— Iraj —

Iraj was still in the garden looking after the jimala, who was still grazing. The foreign maul found him leaning against a pomegranate whose stems were trained into a thick, strong braid. The plant was over a century old, yet it yielded fruit that was sweet and tart in equal measure. Phillip watched Iraj for a while, breaking open the pods and throwing them where the jimala could get them. He offered a section to the youth, who sucked up the seeds with relish. Following Iraj's lead, Phillip threw the bits of empty husk into a basket.

They didn't speak at first. Iraj's excitement from the fighting had worn off and Phillip clearly had other things on his mind. For a while, they just watched the jimala eat. Finally, the disciple sent away his ever-present guards. He didn't speak until they were out of earshot.

"Well, that's interesting. First horses. And now this."

"Please don't ask. I promise you that, this time, there is good reason for the taboo."

"I wasn't going to." The young disciple chuckled. "I just wanted to see it."

"If I may, little maul. It is customary to reward all those who participate in a raid with spoils. I will forego any appalons or horses if you give me the jimala. This is most appropriate because I am Calique and can take care of him properly."

"Is that so?" Brother Phillip looked skeptical of Iraj's idea.

"Of course. If something were to happen to him because you did something wrong, the doyennes would never support you. In truth, I'm doing you a favor by removing your responsibility in the matter." The hunter grinned, sure of the appeal of his argument.

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The Nexus maul stared hard at Iraj, then at the jimala, and back to Iraj. At last, he said, "Don't be so ridiculous. You know that I can't let you own …," he waved in the jimala's general direction, "a person."

"What?" said Iraj.

"U-um-mro-o-o?" bellowed the jimala.

"I'm disappointed, Iraj. Actually, I'm a little offended. Did you think a trained healer couldn't tell? Did you think the Calique were the only people hiding a two-natured tribe? I admire your people, but you're not that special."

Iraj was so surprised that, for a moment, he forgot about the taboo. "What others have you met?"

"That's secret disciple business," relished Phillip. After all the taboos Iraj had brandished at him, now he got to return the favor. "But I agree with the taboo in this case. These people aren't safe as long as Enclave has power. I'll tell the others that the jimala is off-limits and they shouldn't bother him. Any matters regarding him will be your responsibility as long as he's in animal form. I'll be sure to tell your doyenne how responsible you've been."

Phillip turned to the shapeshifted animal. "May I?"

The jimala nodded its horned head. With the animal's apparent permission, the disciple ran his hands over the animal's neck and flanks. "You should drink something. You're dehydrated." He patted it twice on the shoulder. "And you have signs of exhaustion. Otherwise, you're in pretty good shape. You should rest.

"I'll keep your secret, without imposing any conditions. You can change to human form or not, it doesn't matter to me. But listen here." The kind healer was gone, instantly replaced with a maul's threatening presence. "If you do anything to bring harm to my people, you're going to 'get lost' while trying to return home, and your body will never be found. Stomp once if you agree, or twice if you want to leave the garden right now."

The jimala stomped one hoof on the ground, one time.

The sense of threat disappeared, replaced by Phillip's usual good cheer. "Good. Then we're all friends here. Speaking of friends," he turned to Iraj, "you're going to tell me everything you know about Sand Castle. Precise location, landmarks, layout, secret ways in and out of the city, everything. Understood?"

Iraj understood perfectly. There would be no more waiting on the doyennes. Hunting was men's work, and the men would tend to it.