Three Sunsets

Astra remembered where she was on the three evenings before she fell asleep.

Viani announced, "It looks like three nights have passed since you left whereever you came from. The first night [87874] there was lightning, and you were on a mountain. The nearest ones are north of here. Nasty, nasty place with a dragon and many filthy creatures that are up to no good. Why would you go there? The second evening [87909] you stopped at a bend in the Marcion River, on a low hill. You must have lost your tunic that day. The third evening [88087] you stopped in the gloom in a field on the other side of the river. It had to have been the last three days - the weather matches too well with what we have been through. Am I right?"

Astra nodded her head. The Marcion River - she was following a tributary of the Istria. Once she found the Istria, the way home would be easy. If that junction were close to here, she might be close to home. A thought popped into her head - she remembered the trading post at the junction of the Marcion and Istria. Copper bracelets, mirrors, spices, and iron weapons - the results of Aqualarian industry and commerce that were popular with the Dunchovians. Skins of leather in many shades and textures, as well as belts, helmets, shoes, and a smell of roast beef - the fruits of the Dunchovian work and craft that attracted both local Aqualarians and merchants from other cities in Aqualaria. She had not tried to communicate this to Viani - it was the mind's equivalent of talking to one's self. The tribe had gathered in a circle now, listening with their full attention.

1. Viani asked, "Now, Astra, can you tell me where the mountain was? Did it overlook an enclosed valley?" Apparently the Dunchovians knew the location of the dragon's lair, and Viani had an inkling that the dragon was involved in Astra's transformation.
2. The thoughts that she believed were private had been communicated to Viani. She replied, "Now she describing the trading post on the Istria. I do not know why. Is that where the transformation happened?"
3. Astra's thoughts on the trading post were not accidently conveyed. She now tried to answer Viani's question as to how she came to the mountains, by imagining how she had been kidnapped, and how she had initially escaped the dragon.

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