On the morning of day1762, Mara did not put on her traveling pack.
She stood in her own room while the kettle heated, listening to the familiar sounds outside the window. A cart wheel struck the uneven yard stone. Someone called for a different bracket. A door shut too hard and was immediately opened again by the person who had forgotten something.
Her plants leaned toward the light.
The hammer rested on her bench.
For a moment, she felt the old urge to hurry because other people were leaving.
Then she made tea.
At the receiving yard, the next leg was ready.
The seven animals from the Gate stood in the carrier pool’s care, their eighteen-day road complete. Temra and Levik had accepted a new contract after checking the current western route and their own rest. They would continue to Stonewake with six fresh accepted pack animals.
