Chapter 4: The Cascadia Trading Company

The companions rely on enterprise.

Cascadia Trading Company caravan / made using Midjourney

Arrick pulled a hatchet from his satchel and scurried up the trunk of a nearby elm to chop two limbs long enough to build into a litter strong enough to hold a badger.

Up on the edge of the creek valley, the morning sun cut through the fog and warmed the moss on Chestnut Road, the main thoroughfare which ran between Southport and The Wells. The path was so common that the moss was worn away in areas, the raw, rough concrete exposed. 

As Arrick cut the wood, he wondered for the first time if hiring such an inexperienced creature was wise. Then he remembered Eola’s cheer and curiosity, and how she absorbed all those darts which might otherwise have knocked out Ophir or Bajo. Then he reminded himself the past didn’t matter, and they had a job to do.