“Father!” Taika cried. She rushed to his side. With tears streaming down her face, she laid a hand on his chest and commanded him to be healed. Her hand glowed for a moment as the magic rushed into Katar’s chest. His eyelids fluttered. Then he looked up at Taika and gave her a weak smile.

“Thank you, sweetie,” he said, patting her hand. Then his body went limp as he fell unconscious. Taika held her father tightly in her arms. She pressed her forehead to his, her tears flowing freely.

“Oh, Father…” she moaned.

Xan kneeled down across from her. He was still reeling in amazement from what he had just witnessed. So this was the power of the Verdans…

A shadow fell across them, and Xan looked up to see the caravan leader. He was an older gentleman with gray hair and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, dressed in worn leather clothes. He looked down at Taika and Katar with concern.

“Is he…?” the old man began to ask. Taika took a deep breath, then looked up at him.

“He’s alive, but weak. He has cavern sickness,” she explained.

At first the old man said nothing. Then he kneeled down next to Taika and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “Then his act of kindness was all the more noble. We will be eternally grateful for what he did.”

Taika glared at the old man, fresh tears streaming down her face. “Don’t talk like he’s already gone!” she cried.

“Taika, he wasn’t-” Xan began to say, but the old man held up a hand to stop him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend,” he said gently. Taika just bowed her head in anguish.

The old man stood up and looked back towards the caravan. Xan followed his gaze. The front wagon of the caravan had been crushed by the landslide. It lay at an awkward angle in the middle of the road. The horses that had been attached to it lay on their sides in the dirt, neighing in pain from their injuries. Others in the caravan were being tended to by their comrades. If Xan was being honest, it was a miracle that everyone survived.

“I hate to ask this of you, young Verdan,” the old man said, turning back, “but many in our group are wounded.”

Taika shook her head slowly. Then she took a deep breath and sat up straight.

“R-right… right,” she said wiping the tears from her face. “Of course, I’ll help.”

“Taika-” Xan began, but Taika cut him off.

“It’s alright, Xan,” she said. “This is our duty as Verdans.”

Xan looked at her. He could tell she was barely keeping it together, putting on a brave face for the old man and his company. So, he reached for her hand and squeezed it.

“I’ll stay with him, then,” he offered.

Taika briefly held her father tighter. She looked down at Katar, then back up at Xan.

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“I told you before, I’m in your debt for saving me. At least allow me the chance to begin to repay you,” Xan said.

Taika stared at him for a long moment. Then, finally, she relented. Xan moved so that Katar’s head rested in his lap. Taika whistled, calling over their horse. He obediently trotted over, bringing the cart with him.

“Allow us to give you a hand as well, lass,” the caravan leader said.

Together, he and Xan gently lifted Katar into the back of the cart. Xan wrapped the fur blanket around him, then sat on the bench. He took a moment to observe Katar, watching the rise and fall of his chest. Shadow blinked into his lap, and he petted her. Then he looked out through the front flap of the cart. Taika was already heading towards the caravan. She looked back at the cart once, hesitating for a moment. Then she tore her gaze away and kept walking.

“Your duty as a Verdan is a heavy burden,” Xan said to himself as he watched her go.

Taika spent the rest of the day helping heal the caravan’s wounded, including the two injured horses. As she went from person to person, they thanked her profusely for her help. She smiled and nodded every time, but didn’t say anything back.

True to his word, Xan stayed in the cart with Katar the entire time. His gaze alternated between watching Taika work her healing magic and watching Katar sleep. As time passed, a thought began to niggle into his mind:

How useless was he! All he could do was watch! It reminded him of how he had felt back on the island, when he had been unable to help his comrades break free of the enchantment that held them. The frustration and anguish he felt tried to overwhelm him again, and he began to tear up. He angrily wiped his eyes. Suddenly, a knocking sound interrupted his thoughts.

“Hello there!” a gentle voice called.

Xan turned to see a Suidan woman standing at the back of the cart. He was familiar with many of the beast-men races. They walked on two legs like humans, but all bore the traits of animals. Like others of her race, this Suidan woman bore the features of a wild boar. Her short, coarse fur was a deep reddish-brown. Two small, pointed tusks poked out on either side of her snout. Her ears sat on top of her head, one looking a little floppy. Her short tail ended in a bristly tuft.

“I’m Lila. Dogan sent me over to see if I could help,” the woman said.

“Uh… sure, I guess,” Xan said. “Do you need a ha-”

“No need,” the woman said. She had already hiked up her skirt and, with a grunt, she hauled herself up. Xan noted that instead of feet, she had cloven hooves that clacked on the boards of the cart.

Lila kneeled next to Katar. She began to examine him, looking at his eyes and ears, gently opening his mouth.

“So… are you a doctor?” Xan asked warily.

“Not exactly. I’m more of an apothecary. Been traveling up and down these roads between Vaimea and the Lowlands for years now, and I’ve picked up a thing or two,” Lila said. She laid a hand on Katar’s forehead, then put her head on his chest to listen to his heart and breathing. A moment later she sat up, looking solemn.

“Taika said he has cavern sickness. Is that bad?” Xan asked.

“It’s not terrible, if you can catch it early enough. But I’ve never seen a case this advanced before. The poor girl must be beside herself.” Lila said. She started searching through the pockets in her apron.

“Can you help him?” Xan asked.

“All I can do is ease his suffering. When it gets this bad, the only thing you can do is hope they recover on their own. Here,” she said, handing him a small pouch, “have him drink this tea when he wakes up. That should at least ease his breathing.”

“Um, thank you,” Xan said, taking the pouch. Then a thought occurred to him, and he said, “She’s taking him to the Meridian Shrine.”

“That’d be a mercy, if she can get him there in time,” Lila said. She stood up and dusted her hands off.

“Have you been there before?” Xan asked.

“Only a handful of times. I mostly stick to the eastern trade roads, but I have gone there to trade herbs before. It’s about a fortnight west of Vaimea, if you’re going by cart.”

With another grunt, Lila let herself down from the cart. Then she turned back to give Xan a meaningful look. “I wish them the best of luck. Oh, and boy? Keep your chin up. You’re already helping her a lot more than you think.”

She smiled and waved as she left. Xan returned the wave half-heartedly. He could feel the encouragement behind the Suidan woman’s words, but something within him still felt like it wasn’t enough.