Lumia left to find the council wagon, leaving me alone with those who survived the attack. Our numbers were decreased by roughly half. The lizards had targeted soldiers first, and many had been injured when Lumia cleared the fog. There were few left among the group capable of any meaningful combat, not that any of them were particularly helpful.

I’m hindsight it seemed like we had grossly underestimated the danger of a journey through the beast plains. Even with the hunters we hired, we were basically leading a herd of lambs through a lion’s den.

I was still holding the device Sizal gave me. It was simple, an opaque cubic object with no obvious purpose. It was smooth on all six sides, there was no engraving or writing on the device. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and it was completely devoid of mana.

“Prince Silvon…” a man coming up behind me said meekly. “Excuse me, Prince Silvon.”

Realizing he was talking to me, I stored the cubic device and turned around. “Sorry, what do you need?” I asked as I struggled to identify the man. I recognized him, though only vaguely and I couldn’t recall exactly where I’d seen him.

He bowed low, dipping at the waste. “It’s not me, highness.” Looking over his shoulder at two elves, the man continued, “These siblings have a request to make.”

I recognized them. They were the two from earlier. “Ray, and…”

“Elaine,” the girl said, stepping closer. “Uhm…we saw you fighting earlier, and…” she fidgeted anxiously as her voice trailed off.

Her brother stepped in front of her, his nose wrinkled and eyes narrowed to near slits. “You were going to run away, weren’t you?” he snarled, making no attempt to disguise his contempt.

“I…” if it was just the two of them, I might’ve answered without hesitation, but I was sure that at least fifty people heard them. As onlookers began whispering, I knew what they said would soon spread and maybe even morph into something worse, although it was hard to imagine how much worse it could get. “I, uhm…” I had to say something. Staying silent would only confirm their suspicions, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie. Every time I tried, the words caught in my throat.

“Prince Silvon, I had no idea, I assure you…” the familiar man began. I remembered him then. He was once a palace attendant in Faerelle. When I was young he had been responsible for allowing some village kids into the palace. They claimed to be my friends and when I informed him that I didn’t know the kids, he’d given the exact same response. He’d been released from duty after that.

I raised a hand to cut him off then exhaled my fears. “You’re correct,” I said, “I was concerned that my bond and I were not strong enough to handle the enemies we faced. I was also concerned for the only family I have left…”

A wide array of emotions were displayed on the faces of listeners. Some seemed disappointed, while others appeared more fearful. Anger was a common response, but there were also those who appeared sympathetic.

Elaine was among those who seemed more understanding. She grabbed her brother’s arm, pulling his fuming gaze away from me. “I told you he had a reason. In the end it was still the Prince that saved us.” Elaine uttered quietly. Speaking louder, she added, "He saved our lives twice today and even saved us from the bandits when we were captured."

"So what," Ray countered, pointing an accusing finger toward me, "…you would abandon us the moment things get too dicey wouldn’t you?"

This provoked another outburst from several nearby spectators. Several voices spoke at once, mingling together into an indecipherable noise.

Speaking above the rest, Ray shouted, “You’re no prince! You’re just a selfish child!”

Scoffing, I stepped closer to him. With each step I took forward he took one back, clearly intimidated by my approach despite me intentionally suppressing my mana. “What exactly are you then?” I asked. “I never asked to be your Prince. I didn’t demand yips serve me. Never once did I suggest you give up anything for my sake and I definitely didn’t demand you sacrifice yourself or your friends for me. Do you even know what I’ve been through in the last few weeks?” I paused to give him an opportunity to answer, though I already knew the answer.

“No, but—”

“If you’re about to suggest I owe you something simply because I was born, then you’d best adjust your expectations. I don’t owe you and I’m not your fucking hero.” I felt better having gotten all that out, but it was clear most of the elves weren’t impressed with my response. I was sure Lumia wouldn’t be pleased either. She seemed to want me to step up and be a leader, but I had enough of my own problems and things would be easier for everyone with my feelings out in the open.

Ray turned aside quickly, refusing to look me in the eyes. Ripping himself free of Elaine’s grasp, he walked away, mixing in among the crowd. A small group followed after him, then more turned away. They left in waves until only myself and Elaine remained there, standing near the shore.

Her eyes were sad, but she smiled anyway. “Thank you for saving us. I know you didn’t have to.” Then she turned away as well. Regaining her energy, she raced to help an elder elf unhook a gruffle from a destroyed wagon. The beast itself was probably unable to continue its job as it now had a bad limp; however, there was still a use for the creature. The huge beast could offer enough meat to replace rations for a dozen or more people.

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The elves kept working to reorganize and regroup so that we could move on from here as soon as possible, but I returned my attention to Sizal’s cube. The more I examined it, the more familiar it felt. Not in the sense that I was growing more familiar with the object; it was more like I had encountered something similar before, although I couldn’t recall when or where.

I wasn’t sure what to do with, or what purpose the cube served, but when I saw Sizal with the device he was constantly probing it with mana. I considered doing the same, but I wasn’t sure what might happen. It could be a trap for all I knew, so I stored the device and decided instead to see if there was anything I could do to help the elves.

At a glance, I could tell that was still much to be done. Most of the damage Lumia caused was concentrated at the front of the convoy. The beast’s pulling wagons were injured or dead; the wagons they were hooked to didn’t fair much better. Unfortunately that left us with few passenger wagons in good working order. There were still elves in need of help as well.

Further back in the convoy an entirely different problem slowed recovery efforts. Supplies had been knocked from their carts into the mire, and the beasts were still frantic—jumping at every noise. I was sure there were similar issues at the furthest end of the convoy.

With telekinesis I could retrieve objects from the swamp far more efficiently than elves wading out in the water. Finding an empty cart near the shore, I got started fishing things out of the swamp.

After a short time, I managed to gather up several boxes of food supplies and a few weapons. There were furs in the water as well, but they were beyond saving. Even if we could dry them and get all the mud out, there was little we could do about the stink. Unfortunately, I discovered the rations were likely ruined as well. Some of the swamp water got into several of the containers. Fortunately, the drinking water was safe.

Probably the most useful things I plucked from the swap were the weapons. They were mostly just basic things, but each one might save someone’s life—assuming there was still someone to use them. Thinking I had collected enough, I dropped a chest of wet meat on the ground near the cart then turned to see what else I could help with.

A fragile old man that looked about as wrinkly as a prune sat on the edge of a wagon watching me closely. His limbs were so thin and frail that I was convinced they’d break if he ever sneezed.

I smiled at him. Then I asked, “Did you get up there on your own, or are you looking at me because you need help down?” I hoped he’d turn away or at least speak instead of just stare.

He spat on the ground. “Yew done a’ready?” He rasped, pausing briefly to cough. “I suppose yew’ll go back to the rocks then and leave the rest to us?”

He spoke, so in a way I got what I wanted, but I regretted it immediately. I hadn’t seen this man earlier. I was sure he wasn’t present during the discussion, which meant word must have spread. Rather than a verbal response, I only snorted at him then continued towards a group of elves struggling to calm an injured gruffle.

“Go on son, us weak folk are only a burden to strong folk like yourself.” He hollered after me.

Ignoring him, I quickened my pace. The gruffle was growing more agitated by the second. Billowing as it nodded left then right, the beast threatened those closest to it with its horns. Of the five men trying to help the creature, only one appeared to have any experience with animals. He stood back and called repeatedly for the others to back up; they didn’t listen.

“Hurry up, just strap it down,” one of them shouted.

“No, that’ll only make it more angry,” another man yelled.

“Quit bickering and just do something. This thing is going crazy!”

The gruffle lurched forward, plowing its two forward most horns into the chest of the fourth man. Lifting him off the ground, the beast flung the man into the air. If I hadn’t caught him with telekinesis he’d have flown several yards before landing with a hard thump on the ground.

I wasn’t able to fully stop his momentum, but I did manage to slow him down. I set him against a wagon wheel gently a fair distance from the raging creature. “Help him,” I shouted to another group that was standing in a stupor watching things transpire.

Without waiting to see how they reacted, I snapped my attention back to the wounded beast. A trio of short thin branches were stuck in the creature's hind quarters, just above its hip. They were probably spokes from a wagon wheel given how straight they were. Regardless, I wasn’t going to be able to safely remove them with the beast going crazy. Even with telekinesis, I might shove them in further or only twist the branch inside the wound if I tried to grab one now.

The three men arguing about how to help the creature backed away, but too late. It was already angry. Opening its mouth, the gruffle’s long tongue short out between two rows of jagged teeth. Like a whip, it wrapped around one of the men’s leg.

My mind was racing, how could I help without making things worse? Like everyone else, I was frozen in place. There was the slightest shift in mana pressure and a spark within the creature’s mouth, then it’s tongue lit up like a fuse. Lacking options, I swung my arm in a cutting motion as I cast, “wind blade!”

A whirling wind blade shot forth, slicing through the creature's tongue and freeing the man. He hurried away as the gruffle released a cry of pain. With its jaw still hanging open, the beast shook its head violently and backed away from me. I continued to approach, but slowly. I wanted to help the creature, but I wasn’t sure it would let me now.

To my surprise, the creature actually laid down and turned its face so that it could only see me from its peripheral vision. Taking that as a sign, I closed the remaining gap between us and gripped a wooden spoke. Gently, I tugged it free; there was little resistance, but the beast’s flank twitched and it whimpered as the wood pulled free of its flesh.

“Just two more.” I said, calmly placing my hand on the next branch.

The gruffle turned its face toward me, its body rumbling as a low growl pressed through its lips. Something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t quite say what. I locked eyes with the beast in hopes that it would understand I was just trying to help; however, the moment our eyes met, I knew there was no saving this creature.