Eevi told Appo how almost twenty moons prior, she had been closing down the tavern. All of her usual patrons had left, with the exception of a single out-of-towner. The stranger was desertfolk, as she could tell by his beige robes and scraggly beard. He had said little most of the night, ordering an ale every hour or so. His pace was so slow that Eevi doubted he was even drunk despite the fact he had ordered seven or eight. Eevi had been polite, leaving him to his own vices. She was ready to ask the man to leave when she heard stumbling outside.

Two men pushed their way through the doors. Both were completely coated in dirty sand, their desert cloaks well-weathered. One was an older dark-skinned man with a white beard and a bright blue eye, the other had been concealed by bloody linens wrapped around his head. He was shorter and stouter than his companion, who was a younger gaunt man with locks of curly hair. The older one carried the younger one on his shoulder, dragging him inside the bar. The young man’s face was contorted into a grimace. He was in severe pain.

“Water,” the old man croaked, “please.” His cracked lips bled as he spoke. The old man lost his footing, dropping his companion before falling to the floor himself.

Eevi wanted to get a closer look at the men. She had known of situations where bandits would fake injury, only to surprise potential do-gooders with an ambush. She moved to the door, looking outside to see if there was anyone waiting. She only saw the purple haze of the night sky - no camels, no elephants, or any animals that would indicate that they rode in from the desert. She was immediately suspicious.

“Where are your beasts?” Eevi asked.

“Camel died outside the city,” said the older man. “Please, water.”

This time she did as he asked. She returned behind the counter, grabbing two mugs and filling them with water from a bucket under her bar. As she did so, the lone bar patron leaned towards her, not having left his seat.

“Bandits?” he asked.

“Not sure,” Eevi whispered, “they could be.”

The patron nodded. “I have a knife, if you need extra help.”

“That won’t be necessary, I have my own.” Eevi pointed at her belt, from which dangled a large serrated blade. “Thanks though.”

Eevi returned with the two mugs of water to the men. The older one grabbed his without a word and chugged it, splashing the remainder of it in his face. The younger one was still writhing on the ground. He had yet to reach for his water.

“Thank you,” the old man whispered. His voice was still coming back to him. “Another?”

“Sure. Have the coin for it? Water isn’t cheap.”

The old man nodded. “I can pay.”

Eevi fetched more water. “What were you two doing out in the desert anyway? You don’t look like water traders.” She repressed a giggle at her own poorly timed joke.

The old man shook his head. “Treasure hunting.”

Eevi couldn’t help but laugh. Treasure hunters occasionally came through Ash searching for gemstone mines. Many well-established desert towns were around mines, though most had been discovered centuries prior. It was seen as a foolish endeavor. Treasure hunters arrived optimistic and eager to explore the expanse of the Eivettä. Some returned empty-handed after weeks of fruitless searching under the scorching heat. They were the lucky ones; most were never seen again.

“Treasure hunting, huh? How’s that going?” The old man responded with a series of coughs, almost falling over. Eevi decided not to harass the man about it. Whatever his reason for exploring the desert, he likely had already been punished for it. No reason to kick the man while he was down.

Instead, her attention fell on the old man’s companion, who was shaking on the ground. His mug of water was untouched. “Is he okay?” Eevi asked as she refilled the older man’s cup. In hindsight, the young one was clearly not well. He was pale and mumbling nonsensically to himself. He had been scratching his arms to the point of bleeding. At the time, Eevi hadn’t considered much more than dehydration.

The bar patron finally got up from his stool. “I think your pal there has sunstroke. Get him water now or he’s going to die.” The patron walked over to the younger man, knelt down and put his hand on his head. The younger man yelped in response, though his eyes remained shut. “We need to cool him down now. His forehead is on fire.”

Eevi returned with water. The older man had gotten to his feet by this point, and snatched the mug out of her hands, chugging it with just as much gusto as the first time. Whatever doubts in her mind were starting to fade. Regardless of who these people were, they were severely dehydrated. It made the younger man’s situation all the more dire.

Eevi looked at the bar patron. “Give him his water. Force him to drink it if he can hold it down. Slowly… make sure he doesn’t choke.”

The bar patron nodded, offering the mug to the younger man. The water poured mostly down the sides of his face, but the patron was able to open his mouth wide enough to sip some. The man tried to slurp a little bit, but once it started pouring he spat out a stream of water, hitting the bar patron in the face. The patron gagged in response, spilling the rest of the water on the man’s shirt.

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“Shit!” the patron exclaimed. “Spit got in my mouth.”

The younger man began to convulse. Eevi stood unsure at the side; she had dealt with spirit poisoning almost every night, but she had never seen someone have a seizure before. She turned to the old man. “Okay, what is wrong with him? Where have you two been?”

The old man leaned against the bar holding his mug. He stared at an empty corner - Eevi did a double-check to make sure he wasn’t looking at anything specific. “Attacked… Lost supplies… rode here as fast as we could… barely made it out alive.”

“Out of where alive? Who attacked you? Was it raiders?”

The bar patron wiped the water off his face with his robe. “Ma’am, I think the man here can't see.”

“That’s ridiculous. He just walked here without being able to see? You hear how that sounds?” Despite this, Eevi quickly realized what the patron meant when she got a better look at the man, she realized that the man’s eye hadn’t moved. She waved her hand in front of him. His pupil didn’t react.

“I get by,” the man croaked. “We were attacked… Didn’t stop to ask questions.”

Eevi was getting more confused by the moment. Her attention momentarily slipped back to the patron, who was still soaking wet. “Uh… let me get you something to wipe that off.” As she rushed behind the bar, she heard a piercing screech. She covered her ears. Looking back, she saw the younger man thrashing his arms and legs. He violently shook his head from side to side.

“MY SKIN IS TOO TIGHT! I CAN’T BREATHE!”

The younger man rolled to his belly and sprinted towards the door. Eevi was astonished at how fast the man moved despite not having had a drop of water. He sprinted through the doors, but before he did, Eevi caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were bright red.

“Mikal!” the old man yelled. He turned and tried to walk out the door, but stopped before he could leave. Blind or not, he was at least aware of his surroundings, though he was clearly still exhausted from his journey. It made the sprinting of the younger man much more perplexing. Eevi called for him to stop, but the older man lumbered out the door.

The bar patron looked at Eevi. “Is this a trick of some kind?”

“I don’t know.” Eevi paused for a moment, deciding not to take any chances. She went to her backroom, pulled out her old crossbow, and loaded it with a steel bolt. When she returned she was surprised to find the bar patron, still soaking wet. She thought maybe he was afraid to go outside for the moment. She didn’t blame him.

The two stood in silence for a bit. Both stood and watched the door. Eevi held her crossbow, and the bar patron pulled out his small knife. They both flinched when they heard a light knock on the door, before it was opened by the older man. The younger man - Mikal - was not with him. The old man didn’t react to the crossbow and the knife. He instead shut the door behind him, fell against it, and slid down to the floor.

“They got him.” The old man leaned his head back. “They got him.”

Eevi moved towards the man. She lowered her crossbow, though it was still pointed at his heaving chest. The man paid no mind.

“Who got him?”

“A guard... Mikal attacked a guard. I don't know why he did that.” The old man looked as though he was about to cry. “He kept screaming and screaming. Then I heard the guard yell. The others came out of nowhere and grabbed him. Said they were going to take him to jail.” He lowered his head, both from defeat and exhaustion.

Eevi didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know whether to comfort the man, or to tell him to loosen up. She didn’t know what the younger man meant to him. She still didn’t know whether this person was blind or not. Nevertheless, she lowered her crossbow.

“They don’t keep them there for long,” she said, “most are let out after a moon or two. They deal with drunkards all the time here. As long as he didn’t steal anything, he should be okay. They’ll make sure he’s taken care of.”

The man kept his head pointed at the ground. After a brief silence, he said “I need a place to stay. At least until he gets out, or at least I know he’ll be fine. I can pay.”

Eevi laughed. “Sir, this isn’t an inn.”

The man lifted his hand. “I don’t need a bed. I make do with very little. But my presence must be unknown. I have enemies here.” Eevi didn’t like that at all. She gripped her crossbow slightly tighter. The old man continued, “I can feel you tensing up. I understand I’m burdening you with my situation, but trust me when I say I can make it worth your while.” The man reached into his pocket, pulling out a bright red gemstone. He tossed it to Eevi, who reflexively dropped the crossbow to catch it. She was astounded.

“I… don’t even know what to say. This is too much.”

“I don’t need food, I don’t need water, and I don’t need special treatment. I just need a roof, a place to not be seen. I can make do with the rest. I also don’t want you telling anyone about tonight. How I got here or what just happened... At least until I’m gone. That goes for you too, sir.”

The bar patron had been standing behind Eevi for some time. The old man threw him a gemstone as well, this one bright violet. He attempted to catch it with one hand and scrambled when it fell to the ground.

The old man continued. “I ask only for simple accommodation. That and silence. If you can do that and not ask questions, you will be paid generously.”

Eevi looked at the bar patron. They caressed their gemstones tightly. They said nothing, but it was more money than they had seen in years. Eevi considered the risks of the situation. She knew nothing about the man; he claimed to be blind but seemed acutely aware of his surroundings. She didn’t know where the older man got the gemstones, and it wasn’t improbable to think that he stole them. Additionally, the man’s “enemies” could be anyone. They could be in the Guard Corps, or even one of the Heads. She shuddered to think that this man was involved with Zaman Urash in any way. Not to mention what had just happened with his companion. There was a lot of danger involved with the situation. She didn’t get this far taking blind risks.

She looked at the gemstone again. It was all the convincing she needed.

“If I’m going to let you stay here, what do I call you?”

The man chuckled, finally rising to his feet. “You may call me Isbibarra. You are?”

“Eevi.” She approached Isbibarra and shook his hand. He had a firm grip, much stronger than she anticipated.

“And you, good sir?” Isbibarra stared beside Eevi and the bar patron, looking at neither as he asked. The patron, still cradling his gemstone, stashed it in his pocket as he stuck out his hand.

“You can call me Amaren.”