The conversation continued on the road out from town, with Caleb and Sara sitting up front while Rainbow was nearby inside the wagon. No matter what the group would decide to do, there was no sense in talking where they could be overheard. Coincidentally, they had turned right on the main road like Alan had said earlier.

“...and then he left. What should we do?” Caleb asked as he finished his recounting of what had happened earlier. So far, Sara’s face had revealed nothing. She had listened respectfully, but had given no indication of how she felt one way or the other. The boy, on the other hand, looked visibly nervous. Caleb wanted to do the right thing; he just hoped that this involve him meeting with Alan tonight.

The elderly woman’s face soon became visibly distressed. “I understand how you feel, child. More than you know, really, but Lydia is in serious danger. I don’t think-”

Before she could finish her thought though, Rainbow interrupted her. “We should go see this farmer.” Caleb and Sara were both slightly surprised to hear Rainbow’s opinion on this, as neither person had expected the rablin to go against anything their leader decided on.

“Sorry Sara, but I know this kid,” Rainbow said, patting Caleb on the side and smiling, “and I know if we don’t talk to this guy now, Caleb’ll never be able to focus on saving Lydia.” The time on the dwarven island was fresh in the rablin’s mind at this moment - Rainbow was certain that this was the right thing to do. Now turning to face Sara, he added “and besides, if we talk to the farmer, maybe he’ll be able to help us with that too, if we’re careful. And since I have a plan, we will be.” 

Caleb beamed at his green friend’s position; Edward smiled as well, seeing his friend so happy. Sara was reluctant to keep Lydia waiting, but looking at the boy sitting next to her, she found herself unable to deny his request.

“Alright,” she responded with a nod, “we’ll go.”

The child immediately hugged the elderly woman. “Thank you!” 

“You’re welcome, child.” Sara smiled and hugged the child back. Looking at her travel companions and seeing similar looks on their faces, the elderly woman knew that this was something that everyone there wanted for Caleb. 

-----

A few hours later, the group of four had arrived at the farm. It was a little worn, but still in good shape, with a red barn out back and a functional ranch-style farmhouse close to it. The wagon, with Edward attached and Flower inside, was parked out front; this would make escape easy if it was necessary. Sara and Caleb then exited the wagon, with Rainbow invisibly walking behind them. Part of the rablin’s plan involved him following the group, staying invisible with his illusion magic so he can assist as needed.

The group walked to the front door; Caleb was nervous, but excited. He had been waiting for this moment for so long and now it was finally happening. Sara gently nudged the child to knock on the door, so he did so; the person who answered the door wasn’t the farmer from earlier though.

“Holy crap, you actually showed up! Guess I owe Dad a silver piece,” said the young man, who followed up by taking a drink of what smelled like beer out of a wooden mug. He looked like a young man, no older than 18 or 19 years old, and wore a worn brown leather jacket over his white shirt and equally worn pants. The man’s hair and eyes somewhat matched the jacket, but this was a coincidence rather than a conscious decision on his part. 

“Uh, hi, have we met?” was all Caleb could awkwardly think of to reply with. Sara simply arched an eyebrow at this person whose presence reminded her of Junior.

“Nah, Dad told me about you though. Come on in. Name’s Luke, by the way” the man said as he walked inside, motioning for the pair to follow him with his free hand.

Following Luke with Sara through the simple entryway, Caleb noticed a stack of newspapers on top of a small wooden table; they were issues of the [i]Eagletown Enquirer[/i]. The top paper’s date was from a few days after he left town, the headline was “Young Child Missing” and it was accompanied by a detailed drawing of himself.