The collective weight of everyone's scrutinizing gazes bore down upon Aerendil, laying heavy on his shoulders.

Mani didn't want to acknowledge her desire to hear his answer, all the while maintaining a stoic silence, attentive to his every word.

Aerendil's stance was firm and steadfast. If Rune's attempt to faze him affected him, he didn't show any signs of it.

"If your eyes are constantly drawn to the human's cage, then I believe you are the one that is too fond of her," Aerendil replied, his voice was steady. Mani, though disappointed but unsurprised by his evasive answer, couldn't help but let out an involuntary snort at his retort.

Rune gritted his teeth and took a step forward. Aerendil's steely gaze remained trained on him.

"Let us calm ourselves, shall we?" Elanor interjected, shoving Rune back, "I'm sure that, as men, both of you would love to steal glances at a beauty such as Mani, despite her being human."

Mani couldn't help but blush at Elanor's words, and even Aerendil and Rune exhibited a subtle flush in their cheeks.

Aerendil shook his head. "Wait, sister you can't just—"

"Captain, that’s not what we meant—" Rune began, attempting to defend himself.

In a swift turn of events, Rune had shifted allegiances, leaving it as a one-against-two situation, with Elanor pitted against the other two.

Elanor raised her hand, silencing them both instantly, like scolded puppies who misbehaved. It would have been an amusing sight if Mani wasn't also just as embarrassed.

Why must such awkward conversations take place right before her cage?

Now that the two had fallen silent, Elanor directed their attention to the tents still awaiting packing. "Now, stop dallying and get to work. We're setting out today and there will be no delays."

"Yes, Captain."

"Yes, sister."

As the two men left, their glares remained fixed on each other, and Mani couldn't help but notice the subtle wink Elanor directed her way as she departed. She thought to herself, She's a weirdo is all Mani could think about.

***

The constant activity around the camp ended when everything was packed. Most of the larger items were loaded onto the cart, which held Mani's cage. The elves only had one cart while the rest were packed into backpacks that the horses were made to carry.

Callon and another elf that Mani assumed was Gerald disabled the forcefield and the journey began.

Callon and another elf, whom Mani guessed was Gerald, deactivated the forcefield, and their journey began. Mani was about to find out how they had managed to infiltrate enemy territory. The journey to cross the desert of Shamir, and heading into Fejuhn thus begins.

All ten of the elven soldiers were wearing hoods, a piece of cloth was draped over Mani's cage. It was definitely a suspicious sight, but it was understandable they would rather look like suspicious mercenaries than immediately being recognized as elven soldiers.

Mani was grateful there was a cloth draped over her since it also blocked out the sun’s rays. It was a little stuffy and hot, but it was better than being scorched in the sun. Her pale skin would have never survived the trip.

***

The desert landscape lay eerily quiet, even the horses' hooves barely disturbed the silence as they traversed the sandy terrain. When Mani cautiously lifted the drapery to peek outside, she saw all the elves keeping their heads down as they continued. If this was under different circumstances, Mani would have felt like a VIP being escorted somewhere important. In this case though, she was a captive being escorted into a dungeon.

Mani retreated and closed her eyes, her sense of time blurring. It felt like an hour had passed when hushed voices interrupted her thoughts, and the entire group abruptly halted. As she peeked outside once more, Mani was startled to find the sky had darkened already.

Elanor's voice spoke in a demanding tone, "Gerald, Olfina, set up the smaller tents. Freya, start a fire for us. The desert night will be cold."

The three began their assigned tasks after they gave her the affirmative.

Mani was startled out of her peeking when the drapery was yanked off and she was greeted with Aerendil's face. He handed her some extra blankets through the bars and didn't speak a word to her.

Perhaps he was still affected by Elanor's earlier comment, but his expression gave away no hint of embarrassment When the fire and tents was set up, Mani realized she would be the only one sleeping outside.

"Hey, wait a damn minute. I'm sleeping outside? No tent? I mean, it was acceptable back in the forest, but this is the damn desert," she protested loudly enough for everyone to hear.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Rune snickered, Aerendil and Olfina frowned sympathetically, Freya just shrugged and looked at Elanor. Gerald adjusted his glasses, studying Mani closely.

Elanor offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry but you're going to have to tough it out for this last night."

Mani stared at them in disbelief, her mouth agape. Her view was obstructed when the drapery was suddenly tossed over her.

"There's your tent, human." Rune joked, drawing a laugh only from himself.

Mani let out a sigh and slumped back. She laid down with her hands behind her head and stared at the top of the cage, although she couldn't see anything but the dark. The view didn't change when she closed her eyes.

She felt the sudden chill of the cold desert air around her; her eyes snapped open, and a shiver ran down her spine. She slowly sat up and saw the culprit that pulled the drapery off.

Aerendil.

"Do you need some extra extra blankets or something?" he asked, noting her shivering.

Mani regarded him suspiciously. "Why are you being so nice? Am I really going to die when we get to Fejuhn?"

"No, of course not. Don't be ridiculous." Aerendil said, shaking his head and gesturing in Mani's general direction. "Frankly, most of us agree this is rather barbaric behavior; letting you sleep outside, that is."

Mani rolled her eyes. "But?"

"But we must be cautious. You are an incarnation, even with the shackles we must stay diligent in keeping you captured."

Mani plopped back down onto her 'bed.' "Oh gee, thanks a bunch."

Aerendil rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Are you going to accept my offer or not? I will only ask once."

"Go fetch it for me, delivery boy," Mani mocked.

"You’re making me regret my decision."

Nevertheless, he entered a tent and emerged with an extra blanket, slipping it through the bars. Mani snatched it. Freya observed their interaction closely, or perhaps she was simply watching Aerendil.

Mani covered herself and layed on her side. "Please set up my 'tent' for me, if you would be so kind." She gestured to the drape he had removed.

Aerendil complied, draping the cloth over her cage. "Goodnight, then."

"Mm," Mani replied, not bothering to wish him goodnight back since he was definitely going to have a better night than her.

As the elven group settled down in their respective tents, the desert night descended into silence. Mani teetered on the edge of sleep when something whizzed past her head, causing her to jolt awake. A hole in the drape over her cage had allowed an arrow to pierce it, dragging the cloth to the side.

In an instant, the realization struck. "AMBUSH! GET UP!"

Mani's yell garnered the attention of all the elven soldiers, and they were already prepared. It looked like they were all sleeping in their armor as they reemerged from their tents fully dressed for the ambush.

A full-fledged battle unfolded as around fifteen bandits descended upon the elven soldiers. Another arrow zipped past Mani, grazing her cheek as she dodged.

"Uh hello?! Your trading card is going to get killed!" Mani glanced around the area, memorizing every detail of the battle.

Elanor swiftly barked orders to those nearest to her, "Shit. Aeren, Freya! Defend Mani!"

"Yes, Captain!"

In no time, Aerendil and Freya flanked Mani. Freya remained within the camp, guarding Elanor's group, while Aerendil positioned himself on the opposite side of the cart, vulnerable from all directions.

The bandits seemed more interested in the cargo than Mani herself, seeing her as an obstacle to their plunder. As Aerendil was distracted, one of the bandits snuck up on his left.

"Aerendil, your left!" Mani yelled out, and Aerendil reacted instantly. His claymore halted the bandit in his tracks. Mani wasn't finished. "Freya, get to Aerendil's side and watch his blind spots. Let Elanor's group handle the other side!"

Freya shot Mani a confused glare. "I don't take orders from yo—"

"Just do it!" Aerendil commanded, and Freya swiftly complied.

"Elanor! Just surround the damn cart! They're after the supplies!" Mani caught Elanor's attention. After a second of hesitation, she ordered the scattered elven soldiers to gather and slowly move closer to the cart.

The strategy proved to be effective as once Elanor and the others encircled Mani's cage with their backs against the cart; the bandits were cut down one by one.

Mani was taken aback when the sound of shattering glass shattered the night. Before anyone could react, a hail of glass shards rained upon the formation. Most of the elves took cover behind the cart, but Callon was too slow. Several shards found their way through the gaps in his armor, piercing his legs and eliciting a scream of pain.

Mani, with no means of evasion or concealment, was struck multiple times as well. She screamed in agony, but the assault ended abruptly when Elanor charged forward, severing the perpetrator's hand mercilessly. The bandit collapsed to the ground, emitting a piercing scream.

The battle had been as sudden as it was fierce, and when it concluded, the desert air was filled with the heavy panting of elf soldiers as they lowered their weapons and emerged from their hiding places. The bandit corpses lay strewn across the sand.

Mani panted heavily as she stared down at her body, pierced with shards of glass. She brought her hands to her vision; blood was splattered across them. She felt herself hyperventilating as her own blood trickled down her body and soaked into the blankets.

Every single pierce accumulated into one blinding pain.

"Open the door, Elanor!" Aerendil was the first to react.

Elanor rushed to the cage and swiftly unlocked the door. Aerendil hopped onto the cart, gingerly pulling Mani out. The glass shards gouged deeper with every movement.

Mani could barely move her limbs as she slumped against him. Her blood soaked his armor, but he paid it no mind.

The other elves were quick to follow. They made way, and Olfina opened the flap to one of the tents for Aerendil. Rune rushed to Callon and helped him up.

Compared to Mani's injuries, Callon's were nothing.

Once inside the tent, Aerendil gently laid Mani on a sleeping bag, her blood was quick to seep into the fabric.

"Move aside!" Gerald, the group's medic, pushed his way into the tent. He quickly produced a medical kit and forceps, working to extract the glass shards embedded in Mani's body. She winced with each shard's removal.

Mani let out a burst of short gasps through gritted teeth as she tried to breathe through the pain.

"Stay awake, Mani," Aerendil murmured as he stayed by her side, "Don't lose consciousness, you hear? Keep your damn eyes open."

Mani tried to focus her blurred vision on his worried face.

What are you so worried about...? My life or my value?

She parted her lips to ask but only a breath escaped her.

"Hey, look at me, don't you dare pass out," he demanded, patting her cheek repeatedly to keep her awake. "I'm warning you, if you lose consciousness right now, there will be consequences."

Why are you... talking so much?

No matter how hard she tried to speak, her thoughts remained locked inside. Mani could only hear his muffled voice through the loud pounding of her heart. It was unclear what he was saying but he just kept talking...

Soon, his voice got fainter and fainter.

Then her vision began to fade.