The road was long, and the wind carried the scent of damp earth, whispering through the trees that lined the path like silent sentinels. The traveler—his name long since worn away by the dust of distant places—pulled his cloak tighter, stepping carefully over the roots that had burst through the dirt path. Evening was creeping in, and he meant to make camp before the stars took the sky.
But as he reached the old stone marker at the crossroads, he saw another man standing there. He was young, his boots muddied and his brow creased with uncertainty. His tunic was of decent make but frayed at the cuffs, and he held a walking staff that seemed too new, as if bought for a journey he had not planned to take.
The traveler slowed his pace. “Lost, are you?”
The young man turned, startled. “Not lost,” he said, though his voice wavered. “Only… I thought the road to Brightmere lay west.”
The traveler glanced at the paths before them. “It does. But that’s not where your feet have been taking you.” He looked down at the churned dirt of the eastern road. “You’ve been walking toward the old moors. Another day and you’d have found nothing but fog and sinking ground.”
The young man’s face fell, his grip tightening on his staff. “I left before first light, and I was certain—” He stopped himself, shaking his head. “Foolish of me. I should have asked someone before I set out.”
The traveler chuckled, shifting the weight of his pack. “A road can deceive the legs as well as the mind. Happens to us all.” He nodded toward the western path. “Follow the ridge line. It’ll take you straight to Brightmere before midday tomorrow.”
The young man hesitated, then gave a slow nod. “Thank you.”
The traveler watched as the lad adjusted his pack and took the first few steps onto the right path. Then he turned away, stepping toward the old marker where he would make camp for the night.
The wind shifted, and as he settled by the stone, he wondered if he had done the same thing, long ago—stood lost at a crossroads, waiting for someone to point him in the right direction.
Perhaps he had. But it was so long ago now, he could not remember.