62 Chapter 62 Watering Hole Showdown (1/2)

”Mikey, do you see the great tree?” asked Gia, pointing south at the giant tree that took up the entire horizon.

”Wow! That's a tree?” he asked, gaping at the sight.

”Yep. Maybe someday you'll get to see it,” she said, thinking of what the elves said about his lifespan being so long. ”Slovak told me that it gets so dark the closer to the trunk you get, that nothing grows there, so you need to make sure that you take lots of food if you ever go.”

”I will!” he agreed, nodding enthusiastically, before turning back to help finish filling the water bags with water.

They had stopped at the watering hole the traders always used before heading across the plains to the orcs.

”What should we expect on this trip?” asked Vonn to Sudar as they loaded the heavy water bags into the elephant.

”We should avoid most of the dangerous animals, since the elephant is so tall. The snakes are dangerous because they are attracted to your heat in the night and like to bite to eat you the next morning. There're some small furry creatures that look cute until you get close enough for them to attack you. They eat just about everything, even the snakes, if given an opportunity. I generally keep my ride moving so nothing gets an opportunity to climb the legs while I'm sleeping, and it cuts down on the travel time when you never stop.”

”How long do you think it will take to cross the fields to the orcs?” asked Carla.

”Well, the grasses only last a couple days before it peters out to dry dirt. There's no water to keep the grasses alive out that way. If you go too far north, you'll hit sand and sandworms. It can get really dangerous there, so we tend to swing more south while we're traveling. Some of those worms could swallow our elephants if they wanted to. I prefer not to give them a chance. The worse we'll run into, in the south, is herds of wild elephants, but they tend to steer clear of these guys. It should take us a couple weeks to reach the orcs, if we don't stop anywhere for too long.”

”Wow, if they can eat something that big, I hate to think what they eat normally,” said Tom.

”There's large beetle things, that sift the sand, eating anything edible, that they eat, I believe,” said Sudar.

Gia looked back at the small stream that emptied into the small lake they were getting their water from, wondering if she should try and get a bath before they traveled over the coming wastelands, but decided whatever clean she managed to get from it would quickly disappear while traveling in a huge dead elephant.

Glancing back at the other traders, she noticed Geth was still watching her. There was no way she would get a bath now. Helping Tom and Carla arrange their things in the elephant, she heard Vonn send Mikey in to help moments before Geth's voice drifted in to them.

”Hello, friend,” said Geth.

”Hello,” answered Vonn in a neutral tone.

Gia glanced up at her parents, to see that they had both slowed their movements to listen as well.

��I was wondering about those traveling with you,” continued Geth, seeming to not notice Vonn's tone.

”What about them?” asked Vonn.

”Is the young girl available for sale? I can pay quite a bit for her?”

Gia's face froze in horror as her parents shared her reaction. Mikey's head shot towards the conversation, but everyone frantically waved at him to be silent and still.

”I'm sorry, I must have misheard you,” said Vonn, his voice having dropped into a deep growl. ”Are you talking about my wife, or my mother in law?”

”Ah, so you are a couple. I apologize if I insulted you. It has been a very long time since I have dealt with such family structures. The few people we meet out this way don't hold to such traditions,” said Geth, continuing as if he didn't notice Vonn's reaction.

”Let's put it this way, friend,” he spat. ”If I catch you so much as looking at my wife, I will sever your head from your body and shove it where the sun doesn't shine! Is that clear?”

”I understand,” said Geth, his voice dipping as if he were bowing, and then the sounds of his footsteps could be heard fading in the ensuing silence.