It wasn’t long before Amaia and Naomi were up as well, joining Cadoc and I where we stood just outside the inn’s door, peering out over the red-cast city. We turned when we heard the door opening.

“Look who it is,” Naomi said as she stepped out. “The murderous psychopath who almost got everyone killed.”

“You’ll have to be more specific,” I said. The joke was approaching an insult, but Cadoc laughed. Even Amaia cracked a grin. I guessed a good night’s rest had gotten us in a better mood, overall.

Naomi scoffed. “Y’know, if it wasn’t for me, those guards really would have killed you. You were, like, outnumbered.”

“Notice,” I said, turning to Cadoc, “How she uses the word ‘you,’ and not ‘us.’”

“Oh, come on,” she said. “I saved your life back there. Again. You can stop treating me like I’m a criminal. I think maybe even a ‘thank you’ is in order.”

I finally met her eyes and looked at her. She stood on the top step leading out from the inn, hands on her hips, looking down her nose at me - something I’d seen her do often, although she was too short for it to look right, usually. Amaia stood near her at the bottom of the steps, a thin smile on her face.

One night’s sleep had not fully devoured my guilt. I remembered the way that violence had taken hold of me. In the moment, I had felt completely in control - more in control than ever in my life, in fact. Afterwards, it felt like the actions of a different person.

I would have killed them, I thought, and I knew it was true. I would have actually killed them. Nolan was… was self-defense. But not this. It would have maybe looked like self-defense, and maybe I could tell people that it was, could even tell myself that it was, but I’d never really believe it. I’d know.

There were already so many things in my life to be ashamed of that I really was grateful not to add cold-blooded murder to the list.

I sighed. “Fine. Thank you.”

Naomi let out a loud laugh, haughty and proud. “Was that so hard? Now take this collar off of me. Or let me do it myself.”

“When we’re so close to your parents?” I said. “Fat chance.”

Naomi took a step forward - down a step - and reached out to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. She gave me the softest look she had in - well, maybe ever. “Come on, Miles. Remember when we were friends? When I stabbed a woman for you? When we, like, watched a couple of exhibitionists bang in a cave?”

Amaia blushed, although she’d heard us recount the story before.

“Why can’t we be friends again? I made a mistake. I admit it. I apologize. But let’s move past it!

“We make a good team,” Naomi continued. “You’re like, like a…” she thought for a moment. “Like a rabid dog! My rabid dog, who bites and yaps and like, attacks people, and occasionally I’ve got to save you when you try to bite the wrong man’s calf.”

“Wow,” I said, shaking her off of me and taking a step back. “I can’t believe you almost convinced me there. I was really thinking about it, until you called me a dog.”

“It’s a compliment!” Naomi yelled, hands on her hips again. “Everyone loves dogs.”

“I don’t,” Amaia said. Naomi stared at her for a moment.

“Ok,” Naomi said. “Well, most people love dogs, y’know? Don’t get so upset over a compliment.”

“So you’re saying you love me,” I said, now fully resolved to fuck with her. “I should have known. I still haven’t forgotten how you tried to peek at me in the hot springs, before you got yourself kidnapped.”

Now she blushed as well - mission accomplished. Clearly it only made her more angry, though. “Oh,” she said. “Like you’re one to talk. I see you, you pervert, looking at me whenever you get the chance. Shameless. That’s why you’re so, like, aggressive. You’re, I don’t know, sexually frustrated or something.”

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Ouch.

“If anyone is sexually frustrated, it’s the woman who chooses to wear that,” I said, pointing at her dress. “What, looking for attention?”

“It’s nice!” she said. “I like it. It’s very pretty.”

“People mistook you for a prostitute.”

“It was falling apart! I had, like, you know, like, half a boob hanging out. It’s fine now.”

“So far,” I said. “We’ll see how many offers we get walking through town.”

“Oh, shut up!”

“I’ll talk as much as I want, thank you very much. Remember that you’re still the one wearing the collar.”

“And yet you’re still the dog,” she retorted.

“Fuck you.”

“You wish.”

I wasn’t sure when it had started, but somewhere along the way, Cadoc had begun laughing. Then Amaia joined in as well, and by the time Naomi had spoken those last words, I could barely hear them over the sounds of laughter. Cadoc was laughing openly, while Amaia was still trying to keep a straight face and failing completely.

“What’s so funny?!” I yelled, and Naomi yelled the same thing at exactly the same time.

At this, the two burst out laughing again - Amaia’s composure broke completely, the laughter spilling out like water through a demolished dam. Cadoc was laughing even harder, bowled over.

Naomi and I stood there awkwardly for what felt like a very long time before the two composed themselves again. We both stared, waiting for an explanation.

“Well,” Cadoc said, finally, while trying to catch his breath. “I believe Amaia and I are both happy that our companions are on good terms again, truly.”

“Yes,” Amaia said, nodding. “Friends again.” She covered her mouth to hide another laugh.

“We are not-” I started to say, but once again Naomi spoke the same words in unison, and that caused an aftershock of laughter to resound through Cadoc and Amaia. When they finally finished, Naomi and I were both scared to speak, and so said nothing.

-

When we were all able to be somewhat serious again, Cadoc told us what he had been told by Zuan. We spoke while walking down the wide avenue deeper into the city. There still weren’t too many people out yet that early in the morning, but there were some - many wearing hoods or otherwise obscuring themselves such that I couldn’t get a good look at anyone. It made sense, though, because it was surprisingly cold, considering how warm the trip to Coernet had been, and how warm the Blood was which flowed along the city. I could see my breath as we walked and, shockingly, even a little shimmering aura above the water to our left, showing that the river, at least, had not cooled.

“He informed me that there is only one alchemist shop in the city, these days. There used to be many, he said, but they have all shut down after these new ones arrived - whenever that was. These alchemists, he said, are of a higher caliber, and were able to cure diseases previously thought uncurable, and arrest the spread of others when a cure could not be had. He did not elaborate on these diseases.”

“I hope we don’t catch anything,” I said.

“Catch?” Naomi said. “What do you mean, catch?”

I blinked, realizing what might be the problem. “Do you people not believe in germs?”

“Never heard of them,” Amaia answered.

“Are they a sort of monster?” Cadoc asked. “Are they not valuable, then? Not good to eat? Are you thinking of catching some game for food, friend?”

I shook my head. “It’s a thing from my country, I suppose. How do you guys think diseases spread?”

“Diseases spread differently in the heavens?” Cadoc asked. “They spread through these ‘germs,’ then?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Weird,” Amaia said.

Naomi scoffed. “I almost forgot you were some sort of demigod. How is it possible for a god to raise someone like you? How does the divine blood not make you, like, nicer or something?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said.

“Well, Miles,” Cadoc said. “Diseases down here are spread through toxins, pollutants, poisons - and so on. Once enough toxins build up in a person, they become ill. The illness is really the body trying to expel the toxins - through snot, or sweating, or through diarrhea. So it’s a good thing - someone who gets poisoned but is not ill is in more danger, because the poison is not going away.”

“Like Amaia, you mean?”

“Amaia has been drinking a lot of water,” Cadoc answered. “So her body is likely trying to piss it out.”

“Ew!” Naomi yelled. “Why are we talking about this?” Amaia said nothing.

“I see,” I said, ignoring Naomi. “But then shouldn’t she get better?”

“The body can’t always keep up,” Cadoc said. “So then you die before the poison is fully removed.”

“Huh,” I said. I expected him to talk about miasma or something, and that it would just sound completely insane. This almost makes sense, though. I could see why someone would believe it.

“Well, either way,” I said. “If you see anyone who looks sick, stay away from them, alright?”

“How do you propose we do that, friend?” Cadoc asked.

I realized what I had just said. “Not including Amaia, obviously. I mean, anyone else. If they’ve got snot running down their face or something, stay away.”

“Why?” Amaia asked.

“I-” I wasn’t sure how to answer. “It’s hard to explain. But trust me, alright?”

Naomi muttered under her breath, “I’m not exactly seeking out people covered in snot anyway, y’know.”

“Back on topic,” I said. “There’s one alchemist shop in town, got it. They’re up in that crazy temple-looking building? Are they Naomi’s parents?”

“I don’t know,” Cadoc answered. “But yes to the first question. They live up in the ‘manor,’ Zuan called it. It was built there recently. But their shop is at the bottom of the hill, directly below it.”

I turned to Naomi. “Do you think it’s your parents?”

She shrugged. “I mean, they weren’t that rich when I left them, but hey, good on them if they bounced back that fast, y’know?”

“So there might still be a reward?”

“You mean if you don’t burn my head off in the meantime, like you keep threatening? Yeah, I don’t know, maybe. No promises, though. Maybe they put all their money into the house. Like I said, we were a poor family last I knew. Maybe they’re one of the alchemists who lost their businesses. Or maybe they work for the owners of the manor.”

“How long ago did you last see them?”

She blew air out of her lips. “Maybe, like, a year? Two? I kind of lost track of time. Busy being a super successful adventuress, y’know?”

“There is no way adventuress is a word.”

“Well, you’re wrong,” Naomi said. “Some of us received a quality education and know these things.”

“She’s right,” Amaia said. “It is a word.”

“See?” Naomi said.

“Well, whatever. Whoever runs the shop, they should be able to help with Amaia, at least. So our next step is the same either way.”

We continued deeper into the city, the sun climbing higher in the sky on its slow ascent. More and more people began to crowd the streets around us.

Cadoc was the first to notice. He put his hand on his sword, and though he hadn’t drawn it yet, I knew something must be up.

“What is it?” I asked, looking around. I only saw regular-looking townspeople. “Fuck, I hope we don’t get knocked out and thrown in a cart again.”

“Look ahead,” Cadoc said. “To the right. The figure with the gray hood. But don’t draw its attention, friends. It hasn’t noticed us yet.”

I looked, and all I could see there was a man. In fact, I could even see his face, so I wasn’t sure why Cadoc has called him an “it.” He had a gray hood, and some little decorative thing on his head, two pieces of which stuck out from the hood.

“It’s just some guy,” I said. “What-” And then, while I was still looking, the little straw shaped decorations on his head moved. Not blown by the wind or anything like that. They twitched.

The man had two antennae.