The heat had already made itself comfortable and was continuing to gain momentum. The breeze offered no respite, whipping sand at anything in its way. The clouds had retreated gathering together for their next assault. The rowboat lay upside down obscured by dunes and scrubs.

Amethyst looked out over the water. She couldn't see Stonetown, but said a silent goodbye to all her friends who had not been able to escape. She watched as the waves slowly swallowed their tracks. Little by little, the evidence of their murder was washed away. She sat crisscross in the sand, watching the ships go about their normal days.

How soon would they be coming for them? Would there be groups of hunters chasing after their tracks? Dogs tracking their scent or witches scrying them out? There were too many possibilities for Amethyst to consider. She closed her eyes tightly and squeezed her hands together. Her tail swept back and forth, occasionally thumping against the ground. She relaxed and looked out again. All was quiet.

"Amethyst?" Busara looked down at her and offered a hand. She contemplated throwing herself into the sand. She wanted to roll around and scream-- she was terrified, but excited to take the first steps forward. They clasped hands as Busara hauled her up. "We need to talk." Busara led Amethyst a few steps away from the rest of the group.

Tennessee was grinding an ornate knife, Nuru was kneeling in prayer, and Wa Chini was using sand to remove the remaining moss. Amethyst and Busara sat across from each other. She was looking at him awaiting his wisdom. He looked down, considering how to phrase his incoming thoughts.

"What are we doing?" His voice was quiet and calm. He didn't have an accusatory tone, but he continued looking down. nervous to meet her gaze.

"We are going north, to find Ebba." Amethyst hesitated. "We are going to help her."

"Do you know the way?" Amethyst remained quiet. "Do you know how long it will take? Or, perhaps you are aware of the dangers along the way?" Amethyst shook her head. "This is foolish," he said, his voice escalating. "To follow her is to go to our deaths."

"We were already dead, Busara!" Amethyst cried. "We were dead in The Sewers and *you* were already dead with Katili." She took a deep breath.

"Until you die." Wa Chini said quietly. "A good friend I once had... He... He told me that is what his father would always say." Wa Chini chirped. "Until you are dead... Keep going until you are dead... Don't stop fighting until you're dead." Wa Chini smiled over at the pair. "If my friend were here... he would tell us we must see our choices through to the end. Until we die."

Amethyst mirrored Wa Chini and beamed back to him as he took a seat next to Tennessee. She watched as he continued chattering at her. Her sight focused back onto Busara. He bowed his head a moment before looking back up.

"Then maybe this is a happy day, my friend." His mouth formed a small smile as he contemplated. "Perhaps I can make it back to my family." His frown returned as he looked towards Tennessee. Amethyst followed his gaze.

She was staring down at the knife, taking in every detail about it. She twirled the knife around slowly, pausing briefly to look at the small carvings etched into the hilt. Amethyst glanced back to Busara, who had already looked away.

"The journey north is long." Busara said as he drew a crude map in the sand. "The land of pyramids in Western Ashara is not traveled often from this direction."

"How long will it take?"

Busara sighed, pondering deeply, his eyes drifting out to the sea, where they lingered for a short while. "Well, three to six months, depending on the weather. By boat, perhaps a month or maybe two."

"So Ebba would have long since arrived then?" Amethyst felt a tightness build in her chest for a moment as her heart fluttered softly.

"I am afraid so." Busara's quiet voice was hardly more than a whisper. The two sat in silence for a little bit. Wa Chini prattled on as Nuru napped under some brush. Tennessee simply sat staring deeply at the unchanging knife.

It was nearly an hour after the group had landed on the shore when Tennessee abruptly announced it was time to go. Although Busara was not familiar with what road he should take exactly, he did know how to navigate. He also knew which major outposts, towns and crossroads were needed. So first they were off to Nuru's home, Meru.

§

Nuru was born in the village of Meru, beside the mountain of Meru, which was one of the two peaks that reigned over the otherwise flat plains that stretched for hundreds of miles. By the time she was eight, she was milking, trimming hooves, and assisting in the birthing of calves. "Cattle is our lifeblood!" Her father would always say.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

It wasn't always like this, but Nuru didn't know anything else. When she turned thirteen, she discovered-- after a mishap with a bull which left one man gored and two children with broken bones-- that she had a special gift. Though it looked to be too late for the gored man, Nuru's hands moved without her direction. She poured her energy over the man's wounds. The flesh began to weave itself back together. Nuru didn't know about that until later, though. She went on to spend the next couple days unconscious. A medicine woman from several days away arrived and they spent the next few years improving her craft.

She had been of marrying age for some time when her father came to her. She was with her cousins and siblings when she heard his call. Her mother was there with him, but didn't say anything. "I have found a suitable arrangement for you." He looked proud, the kind of pride only a parent who thought they were doing what's right could have.

"Which tribe is he from?" Nuru's head was hung low. She hadn't wanted a partner, or a marriage. She once had a lover, but they had been gone for a while now. Even so, the idea of this arrangement was a betrayal. Her thoughts ran wild.

"He is not from any tribe here-- he is a wealthy man in Stone Town. They even consider him the wealthiest." The smile on her fathers face filled Nuru with anguish and terror.

"You mean to sell me!" Her voice was sharp with rebuke. Her father's head turned to her in confusion.

"No, I would never sell you." He tried reassuring her. "There is a dowry that comes along sure, but this is a big moment for you." He stood, wrapping his arms around her. She remained rigid while this stranger she once called father rambled about all the wonderful things coming to her. All the while she stared at her mother whose gaze remained on the floor.

There was no discussion to be had. Six months later she was traveling with a caravan south to Stonetown. Her soon to be husband had not shown up, instead a small band of traders had. Her father had kissed her goodbye; he couldn't hug her with the small chest of coins he clutched, so a peck would have to do. Her mother wasn't there, and her siblings had waved her off from afar.

She held back her tears as they shrank in the distance, none of her family, save perhaps her mother understood her feelings. They had called her lucky, and couldn't understand why she was upset to be married to such an important man as, well, whoever her new husband was. So she held herself tall and puffed out her chest. For now she just had to be brave.

The journey was slow. She found comradery with the other women of the caravan. The men had been forbidden to speak with her, though that didn't bother her. The looks of some of the men, along with their gruff demeanor and their coarse speech, had put her on edge.

Three men split off of the main group to take charge of Nuru as they reached the small coastal village just west of Stone Town. A small vessel sat just off the shore, its patched sails hardly inspired confidence in her new husband. Once aboard, her nightmares couldn't prepare her for the reality she would face. The men who had initially been charged with her safe transport to him had been rotting in unmarked graves for the last several weeks. She later came to find out that the man she was to marry was Katili the Cruel. She wouldn't meet him until much later, and only at a glance then. He had many enemies.

These men dropped her at the docks, beaten and abused. The next several days blurred together as her dreams and reality morphed into a twisted mural of suffering. Even after all the treatments, her breasts were gone, and no amount of magic or healing could replace them. The scars were softened slightly, but they would never fade. The gaps in her teeth could be filled, but her smile, like her soul, would never be like it was.

Nuru stood now atop a small ridge. She could see her village stretched up the slopes of the smaller of the two peaks. She imagined her homecoming, had they been informed about her fate? Surely, if that were the case her father would have come to fetch her, right?

§

"It's not my business." Amethyst had laid her hand gently over the nape of Nuru's neck, massaging softly as she spoke. "I'm sure your family would be happy to see you, but from what you've told me..." She ran her tongue along the tips of her fangs, pressing into them until it started to hurt. "What I mean to say… is that you have a place with me as well. Why not come with us?" This question had been posed to Nuru many times over the last eight days.

Nuru's hair blew steadily in the wind, the western sky filled with gray clouds stampeding over the earth. The petrichor filled her nostrils as the storm rolled past them. Nuru dropped to her knees and Amethyst followed, cradling her as she sobbed. Wa Chini and Busara kneeled with them, each clinging together tightly, as if the wind may blow them all away. Tennessee had been standing behind them, but she wasn't there when Amethyst looked around for her.

Tennessee returned sometime later, two mules leashed to her. "I'm tired of listening to Busara grunt after every step." She said callously. "And having to take so many breaks because the packs are too heavy is pissing me off." She folded her arms and looked away.

"Thank you." Busara bowed his head, "You are very kind."

"Whatever-- you're just slowing us down, and I can't have that." Tennessee turned away.

Amethyst felt bad having to translate her words to Busara, but she reassured him Tennessee didn't mean it. Amethyst couldn't understand why she had such vitriol, after all they were here to help her find Ebba.

"Master?" Amethyst inquired.

"Nope, I set you free back on the island remember?" She spat scornfully.

"My Lady, then?"

"Nope, just my name is fine." Tennessee retorted.

"Um, Tennessee?"

"What?!" She snapped, turning towards Amethyst, hands on her hips.

"Thank you for saving us, and for being kind to Busara." Amethyst stared into Tennessee's fiery eyes. "Thank you for taking the time to let Nuru work through her struggle. Letting her come with us--"

"Well, she is an adult, so she can make her own choices."

"Even so, it's still kind."

"Whatever." Tennessee walked abruptly away.

"Tennessee?" Amethyst's soft voice hardly left her lips. Tennessee turned around expectantly. "May I call you Tenya?"

"You're an adult right? What do I care." She sighed and continued walking.

Amethyst had a small smile as she watched Tenya's angry form march on, letting out a little sigh of her own. She helped Nuru up and embraced her as they stood overlooking the great spires. She hooked her arm through Nuru's as they once again took to the road.**