I enjoyed every part of the meal, especially the fresh bread and dessert of wild grapes. The woman, who had sung the whole time I ate, finally ended her song and looked over at me, as did the others.

“Such a wonderful path,” she called out in a lilting voice, “so right for this bright day.” She gazed down and traced circles with the end of her walking stick in the gray dust of the well-worn trail.

“A splendid path, don’t you think?” she asked her companions. They nodded and mumbled their assent, staring down with her into the dust. They all looked glassy-eyed, including the woman.

“You haven’t said whether you’ll travel with us,” Joshua said to me.

“Thanks for the invitation. But I think … for now, I should walk the red road a bit farther.” I hesitated, then added, “And I really want to move quickly. I need to get somewhere.”

Joshua put his arm around me. “Go if you must,” he said, then gave me a solemn look. “But be careful who you trust. Skia is beautiful, but it is not always safe.”

His words gave me a shiver. Skia? What did he mean? This was a man with inside information, and I wanted to know what he knew. Still, for some reason I held back from asking him.

“I’ll be careful,” I said. “I hope to see you again.”

“You will. Count on it.” Joshua smiled warmly. “Here, take some fresh bread with you.”

He handed me a leather sack with drawstrings. I took it and stepped away, enjoying its wonderful yeasty scent.

I headed back up toward the red road. After walking fifty feet, I turned around. Joshua smiled broadly and waved his great right arm, bronzed and powerful.

Did I make the right choice? Will I regret it?

I stepped back on the red road. I kept thinking about Joshua. Three hours after parting, alone and uncertain, I debated whether to turn back. But by now he and the others would be long gone, and I didn’t even know which direction they were traveling. Going back would cost me valuable time, while every forward step on the red road at least took me somewhere.

I despised the emptiness, the loneliness I felt, and cursed the decision that caused it. I questioned the conquer mode that compelled me to launch out on my own. Still, my instincts had always served me well. Hadn’t they?