The difference between Redstone's territory and the unaffiliated lands between territories was like stepping from a formal garden into untamed wilderness. The road itself told the story. Going from precisely maintained to merely present, a packed earth path that wandered more than marched, following the terrain's natural contours rather than imposing order upon it.
Aria found she preferred it.
They made camp on their second night in a small clearing beside a stream that tumbled down from somewhere in the hills above. No convenient overhangs here, no sites marked on maps as suitable for travelers. Just a flat spot with good drainage and water access that they had identified through accumulating experience.
"This feels more real," Liora said, arranging stones for their fire pit with the casual competence she had developed. "Redstone was amazing but everything was so arranged. This is actual adventure."
