For the first time hesitation entered Abnu’s eyes. “The goddess believes this woman? But why? Why attack us if that’s true?”

“Believe me,” Jasper admitted dryly, “that was a total surprise for me, and quite possibly for Barbartu as well.”

“You mean she wasn’t involved?”

“No,” Jasper shook his head. “I definitely think she planned it; I just don’t think it went according to plan. Like I said, she’s hasn’t really tried to harm me, and based on my interaction with the gallû last night, I don’t think anything’s changed in that regard. I still don’t quite get what her game is, but I know she’s hoping I’ll cooperate.”

“Then why attack us?” The Seraph replied with a frown. “How would that possibly help?”

“I think it was just supposed to be a distraction, something to keep us busy while she achieved her true goal - kidnapping Annatta. Unfortunately, thanks to your refusal to stop riding for the last two days, we were all too exhausted to wake up quickly when the Ishberūti started their attack. I don’t think she meant it to be deadly, though. As you said yourself - those creatures were little more than pests.”

Thunderclouds eclipsed Abnu’s face. “Are you trying to suggest it was my fault my men died?”

“No, no - I didn’t mean it like that.” Jasper sighed. “It was just one of those things, you know. Kind of a series of unfortunate events?”

The man’s expression did not lighten. “The death of my household is not merely ‘an unfortunate event.’ If this Barbartu is responsible, she will pay.”

Somehow, Jasper didn’t think the man’s threat would amount to much. He knew very little about the strange woman, but if she was really powerful enough to control a gallû, she was on an altogether different tier from the two of them. Maybe Aphora could handle her, but not Abnu. He held his tongue though, not wanting to irritate the already irascible tiger further.

At that point, Nēs̆u interrupted as what little patience he had was burnt to a stub. “Who cares bout this wretched woman? Where is Tsia? Is she safe?”

Taken aback by the sudden change of conversation, Abnu hesitated a moment before replying. “Honestly, I don’t know. Probably by the fire, I reckon.”

“Are you blind, Seraph?”The warrior’s tone was icy.“She is clearly not there.Nor,” he gestured to the ruins of the camp around, “can I see her anywhere else.”

Abnu’s eyes flared with anger, but before he could respond Jasper cut him off, feeling surprisingly angry himself. “You don’t know? You. Don’t. Know? What the hell, man? You said you’d watch her.”

“She was asleep, with a half-dozen people by the fire. Did you expect me not to search for my people?”

A wave of fear rushed over Jasper as the pieces finally fell into place. Idiot. 1 + 1. Why would she take Nēs̆u? I don’t care about him, but Tsia- Not bothering to respond to Abnu, he turned and began to race through the camp. “Tsia! Tsia!” He shouted at the top of lungs, straining his ears for an answer he didn't expect to hear.

Nēs̆u followed close on his heels and Jasper could practically feel the anger radiating off the man. “You said she was safe,” he spat.

“She was. She should’ve been. I left her with the-"

“The Seraph.” Nēs̆u finished with a growl. “The same fool who lost your lady love, no? Why would you leave her with him?”

"Would you prefer I left you to bleed out?" Jasper snapped back. "And don't try to pretend like you knew better; you weren't worried about her being with the Seraphs until we couldn't find her."

The man scowled, but nodded his head in begrudging agreement. “Vāya willing, there's still a chance she just wandered off somewhere for some fresh air. It wouldn’t be out of character for her.”

It wouldn’t have been, but an hour of searching later, Jasper and Nēs̆u had reached the same conclusion. Tsia was gone.

The two paused on the perimeter of the camp, and as Nēs̆u turned to face him, Jasper briefly wondered if it was even safe for him to be alone with the man. He’s not going to try to kill me, is he? His eyes wandered to the nearby fire where the Seraphs were still clustered. Nah, there’s too many witnesses here. Right?

As if answering his thoughts, Nēs̆u spoke first. “I’m not going to try to kill you, if that’s what you’re thinking. Not yet, anyway."

Jasper cracked a half-hearted grin. "Thanks? Not gonna lie, I'm kind of surprised."

The warrior frowned. "Why? The Seraphs bear most of the blame here. All that matters now is finding her, and as quickly as possible. Do you have any idea why they would take her?"

Before Jasper could respond, a long shadow loomed over the two of them which quickly morphed into Abnu. “Did you find your friend,” the Seraph asked.

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“No,” Nēs̆u growled. “You let the cult kidnap her.”

The Seraph's temper flared immediately. “You’re blaming me?" He roared. "If your precious little mage really gone, there’s no way she was kidnapped from beside the fire. She must have woken up and wandered off into the darkness by herself and if she’s that stupid-“

Abu’s angry rant came to a sudden halt as a metallic click filled the air and in the faint light of the flames, Jasper could see a narrow blade pressed tight against the man’s throat.

“You better think really carefully about how you finish that sentence. A princess of Sapīya was under your care, and you let her get taken, for what? To mourn a few mangy cubs?”

Abnu’s hand was already halfway morphed into a claw as he struck straight for Nēs̆u's heart, but the Sicyan warrior contemptuously blocked the blow with his shoulder and slid his blade across the Seraph's throat. Fortunately for Abnu, his partial shift had toughened the skin enough to prevent a fatal wound, and the Sicyan's strike only drew a thin trickle of blood. Yanking his sword back, Nēs̆u spun beneath another of the Seraph’s blows and thrust forward with his sword. But the blow never arrived, as the two’s fight was unceremoniously stopped by a pair of fiery claws that erupted from the ground and clamped around their legs.

“Enough,” Jasper screamed. “You're really going to start killing each other now? You think this is going to help?”

To his surprise, Nēs̆u was the first to sheathe his sword. “Very well,” he agreed. “But if Tsia is killed…”. He let the threat hang.

Abnu took longer to relent, but eventually, he released his claws.“That man is no ally of mine, but for the sake of the mission, I’ll let it pass,” he said as he turned to Jasper.

“Thanks but,” Jasper hesitated a moment before continuing.He didn’t want to interrupt the fragile peace he’d just negotiated, but he also knew he couldn’t just ignore the Seraph’s failure.Not again.

“You know, Abnu, Nēs̆u isn’t exactly wrong. First, you lost Laylah, and now you let Tsia be kidnapped right out from under your nose. How are we supposed to work together like this?”

Anger reignited in the Seraph’s eyes. “Oh? And I suppose the gallû following you, the gallû you failed to mention, is just a friendly pet?” He snapped back. “Maybe if I had known about that, none of this would have happened in the first place.”

“And maybe if you had listened to Annatta’s warning and followed the highways, they wouldn’t have been able to attack us.” Jasper retorted. “You could see how someone might feel a little suspicious.”

The man’s eyes flared angrily but then, much to Jasper’s surprise, the fight went out of Abnu. His shoulders sagged as exhaustion and sorrow flooded. “You’re right. I should’ve paid more attention, but the night…” he shook his head. “So many of my men died tonight, Jasper. To you, they’re little more than a face. But I’ve grown up with them. I know every one of their families, their wives, their children. I just…” he sighed. “I needed to gather their bodies, to make sure that their families at least got that, and I failed to watch her.”

He shrugged helplessly. “Who would have guessed she'd be kidnapped? What do they even want with her, unless...” His eyes narrowed. "Was she your lover too?"

Nēs̆u's snort of laughter spared Jasper from answering. “Lovers? The man’s a borderline monk. Hell, he rescued a S̆addu'â woman from a brothel and made her his cook rather than his concubine. He certainly isn't Tsia's lover, but," a knowing gleam glinted in his eye as he turned to face Jasper, "you do know why she was taken, don’t you?”

“I do, or at least, I think so,” Jasper agreed. “When I encountered the gallû tonight, she had a message for me: ‘Save One. Save None. Save Both.’ At first, it just seemed like gibberish, but then I realized it was connected to a vision I’d be shown a few months ago.”

“Vision?” Though despair still wreathed his face, a hint of interest sparked in the Seraph’s eyes. “Has Kas̆dael been granting you visions of the future?”

“Not her,” Jasper corrected. “The Anzuzu.”

As the name rolled off his tongue, an explosion of pain erupted in his head. The world swam around him as a small, jet-black spider swiveled its head toward him, revealing row upon row of pale, milky eyes whose gaze pierced through his temple like an iron spike.

He fell on his eyes knees as the vision consumed him again. As before, a cowled man dressed in elaborate black robes stood above him. A silver medallion swung freely from the edges of his sleeves as the man stretched his arm two altars behind him and commanded Jasper to choose. But the vision had slightly changed this time.

In the spectral realm, Jasper had only been able to see that one of the potential sacrifices had the dark red skin of a Djinn while the other was pale and pasty; now, though, he lifted his eyes just long enough to see their faces clearly. One was Annatta. Her eyes were wide and frightened, but her lips moved silently as she mouthed two words. “Not me.” Tsia was there as well, but she lay motionless on the altar and did not appear to see him.

Though the vision began to fade, the pressure from the spectral spider only increased. “Do. Not. Tell.” A voice echoed in his mind. “DO. NOT. TELL. SERAPH.” It thundered. Its image expanded in his mind until the whole sky was consumed by a single, milky white orb. Then as suddenly as it had appeared, the being vanished.

“Ouaegh.” Jasper found himself on his knees, heaving his guts out. His whole body shook like a leaf, but he struggled to his feet and, hastily wiping the vomit from his mouth, scanned the skies anxiously. “Where did it go?”

“Where did what go?” Their previous argument was forgotten, or at least temporarily set aside, asvAbnu offered him a steadying hand.

“The Anzuzu…” Jasper trailed off as the spider words echoed in his mind. DO. NOT. TELL. SERAPH.

“Did you experience the vision again?” Abnu asked.

Jasper laughed shakily. “I guess that’s all it was. Man, it seemed so real. So bloody real.” He waved Abnu’s hand off as the tremors began to subside.

The Seraph clucked his tongue sympathetically.“The attention of the gods is both a blessing and curse.Today is a curse, but tomorrow…” he shrugged expressively.“Perhaps it told you something of our mission?”

Jasper hesitated only for a second before the lie slipped off his tongue. “No. It was a vision of my trip to the Empire.” He didn’t know why the spectral spider had forbidden him from telling the Seraph of his vision, but he had no intention of ignoring a command from a being he was pretty sure could kill him with a thought.

The man grimaced. “A pity. We could use a vision from a god - our intel is clearly lacking. But,” his features perked up, “I’ll suppose it's a good sign nonetheless. If the Anzuzu are giving you visions about events in the future, then clearly our mission must be a success. Or at least,” he added wryly, “you’ll live.”

A voice hailed him from the campfire and the man turned to go. “I guess I’d better check on my men. We won’t be leaving till the morning.” With that, he stomped off through the thick mud.

Nēs̆u watched until the Seraph had joined the others at the fire before he turned to Jasper, and spoke quietly. “What was the vision really about?”