"Ah-ah-ah-chooo!!" Luci sneezed loudly after their short dip in the river. The smell of coconut and lemon wafted off his hair as he pushed through the avians to get close to the bonfire.

Syryn's snow had melted away into water and there were puddles everywhere, turning the entire place into a hazard for shoes. The avians flew around without a care for the inconvenience that Syryn and Lucien were facing.

"Gosan, you're doing well. I think we can travel without any problems." Syryn checked the man's vitals and was satisfied with his prognosis. The pure Estranise that was administered to him was fighting away the onset of infection they'd seen earlier.

"It's all thanks to you and Rei," the navigator replied. "Your coming with us was a stroke of luck that saved my life."

"Maybe it just wasn't your time to leave Gosan. Do you have a wife and kids?" Syryn asked while mixing Estranise in a cup of water.

"Yes, I do. I married a beautiful woman and we have a seven year old daughter just as pretty as my wife." Gosan received the cup from Syryn and drank from it. Estranise had a mild spicy taste to it that wasn't unpalatable. Some people even liked the taste of it.

"Syryn, is Gosan stable enough for a journey?" Riaku came to stand beside him.

"I won't normally recommend travelling after such a surgery but we don't have a choice, do we? Gosan is stable for now but I'll be keeping tabs on him while we travel."

Riaku nodded. "We'll move out in half an hour."

"Syryn," Luci tugged on the teen's sleeve. "I don't feel so good."

"What's wrong, Luci?" The alchemist asked the boy.

"My head hurts and I can't breathe well." Luci began sniffling even as he talked.

Riaku hadn't met Luci yet so he was taken back by the childish way that the redhead spoke.

"Your skin feels hot, Luci." Syryn placed a hand on the child's forehead and tested his temperature. "I'll give you some medicines for it. Have you eaten something yet?"

The younger boy nodded. "Hot soup and fruit bread."

"Should we postpone the travelling for after he gets some rest?" Riaku asked Syryn.

"No, let's move as planned." Syryn wasn't feeling very safe after all that had gone down. The sooner they reached Nua, the safer they would all feel. He hoped that even if Riaku was assassinated sometime in the future, it would not happen in their company.

----

Half an hour later, Syryn was seated on a massive hairy beast of burden called a Khlat. His baggage was strapped to the mount but there was still enough room for himself, Lucien, and two cats to sit on. And when it started to move, Syryn was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was. The mount also moved fast and without any jostling.

Lucien's fever had risen despite taking antipyretics. He yawned and curled into Syryn's arms as the Khlat carried them through a wet forest. The teen looked back at the lonesome cottage where there hung two figures that swayed back and forth from their beams. He was undoubtedly sure that the avians had abandoned the place for good. No way was anyone staying there again after seeing the bodies hang on it.

"Where are we stopping tonight?" Syryn asked the prince who rode a different animal, a smaller one that was more agile and looked like a horse.

"We'll make it to the valley of flowers before sundown. There's a village nestled in the higher reaches of the valley so we can stop there to rest till early morning."

"Is it as beautiful a place as its name suggests?"

"It's not the right season for blooms," Riaku answered as he looked at the child sleeping peacefully within Syryn's arms. "There are many flowers but not as much as during spring." He couldn't make sense of Lucien and it troubled him.

The party travelled through more forest land and crossed a river before a break was called. Syryn was still atop the khlat with Lucien in his arms. He gently pressed a hand on Luci's forehead to test his temperature but the child caught his wrist. Crimson eyes lazily opened and Red stared at Syryn. It was like the time that Red had first appeared in Lucien's body.

"I'm just checking for a fever," he assured the redhead.

Red blinked against the sun rays that threw leaf-shaped shadows through the canopy that sheltered them. "I have a fever?" He asked in a hoarse voice. "Damn. My throat."

"Looks like you have a sore throat as well."

"Give me water," he rubbed his eyes and demanded.

"Get off me first, Red. You're fucking heavy."

"I dare you to say that to Luci."

"It's your attitude that adds weight to his body. Luci, you're not heavy at all."

Red snorted and leapt off the mount. Stretching his sore body, he looked around at the busy avians. The sun was halfway across the sky and the heat was getting to him.

[We're sick.]

(It's just a little cold and fever. I took some medicines so we'll be better in no time.)

[Is that what Syryn told you?]

(Yes!)

[Well he's not wrong.]

(Eh? When is he ever wrong about healing matters?)

[Nothing. If I stay asleep, don't panic. Drink a lot of water and take your medicines on time.]

(Is something wrong with you, Lucien?)

[Just call me Red. I'm used to that now.]

(Okay. Are you not feeling well?)

[I'm a little tired, Luci. Nothing a deep sleep won't solve.]

(Is this because of the spell?)

[Yes. Don't tell Syryn.]

(Why not?)

[Because I'll be perfectly fine after getting some sleep.]

(Are you sure?)

[Yes. Don't tell him anything till I'm awake. Do you understand?]

(I understand but I don't like it.)

[Snitches get the stitches, Luci. If you snitch on me, I'll sneak off to Riaku and plant a big kiss on his mouth.]

(I won't tell Syryn!)

[Good boy.]

Lucien took more medicines and curled up against Syryn's chest again. He was as sleepy as his counterpart. The older boy was concerned about how much Luci was sleeping but he attributed the lethargy to the child's cold.

The group began travelling again and went past a village located within a forest. The avians were welcomed by the villagers but they didnt stay there too long. Riaku exchanged a few words with the village headman before they continued on towards their destination for the evening.

Despite the prince's opinion about how lacking the flowers were, Syryn saw more blossoms in the valley of flowers than he had anywhere else. Patches of pretty wildflowers in multiple colours were lined up and down the well-weathered roads. A large number of flowering trees were also blooming in bright yellow and orange colours against the greens and browns of the forest. The blossoms dissipated their perfumes in the air, letting the guests know that they'd arrived at the valley of flowers. Syryn did not hate floral scents but he wasn't a fan of them either. A distinctly sweet-smelling scent rose above the spicier notes of the other flowers and it irritated his nose.

Small wooden homes dotted the grassy valley, breaking the monotony of trees that gave them vision fatigue. Syryn could see people going about their work even as the evening sun let them all know that it was time to leave the fields or gardens in this case. He saw that each house was attached to a garden that was several times larger than the space taken by the house itself.

"There are two clans that make this place their home," Riaku told Syryn. "They cultivate the flowers thrice a year and make perfumes out of them which are then sold to merchants that pass by this place. Their most popular product is called the peach mist."

"What's so special about peach mist?" Syryn asked.

"It's a powerful aphrodisiac cultivated from a flower that blooms only on the night that marks ten years of its growth."

"Say no more, Riaku. Procure one for me."

"Someone as young as you are has no need for aphrodisiac," the prince replied.

"It's for a reluctant old man." Syryn chuckled when he thought of how fitting the moniker was for Rowan. When Red had called the anti mage an old man, Syryn hadn't given it much thought but now, he realised that Rowan carried himself like an old man sometimes. Too responsible, too calm, too stable. And that was why they were good for each other. Syryn was too wild to have a relationship with someone similar to himself.

"An old man? I've seen enough from the two of you that it puts fear into my heart to ask what you mean by that."

"And yet you have."

"I have." Riaku dryly answered.

"I'm dating this really old man who refuses to fuck me because he's guilty about something."

"He sounds like a paedophile with a conscience."

Syryn's sudden laughter startled a flock of birds into the air. "Oh Riaku, I can't wait to tell him what you just said."

"Why are you with an old man when you can be with someone your age?" The prince asked.

"Why not? Older men are more experienced. What about you? You said you wouldn't get married this lifetime. Are you allowed to have sex though?"

Riaku coloured at Syryn's question. "Yes, but it is inadvisable for me to get attached to anyone."

"So you can fuck around no strings attached then."

"We've arrived." Riaku hastily put distance between himself and the teen.