Amos had been staying by himself in an inn, just a hour’s pace from where Fort Washington stood, above the Potomac. It too nestled the rushing river, and it’s sound had lulled him into a deep slumber, in which he had remained until a knock came at his door in the early morning.

It had been another beggar child. Not that the their status had bothered him, particularly. But the fact that his namesake and his skills with the elements had spread so quickly among the poor bothered Amos. He was not a savior, but one man, willing to help those in need. He quickly gave the child a vile of a usual mixture; a green-tinted fluid meant to bring general healing to the body, and he was on his way.

As the walked to the keep, his long, dark locks remained in his eyes from the crosswind blowing through the alleyways. Something about the morning seemed off to the alchemist. Though the thought of a long travel with strangers was not a comforting one, it was something more. Perhaps it was the spirit above him, reminding him of the import of this mission. How this coin would help fund a lasting store to bring some help to this world. Heaven knows there hasn’t been anything but pain in recent years. 

Amos, after arriving, wasn’t sure what to make of his new traveling companions. There was a younger man among them, seeming built for the trip, or at least the inevitable hunts. His looming horse casted a stark shadow o’er both his owner and the surrounding travelers.

The opposite side stood a much older man, scarred and marred no doubt from war. It was best there’d be altered men among there group, and Amos was glad to have an experienced member among them.

The third was surprisingly sleeker and smaller than the previous two. His mouth opened and a lighter, higher tone arose from what Amos had expected. He seemed a child in a much harsher world than himself. Amos made a mental note, but chose not to speak a word of his thoughts till the time proved himself wrong. Or right. 

The third man suggested the third route. Fitting coincidences aside, Amos found himself wondering if this was the best option. 

“The trip northward seems safer, aye,” he agreed, looking to his companions, and the third man in particular. “I’d be pressed to take it, but there’s the reason we came together in the first place.”

Amos nodded a head to the merchant whose gold had brought the team together on the count of the king. 

“I’m willing to take either the inland path or the northern,” Amos continued, “but I suppose an argument could be made for both. It’d be wrong to choose so quickly without considering.” 

In the back of his mind Amos knew his suggestion had come from his own fear of the sea options. He hadn’t the stomach for such long journeys. But, in his own mind, he felt as if the third option was smartest. Still, as he suggested, it couldn’t hurt to consider everything in front of them. 

Amos watched as a boy, not yet a man, trudged back to the circle the strangers had formed from a hooded woman. He wasn’t sure what to make of the sight, so he held his judgement, and watched as her apparent servant spoke on her behalf.