Adria spent most of the night pouring over her discovery. Sometime in the early hours of the morning she fell asleep at her table, she awoke with her back aching and her neck sore. She fumbled through the motions of getting ready for the day, irritated that she'd allowed herself to get so caught up that she sacrificed a decent sleep.

She decided to skip the market that morning and head straight back out to the Scians, to make up for lost time from the day before. After finishing her breakfast— she really needed to get some butter soon— and combing out her long hair, she strapped on her thick leather hiking boots and headed for the door. Her bag full of mining supplies slung over her shoulder.

A loud knock startled her as she approached the door, damn it she thought. There was no mistaking that knock. She yanked the door open.

"Pleasant day Adria," Sorlan said from across the threshold.

"I'm sorry Sorlan, I'm just heading out," she replied, a tight smile forcing its way across her lips. He looked her up and down.

"To the Scian's again? I hope you're not taking unnecessary risks, weren't you just there yesterday?" he asked, concern etched across his handsome features.

"Yes," she replied, irritated, "but I wasn't able to procure any stones. I need to go again."

"Why weren't you able to get any?" he asked, persistent. "You must know all the good spots by now?"

"Listen, I had other things on my mind," she began, then decided in the spur of the moment that she would need to confide in someone, or else risk many more sleepless nights. "Come inside," she said, tugging on his arm.

He was shocked by her sudden change in demeanour and wordlessly allowed her to pull him through the doorway, closing the heavy carved wooden door behind him.

. "I've found something." She led the way over to her small hardwood table where the strange material she had found the day before was spread out.

"What is it?" Sorlan stared in awe at the strange writing.

"I don't-" Adria's response was cut off by the sound of a loud bell ringing outside.

"It's collection day." Sorlan said, reminding her. Adria headed to her cold storage unit behind the kitchen and emerged with an armload of bread, meats and cheeses. "All that is for the Outpost?" he asked looking quizzically at the pile of food in her arms.

"I like to make a contribution," she replied, "they should be well cared for."

The outpost was a small collection of houses far south of the village; it was reserved for people who were mind sick.

Sometimes— for no discernible reason— members of the village would begin to make outrageous proclamations. Or run screaming around the village, fleeing an invisible enemy. When no medicine man could heal them, and no herbs helped belay their symptoms, they were determined to be mind sick; an affliction that came with great negative connotations. So much so that villagers diagnosed were shipped off to the Outpost south of the village and forbidden to return, for fear that their sickness would spread to the others. Once every moon cycle a shipment of food, clothing and other supplies was taken to the Outpost by a large horse drawn wagon. The village elders took it in turns to make the delivery and every village member was expected to contribute. For Adria that meant keeping a store of extra food to send with every shipment; her jewelry was of little use to those with mind sickness.

"I'll be back in a few moments," Adria called over her shoulder as she headed out to the wagon waiting in the center of the village. Whichever elder was making the shipment would ring a large bell on a post near the central fire pit to signal the village members that it was time to bring forth their contributions. This time it was Lontai, a widower whose wife had passed just before the last sun festival. Adria had been rather fond of her; she had cared for her on many occasions in her childhood.

"Thank you Adria, that's very generous of you, being a single woman." His eyes turned for the briefest moment toward Sorlan still standing in Adria's doorway. Her smile quickly turned to a scowl as she followed his eye line. She spun around abruptly on her heel after giving Lontai a curt nod and strode purposefully back to her home.

"Do you have to stand right in the doorway like that?" She hissed at Sorlan as she pulled him inside with her by the front of his tunic.

"Like what?" he asked once they were inside, eyebrows raised in a naïve expression of innocence.

"Ugh, never mind." she replied, releasing him and gesturing towards the table in the middle of the room. "Come see what I found."