---
title: A Glimmer of Hope
summary: >
  A chance stop in a village gives Linsan hope that she is still on the trail of the murderers.
---

> It is considered poor form to demand payment from hitchhikers. However, requests to pay for meal and supplies are allowed, as long as they are truly requests and not demands. --- Gardol de Hastor, *The Changing Ways of Transportation*

After another day of disappointment, Linsan didn't have hopes for the next village. After the good luck with earning her keep with her violin and then catching a ride with Maril, she had hoped that the gods would reveal the murderers within hours. Sadly, even as wagon stopped at each village throughout the day, no one could provide even a hint to men Linsan was chasing.

With a sigh, she leaned against the side of the wagon and peered down at the wheel. There was still mud still clinging to the wagon. As the wagon rattled over a wooden bridge, flecks of half-dried cascaded down and created a path.

Maril groaned. She squirmed in her seat for a moment before flicking the reins to sped up her horse along the bridge.

"Going to make it?"

The older woman waved her hand dismissively. "Been doing this ride for thirty years. I know every bathrooms and water closet for fifty leagues. It's the way my dad had to travel and it's the way my girls will when they are older."

She pointed ahead to a brightly painted building on the side of the road. "In fact, Old Gal's Pals has one of the best ones in the areas. Old Gal runs the general store and the public house here in Jonas's Gate. Gal's sisters are all pepper farmers and they all make award-winning chili. Once a year, they have a fair for their meals and you really appreciate indoor plumbing that night."

Maril grinned. "Those girls really like to be comfortable when enjoying their rings of fire. They have books, perfume, and even heated water."

Another groan faded her smile. She wiped her forehead and returned her attention to the road.

Linsan watched her for a moment and then sat back down. She watched as the village rose.

"Lin? You got a few crowns?"

"Yes, do you need me to get anything from the store."

"Some willow bark would be nice. Something to chew on, not drink. I've been peeing enough as it is. And moon pads, if you are willing. If not, I'll grab some myself."

Linsan had enough for that. "No, that's okay. I can get those. You are giving me a ride."

"Thanks." Maril groaned again. "Hitch the horses too."

As soon as the wagon came to a stop in front of a building with a mural of pepper flowers, Maril hopped and and rushed inside.

Linsan crawled out of the back and gingerly took up the reins. Slipping off the wagon, she gave the horse a wide berth to tie the reins to a hitching post. Unsure of the knot, she did her best before stepping back to look around.

It was another village, just like the dozen she had pass since the beginning of her adventure. It had been built at the intersection of two dirt roads. Except for what looked like four businesses, there were only a few dozen houses that clumped around the center of the village.

Linsan considered her options: she could easily identify the general store behind her, a blacksmith, and a carpenter. The fourth was less obvious, but there was a sign hanging from one screw. Curious, she walked across the street to peer at it.

It was a bank.

Remember what her parents had done, she stuck her head inside the open door. "Hello?"

A young man in his mid to late twenties yanked his feet off a counter. There was a thump as he looked around wildly for a moment before focusing on her. "Oh! Sorry." He had an nice voice and a tousle of dark hair.

"Are you on Ralonix?" She hoped she got the name right.

His eyes widened. "It's our own network. Are you expecting money?"

Nervous, she inched inside. "I want to send a message. I can do that, right?"

He looked stunned for a moment.

Linsan stepped back.

"No, no! Please, come in. I don't get much business here during the day. Yes, of course you can send a message. Have you done it before?"

"No." She hefted her violin case on her shoulder and walked up to the counter. The wooden floor underneath her boots creaked.

"Your name?"

"Linsan Sterlig. My parents just opened the account."

He was starting to reach for a thick leather tomb but then stopped. His hand went to a thick pad of paper instead. Pulling it open, he leafed through it. "Sterlig... Sterlig... here you go. You have a code?"

"I'm suppose to write it down?"

Shrugging, he put out a piece of paper and a pencil on the counter.

She write it down and showed it to him.

He peered at it, referred to something in the paper, and then nodded. "Good. It matches. According to this, messages are collect on arrival so you don't have to pay anything now. Let's see."

The banker fumbled with some papers before he handed her another one, this one had about a hundred squares in five lines. "Okay, fill out the message. One letter per square, put a space between the words."

Unsure of what to write, Linsan hesitated for a moment. "What's the name of the village?"

The banker half-stood and pulled out another piece of paper. Setting it next to her, he tapped one a symbol. "Just put that in a square by itself. I put the bank location there."

The rest of the paper had other single-square images to use for each of the surrounding villages, the next town, and other common phrases.

Still nervous, she wrote a quick message that said she was safe, still on her way, and she was still looking.

The banker gave her a few suggestions to shorten her phrases. When she was done, he took it and pulled out a large box filled with tiles.

Curious, she watched as he pulled out the tiles for the letter she had just written and placed them in a stack. Each tile was made of some sort of crystal or glass. Flickers of energy raced along the side.

He looked up. "You have a powerful talent."

"I do?"

"Yes. I can't use this spell with you in the bank, you might cause something to crack."

Blushing, Linsan backed away. "Sorry."

At the door, she remembered her purpose. "Excuse me, have you seen three guys in leather dusters? I don't know when, maybe in the last few days. One of them had a guitar on him?"

The banker didn't appear to be listening to her as he concentrated on stacking tiles.

Linsan sighed and turned around.

"I can't tell you about them."

She froze. "W-What?"

"Banking regulations. I can't tell you what they were doing in the building."

Spinning around, she grabbed the door to peer in. "But they were here, right?" Her voice rose in excitement.

He peered up at her, nodded, and then returned to his tiles. "Try Old Gal's. They stopped there for dinner."

Linsan gasped and then raced away. Her violin thumped against her hip as she crossed the road and into the general store.

Inside, the brightly-painted business was both a store and a public eating area. The separator between the two was a table filled with jars of peppers, jellies, and other savories. Everything had a pepper motif from the murals on the walls to the tablecloths underneath the supplies. Even the little price tags neatly affixed to the wall had hand-drawn peppers.

Her ears pounding with hope, Linsan looked around for someone to ask. She spotted the hallway marked water closets before her eyes caught movement on the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw an old woman sitting behind a counter reading a book that had a half-naked man painted on the front.

"Excuse me?"

The older woman set down her book and gave Linsan a brilliant smile. "Welcome to Old Gal's! It's my place and you can call---"

"Actually," interrupted Linsan.

"Oh, the bathrooms. Just down the hall, door is open---"

"Sorry, I actually have an important question."

There was a faint creasing around Gal's eyes.

Linsan cringed. "Sorry."

After a second, it faded. Gal straightened her book.

Sheepish, Linsan waited impatiently for the silent disapproval to fade. She wanted to ask so many questions, but she knew enough to wait.

"I must be getting old. How may I help you, young lady?"

Linsan was almost vibrating. "The banker said three men had come in earlier. They all had long, ground-length coats and wide-brimmed hats. One them had a guitar. Have you seen them?"

Gal nodded. "Of course, I did. Part of your group?" she asked pointing to Linsan's violin.

For a moment, Linsan considered lying. Then she shook her head. "No, they have something of mine and I'm just hoping to catch up."

"Well, you are a couple days behind them. They had stopped her for dinner three nights ago before driving off."

"Three nights?" Linsan's shoulders slumped. They had gotten to the village in a single day? How is that possible. "No, that can't be it."

Gal looked at her. "Not a lot of people have guitars. Are you sure? It really sounds like them."

Linsan sighed and shook her head. "There is no way they could have gotten this far in a day. It has to be someone else."

"Well, they are making those auto-driving vehicles faster these days. It was a pretty nice one too. You don't see fancy ones in villages like this very often."

Linsan froze. They had a car?

Tears burned in her eyes. She couldn't catch up with a vehicle. Not with a wagon and definitely not on foot. She gripped her violin tightly as she tried not to burst into tears.

Gal's eyes softened.

"S-Sorry." Linsan wiped her eyes. "I didn't mean... I... sorry."

She looked around. Spotting the things Maril requested, she grabbed them and set them down. "C-Could I get these?"

As Gal took the money and recorded the sale, Linsan lost herself in despair. With a car, the murderers would easily outpace her. Even at her best, she couldn't hope to catch with them. However, she was heading in the right direction and now she knew to ask about a car.

Would it matter if they would get to Moon Over Stone Waters long before her? How long would it take to set up a sale? Or if they already had a buyer, how long before they moved on?

"I'm sorry, Love, I thought you knew." Gal handed her Maril's supplies in a small paper bag.

"I didn't. It just..." Linsan wasn't sure if she was going to give up, it felt like the right thing to do. But, she had to keep going. If anything for Duncan's and her family's honor. "... I'll catch them sooner or later," she finished with a lie.

Gal leaned over and peered at her. "Did they steal something?"

Linsan nodded. "They killed a friend and stole something from my family. I was hoping to catch them and then get guards to bring them back."

The harsh look on Gal's face softened even more. "Killed?"

Linsan nodded. "He was a friend. He ran a local bank in Cobbler's End and... and... I just want to find them."

"That mean you're leaving to go after them?"

"I have to wait for someone. She's in the bathroom."

A face softened the lines on Gal's face. "I thought I saw someone rushing by. Well, why don't you sit down and help yourself to some bread and jelly. It's my special recipe. On the house."

"I really should get going." Linsan gathered up her purchases. "Thank you."

Dejected, Linsan returned to the wagon to wait for Maril. As she did, her mind worked through the overwhelming realization that she will never catch up to the others. She couldn't stop though, she had to keep hunting them down. Palisis may be lost forever but if she could bring the murderers to justice, it would be worth it.

She noticed Old Gal coming back from the bank without remembering when the older woman had left the store. Linsan watched her for a moment and then returned to her musings.

When Maril finally came out, it felt like it had been an hour. "Sorry about that. Oh, is that willow bark?"

Old Gal came out with a basket. "Wait!"

Linsan watched curiously as the old woman came to the side of the wagon and stopped. "What's the name of your friend? The one who died?"

"Duncan Kabisal."

Gal shoved the basket in Linsan's hands. "My nephew said there was a shut down notice for your bank and Duncan's death was announced. It may be a lie but it's a realistic one. Here, take this for the road."

"T-Thank you," said Linsan in shock.

"I don't know if it would help, but they are heading to Stone Water right now."

"Moon Over Stone Waters?"

Gal said, "Probably. The message was short but they were 'on schedule for the sale in Stone Waters.' Does that mean anything to you?"

A sob rose in Linsan's throat. She was going the right way. "Y-Yes! How did you find that out?"

"He's my nephew. Now, take the basket and catch up."

"How?"

Old Gal shrugged and patted Linsan's hand. "I don't know, but I found that the Divine Couple blesses those who try so don't give up and you'll make it. Good luck and may the Couple look over you."