The other pilgrims told short stories about each of the places that they had visited so far, and Karl learned that they had been on the road for three months already, touring holy sites as summer faded into autumn.
Most of the Dragon Isles didn't get a real winter, with snow and such. But it would soon get cold at night, at least enough that they would miss having shelter.
They hadn't set up much of a camp, Karl noticed. They didn't have the strength to carry it with them.
But they did set up a few tents, which they all huddled beneath, as the sky was threatening rain overnight. In their conditions, they couldn't afford to catch a cold, so they did their best to keep each other warm with the limited firewood that was available.
They were in an open grassland area, the only trees around were small and stunted, so finding dry wood had been an issue, even just to cook dinner.
But once everyone started falling asleep, Karl got to work, preparing them for the trip ahead.
