Before they set out again, Dameon looked over Kelden's map in the greenstone book, but he shook his head. "Not a good route at all," he said. "These battered, rocky stretches will dwindle away in a couple weeks of travel. We'll then find ourselves in the Strangle Bog, a long belt of filthy wet terrain that has choked off the neck of our land. It is far too wide to go around. Your route--the one provided by the great seers--leads straight through it."
"I've been there," said Kelden, with a groan. "On my way to Valganleer. Weeks of slow travel to get through it, while mosquitoes drain your blood and you catch any number of illnesses. I'd rather avoid that route if possible."
"Our goal," said Dameon, "should be the underground city of Murakan. We can follow Tower Road straight there."
"The seers wanted me to stay away from populated areas," said Kelden, "due to the threat of...well, you know."
"I have a new plan," said Dameon. "A far better one than wandering like fools for months over worm-infested landscapes and through treacherous bogs. In Murakan, we can buy or rent Altan bulls. They can shorten the journey tremendously, but the cost will be great. If we sell one or two of your items, we'll have enough."
Kelden clutched his pack defensively. "I don't know about that."
"Think of it," said Dameon. "We'll soar like the wind over the land and be in Frindagan long before the demon Credesar rips his way free of your corpse. You'll never make it in time on foot! And there is no way you'll be able to walk the great distances from shelter to shelter without getting stranded out in the open after dark--especially when you reach the vast stretches of the Tembros plains."
Kelden thought it over, and nodded. "You know, that's actually a great idea. I can't believe the seers didn't think to suggest that."
"I can believe it," Dameon said softly.
"What do you mean?" said Kelden.
"Nothing. Just a theory I'm working on."
"We'll stop in Murakan, then," said Kelden. "But if we do--we have to get those Altan bulls, otherwise it won't be worth it."
"We will," said Dameon, licking his lips. "One way or another."