"Those who have their own horses do not get my wagon, teehee! Now get up here, the rest of you!"When everyone was ready, Anja grabbed the reins and smacked her two chestnut horses. The wagon cracked from sudden pull, as if it was going to snap in two, and began rolling down the street in slow movement. They passed the southern gate, then several farmhouses, and soon they had the troubled city of Fezzan behind their backs.
~~Chapter 3x: Dissappointed Customers~~
The mercenaries, after many struggles, at last recovered the Dragonstone of Kesselring family, Lapis Lazuli.
By unfortunate turn of events, they were robbed of their easy way back to Kesselring; but Anja the traveling merchant agreed to take them to Kesselring on her merchant wagon.
Sadly, they forgot to ask her one, very minor question...
Wheels of the wagon clacked in a rhythm, the wooden circles oft passing a stone that was sticking out of the dirt road, or a small hole here and there. The journey was slow, but Anja shared her food supplies with the mercenaries, herself remaining rather silent during the trip. From farmlands and plains, they went into region of forests and glades, pretty much uninhabited by anything else than wild animals.
It was afternoon of the day they left Fezzan, the sky and forest bathed in orange light, when Anja's wagon found yet another bridge over a brook to cross. Suddenly, Anja shouted and stopped her horses, and looked around in alarm.
"Oh... oh dear..." That's all she said in explanation, her eyes glancing from side to side in nervous rhythm.
The forest, on other hand, looked peaceful, calm and devoid of any suspicious activity.
"My nose is ticklish!" Anja added after a moment.