Elara
Elara stepped toward the landing stone.
"The next one," the guide said.
She stopped with her foot still above the bank.
The stone she had chosen was broad, dry and nearly level. The next was smaller, dark with water, and appeared to offer less of everything a landing stone should offer.
The guide put her staff against the broad stone.
It tipped.
Mud rose beneath its edge.
Elara moved her foot to the place she had been shown.
"Thank you."
"They turn loose after a hard rain. The water leaves them looking better than they are."
The guide passed the warning to the next person. Elara moved clear so Liora could bring a supply bag across.
Their first road south began on the far side of a narrow channel. The crossing took less time than unloading and reloading the equipment, but the route crew treated it with the same care as the larger passage ahead.
Elara understood why when a frame caught between two posts.
