Garinor thought about the two paths in his mind and, though the ‘seen’ path was clearly shorter, the old man believed the other path was more important. “I will take the ‘serene’ path,” he said.
The old man gave a toothy smile and rubbed his hands together excitedly. “Very good, very good. I think it is a wise choice.” He shakily walked over to a cabinet and retrieved a small knife and handed it to Garinor. “Take this with you, for you will need it. But look at it first so you know what to expect.”
Garinor did as he was told. The knife was small and wouldn’t be useful in a fight. It had a stubby wooden handle that was smooth enough, but the real surprise was that the blade was made of glass. He reached a finger toward the blade to test it but pulled back before he made contact.
“Yes, it’s very sharp. And fragile. So treat it carefully.” The old man clutched his chair for support and then gazed at Garinor intensely. “That gold nugget you have with you is not for me. You are to secure yourself a fast horse from the stable and you must make haste along the path. Do not forget your way, young one. Find the place with the three large rocks and investigate the one that is furthest from here.”
Garinor then went to the stable and secured a speedy horse. The stableboy laughed at his inexperience and gave him a few quick tips for guiding and caring for his mount and sent him on his way.
Garinor headed southeast around the wall of Kallinoria and approached the forest soon after. He knew he needed to reach a rock-filled area, so he pushed the steed into the underbrush and was subsequently swallowed by the trees.
It wasn’t easy trying to learn how to ride the horse while they went so quickly through the woods. He was jostled about quite a bit, but the horse was well-trained and it paced itself evenly as it went, which gave Garinor a slight reprieve, for he was not trying as hard to guide the animal onward. They trudged through the forest with good speed and, as they went, Garinor fell into the rhythm of the horse’s stride. He rocked back and forth in time with the horse’s steps and soon he learned to enjoy the ride more freely.
They stopped twice to drink from a stream, but otherwise they pushed onward to clear the forest and to continue to the southeast, making good time. The pace was going well for a while but then they approached a set of low tents and a few horses.
Garinor tried to see what sort of settlers they were while riding the horse, which wasn’t easy to do. One of the little girls in the camp waved her arms in the air for Garinor to stop and join them. As he stared, he saw that they not only had horses, but they also had swords and axes and bows. He wasn’t sure if he should pull the horse to a stop or not, though he was tired and could use the rest.