Hessa pulled Nua out of the mercenary quarters and started ambling toward Ashraqat’s and her own room. Raya hurried after them, offering her support to the ailing huntress. She got a gruff “thank you” in reply, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

Once inside, Hessa leaned against the wall.

“Go back there, Raya,” she commanded. “To make sure they’re going to choose the least climbing-involved route. I need to talk to Nua.”

“Understood.”

The door shut. Hessa waited a couple of breaths. Then, she glowered at Nua.

“Come here.” She pushed the pendant into her palm. It was a copper medallion with an image of some noble lady engraved on it, like a coin. The girl took it with a frown and opened her mouth, but she did not manage to speak.

“Listen. Do you know why I’m doing this?” The words came out in an angry whisper. Hessa exuded a ragged breath and did not wait for an answer. “It’s because I can’t stop you. You’re like a moth, flying straight into the candle flame. I can already guess – this kind of behavior is exactly what caused your problems in the first place!”

She ran her hand through her hair.

“And my deception – gods, how did anyone believe that? It’s only because most of them are foreigners. It won’t stand up to any serious scrutiny. It won’t hold if Raya gets but a glance at that thing. It won’t hold if you start burning like a furnace. So don’t.” She caught her breath. “Use ether as a last resort. Once they start thinking about it, they will figure out what is going on. Don’t make them think. An Unsagga with etheric items is already enough to draw suspicions. The mercs are just used to me, and somewhat loyal.”

“Hessa. Hessa! I get that.” Nua met her gaze, then sighed. “I really do.”

“Then why?”

The girl opened her mouth and closed it. She had a very good reason. Several of them, actually, if counting Anki’s scheming. It was just hard to put them into words without riling her mentor up even more. Hessa did not want to upturn the world’s order. She had already tried rebellion, in her youth, and apparently, that did not end up well. Also, the king was listening.

Then she remembered Hala, her large silhouette, and her gentle embrace.

“If I’m to be bullied – I mean, hunted – just because I’m some people’s greatest fear come alive or something, I should get some strength to stand up to the hunters,” she said. “And this is as good a time as any. Even if we don’t find anything, I will learn from the others. They will protect me. ”

Hessa deflated and plopped on the bed.

“So this is how you react to a threat,” she muttered. “I should have thought about it.”

Nua scratched the back of her neck.

“Actually, most of the time I just scram. I kind of figured out that might not work very well anymore.”

“Right.” Hessa was calming down. “You will be protected, and not guided to your death. Just don’t get any ancient machinery running this time.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Nua tried to fight the sudden pang of guilt. She focused on the medallion, which she was still holding in her palm. It had an iridescent azure swirl inside.

“It’s blue. What does this really do?”

“Clears water of dirt when you dunk it. It could probably get rid of the poison, too.”

“That’s mighty useful.

“It is,” Hessa chuckled. “And when I say I want it back, I mean it. I did not have anything that matches your aura, so don’t show it up close to anyone. Especially Raya. She’s the sorceress of that bunch.”

“Mine’s golden-red, right?”

Her mentor nodded.

“As far as I can tell. Some of the things you did had a silvery sheen to them. It’s hard to notice the difference if you’re not specifically trained for it. Come to think of it, people usually struggle more than you with aura recognition. You sure you’re not secretly an ancient Autarch?”

She said it as a joke, but her eyes were thoughtful. Nua briefly glanced at Anki and saw the king shaking his head with vigor. Well, he did not really have a head to shake – he was a formless blue blob, after all – but somehow, he still conveyed human expressions.

“Not that I know of.”

“I’ll address a couple of things with you when you come back,” Hessa started massaging her own shoulder. “I don’t know much, but every little bit helps if you want to survive longer.” She gazed into space. Apparently, using ether wasn’t something she was looking forward to. “And just in case you get any more reckless ideas, you need to hear about Soaring Falcon.”

“Was that the rebellion you were with?”

She nodded.

“That was the nickname of our late leader.” She took a ragged breath. “But that’s… a long story. And I’m going to need a drink to tell it.”

***

The caravan finally rolled in, a long cavalcade of pack animals and humans joining their leader in Azure Falls. Nua was in the stables when it happened, tending to Shadow. Among all the events, Idris treated the mount with Raya’s elixir. Musushu were naturally fast at recovery, and now only a small, pink scar on Shadow’s thigh reminded Nua of the wound.

It also meant that the steed was already bored, and acting out.

There was a paddock nearby, large enough to contain a short race track. It had been booked by Ashraqat, and so it was enough to show the caravan’s tablet to let the rider and the mount in. The stable boy kept tossing angry glances in Nua’s direction and the girl almost expected to hear a slur, but after she finished one lap with Shadow, he relented. It turned out that he had a different kind of problem with her.

“You’re so tiny, I thought you were a kid,” he said. “And I wanted to have a talk with your keeper about leaving a half-feral musushu in your care. Turns out you handle it well.”

“Shadow’s not feral,” Nua replied, patting the musushu’s neck. The reptile gave out a happy trill, then nudged her arm. “She’s trained for the fights. And she’s my friend.”

“Good for you, I guess,” the man shrugged. “She needs a double stall and still keeps trashing the place.”

Nua stopped listening. There was a rumble in the distance as if a storm was coming, composed of animal groans and human voices. The moving city was pouring into the caravanserai and the adjoining streets. She felt her heart stop for a fraction of a moment.

“It’s time to go, Anki.”

Shadow nibbled at the reins, ruining dramatic tension and reminding Nua that it was fine for humans to have plans and ambitions, but first, she needed to play with the musushu.

Still, some anxiety remained.

“Hessa is right. I will be doing the same thing all over again. And for all that I recently learned, with ether and everything, I haven’t got much better just yet.”

“You made more progress than you realize, Nua. And this time, you are not alone.”

“They don’t know what they’ve written up for.”

The king scoffed.

“I meant myself.”

“Oh. Right.”

“And please take a correct assessment of reality. The mercenaries do not need coddling. Have you seen Oswald’s muscles? Even when you’re enhanced by sorcery, he is at least three times as strong as you. They are actual, competent, experienced adventurers, thirsty for treasure, and believe me…”

Anki prattled on. Nua chuckled. Yes, compared to them, she was just a short, scrawny apprentice scout. Of course, she couldn’t stop thinking that Flavius Aetius Ahenobarbus the Third was competent and well-prepared, too, and he died. Anki was right, though. She had his help with the ancient mystical shebang, so they all did.

Hopefully, she would succeed in her mission of finding a body for Anki and perhaps, more power for herself, to take the first step at changing the world.