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Once Igor came back, he and Gertrunania slowly brought Ivan down the mountain. “We’ll make it to Narit Cave tonight. I believe there are medical supplies in that cave. There is a lot of food that is easy to get near there. Igor can take care of you until you heal.”

“The plane back is August,” Igor said.

“August?”

“Two weeks from now.”

“Weeks?”

There seemed to be no similar word in Rhetian, or at least, Igor couldn’t remember. “Fourteen days from now.”

“You can only take this ‘plane’ during the full moon?”

Igor frowned, but didn’t explain further.

“He will not be better by then. Mid-Narsel, probably.”

Ivan didn’t know what a Narsel was. Maybe it was the locals’ way of telling time. Ivan wasn’t thrilled with the idea of spending even two weeks in a cave. Did these people live in caves?

Ivan would never have noticed the Narit cave had Gertrunania not pointed it out. It looked like a dark hole in the rock. She was short enough to enter without bending over, but Igor had to duck. “Ivan, bend down lower so I don’t hit your head.”

Once Gertrunania lit a candle—where it had come from, Ivan couldn’t tell—it was clear that this was no ordinary cave. There was a fireplace near a second entrance. Metal containers held stores of grain and dried herbs, which Gertunania used to cook a meal. A large wooden chest held dozens of blankets, which smelled funny. Gertrunania piled several to make a bed for Ivan. She found some medical supplies, including a strip of fabric that she used to tighten the wooden splint to Ivan’s leg.

“Do you live here?” Igor asked her.

Gertrunania laughed. “No, I live further down. You won’t be able to get Ivan down that path.” She pronounced Ivan’s name odd, more like Yehvin.

“What is this place?” Igor continued.

“This is the Narit Cave. You can see from the symbols outside that it is a good cave to stay in.”

“How did the food get here?”

“It is kept stocked for anyone who might be in need of some food. I will leave some of my herbs, and you and Yehvin ought to leave something, too. Though you probably don’t know our plants, since it seems that you don’t know how to survive in the wilderness.”

“I’m from all the way across the world. We do have different plants there.”

“Did you use the silver sky needles to get here?”

“We used a plane.”

“Oh, that is your word for it. How do they work?”

But Igor didn’t know enough. He tried to say they were like a bird, but the woman interrupted him. “Birds flap their wings.” Igor gave up.

“Is Ivan also from across the world?”

“I was born there, but I grew up mostly on my father’s island in Omliownio. It is south of here.” Or, at least, that’s what Ivan tried to say.

Gertrunania caught the gist of it. “Farther south than Kry Island? I grew up there.”

“Which one is Kry?”

“South-easternmost. It is small, just a desert. There is a saltwater lake in the middle. Not so salty as the sea, but too salty to drink.”

“Yes, more south. It is hot and humid.”

“So what brings you to our arid mountain?”

“We like to climb mountains,” Igor explained. “We climbed Cirsao.”

“Cirsao has a much gentler slope to it. I can’t say I’ve ever climbed it. Do you just walk in and climb?”

“Someone from our group got certificates from your Queen Lenorata,” Igor said.

The woman laughed. “How did you learn our language?”

“We’ve been here for a lot of days.”

“Will you teach me how to speak your language? I think us Elders ought to be able to communicate directly with you people.”

“Elders?”

“I was a Lilia Island Elder. The Elders run some of the government.”

“Is that why you don’t have a family?” Igor pushed.

“My daughter lives in Erris Ilinie with her husband and daughters. My own husband died years ago.”

“Are you a herder?”

“No. Do I look like one? Use your eyes. I’m East Isvartoin.”

“How old are you?” Ivan didn’t expect her to be able to answer that question of Igor’s.

“Forty-five. But, enough. It’s time you got to bed.” Gertrunania took a candle and a blanket and started walking out.

“Where are you going?”

“To the women’s sleeping quarters. I’d direct you to the men’s sleeping quarters, but with Ivan hurt, it’s better if you stay with him.”

After she’d left, Igor told Ivan, “I’ll find out how we can get you down from here. Tomorrow, I’ll go to that town and see if I can get people to help. Maybe if I pay them, they’ll do it.”

“We ought to have listened to that old woman. The one herding.”