A08 - A Plan

    Entor sighed audibly, "Well, if you're so smart then what was your plan?"

    Soren shook his head, "If you must know.  Step 1: Destroy this hut and make it look like the Ain did it.  Step 2: Save supplies, food, and inventory for six months. Step 3: Hide out here for at least two months. Step 4: Move to the other end of Ren and start over."

    Simon couldn't hide the look of being impressed on his face.  "See, Entor?  That's a plan."  He laughed lightly.

    Entor rolled her eyes.  "My plan was just a little less complete, that's all."

    Soren raised his eyebrows, "Oh? And what was your plan?"

    "To leave my parent's house, and well...that's about it.  But that doesn't mean it was a bad plan.  I just take it one step at a time instead of planning out everything.  I mean, if step two doesn't work out for some reason then you have to totally change the rest of the plan and then you've wasted all this time planning for something that doesn't actually happen anyway.  So, I'm efficient if nothing else.  I'm mean, look at your plan.  You already have a hiccup in step number three, so now you have to adjust and change and all those months of planning are totally wasted."  Entor was proud of herself.

    Soren resigned his position, "You have a point. So, Miss Smarty, what do we do now?  A 25-year-old Ren, a 6-year-old Tor, and a boy who doesn't even know where he's from?"

    "I'm twelve."

    "My mistake.  So, what do we do?  Three outcasts stuck in a destroyed hut that barely holds one of us."

    No one spoke for a few seconds. Simon felt the eyes of his companions on him, "Don't look at me.  Remember, I don't know anything about anything." Everyone returned to their individual thoughts.

    Simon thought back through the last couple of days.  He was transported to this place.  He met Lanix.  He rode an Eagle-Deer. He had eaten bog nuts.  He met Entor and then Soren.  He recognized that he had spoken more in the last couple of days with these strangers than he had with anyone since his parents died. It made him both happy and sad.  Then, he thought of something, William, the eagle-deer thing!  He rummaged through his bag and pulled out the deer end, "What about this?  Can we use this for something?"

    Entor's excitement faded when she took a closer look, "Mine won't help.  All I have is a stupid water frog rear-end."

    "I have a wolf front, but I'm not sure what good that would do us.  The only thing we could really do is go to Torren and try to sell them for a place to stay. But poladels haven't really had any value for a long time. You have to have something really useful and rare.  None of these are either of those things."

    Entor shuddered, "Torren gives me the shivers.  I went around there as fast as I could and swore I'd never go back.  Some guy's zivodel with an alligator head snapped at me, fortunately, the end was a turtle so it couldn't move very fast, but it definitely kept the guy safe.  No one was going anywhere near him.  The guy had a smile as crooked and vile as the alligator."

    Soren continued, "That does make me think.  Maybe we could go to Torren, sell enough of my goods to get packs instead of my cart so we could carry everything and stay off the main road.  While we're passing through Ren we could put together your deer and my wolf for protection and to scout in front of us."

    "Torren?  Really?  Do we have to absolutely go there?" Entor started whining.

    "We could just leave you here.  Simon, you could stay too.  I don't really care.  The thing is, if any combination of us tried to walk the main road, we would fall under all kinds of suspicion and watchful eyes."

    Entor groaned, "I hate when you're right."  She recognized Simon's confusion, "Different races don't hang out with each other, much less travel and stay together.  A Tor, a Ren, and a Voy (or whatever you are) would make everyone question us and attract the unwanted attention of the Ain.  Ugh, just thinking about them makes my skin itch all over." Simon still looked confused.  Entor pretended to be annoyed, but she was actually excited to know more than Simon and appreciated being smarter than someone else, "The Ain are the race that does the Empress's bidding.  They don't care what it is.  The more evil it is, the more they enjoy it.  She claims that it's all for the good of Mizrain, but I doubt that.  It sounds so much like my parents. And they take many liberties in assuming what her bidding would be, that they do so much worse than they should, especially when they're farther away from Voy and the Palace.  You'll know the Ain by their silver and black streaked hair, massive foreheads, and generally grumpy faces."

    Simon looked to Soren for confirmation and Soren responded, "That's a fair summation."  Soren continued, "So we travel to Torren tomorrow, we should get there about midday. You two will hide at the edge of the swamp..."

    "But isn't that next to the prison?" Entor questioned.

    "It is, but it means no one else will be creeping around back there.  And if they are, they'll suspect you as much as you suspect them.  I'll go into the market and sell my cart and a few garments for enough to get some food and packs.  I'll return to you two by dusk. Then, we'll take to the stalks and walk for a couple of hours to get away from the city."

    "A better plan than Entor ever had," Simon smiled at her.

    Entor narrowed her eyes at him, "I'll go gather some bog nuts for the trip."