Despite the ingredients being of a lower quality than she was accustomed to, Farha still found the meal to be passible. Adding in the physical and emotional tolls of the journey, it verged on delicious. There was little talking. By the time the three of them had finished, night had fully fallen. The fire held back the oppressive darkness with its dancing light, but only in the center of the clearing. Near the edges, the trees loomed high above them, hiding stars from sight.

However, the stars could always be watched another night, and the flickering flames carried a cheerful aura of tranquility. Polishing off a pepper, roasted to perfection, Farha's mind wandered back to the orb. She kept it close by, but her complaining stomach had insisted that there were more important things to focus on. It was comfortably full now, leaving her mind free once more. Thoughts of the orb quickly took control.

Staring at it, the sight triggered a few faint memories. She had seen these before. Not identical to the one she possessed, but similar enough to have the same origin. Surely Ahven was tired of these endless questions, but she had to know. Besides, he appeared alert enough, peering out into the darkness.

"Ahven? I think I've seen these orbs before."

He responded first with a content sigh, or was it one of resignation?

"Doubtless, you have. While the risks in acquiring fresh ones keep prices high, those with wealth often have a few in use."

"In use? Would they not just draw out the Essence immediately? I thought you said the orbs molded?"

"Moldered, but no, they have many other uses. In fact, pulling from them, as you've done today, is extremely inefficient. You could collect it much faster just by finding a natural location with a high concentration of air essence."

"Then what use could they possibly have? Oh, and why is it inefficient? It worked fine for me."

This sigh was definitely not a contented one.

"There are a wide variety of ways in which the Mandelbulbs can be used. Most commonly, they are used as a water source, cooling, and providing light. You've seen the end results of all of those without knowing the cause. Over the years, many different inventions have been created to take advantage of the essence trapped inside."

"Ok, but you said it was inefficient..."

"I was getting to that." He pinched the brow of his nose in irritation. "The only reason I'm telling you any of this is because you already drew from the orb. This would all have been simpler if the essence instructors were providing these explanations."

Ahven raised a hand before Farha could hurl any more questions from her open mouth.

"Please, allow me to finish first. Drawing essence from an orb is a wasteful way of transfer. As the orbs are formed naturally, typically inside animals and beasts, the essence is adapted to the pattern of their being. More simply, a large proportion of the essence does not convert to the form you held within. Since objects are not alive, they can more efficiently use the essence directly."

Farha took a deep breath, absorbing the new information. A lot of inconsistencies in her own home now made a lot more sense. There was always a nagging sensation that there was more to the lights they often used, or how cool and fresh the water was, compared to the rest of the city.

"Why wasn't I told all about this earlier? Who else knows about essence? Do the livestock kept in the city have their own orbs? What about-"

"Farha! There will be time enough on the road tomorrow for questions. At least for some of the limitless supply you seem to generate. Besides, you'll have plenty of teachers and instructors, much more knowledgeable than I, soon enough. It is quite late and I doubt rest will be an easy achievement."

It was late, but there was so much to learn! How could he expect her to sleep after all these revelations? Unfortunately, she could see by his face that further pressing would be of no use. Like a crashing wave, fatigue hit her. Maybe he was right. Besides, the sooner she slept, the sooner she could get more answers.

Edgar had gone about unrolling the bedrolls during their conversation. They looked lumpy and stiff but it had to be better than lying on the ground itself. Farha sat down on hers and found it to be even worse than it looked. Thankfully, exhaustion was the great equalizer. Bleary-eyed, she rolled up some loose cloth as a pillow and glanced about.

The fire was still going strong, Edgar had regularly added more logs as needed. He was actually just throwing another couple on as he discussed something quietly with Ahven. She was too tired to care. Her bedroll was near enough to the fire for its heat to stave off the chilly night air, but she was still grateful for the blanket. Now what were they doing? Looking for something? She felt her eyes begin to droop. Rolling over, the fire was a comforting warmth across her back.

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Every bone in her body felt drained and she relaxed as best she could, waiting for sleep to take her. In direct opposition, was her mind. It was fully awake, maybe even more than usual. Far too much had happened in the last couple of hours. Imaginative concepts and ideas danced in her head. Each one more fantastical than the last. Dozens of questions formed, and she tried to memorize as many as she could to ask first thing in the morning. A few in particular were easy to remember. How could she practice her new abilities? Where would she find more essence? Could these be used in duels?

The last of these caused her eyes to fly open, though they did try to resist. Obviously, her excitement won with ease. That excited energy was instantly diverted. Staring back at her were two glowing spheres. She observed them in her tired state with as much curiosity as she could manage. They were so strange. Every so often they would disappear and then quickly reappear. They also moved together, yet always stayed the same distance apart.

Such funny little things. The pale glow copied the flickers from the fire, which illuminated the grass and shrubs a few feet away. She could hear rough snoring behind her so it wasn't Edgar messing about. Rolling over, she could see Ahven was accounted for as well. It looked like he was doing his best not to fall asleep while watching the fire.

Turning again toward the forest, the spheres had disappeared. No wait, there they were. Had they gotten larger? Something deep in her brain was yelling at her, but she was far too tired to hear. Still, it was enough for her to sit up and whisper.

"Ahven, what are those?"

Everything happened at once.

Ahven looked at her, then beyond. He froze, color draining from his face. The unexpected response triggered an instinctual bolt of fear to run through Farha, the adrenaline shocking her into alertness. A sinking sense of dread quickly followed as her brain's message finally broke through. She whipped back around. The spheres seemed to fill her vision. She was blind to all else.

Rushing out of the darkness was a living shadow. As it broke into the ring of light around the camp, it jumped. Now she could see more. The spheres grew in definition but there were other things, now visible, which truly frightened her. Ivory teeth and claws. Both reached for her, she could do nothing. On instinct, she reached for her blade anyway. Alas, it was in the wagon with her other belongings. She braced herself for the end.

Flying over her shoulder with a shout was another shadow. This one had a gleaming sword leading the way. They collided violently, twisting in the air before landing. Edgar was stirring at the commotion but Farha knew it would be too late. She had to do something, anything...but what? She was practically useless without a weapon. The wagon!

Frantically she leaped to her feet and promptly collapsed back to the ground. Kicking away the blankets and bedding, she couldn't look away from the creature. It was clearer now that it was near the fire. Sleek, fur, darker than the night, covered its entire body. Even more terrifying was its tail and neck. It didn't have either. There was still a mouth, nose, and eyes...but they were flat against its body between the front pair of legs. Its grotesque form didn’t seem real. It belonged in a storybook or a dream.

How she wished this were all a nightmare. With a massive effort of will, she tore her eyes away and sprinted for the wagon. Her last glimpse had been of the creature, crouching low and circling Ahven. In contrast, he stood upright, sword clutched in a standard defensive form. The campfire cast the scene in a severe light, but Farha was charging toward the wagon. A deep hiss sounded out behind her, she forced her legs to move faster.

How far it seemed. Hadn't they picketed the horses closer? She couldn't think, it might slow her down. She could only run. Two paces, ten...they stretched, shrunk. Aiming for the rear, there wasn't time to reduce her speed. She set an angle past the wagon, grabbing the edge as she flew by. The instant strain on her arms was more painful than any training she could remember. The crash into the wooden planks was almost as bad. It didn't matter, she had made it.

Fingers weak and trembling, she flung sacks and crates to the side in feverish haste. It had to be here, somewhere. Was it with her clothes? No, it had its own box...there! She ripped off the lid, the rough wood tearing at her fingers. Laying within, cushioned with straw, was her beautiful sheathed weapon. She snatched it up and launched herself from the wagon.

Maybe she had been faster than she thought. The battle appeared far from over. Both opponents were still circling, though they each sported shallow cuts. Edgar was fully awake now, tossing the firewood at the creature whenever there was an opening. She gritted her teeth and ran back with everything she had. In between strides, she grabbed the hilt of her blade and flung the sheath aside.

Even in her panicked state, her lessons guided her actions. They had been drilled in with enough repetition for that much. She kept the point low and behind her, angled away from her legs. Her path, and the ground itself, were also scanned for obstacles or treacherous footing. Somehow, she was still able to watch the fight.

The creature slunk away from a hurled branch, then crouched even lower. Its coiled body snapped forward with stunning speed and a claw reached out to swipe at Ahven's legs. He arced his sword down in return but he was at a noticeable disadvantage. The blade was too slow. It didn't miss entirely, but it was only a glancing blow on the creature's leg while his own sported a ragged slice along his calf.

He limped back from the pain, trying to maintain distance from the vicious beast. Besides throwing the wood, Edgar had also tossed more on the fire, brightening the area considerably. The blood running from both creature and man shone, adding to the grim atmosphere. Though they both moved with more caution, as of yet, neither seemed to be slowing from the wounds.

Farha ran. It felt like she was running through sand. Each step sent tiny slivers of pain through her tired legs but she ignored them. Actually, she used them. It fueled her to push even harder against the soft ground. Two more steps, a jump to clear the bedroll, she was suddenly there. She lifted her sword, set her feet, and locked eyes with the beast.