“Don’t touch that you idiot! Seriously brother, keep your hands from wandering and just focus on your job.” Apollonius slowly drew back from the dark purple flower, stepping away as his sister approached. Mera with her gloved hands slowly and very carefully reached for the flowers stem, paying special attention not to touch any of the thorns.

This purple flower was difficult to find and only grew in mountainous and hilly regions with plenty of forests, the waters running down from the mountains had the possibility of creating muddy ground and marshes where insects thrived. Various such poisonous insects exist, but the Karati Beetle is special, the creature itself is not toxic, but the things it consumes normally are. It is those beetles that like to make their hives in such regions which spawn this purple flower, commonly known as the Karati Shadeleaf.

The lethal poison which coats its thorns originates from the beetles whose excrement carries the toxins, which the plant tends to extract through its roots and concentrate. It is this concentrate which is highly sought after by alchemists, apothecaries, and assassins alike. Mera herself was beside herself in excitement, ecstatic at the rare find, yet another dangerous ingredient to experiment with; for now, she would safely pack it away and dry the leaves for later use back at camp.

“Mera, we need to be heading back to camp. Malakos and the others will probably require my assistance to move the logs, and uncle Timeaus is always on our back to not run off… What if he informs mother on us?” When mention of their mother Leucena was made Mera finally showed a reaction however involuntary it may have been. The girl couldn’t help but shiver, the irrational fear driven into both her and her brother at a young age, their mother always being the stricter and more physical of both parents. That was the case before their father’s untimely death, she was tamer now than she had been in the past, but she was still not one to be trifled with, a fact both unruly children knew very well.

“Alright, fine. Let’s head back.” Mera was reluctant to leave the treasure trove of fauna behind but had little choice in the matter as her brother was correct in his assumptions. “Hold on one second, let me just tie up our catch, can’t leave this behind.” Apollonius walked off toward a tree a few feet away, hanging from its upper branches was an adolescent bear. The brown bear had been struck with two arrows in its chest, with its throat having been sliced open. Blood had pooled below the hanging corpse, the roots of the tree soaking up the nutrients provided as Apollonius cut down his catch and strapped it to a nearby wooden sled before taking the reins and marching toward the forests edge.

The brother and sister duo made their way out of the forest and into the open plains just south and to the west of the hilly and mountainous region that was their ultimate destination. It was early in the day, with only a day having passed since they had initially arrived in the region of the Kallithene Hills. A location which offered multiple levels of elevation, this was mainly due to the way in which the mountains intersected the plains below, the leaders of the convoy had picked a specific hill closest to the mountains. An ideal location due to the tiny streams created from the runoff from the mountains which protected the left flank, steep hills on the right flank with only one avenue of approach which was the steep central slope, which started gentle but quickly became a constricted, winding path.

It was this path that the duo was currently traversing, they had already passed through the open plains which was around a twenty-to-thirty-minute leisurely march from the edge of the surrounding forests. As the two trudged up the rocky elevated pathway they passed dozens of others, men, women, and children, all members of the convoy, both Temrenosian citizens and those that had joined along the way. Everyone was currently in the process of contributing, digging small trenches, preparing foot sized wooden stakes, creating more arrows, or simply helping tend to the wounded or preparing dinner.

“Apollonius, you look better every time I see you. How well you have grown… and what is this, have you brought us all a feast for tonight?” Before they had even reached the halfway point a familiar face had come down to meet them. Malakos was accompanied by his usual two young male attendants, both of whom were openly eyeing Apollonius as if staring down a rival.

“Well brother I am in a bit of a rush, have to see to the health of the patients after all… Bye.” With an impish grin gracing her lips Mera hopped away, her brother unable to escape as the Malakos threw his arm over the young man’s shoulder and dragged him away. Although his tastes were obvious, the Medean never forced himself upon those he favored or anyone for that matter. Merely turning up the charm and remaining incredibly persistent, it would never work on Apollonius, of that Mera was certain.

The younger girl could’ve have helped, made up some excuse to drag him to help with her patients, but it was much more fun in her eyes to observe her brother’s obviously troubled and despondent look. “Have a good time brother!” The girl’s sing-song laugh did not match the words emerging from her lips, a dichotomy that was difficult for any observer to reconcile.

The surroundings were filled with prying eyes, some filled with disinterest, others with a bit of curiosity, still more with a hint longing towards the beauty; a fast majority however were merely confused. Eventually as the girl continued up the path towards the camp the stares dissipated, returning to focus on the task of preparing for the coming fight. It was not much longer before Mera reached her ultimate destination, a small plateau that led further in towards the naturally formed mountain pass cutting through the surround Naulos mountain range.

Situated nearer the top of these sequences of hills and cliffs, the camp rested upon a flat plateau which appeared as if a blade had sheared the top off one hill, leaving a mostly flat patch of dirt, grass, and rock. The plateau was wide enough to accommodate six carriages lined side by side, Malakos and Timeaus had agreed on a standard circular formation instead. Each of the wagons were placed one behind the other, creating a wagon circle encompassing the majority of the central area of the plateau, with enough room in the center to accommodate everyone not on night watch or patrol to lay out their furs.

Mera’s destination lay on the other end, the central wagon closest to the pathway through the mountain, supposedly the safest position. As she crossed along the outer edges of the circular plateau, she made sure to greet the many people hard at work. A group of soldiers were hard at work hefting a single log up the slope of the hill, every so often stopping to rest, keeping the heavy trunk in place using thick iron stakes restricting it from rolling downhill. Rope harnesses encircling the log were attached to the largest men allowing them to use their entire body in pulling the heavy object, why they even needed such a thing was still a mystery known only to the Scholar and those few in charge of the defensive preparations.

As Mera casually made her approach towards the rear of the camp, the image of a staff entwined in flowers came into view, the head of which was a silver mortar. The Scholar referred to it as a sigil, an image meant to signify something of importance, like a guild or noble houses heraldic coats of arms. Staffs were often associated with medicants and traveling doctors, flowers the source of many poisons and antidotes as well as healing salves, and lastly the mortar which is associated with alchemical production.

With the development of the School of Medicine in the capital and the propagation of medical concepts during the Scholar’s time as minister of the court, the sigil of the medicant has spread far, enough that even common countryside bandits understand the value of a living medical specialist and try to avoid harming them if possible.

“Quick he’s waking up! Get me some stew and a skin of water right away! We need to make sure he does not hurt himself or others before the medic returns.” It was just as Mera came into earshot of the medical carriage that she heard voices yelling out. There was only one patient at the moment between the two that had even the possibility of awakening. No doubt the Champion was stirring, as the primary medical specialist while the Scholar was away, it was her duty to ensure the safety of her assistants and patients.

The girl wasted no time, rushing towards the covered wagon and hopping up onto the sideboard and flipping open the rear. Mera pulled aside the canvas peeking her head in and allowing the sunlight to stream in, illuminating the boy opposite her. His perfectly muscled body covered in scars that marred an otherwise pristine surface. He wasn’t much older than her, barely a year or so, yet his frame could be compared with a young man twice his age. His skin was a nice blend of light and dark, sunbaked, bronzed like a perfectly molded work of art.

Mera appeared for an instant to be at a loss for words, luckily for her none of those around the two seemed to notice. The unexpected and sudden awakening had caught everyone off guard, patient included, as his wounds were not expected to heal as rapidly as they had. For his part the boy had yet to say a word, apparently content with maintaining the dumbstruck reaction upon witnessing the girl with the sun streaming from her back.