It was bleak, colder than anything he experienced within the comfort of Bil’Faridh. The damp warmth of the dungeon cell was a joy compared to the north of the Dhaar. He’d never slumbered on softer grass than this. The province was never without it. The ceaseless dampness ensured even the yellow grass possessed the cushion of a mattress. A small benefit amongst an avalanche of torridness. There was an abundance of water as well, at the very least.

Mazin shivered in his mouldy rags, once the decent handiwork of Mei’s boredom. The constant drizzle was hardly noticeable now, beside drenching his curls, though he wasn’t fool enough to not seek cover and shiver.

He lingered at the borders of the small grove Kamaria discovered a day ago. Mei suffered a strange weakness from the land. She coughed and sniffed as they walked. A slow poison eating away at her until she ate less. Her lack of scent harmed her for once, for they were slow to notice the symptoms.

It wasn’t the coughing, wheezing or sniffing keeping him away from her. He would have stayed regardless. Mei became a different person since their escape. Since she wept on her knees at the illusion borders, the woman barely spoke. Nothing more than a word or two when questioned. The music was gone, the colour, the joy. He wondered if it was all put on.

No, a selfish thought. Mazin pinched his thigh. I lied to her about who I was.

More than Mei’s change and her sickness, his lies to her, he feared retaliation. He spent most days looking over his shoulder, jumping at every strange scent crossing his nose. The rain played tricks on his ears, and despite two master Tamers nearby, he never felt safe.

Groves proved to be suffocating locations to make camp, despite their vast spaces and rock formations. His mind never allowed him to forget his capture at the hand of the Bannerless shadows. The formation of darkwoods always closed in around him, and standing beyond them slowed the panic in his chest every time.

Mazin jumped when a twig snapped nearby. His arm twitched towards the khopesh strapped to his waist. The scent that followed was a familiar one, and soon Kamaria Sobek stepped out from the shadows, steaming with warmth.

“Forgive me Prince, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No… uh, no need to apologise.”

Kamaria did well to hide her discomfort from her scent, but her face gave it away. She clutched her swords as she leant against the tree beside him, then sighed and shifted her feet.

“See anything?”

“No, other than a few shacks and inhabited homesteads, nothing to worry about. My Tamed continues to warn me of the busy lynx road.”

“How far are we from Bana’Parvat?”

“If we avoid the snow, and stay off the road, a week.” Kamaria was far from convinced. She wasn’t lying exactly, but she didn’t inspire any confidence either.

“How slow will Mei make us in her current state?”

“I cannot say, Prince, the art of physicians always eluded me. Though I cannot imagine our travels aid her recovery, if there is any.”

“What do you know of Master Galel’s skills?”

Kamaria shrugged, but her eyes lingered on him. Mazin finally raised his gaze at her and snatched at his face for the eye mask that wasn’t there. He snapped his head away from her, gazing towards the north.

“May I ask a question, Prince?”

He nodded.

“Who is this woman, this Mei?”

“She was a prisoner as I was.”

“A noblewoman of the Tiger Clan?”

“No,” Mazin blurted out, then his stomach lurched. “I don’t know.”

“What marked her so cruelly?”

“The Wise One, she claims.”

“Wise One?”

Galel stomped towards them before he explained, in a hurry which tightened the prince’s chest. He rushed back through the ringing tree line and met Galel’s calm gaze.

“Mei asks for you, Prince.”

“How is she?”

“She ate some bread, a little better, I suppose.”

Mazin sped past him towards the blazing campfire amongst the lush grass. Mei was curled up against a moss swarmed stone, letting the warmth of their fire colour her pale flesh. She smiled when he rushed to her side, hollowing her already gaunt beauty, worsened by the shadows.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, opening the nearby water-skin and waiting for her nod.

“Weak,” she wheezed after managing a few gulps of water. Her teeth started chattering despite the searing warmth emanating from her brow onto the back of his palm.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could manage.

Mei’s confusion was all he needed as a reply, but her eyes drooped before he could explain. He caught her before she thumped down on the lush grass. Mazin fashioned a pillow from an extra pair of pants and folded it beneath her head. She moaned when he made her comfortable, breathing smoothly while she slumbered.

“It could simply be a seasonal fever, worsened by the constant wetness,” Kamaria muttered as she returned to the camp, yawning before crossing her legs before the flames.

“Perhaps we might seek a town, or even a village for a physician?”

“We may be in the north of the Dhaar, but we are still Lions amongst Tigers at war. We cannot risk your capture again, Prince.”

“A hot spring then, maybe sweating it away will help?”

Kamaria considered it while she removed her swords from her waist. She nodded slowly while gazing into the flames.

“My Tamed will scout, then we move her at first light.”

Mazin grunted his relief.

“She seemed surprised by your title, at least during our escape.”

“I thought it best to keep it hidden.”

“Her control of her scent is remarkable as well. Not once has she revealed it.”

“I do not think she has a scent.” Mazin shook his damp curls, then ruffled them with his fingers. “During all our meetings, I detected nothing.”

Kamaria nodded again, loosening her limbs and found something to nibble on from her supplies. He rejected her offer and curled up close to Mei, wrapping himself with his mouldy blanket. His one good eye transfixed by the crackling fire in the centre.

Mazin groaned awake to weak light, poking through the darkwoods ringing their camp. His back and neck didn’t care for him falling asleep sitting up, and shouted their complaints so much he groaned again as he stretched. The once blazing campfire in the centre shrunk to the ground, barely lighting up their campsite.

Kamaria and Galel rushed to break camp. It made him reach for his khopesh in a sudden panic, but he soon calmed when he glanced at Mei curled into a ball beside him. Peaceful in her slumber, and thankfully, so was her breathing.

“Ah Prince, I was just about to wake you,” Kamaria said while kicking soil over the dying fire. “There is a spring nearby, and I thought to rush over there while the rain is away.”

Mazin grunted and sprang into action, shaking off fatigue. He strapped his khopesh to his waist. Snatching up the now odorous cloak Mei gave him and thanked Galel for the shared stick of dried meat he offered. He hovered over the still slumbering Mei, watching her shiver.

“Perhaps I should carry her, Prince? The hot spring is a quick jog away, but it is still cold beyond the shelter of our camp. I can keep her warm until then.”

Mazin nodded, hiding his scent from her. Whatever it was, he knew it was shameful. Though her lingering gaze on him made his stomach lurch.

Master Sobek understated the weather beyond their camp. The moment they broke through the line of shielding darkwoods, the icy wind clawed at his cheeks. He yearned for a shred of cloth to wrap his face, for the cold was unrelenting. It sliced at flesh he dared to expose, but no amount of shifting his raggedy clothes spared him its wrath.

The sky above turned navy with the slow crawl of the sun in the east. Master Hathor led the way, wrapping himself with his furred cloak while traversing the slick grass. Mei’s teeth chattered close behind, regardless of the warmth emanating from Kamaria. He fought the urge to shout for a faster pace when he glanced back. Master Sobek wrapped her own furred cloak around Mei, to no avail.

“Sab…” she wheezed. “Sabah.”

There was that name again, a Lion’s name. Another who also promised to free her from what he gathered.

“Oh Sabah, how I’ve missed you.”

Kamaria said nothing, though she quickened her feet. The hot spring grove she promised appeared. By now, the trio were running towards it. Mazin’s ankles dampened against the rain-soaked grass. By the time they reached the tight formation of short trees, his boots squelched.

Mazin sniffed as Galel sighed his relief within the shelter of the grove. A stark contrast to the whistling wind behind, failing to pierce the warm embrace of the grove. He didn’t share in the relief until Kamaria emerged with a trembling Mei in her arms still.

“Might I…”

“Yes, hurry, waste no more time.” Mazin hoped he didn’t sound too desperate. But when he aided Galel in setting up camp, he couldn’t help but squirm whenever he felt the master’s eyes on him.

His own eyes jumped towards the spring in the camp's north once they completed their frantic camp assembling duties. He sat beside Galel, both of their bare feet drying against the growing campfire. The bread was damp, and the dried meat was chewy.

Master Galel’s scent shifted towards anxiety, tackling at the edge of Mazin’s nostrils. He inhaled a few times as if preparing words, yet never spoke them. Mazin sipped at his water and was soon yearning for something stronger, reminiscing on the wine Mei brought for him.

“You handled yourself well, Prince,” Galel said.

Mazin frowned at him.

“During the escape, I can’t imagine those bastards fed you well, your strength… uh, your training served you well.”

Mazin fought to remain polite, forcing his guilt back down into the gaping pit of his stomach. Galel couldn’t look into Mazin’s eyes, nor could he do the same with the master. The master watched the flames while Mazin watched him. A man who reminded him so much of a bald Zaki.

“Even during the ambush, we saw your handiwork and escape. It was impressive, Prince,”

“You were there, weren’t you?” Mazin silenced him. Now failing to ignore the flashes of his memory. Ammon’s scent ravaged his nose despite the blazing campfire and sweet steam swirling around them.

“I remember… they were expecting reinforcements, so do not tell me about my supposed impressiveness. I am,” He stopped himself when the fire in his chest worsened. His mouth was bitter and Galel’s guilt soured his scent.

“I am grateful for both of you,” Mazin whispered, and they sat in silence.

The flames crackled from the enormous campfire as time drifted slowly. His barrier against the memory of slaughtering Ammon’s ambushers proved flimsy. To restore a stronger barrier before the gaping pit proved impossible. If he closed his eyes, the bloody mess he made of the Bannerless never left him. It prevented his desire to scurry into the void for comfort.

Relief came with the return of Kamaria, steaming and smelling of soap. Mei slumbered in her arms, wrapped in the freshest blanket from her bag, smelling just as fresh, with a hint of sharpness. Mazin’s mind shifted from his guilt as he rushed to prepare a bed beside the flames.

Colour washed away her paleness. She appeared at peace, breathing calmly once more, with her hair dry yet dishevelled. Her scar was as gruesome as always. Mazin pulled his gaze away from the black jagged open wounds running down the left side of her face while the two masters stared.

He bathed alone in the highest hot spring. Four pools, each feeding into another below it until the bottom and largest of the pools. The blazing earth beneath them all rumbled the ground. Under different circumstances, he might have savoured the cleansing warmth, lounging in the water and loosening his tense body. Instead, he rushed his scrubbing and almost yanked the knots out of his curls.

Mazin scratched the tufts of fuzz sprouting at random on his cheeks and jaw, only slowing down to clear his top lip. Soon he was out and striding back towards the campfire. His raw flesh prickled by the wool clothes he snatched from Mei’s bag. Like the other clothes she provided in the town, they fit him awfully and suffocated his arms so much he tore off the sleeves. A decision he already regretted, regardless of the steam from the hot springs.

He traded places with Master Galel, who made his way towards the springs when Mazin sat down. Their Tamed Sinha lounged on the borders of the protective tree line; their golden eyes glowing in the shadows.

Master Kamaria lingered over Mei, adjusting the blanket, hovering her hands over the woman before rubbing her palms together and returning to the fire. She cleared her throat and sat beside Mazin, whose mind drifted back towards Ammon.

“She is doing well, Prince,” Kamaria said. “Perhaps one more soak in the water and she will be on her way towards healthiness.”

“How long until she can travel again?”

“Three days? My Tamed will hunt for lesser beasts to hasten her returning strength. Dried meat and fruit will not serve her well.”

“Thank you,” Mazin said, before pinching himself. Master Kamaria’s eyes lingered on him when he turned back towards the flames, boring into his cheek.

“Do you know who she is, Prince?”

“I didn’t wish to pry when she did not herself.”

Kamaria nodded, though he was sure she was unconvinced.

“We worried for you Prince, when you vanished from us, I considered rushing back to the capital for more numbers while Galel searched. If it wasn’t for the dark Bagha, well, what happened?”

“Shadows,” Mazin flinched when his periphery caught more of them. “And poison that rendered me useless. After that, I awoke in their dungeons.”

“Poison?”

“Do you remember the family that was with me?” Mazin asked. “I know you were watching over me. What happened to them?”

“Nameless,” Mazin sighed with relief before she finished. “He offered to help, but the dark Bagha’s arrival allowed him to continue north. I am sure they are fine.”

Something to cling to, a small spark of joy amongst the gloom. They had nothing to do with it. It was a minor worry, but relief struck him, regardless. He hoped nothing befell them; If they were not already across the Parvat, he hoped a reunion would happen.

“Prince, Mei muttered many strange things in the water, and her scars pulsed with colour.”

“It cannot be a beast,”

“No beast would dare, at least without good reason, but I cannot imagine that is a physical wound.”

Mazin’s eyebrows rose at how assured in her claims she was.

“She spoke of this Wise One that commanded her. I suspect whoever or whatever this Wise One is possesses such a power.”

“Mei rambled about a witch commanding her, though I must admit I cannot fathom such a thing.”

“Mei has little knowledge of Tamers.”

“You cannot think this Wise One is a Tamer, Prince? A Tamer leading the Bannerless, undoing all the work of Pharaoh Heydar?”

Mazin shrugged at Sobek’s incredulity. It made sense to him, though he had nothing else to say.

“I would suggest we inquire about her nobility.”

“Is that wise, what with her recovery still ongoing?”

“She is a Tiger, Prince.”

Mazin frowned at her, but Kamaria wore a stern expression.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“We should be careful with our words until we discover more about her.”

He turned away before anger contorted his face. It seemed unfair to think the worst of Mei, especially in this condition. An accusation of incompetence then, he saw through her veiled concern. He slowed them down by bringing a noblewoman of the enemy. Mazin’s anger melted and the bitterness of his shame soiled his tongue.

“I want something hot, something… something.” Mei couldn’t stifle her cough. It didn’t spare her from his snorting.

“Hey none of that, especially with your inability to suffer as I do,” Mei tapped his arm.

“That I cannot change.”

“I was talking of meat. Even on their most generous days, meat was a rare treat from the Bannerless. The mere thought of it waters my tongue.”

Mei improved after a few washes in the hot spring. Still weak, she didn’t take well to their travel food. He didn’t blame her. None of it was appetising. There were also doubts about them, beyond filling your stomach.

“I’ll settle for your shoulder, if that’s all right?”

Mazin grunted, and her gentle head fluttered his heart. He almost wrapped an arm around her until he caught Kamaria’s subtle disapproval and suddenly surged to his feet.

Mei gasped, catching herself before she fell.

“I will see what I can do.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Let me join you, Prince.” Galel rose, snatching his bow and clattering quiver.

Faint drizzle wetted the late evening, and the last light of the sunset lingered on the western horizon. Galel’s Tamed Sinha was a slender slice of yellow gold in the growing darkness.

Mazin followed Galel’s lead, with his own eyes scanning the many eyes and shifting shadows in the distance.

Galel relaxed his shoulders, keeping his bow on his shoulder.

“How well do you know Master Sobek?”

The Master Tamer frowned at him as they paused in the middle of a mound infested field of lush grass.

“Master Kamaria is a fine warrior. She may be the greatest in her family now. I trained with her, though she was far ahead, and long gone by the time I mastered myself.”

There was something he needed to know, perhaps an early involvement with the war. That would explain her attitude towards Mei. It had to.

“What about her duties during the war?”

“Sobek’s duty during the war?”

“I know what role the Sobeks played, I mean Kamaria, specifically. Was she active on the frontline?”

“Master Kamaria is not talkative about her family. She darkens whenever questions come. I know her sibling watches over An’Shar last I heard, perhaps another at Sinh’Chattaan. I don’t think it’s anyone’s business to ask, Prince.”

He seemed to caution more than answer. It was enough to satisfy his assumption, at least. Perhaps she had seen too many Tigers against her. Distrust was inevitable. Yes, that was it.

Mazin was ready to leave it at that. It satisfied his frantic mind. Yet Master Galel’s frown remained long after the silence took over from his words. His scent needed to be thrown off.

“What of your own duties during this war? How have you honoured your ancestor Hathor?”

“Me Prince? Nothing of renown, I might say. There have been skirmishes along the border of the Gaur and Dhaar. Years of small fights, the odd Vivada for pride, though I cannot say I have honoured Hathor. It demands too great a deed than I have already done.”

“You are much too humble.”

“You are kind to say, Prince. I… the worst I’ve seen is coming across the fort in the south of the Dhaar Province.”

Mazin grimaced, another thought to worry about around Mei.

Your own clan, Mazin, are you that much of a fool?

He grumbled, then hid it by clearing his throat. Mazin caught movement in the nearby shrubbery. The slightest chirps and squeaks followed, but not a scent. There was only damp soil and lush grass for his nose.

“There’s something over there,” Mazin nodded towards it.

Galel grunted and crouched with his bow ready. His eyes scanned the shrubbery while he massaged the feathers of his arrow. Mazin motioned for him to follow their crawl forward, then something else shifted to his right. He reached for his khopesh, but Galel nudged him and offered a knife.

Mazin nodded and turned towards his target, knife ready.

“Three,” Galel whispered. “Two, one.”

They returned together with a hare each. Both already headless and drained of their lifeblood. Galel burned the puddle with his bare hands. It seemed a private thing, at least according to how the man behaved about it. He forced him to face his back, though Mazin had no problem looking away.

“Oh wow, you weren’t joking,” Mei chuckled, huddled beside the flame beside Kamaria.

“The princess asks, I provide,” Mazin beamed, but a darkness came over her.

“It won’t taste well cooked. We haven’t any spices, nor skill with the fire.”

“Anything will be enough,” Mei’s smile returned, weaker than before.

He kept Galel’s knife and skinned his hare like Ma taught him, slower than Galel, but not any less effective. His bare hands were warm with blood, and he shuddered. Flashes of his slaughter threatened to invade his mind once more.

“Prince?”

Mazin’s fingernails dented his palms, but he couldn’t let go of the tension in his bones. Galel’s hand waited for his skinless hare. He kept his gaze focused on the blazing campfire ahead, hoping the monotony would drown out the slaughter in his mind.

“Prince, some water?” Kamaria knelt beside him, water skin open and ready.

The blood from the hare hardened with the help of the campfire and stiffened his hands. He glanced at Mei chuckle beside Galel as he fumbled with the lean meat as promised.

“No, I’ll go for a spring.”

“You might take Mei,” Kamaria hissed, snatching his arm.

Mazin snarled, ready to snap himself, but despite Master Sobek’s motivations, it wasn’t beyond what he wanted himself. Though he didn’t enjoy her overreaching grasp, his tongue wouldn’t share it with her. He nodded, and her grip loosened.

He stomped towards the hot spring into the darkness in the east with a makeshift torch from the campfire.

“Where are you off to?” Mei asked.

“The springs, would you… join me?”

Mei smirked, then her mesmerising grey eyes darted for Kamaria as if for permission.

“It would serve you well Mei, I would myself, but if you prefer the prince?”

“I do,” Mei squeaked. Mazin stepped towards her as she struggled to her feet. He stayed away when she waved him off and continued trembling until she stood. She swayed for a moment, then stilled and grinned as if she completed some elaborate stunt.

“I’ll take your help now, please.”

His torch was the sole light on the short path towards the hot spring. He wrapped an arm around Mei. He almost carried her, though she was as light as a feather. She glanced back often towards their camp in the silence and jumped at every cry from a wild beast in the distance.

“How do you do this?”

“Do what?”

The warmth came over him.

“Walk through the darkness with no fear.”

“The darkness is my comfort.”

Mei grunted, though he suspected there was something more.

He lifted her up towards the largest spring beneath a shading darkwood. Mazin placed the torch down on the grass nearby, and Mei gasped.

“What?”

“It’s so bright and warm. The stars glitter through these dense black leaves.”

Mazin glanced up to see the truth of her words. It was all right, in comparison. Mei glanced back towards where they came from and shifted on her feet.

“I don't mind taking you back if you want to return.”

“No, sorry, I was just wondering if they can hear us right now?”

Mazin frowned at her, then eyed the shadows and the faint light of their camp.

Nothing.

Do I not trust Tamers from my clan?

“We are alone.”

“You’re sure?”

“At worst, they will say nothing if I order it,” the mere suggestion left a sour taste on his tongue.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,” Mei collapsed to her knees. She wept anew and trembled like she did when they first stepped beyond the illusion protected borders of the Wise One’s town.

“Mei…”

“No, you deserve… I didn’t… I don’t… thank you.”

Her embrace was warmer than the steam swirling around them from the hot spring. She squeezed with her minor strength, and Mazin finally wrapped his own arms around her. Joy bloomed anew in his chest; a fluttering warmth so infrequent he mistook it for something new. He was glad she hadn’t a Tamer’s nose, for even he was ashamed of himself.

“I want to do more. My entire life is yours,”

“Mei, please, no more. I couldn’t take such thanks. I’m not worthy of it.”

“From the Bannerless to you, Mazin, there is no greater change in fortunes.”

“I lied to you.”

She frowned for a moment, then fought shame from twisting her weepy face.

“I don’t know how I would have reacted if you told me you’re a prince of the Lion Clan.”

“Do you forgive me?”

“Forgive you? You have single-handedly turned my life into a fable. The Lion Prince freeing a… woman like me from the clutches of a witch? Find me some ink and I will write it myself.”

Mazin laughed and Mei snatched his bloody hand, fluttering his heart once more with her dainty fingers.

“Will you join me?”

“I…”

Mei slipped out of her clothes. Mazin’s cheeks seared. He spun around, much to Mei’s amusement.

“I’m sorry. Does my nakedness offend you?”

“No… please feel free. I will wait for your comfort.”

“I offered, didn’t I? Or is it a matter of you not comfortable to share your nakedness with me?”

“Are you healthy enough to tease me again?”

“I’m serious. If it a discomfort for you I could,”

“I wouldn’t mind you looking away.”

“Do you want to join me?”

Yes.

“I do,” Mazin smiled, grateful she couldn’t see it, nor feel his burning cheeks.

He listened to her shift the waters and stifle a sigh before beginning with his own undressing. Mazin begged his blood to remain where it should be, though it didn’t listen.

Please.

Mazin ensured Mei looked away before sliding into the steaming pool as silently as he could. Mei’s eyes remained shut, yet she wore a devilish grin on her full lips.

“Don’t freeze yourself through indecision. I swear I’m not looking.”

“I know.”

Mei jumped and opened her eyes towards him. They never dropped lower than his neck. He doubted her eyes saw through the water anyway.

“This isn’t fair, you know. It might have served you ill to reveal your Tamer secrets.”

Mazin narrowed his eyes with a smirk.

“You can see me, and I cannot see you.”

“I can close my eyes?”

“And rob me of your beautiful eyes? I’ll take the unfairness.”

Mazin sank lower, dipping his hair below the water. Eyes shut and letting the heat massage the fatigue from his body, while his fingers aided in loosening the knots in his hair. He rose, her eyes still on him.

“Something wrong?”

“What becomes of me after all this? Where do I go once your throne calls you home?”

“Come with me? I… we could. What do you want?”

“I don’t know what I want, but I certainly cannot learn on my own.” Mei nibbled her lip as she stroked her sleek, jet-black hair over the scarred side of her face. “I’m feeling better. For now, let us focus on hastening our pace.”

“They won’t find us Mei; we left no trail.”

“Don’t!” She struggled to keep herself from shrieking. “I’m not ready for that.”

“We can protect you, I will,” he trailed off when she shut her eyes. Her lack of a scent made the right words troublesome to find.

“I appreciate you not looking.”

Mei’s lip quivered before sinking deeper into the soothing waters, sighing, then breaking the peace with a few dry coughs.

They ate the hare in silence, and for all of Galel’s caution towards his cooking skills, Mazin’s mouth salivated with every bite. He was nibbling despite his ravenous hunger and sudden craving for fresh meat. Mostly to keep Mei’s opinion on him on the upward trajectory, but also to avoid Kamaria’s lingering attention.

Her eyes never left him while they surrounded the campfire. Mei close by, and Galel patrolling beyond the surrounding tree line. The silence continued after they thanked Galel for his efforts.

Mazin did his best to avoid Kamaria, remembering her imposed quest for him. He clung to Mei, as she did to him, and the Master Tamer never found an opening.

Sleep came for himself and Mei together. Welcomed by their full bellies, fresh flesh and somewhat calm minds, at least his mind. He couldn’t speak much to Mei’s thoughts, and he was accepting it.

A peaceful sleep upon the lush grass followed. No void, no nightmares, not even the tightness in his limbs that usually occurred. Mei curled into a ball right against him and grinned in her sleep. She felt warm, and when she awoke, there was a weakness about her still. Enough to keep them idle for the day, advised by Kamaria. The ever-present drizzle was adequate support.

The hours dragged by and not even the warmth emanating from the hot spring kept the growing winter chill from slicing its way through their camp. Mazin paced. He wrapped himself around Mei whenever her shivers worsened. Her sniffles were rare, and her bouts of dry coughing became infrequent. By midday, when Mei seemed calm after a light serving of stale bread and fruit, there were thoughts of continuing their journey north.

It was after a quick nap that the thoughts became a reality. Evening approached and Mei’s sickness was all but gone. Mazin prepared his legs for the resumption of their journey. Master Kamaria was on patrol now, which left Galel to assist the prince in breaking their camp.

By the time darkness fell, Kamaria returned with her Tamed, cloaked yet dry, which was a minor victory. Mei shared everyone’s eagerness, but he noticed her nibbling on her lip and her distant gaze. When she noted his watching, she shook her head with a smile, but that failed to reassure him.

Without torches, he followed the Master Tamers to the northern borders of their camp, carrying Mei’s bag, undeterred by her feeble protests. The night sky was clear, but a sharp wind ensured it wouldn’t last forever.

Mei clung to him for warmth and guidance. Her eyes needed him. She slipped on the damp grass, skipped divots and small mounds in her path. It was slow going, and Mazin didn’t enjoy Kamaria pausing and glancing back at their progress. Judgement reigned in Sobek’s eyes.

Hours flew by simply because they made progress again, despite their slow pace. Kamaria and Galel were so far ahead that they often circled back, before journeying ahead. Which made their whispered conversations easier to occur.

“I do not believe she… is master appropriate? That Master Kamaria does not trust me.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The way she pokes and prods between her checks on me, I believed I was not near as sick as she claimed. It seemed the perfect excuse to check up on me in private.”

Mazin grimaced in the darkness, knowing she wouldn’t be any wiser to it, sparing his body from having to tense up while hiding his emotions.

“How badly has my, has the war been between the Tigers and Lions?”

“I am the wrong person to ask. To me, it has only been the odd skirmish. And those were the only ones I stumbled upon. They rarely welcomed my ears with some matters. That duty fell to my brother,” Mazin caught himself. Kamaria’s caution wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Your parents prefer him?”

“He is the heir.”

“Oh, forgive me Mazin, I did not mean to say it like, you know.”

“There is nothing to forgive. He is the heir. It is a simple fact. He always was before we knew it. I made for a great shadow.”

Mei’s expression in the growing morning light was a kindness he had forgotten, a sincerity he refused to tarnish with his own doubts. Then a frown came over her.

“Wait, being heir was in contention between you two, even though your brother is the elder?”

Galel’s return silenced him, though Mei’s gaze remained until the Master Tamer appeared for her eyes. His attention paused on their closeness for a moment before inhaling for the message, which already tightened his chest.

“We are coming upon a farm, an abandoned one.”

It was not an abandoned farm. There was more debris than farmland. A blight on the ever-beautiful Dhaar Province. He tasted decay and destruction in the air. This was a village razed.

Windswept ash was all that remained of its borders. There were more splinters than foundations littering the vast area. The once cobbled road was now gravel, ruined by divots. Which confused him about when this attack occurred.

Kamaria emerged from the only structure amongst the ruins, dusting off a pile of rags in her arms. Remnants of an orchard littered behind the shack. Hacked tree stumps, or gaping wounds in the soil, nothing in between. Milk white maggots swarmed over the black blobs, oozing rot.

“They’re not as bad as they look, fresher than your current rags,” Master Sobek’s tone was off-putting. Not negative in any sort of way, but chipper amongst such destruction.

“I will hold on to them until we find a spring.”

She softened, noticing his mood, for all he thought of was the village he came across with Ammon, without the man’s unnatural odour haunting him for once.

“We shouldn’t tarry, take what we can and move on,” Galel said.

There wasn’t much to explore. Other than what Kamaria found. The Tamers were on the outskirts while Mazin kicked aside crumbling rubble in search, sniffing the ash, rot and mould.

Most of the rubble crumbled against his boot. He covered his face with a gloved hand. He drew his khopesh for the scent he discovered and followed its rancid trail to the source. An enormous pile of rubble neatly organised.

He fought to keep his stomach in his stomach as he stood over it, knowing what lay beneath it, but unable to look away. His encumbered hand nudged the makeshift pile. The debris collapsed like ash above an open tomb, revealing a rotting bundle.

“Fuck,” Mei whispered behind him.

The stink was so overpowering he failed to notice her presence till she wept. He tried his best to rectify the makeshift grave, but he couldn’t stand the smell anymore. Mazin dry heaved away from Mei, though her hand caressed his back. Galel and Kamaria arrived with squashed expressions to peer at the horror within.

“We should… do something about this.” Mazin won the battle against his bile.

Kamaria glanced at Mei with a strange expression, before grumbling and whipping off her gloves.

“Leave it to me, Prince, move on ahead.”

Mei almost left him behind as they obeyed, though she still kept a tear in her eye. The stink stuck with him, however, as did the mangled remains. Yet when Mei wept anew, he forgot about the stink. He clasped her hand, which she squeezed before burying her face into his chest.