemn word that it must never, ever be broken.”

  Oh no. What could he possibly want? Jay tried to keep the hesitation out of his voice. “Alright. What is it?”

  A pause, and then a sigh. “You must never allow me to touch that fortune, or any other form of tangible wealth. Not a single coin. I made a vow the day that I was jailed to never again handle the thing that led to my ruination. Do you agree, Outsider?”

  Oh thank god. That’s easy. “I can do that, Deacon. You have my word. Chatri, Azun, are you in?”

  The orc grunted assent. “This plan is acceptable. You will hear no protest from me.”

  Chatri sighed theatrically, the sound big and loud in the empty space. “Fine. If you are all set on this crazy scheme, I’ll play along, but when we die of dehydration in this cage, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  And that’s game, folks. Jay’s smug smile was hidden by the darkness of the barn. He set to work removing all the coins in the satchel, grabbing handfuls of them and throwing them into his inventory. When it was completely empty, he put it back into storage; Eid was right, it was better to wait until almost morning to bury it, and he would be stupid to have it hanging out in the open before then. And now, we wait. And hope that no one shows up in the middle of the night looking for a fight.