They stopped and made camp just off the road, huddling close to the shelter of a cluster of scraggly trees. Shadows stretched long as twilight settled, casting a cold, blue hue over their small campsite. They were vulnerable in this spot, with open ground all around and nowhere to hide if soldiers returned. But night was falling fast, and there was little choice. They were all exhausted, bodies still recovering from the last attack. Morina, the ranking soldier, directed the group as they set up camp. She posted a double guard, unwilling to take any risks, even if their numbers were dwindling. They only had ten soldiers left, and she knew every pair of eyes was crucial. She gave the first shift to Kritalla and Zan, who took up positions just beyond the firelight, weapons at the ready. Jahree was exempt from guard duty, his role being to care for Lanni. He gently curled around her, their bodies huddled together for warmth. She had been slipping in and out of consciousness since the attack, and tonight, her breathing was shallow but steady. Tellic knelt beside them, carefully wrapping both in blankets, tucking the edges to keep out the chill. Kritalla then placed knives upright in the ground around them, a rough circle of metal points. They’d serve as lightning rods, just in case Lanni’s dreams took a violent turn. They had all learned the hard way that her nightmares sometimes manifested in bursts of electricity, casting bolts without warning. Travel continued each day as before, each step weighted by fatigue and the memory of their recent ordeal. The injured lay bundled in the wagon, tended by the healers, while the others marched alongside it on foot. Tellic, ever the sturdy one, carried the tiny girl Shri on his back, reassuring the others with a soft smile whenever they offered to take over. “She’s no burden,” he’d say, chuckling. “She even adds a bit of warmth.” Above, Shan flew in broad, looping circles. Rocs were rare in this region, so there was little fear of recognition—at worst, someone might mistake Shan for a huge, odd-looking bird and try to shoot him down. But they were a cautious group, and Shan knew to disappear into the clouds when necessary. Food supplies dwindled steadily, a consequence of their hasty departure. They hadn’t been able to stock up properly before fleeing, and it was starting to show. One morning, as they huddled around the remains of their fire, Raylee rummaged in her pack. “I have these,” she announced, holding up a handful of small, dense bars. Marn peered over her shoulder, brow raised. “What are they?” “Compressed food,” she explained, tearing open one of the bars to reveal its grayish interior. “They’re from Tameria. One bar supposedly has enough nutrients for a day, though most people eat two or three. If we ration them, we should make it to the coast in time to find supplies.” Jahree’s face lit up as he eyed the bars, a distant smile playing on his lips. “Do you have any red ones?” he asked a hint of nostalgia in his voice. “Those used to be my favorite.” Raylee nodded, passing him a red-tinted bar. Jahree took a small bite, letting the familiar taste settle on his tongue. It was the same as he remembered, though a part of him realized it wasn’t as satisfying as it had once been. Marn took a bar from Raylee and bit into it, immediately making a face. “This is not food,” he muttered, struggling to swallow. “It’s… efficient,” Jahree replied with a shrug. He watched as the others reluctantly took bites of their own bars, their faces echoing Marn’s disgust. Chapado chuckled. “If Lanni were awake, she’d probably tell you she’s eaten worse.” “Yeah,” Kritalla laughed. “She’s good now, but there was a time you couldn’t eat what she made.” Tellic nodded as he chewed, unbothered by the bar’s texture or taste. “My mother used to tell me stories about Lerjao during the old days,” he added. “She’d threaten to make me eat it if I didn’t finish my supper.” Jahree swallowed another bite and smiled slightly. “Back on Tameria, this was all we had. It took me a long time to get used to food here. It was so messy. I didn’t know how to use silverware. My mom made me oatmeal every morning so I could practice using a spoon. I used to call blueberries ‘ball berries’ because I didn’t understand.” Jahan looked over at him, puzzled. “A ball is a toy, A berry is a food. What’s hard about that?” Jahree laughed softly. “I didn’t speak Menthan when I arrived, and the other kids didn’t speak Tamerian. I’d never seen round food before. I didn’t understand that a ball you ate had a different name than a ball you played with.” Zan shrugged, his bar half-eaten. “It’s edible. That’s all that matters right now.” Once he’d finished, Jahree crumbled another bar into a bowl, mixing it with some water to form a paste. He scooped some onto his finger and gently fed it to Lanni, who stirred slightly in response. Marn grimaced at the sight. “That’s disgusting,” he muttered. Raylee looked up from where she was feeding Lonna a softened bar, nodding knowingly. “It’s how they feed babies. These bars were designed as the perfect food, capable of sustaining life. They’re even balanced for healing.” “Perfect food?” Marn snorted. “If they were perfect, they’d taste better.” “They’re not that bad,” Jahree countered a hint of defensiveness in his tone. “If you’re used to them, they’re… comforting, in a way.” “The idea,” Raylee explained patiently, “is to prevent overindulgence. If they tasted like sweets, people would eat more than they needed.” Shri, nestled between Tellic and Jahan, announced, “I like them! They’re like Lanni’s cookies.” Jahan chuckled, patting her head. “Not quite, but you could live off them.” The group fell into a comfortable silence, each member chewing methodically, lost in their thoughts. The bars were bland, uninspiring, and wholly unlike the meals they were used to, but at this moment, they were enough. Survival sometimes demanded acceptance, and today, that acceptance tasted like chalky, compressed rations. But the road stretched ahead, and tomorrow would come, whether they were ready or not. #fantasy #magic #dragons #hiddenlands