Smo and the others had escaped the plague by hiding deep in the Mountain, but they still faced other problems.
For one thing, they needed a place where so many people could take shelter.
They still had to spread the ideals of the Blade of Freedom. Hiding in the Mountain might keep them safe, but it would defeat their purpose... Smo asked the Hunter and miner to find somewhere close to Ize Bay, well concealed, and able to sustain them for a long time.
The Hunter and miner pulled a long face and stammered that he had only gone into the Mountain a few times...
"Let's head for the water," Lame Bob said.
With water nearby, it would be hard to starve. They could also reach Ize Bay quickly by river.
Luckily, the Hunter and miner remembered which way was upstream. He led everyone over the Mountain, leaving their pursuers behind.
Luckily, the first snowfall had yet to come, sparing them losses along the way... Even so, quite a few of the frail miners fell ill.
The sick had to lie on carts or be carried on someone's back. At first, everyone managed, but as their numbers grew, some began complaining that the burden was slowing them down.
Lame Bob stepped forward. The miners respected him for being a Mage Apprentice and for the stories he told. He asked one of those complaining: if you were the one who fell ill, would you leave the group of your own accord and wait to die deep in the mountains?
The miner faltered. Lame Bob turned to the others. "We're brothers and sisters who look after one another. We can't abandon each other. Survive, and become Free City People."
"We can become Free City People?"
The miners could hardly believe it. They