"Try not to move Alson," Tamma said quietly as she held onto the guard's arm. He coughed weakly as he turned her his face to look at the hunter. His face was covered in dirt and sand. Long cuts covered his skin while his clothing was charred and tattered. Tamma looked down at his waist; shards of metal were embedded throughout his body. "We... we can get you back to safety."

"Don't bother..." Alson said under what little breath he had left. "I know my time is almost up." Despite Tamma's tears, the guard smiled. The hunter extended one hand and rubbed away the blood and ash that coated his skin.

"You don't have to think like that. Gertrude is a powerful witch. I'm sure she can do something about these wounds of yours," Tamma said as she propped Alson up by his back. "We just need you to hold out for a bit longer."

"I've seen my fair share of death, Tamma," Alson muttered. "One of the most important things that a soldier has to understand... is when to leave someone behind. You can't save everyone." He tilted his head forward and looked down at his legs. "I can't feel the lower part of my body. Can't move my arms. There's Ghenkans at the shore. There's no point in you trying to drag me back up to Farrowport."

"Stop being ridiculous," Tamma said with red eyes and her face covered in tears. "Miwah! Come grab Alson's legs! I'll get his arms!"

Miwah obliged and hurriedly moved to the guard's feet and grabbed him by the ankles. But once she got a look at his wounds, she turned towards Tamma. "These injuries..." she said quietly. "Gertrude had difficulty dealing with that small arrow wound of hers."

"See, Tamma?" Alson said. "I told you. You two need to go back to the others. Make sure you can save whoever needs it."

Tamma shook her head as she moved in closer to Alson's face. "Please. I... I can't lose you, too!"

Despite the hunter's sobbing, Alson continued to smile. "As long as you... and your friends survive... I'll consider this a job well-done." He chuckled, only to let a bit of blood come out as he tried to laugh.

Miwah looked at the shore. The Ghenkan ship grew bigger as it approached the shore. She let go of Alson's legs and tapped Tamma on the shoulder. "I know this is a tragic situation, Tamma. But there is not much time."

The hunter continued to stare into Alson's eyes. She held his hand tight as she pulled him so that his upper body was straight. Alson's squinted his eyes and grunted as the shards dug further into his body from the movement. "Oh, I'm sorry Alson. I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

"It's fine. I barely felt a thing," he said, his smile quickly recovering.

"Thank you, Alson," Tamma whispered. "Thank you for everything." She leaned forward and placed her lips on his. Alson's arm shook as he slowly lifted it from behind Tamma. The guard mustered enough energy to place his hand over the hunter's shoulder to embrace her as they kissed.

The Ghenkan warship drew closer, so much so that the voices of the roaring men were loud enough to overcome the crashing of waves. Tamma then pulled back, ending the kiss with a smile. Glistening tears covered her cheeks as she parted the stray hairs that covered the dying man's face.

Alson smiled back, his grin reaching from ear to ear. "Thank you, Tamma," he said.

"I love you, Alson."

"Love you too." The guard closed his eyes. Tamma's entire body trembled as she lowered Alson onto his back. He now lay motionless with his eyes shut and faint smile on his face. Miwah came over and picked the hunter up by the shoulders all while keeping her attention on the docking boat.

"Come, Tamma," Miwah said as she pulled the hunter towards the steep rock slope up the beach. As she followed the seamstress, Tamma turned around to look at Alson one last time, her sobbing growing louder the further they moved away from Alson's body. Soon, the boarding platform of the Ghenkan boat landed on the beach with a few warriors stepping onto the shore.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

By the time most of the Ghenkans had their boots on the sand, Miwah and Tamma were more than halfway up the jagged cliffside with the survivors within view. Narrita and Daego both stretched out their hands, helping the pair reach the top of the slope.

"The others didn't make it?" Narrita asked with some hesitation as she peered down the cliff towards the beach. A few Ghenkans were approaching the cave, ignoring Alson's body completely.

Miwah pulled Tamma in for a hug. The hunter cried into her shoulder as Miwah pattered her on the back. The seamstress gave Narrita a subtle wag of her head to confirm the status of Alson and the Governor.

"Damn," Narrita said under her breath as she kicked a stone down the cliff. She then watched Tamma's sobbing as Miwah tried to comfort her. "I wish I knew what to say."

"We just need to keep moving," Daego said. He looked towards upper Farrowport. Pillars of smoke rose towards the sky all throughout the cityscape. "I think you mentioned something about someone being left inside the Governor's estate?"

"Gertrude!" Narrita said with shock. "We've got to make sure she's all right!"

"And we cannot forget about Aurrie and Edith," Miwah replied. Tamma took a step back ending the hug. She wiped away the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Think you've got it in you to make it through the town again?" Narrita asked Tamma.

The hunter nodded. "Yeah. I can make it through."

"Good. I am sorry for your losses, today Tamma," Miwah said. "But I am glad that you are able to keep your composure."

"Farrowport isn't going to save itself, lass," the hunter replied with a sob. "And we can't leave Edith without a mother."

Tamma shook the nerves out of her system by stretching her arms across her chest. "We'll be going straight to the Governor's estate. And by 'we,' I mean you, you and me." The hunter pointed to everyone in the group except for Daego.

"I'm not coming along?" the swindler asked in confusion. "Why can't I?"

"You saw what happened when non-Purifiers try to take on Ghenkans. They end up dead." Tamma said sternly. Me and Narrita have lost everyone today. Aurrie still has you. We're not going to risk you ending up the same way as Alson, Chaston and the Cutthroats." She pointed towards the far end of the city. "Stick around the edge of town. Try not to get caught. Hopefully Aurrie and Edith will be somewhere near the town's gate. Stay with them."

"But..." Daego began, only to receive mean glares from the three women.

"Do not be selfish, Daego," Miwah said. "Just listen to what Tamma said."

With a sigh, Daego stopped debating. "Fine. I'll go. "But you three have to make it back, all right?"

"We'll do our best, pal," Narrita said.

"Because if you don't, then I know for a fact that Aurrie is going to kill me."

"Better her than the Ghenkans," Tamma said as she continued towards the burning town. "We'll be quick. This is going to be a rescue mission. We're going in. Getting Gertrude. Then getting out."

Daego nodded his head. "Got it. I'll let Aurrie know and we'll make sure that the gate is safe and clear." Daego turned around darted off the direction that Tamma pointed towards. Once he was out of sight, the remaining three made their way back to the city.

Once they were close enough to the outskirts of the town, they noticed the sound of screaming and battling had been replaced with the burning and sizzling of the slow-spreading fires throughout the area. They all took cover behind one of the few buildings that wasn't smoking.

"Those cowards!" Miwah shouted. "They would rather burn down the city than to let anyone salvage what was left of their raid!"

"That just means we show even less mercy than before," Narrita said.

"In order us for to do that, we need to get Gertrude first," Tamma whispered. "You two know how to get to the Governor's estate from here, right?"

"It's the biggest building on the island. Just head straight towards it," Narrita said.

"Right. I just want to make sure because we'll have to make a dash for it. Every moment we spend coming up with a plan or trying to sneak around is another moment that Gertrude's life is as stake. If she's even still alive, that is."

"The Ghenkans are most likely concerned with getting their loot back to the ship anyway," Miwah said. "Otherwise they would not be burning down the buildings if they knew valuables were still inside."

"We better start making our move now then," Narrita said as she peered to her side. Further to the side, she could see pair of Ghenkans were hauling a large chest towards the edge of the cliff. "Looks like they're heading for the shore."

Tamma looked at the men and watched them carefully move down the slope, making sure to keep the chest closed as they tip-toed down the jagged cliff. She readied an arrow and after a moment of steady aiming, she launched it. The night obscured the trajectory projectile, allowing the fleeing Ghenkans to focus on their steps down the precarious path. After a few seconds, one of the Ghenkans holding the chest let go as he flailed his arms around. His partner lost balance, sending both men and their treasure tumbling down the steep surface before hit the bottom of the beach with a thud.

"Nice shot," Narrita said with a nod and smirk.

The hunter placed her bow over her shoulder and left the cover of the building. "All right. Now we can go."