A/N: For those you who did read the original Chapter Ten this is just me informing you I changed it from the modern U.S.A. because that really is a stupid idea and I was just using it because I came up with it ages ago and had it planned and set in my head so I didn't even think to ask myself if it was a good idea anymore. And no, wizard116, I'm not Caley. If you read my profile you'll find out why.

The forest, as they walked through it slowly, was fairly quiet except for the chirpings of a few birds. At least, it was quiet until there was a loud shout and the sound of a trumpet and about thirty big, brawny, scroungy men on horses came charging down a small hill towards them, all brandishing weapons of some sort and yelling their heads off.

"Run!" Caley yelled to Berne and she did so, leaping into a gallop and zipping out of their way, with Ryu and Teral hot on her tail.

To Toby's horror, once they horsemen reached the bottom of the hill they turned to chase them, charging through the trees like madmen. Wild thoughts ran through his head, half formed, like who were these people and why were they chasing them in the first place? Crazy ideas about these people recognizing him and Tori as Heralds and being some sort of Valdemar haters occurred to him, but that was insane. It couldn't possibly be true.

:Quickly Ryu: he whispered, crouching down over his Companion's neck, :They won't be able to keep up with us for long.:

:Of course not: Ryu agreed calmly, :They aren't riding Companions

Toby snorted, but agreed, :You're so stuck up Ryu.:

:Of course I am: Ryu said with a snicker, flicking his tail and picking up his speed to run beside Berne. Caley glanced over at Toby nervously and then looked behind them. Toby resisted smiling as he saw the boy's jaw drop in astonishment to see the horsemen lagging so far behind.

"What I would have given for a horse as fast as you years ago…" he whispered to Berne, holding tightly onto the saddle horn, looking white and very unbalanced in the saddle, but Toby knew Berne would never let Caley fall off.

After running for a mile through the forest they had left their pursuers far behind, and the forest was thinning out. Caley looked like he might be sick, and like he might fall off at any moment, and Berne looked nervous.

"Who were those and why were they chasing us?" Tori demanded of Caley as Teral stepped up beside Berne.

"Uh," Caley looked up at her, startled and intimidated by her, "I-I don't know exactly why but o-only Nobles can have horses, and Noble's men. I'm, I mean, I'm obviously not a Noble and Companions, they sure do look an awful lot like horses."

Berne snorted in response to this and caused a slight smile to spread across Caley's face and he added, "Which is why I never learned to ride."

"What is this place?" Toby inquired softly, "This country?"

"It's called Dundrow," Caley explained, shifting his position slightly now that they had stopped, "We haven't had a King in centuries… the land is rules by the Lords, and they're always fighting with each other; see they all think the Lord who gets hold of the most land will be able to crown himself King… Us peasants, poorer types, we don't have any rights, or anything. Anyone Noble can take anything from us, at any time if they care to. We're pretty much property that works the land, scrape a living with what we can."

"I've never heard of this place," Tori said, shaking her head and clearly wracking her brains for mention of Dundrow.

"I've never heard of Valdemar," Caley supplied sheepishly, "Then again, I couldn't tell you any of our neighbors so…"

:Ryu? How far from Valdemar are we, and can we get back again through a Gate?: Toby asked the Companion, glancing around the once again quiet forest.

:Very far: Ryu affirmed, :Dundrow borders on an ocean, the GreatSea, and the river Yanesh flows through it to that ocean. It would take quite a number of months to ride on a Companion back to Valdemar.:

:How many is a couple?: Toby asked, dreading the answer and praying they could get back again by way of… He blinked. How had they got here?

:Um… five or six?: Ryu answered cheerfully, :Nice long ride that's going to be, huh?:

:Going to be?: Toby echoed, his stomach sinking.

:Yes. We can't go back the same way we came, it takes too much energy, as it was, she sucked us pretty dry when she made the Gate and asked us to come: Ryu said, and there wasn't any need to clarify it. Toby nodded and promptly began to forget what Ryu had said.

"Ryu says it'll take us five or six months to get back," Toby said, "Or so he thinks."

Caley blinked and then said, "We should keep going just in case they track us and catch up. Berne says she can prevent tracking from here on."

"Good," Tori said and Teral followed as Berne started walking, albeit she moved slowly and carefully because with every step she took Caley wavered on her back.

After continuing for another five or ten minutes the thinning forest finally broke into a clearing. At the closest edge was a small hut with a little but of clear land around it. The rest of the clearing had various crops growing, corn mixed with pumpkins below them and beans crawling up their stalks, the entire thing fenced in to keep out, so Tori presumed, animals. It appeared to be a very efficient way of growing things, unlike the usual Valdemar way of growing crops, but Tori wondered how long the soil would last under such harsh usage.

There was a snort at her feet and a pig trundled under Teral's legs, it's nose in the dirt searching for food. Clearly, it was tame. It appeared to belong to Caley, and they let the pigs find their own food in the forests around them.

"This is my home," Caley said and slid off Berne's back, almost falling as his feet touched the ground, but saving himself by grabbing onto Berne's saddle to hold himself up.

"Ow," he added on, "My legs hurt."

Toby grinned and said as he copied the boy and dismounted, "You'll get used to it. It sounds like we have a lot of riding ahead of us."

"Yeah," Tori agreed, patting Teral's neck.