The first day of the trip seemed calm, but it wasn't. They followed the compass north through rolling hills and scattered forests.
The land got rougher and rougher as they got farther away from civilisation. The roads went from cobblestones to packed dirt to barely maintained trails that wound through old trees.
Greg walked in front with the compass in his hand and watched as the needle pointed steadily towards their goal. Lylia and Elwen quietly discussed various topics, deliberately avoiding any mention of the impending fight behind them.
Hammy sat on Elwen's shoulder and sometimes chirped about intriguing plants or small animals. Hilda was last in line, and her pickaxe was both a weapon and a walking stick.
Elwen said, "What do we do if Veldway doesn't want to help?" while Greg checked the compass for the tenth time.
"He probably doesn't want to be involved anymore if he's been hiding for three years."
