Anton stood at the top of Temur’s Sled as the Weevil trudged through the bright sand, illuminated by the early morning sunshine. The night had been rather uneventful; they had returned to their room and mostly slept, there was nothing for them to do while the Nomads repacked their tents and camp and prepared to leave. Temur did ask them to stay in their rooms as they might become a distraction, especially to the younger amongst their tribe who were always thrusting for adventure and stories of the world beyond the desert dunes.

“Already it’s starting to get warm.” Anton mused. “It’s barely been an hour since the sun’s come up.”

“It is always like this.” Zuhura, standing to his side, softly spoke. “Cold during the night and hot during the day. Unlike...Your city.”

Anton was glad that she was not willing to divulge anything she had witnessed in Atros, nor the twins' true identity as Dark Elves. If she didn’t pass she would have had to be imprisoned in Atros or killed, neither of which felt right for Anton.

“How often do you wash yourselves anyway?” Cetina asked. She stood by Anton’s other side, wearing her Frindal clothes. “I get the feeling that these clothes, no matter how good they are, are going to get a bit...Smelly.

Zuhura looked away. “You get used to it.”

The Sled lurched forward slightly. Above Anton heard a slight cry. Calo and Sheso were already on top, standing at the base of the mast while a Nomad watched from high. While Anton did not have an issue with their presence it did mean their topics were limited.

“How long before we reach the Feral’s territory?”

Zuhura nodded to the Weevil. The ponderous insect slowly trudged through the sand just faster than a job, but the soft sands did nothing to impede its movement, nor did the weight of the Sled. He wasn’t sure if it was even aware that it was lugging around such a heavy weight.

“I do not know the exact time it will take.” Zuhura pointed to a lower level, a well-practiced movement. “Temur would know the route, along with if we need to negotiate with another Tribe to reach the border.”

“I’ll just go check on our mages.” Anton smiled. “See how those two are doing.”

Anton knocked on the door but heard nothing. He gently opened the door; Mezot and Axia were asleep in their beds, however Axia tossed and turned violently. Sweat rolled down her face as her face scrunched up tight in pain.

Looks like she’s having a nightmare...Probably from her time with Trellos’s thugs.

Anton quickly moved to Axia’s side and knelt down. Axia murmured unintelligible words as her head twitched back and forth. Anton gently prodded her shoulder, he didn’t want to hold her hand just in case she was reliving the event and think he was the attacker. At least she couldn’t use magic without her Charm.

“Axia.” Anton gave her a slightly more vigorous shake. “Wake up.”

Axia’s eyes shot open. They swiveled back and forth, scanning the ceiling for something. Quickly they softened as she realized where she was.

“I…” Her body relaxed as she gripped the thin sheet. “I was back there.”

Anton retrieved a small piece of cloth and wiped the sweat from Axia’s face. She smiled as he gave her nose a little tap.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“What can I say?” Axia grunted and pulled herself up so she could sit upright. “I know they can’t do anything to me, they’re dead, Verona killed them, but I still keep seeing it.”

Axia’s shook her head. Her thin nightshirt stuck in places to her damp skin. She picked at her shoulders and freed the cloth.

Anton gently stroked her head. “Do you know that I was attacked and nearly killed?.” Axia turned and stared at him in silence. “They stabbed me dozens of times and almost slit my throat.”

Anton showed her the still raw scar tissue around his wrist. “I even lost my hand, for a time, but I cannot fix this. Regardless, if it weren’t for Cetina I’d certainly be dead. And, even after all the things that I’ve done and seen, I still wake up in a bit of a state.”

I haven’t really thought about it too much, but she doesn’t need to know that. However...I have overheard Verona and Kal talking about me muttering about something, while I toss and turn in my sleep.

Axia had waited patiently while Anton had been thinking, staring at him while he stroked her hair. He gently held her shoulder and held her gaze.

“No matter what you think right now, it will get easier.” Anton squeezed her shoulder. “Day by day. That’s the only way. But it will get easier. You just need to trust me.”

“Okay.” Axia smiled. “It’s not that bad now, actually. It’s just bad when I’m there. But it is better than the first night.”

“If you ever want-”

“I will.” Axia patted his hand.

She looked back to her mother, sound asleep with her face deep into her pillow. She had barely moved since she had fallen into bed.

“How about you do that to mother?” Axia’s smirk widened. “I know she’d love it.”

“Well…” Anton squeezed her nose between his fingers. “You wouldn’t mind me stealing your mother from you?”

Axia scoffed. “It wouldn’t matter if you did. Because we’d be together no matter what.” Axia winked and jumped out of bed. “You just wait until I’m older.”

Axia skipped to the cupboards to gather her clothes.

That’s...That’s a threat if I’ve ever heard one.

While Axia moved to the side portal room to change Anton moved to Mezot’s bed. It was strange to think that one of the most powerful mages he’d ever met, certainly in the continent, was sound asleep and completely defenseless. The conversation with Axia brought back the words of the assassins in Qaiviel, how they had apparently killed Mages before and he doubted they had any issues with killing them in their sleep.

Why did I just think that?

Anton gently poked Mezot’s head. Beneath the loose blonde hair, she began to stir. Mezot let out a groan as she hauled herself up, her hair stuck to her face as her eyes could barely open themselves. It took her almost half a minute to realize Anton was kneeling beside her bed.

“W-What’s happening?” Mezot’s body jerked up as she wildly grasped for her staff and Charm resting on the far side of the room. “Where…”

“You are absolutely terrible in the morning. Aren’t you?”

Mezot’s arm almost gave way, she flopped back onto the bed.

“We’re in Frindal...My mana feels…”

“Yes. We’re still in Frindal.” Anton shifted his legs. His Dragonoid feet did not like having all his weight being put through one. “And it’s morning. There’s not much to do until we set up camp, but I wanted you awake.”

“Oh…”

“You’ve slept through most of the night.” Anton smiled. “Even though you were supposed to wake up for a little bit of guard duty. More practice than anything serious.”

Mezot’s eyes began to water. Though Anton spoke the truth he didn’t mind sometimes being alone. Normally he was surrounded by people he cared about greatly but there were times when he just wanted absolute peace and silence, and the desert nights delivered it.

“I...Even now I can’t remember things.” Mezot grit her teeth. “When I’m not even teaching-”

Anton held her head. “It’s alright. It’s fine. Just from now on, I would like for you to get into the habit of being awake sometimes for guard duty. Though someone might think you’re weak,” Anton nodded to her staff resting in the corner. “We both know that’s not true.”

Mezot wiped away her budding tears with her sheet and slowly nodded.

“So get dressed.” Anton gave her loose hair a slight ruffle. “We’ve got another day ahead of us. If we’re not doing anything important I might have you and Axia return to Atros to do…” Anton raised his hand, Mezot frowned and tilted her head. “No. That’s not a good idea.”

“What isn’t?”

Mezot moved her rear towards the pillow as she sat upright. Like Axia, and everyone for that matter, they wore thin clothes inside the room, even though outside was exceedingly cold during the night. The insulation was surprisingly good and it worked both ways, keeping the room a pleasant constant temperature. Mezot’s clothes had almost slipped entirely from her shoulders. The set she wore was not her own and fitted very poorly. It was an odd sight to see a woman’s shoulders without a decent amount of muscle, considering that everyone that Anton currently slept had a considerable build. Nearly everyone in Atros for that matter. Those that were unfit simply would not survive in this world.

“Having you two return to Atros.” Anton tried to signal to Mezot what the problem was but she, as he expected, did not understand.

“Why would we go back?”

Anton clicked his tongue and tapped her shoulder. Mezot looked down but still did not understand. Anton decided to drop the issue, her shirt had not completely fallen away, though she had absolutely zero cleavage for him to look at.

“In case we come under attack.” Anton looked to the roof. “They mentioned something called Blood Vultures. What happens if there are hundreds of the beasts and we need someone that can use large scale magic. Ice or Water Magic, for example.”

Mezot finally understood, not regarding her shirt of course. “It might be for the best. Except I would like to teach again.” Mezot’s face grew softer. “I would like to have a whole class listening to me.”

“You are getting better.” Anton squeezed Mezot’s cheek. Axia emerged in her Frindal garb looking quite pleased with herself. “What did you do?”

“Me? I just put all of this on and it fits right.”

Axia spun and let the edges of her long dress fly up. She, like everyone else in Anton’s group, wore tight trousers underneath. Anton did not know what Zuhura wore underneath. It would be incredibly rude to ask, but she appeared to go to bed only without her headscarf and boots.

“I’m glad you’re so easily impressed with yourself.” Axia stuck out her tongue at Anton. “But I need to find Temur and find out more about our current destination. And I can’t do that here with your shirt half fallen down.”

“My wha...Oh.” Mezot quickly pulled her shirt up. Realization washed over her. “That’s what you were trying to...I’m not very smart, am I?”

Anton smiled and ruffled her hair once more. “You’re getting better. Slowly but surely. There’s no other way.”

“I’ll get dressed and head outside.” Mezot yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Anton stood up. “But when you’re ready, find Calo and Sheso. They’re above us. I’m sure they might have a better idea. There’s a Nomad Scout up there so they might have been chatting.”

“Right.” Mezot threw the thin covers away. “I like the fabric but it is a little complicated to put all of this on.”

“I’ll help.” Axia smiled. “I had to ask Zuhura how to do it a dozen times already.”

Anton gave another smile and left the mother and daughter alone. Outside Cetina and Zuhura were talking, stopping the moment they noticed his presence.

“They alright?” Cetina asked.

“They’re fine. So long as the twins are still upstairs,”

Cetina nodded.

“Then we’d better find Temur.” Anton drew and unfurled the map of Frindal. “I have no idea of how accurately this displays distances or all of the places in the desserts. But we can’t have travelled that far.”

“You would be surprised,” Zuhura said calmly. “We have been travelling at a steady pace for most of the night and dawn.”

“Temur will know more. Where would he be at this time?”

“Probably with his family,” Zuhura said. “Breakfast will not start until the Tribe stops for the day.”

“I guess that answers Mezot’s question,” Anton said softly.

He began to walk down the narrow stairs, Cetina and Zuhura close behind. They passed other Nomads, most were still waking up or discussing the work for the upcoming day. It was clear they weren’t planning to do anything whilst the Sled was still moving, but they were planning to stop soon.

Anton found Temur standing at the back of the Sled, silently watching the rest of the tribal convoy stretch out behind them. Most rode on camels or walked briskly as they could through the sand but it was a losing battle. Now they were almost at ground level Anton watched as nomads slowly fell behind.

"Good morning." Temur smiled. Beside him stood Bedes, happier and brighter than before but still a little shaky. The two Nomad women waited behind him, though they did not keep their heads cast down.

"Good morning to you both. How are you feeling, Bedes?"

"Great!" Bedes smiled wildly. "I feel so much better."

"You should not strain yourself too much." One of the Nomad women said softly. "You might catch something else, or require further tending. I know you don't want to be stuck in your bed all day."

Bedes pouted and tore his head away from them, defiantly folding his arms and throwing his head up. The two women chuckled and smiled at him.

"We were wondering when," Anton glanced back to their rooms. "When breakfast would be happening. And how close you can get us to the Feral Beastkin border."

Temur shook his head. "I still don't think you should go there. Too dangerous. But if you're not going to be stopped then...We're planning on reaching a large town near the border, really the only town, and do trading there. But it will take some time. About...fourteen or so days?"

"That's..." Anton looked at the map of Frindal. "That's actually quite a while for how far we have to travel."

Temur shrugged. "We're travelling as fast as we can. It's slower than walking all day but we simply can't go any faster. We're going to have to stop soon anyway, before our tribe becomes too separated."

Temur looked to the mountains jutting out of the sand in the distance. "Thankfully it shouldn't be too much longer to reach the oasis. We will stop there, gather water and rest."

"Do you make this cloth when you've stopped?" Cetina ran a hand over the edge of her headscarf and Zuhura's. "Or do you do it on the Sleds?"

"When we've stopped," Bedes spoke excitedly. "Normally we help get everything ready and then the women weave the cloth. It's actually pretty interesting to watch...But not everyone likes me doing that. They say I'm distracting them from their work."

Again the Nomad women smiled, the silent one gently ruffled his hair. Bedes pretended not to notice.

"We'll keep ourselves away from-"

"Nonsense." Temur scoffed. "Go and mingle with the tribe. Most would be glad to see and hear of the wider world."

"Most?" Anton asked. Zuhura's clasped hands gripped tighter.

Temur scratched his beard, flecks of light brown sand came free. "There are some that don't think you should be here. But, aren't there always? Not so much a problem with you but a problem with your companions."

"I'm not going to attack anyone," Cetina said. "Nor am I going to try and change things."

"I feel like we've had this discussion before," Anton grumbled softly.

"They'll probably just moan and groan." Temur placed a hand on Bedes' head. "Until something good happens to them. Then, and only then, will they change."

Anton smiled. "I know that feeling all too well."

---[]---

Anton watched the Nomads establish their camp from the top of their Sled. In under ten minutes, they had transformed from a long snaking caravan to a sprawling tent city surrounding half of the oasis. The oasis itself was rather beautiful, not just because it was the only source of greenery in an otherwise endless expanse of browns. Four large pools formed the center, with large hardy trees surrounding each pool with thick grasses radiating out for many meters. A few birds darted between the larger trees while lizards and insects ran for cover underneath piles of rocks that formed the edge of the pools. The weevils were allowed to graze some of the grass but were already full by the time the open tents were set up. They were released from their Sleds and allowed to mingle and rest near the water's edge. After a few minutes they pulled their legs underneath their chitonous body and promptly fell asleep.

"They're all tuckered out." Anton tapped the wooden railing. "Does anyone want to explore a little or just rest here?"

Anton was a little surprised when everyone wanted to go explore.

"Someone needs to stay here," Cetina said. "It's just not safe to leave them there."

"I'll stay," Axia said. "So long as something nice happens later."

"We’ll just take the stones." Cetina smiled at Axia. "I wouldn't feel right enjoying myself knowing you are here all by yourself."

Cetina entered the room and pushed the door closed.

"Zuhura? Do you know of anything interesting to look for?"

"We should have breakfast first." Zuhura almost licked her lips in anticipation. "Then we can have a tour around the camp.”

“I wonder if Bedes would do it?” Anton shrugged. “He seemed like he wants to repay us. With his father’s permission, of course. I wonder if those two women are going to follow him...Certainly, since he’s still sick. Even with my magic…”

Cetina emerged and gave a nod. She didn’t look like she was hiding the stones on her body, one advantage of the loose clothes. As they quickly scurried down the stairs the smells of cooking food wafted over the camp. Those that had remained with the Sleds, not just Temur’s, emerged and began walking to a particular type of open tent, one with a small blue flag above the main insignia.

Well, I doubt many of the Nomads can read. Zuhura seems to be a special case.

“Hello!” Bedes stood just beyond the Sled, the two Nomad women at his side. “Do you want something for breakfast? They won’t be cooking forever you know.”

“Communal cooking.” Anton glanced at Zuhura. “To save on firewood...Wouldn’t wood be expensive to burn?”

“We do not use wood to burn.” Zuhura almost looked proud. “Trees are extremely rare and valuable in the desert. To cut them for firewood would be almost sacrilegious.”

Bedes’ minders nodded knowingly, the boy merely tilted his head.

“So they use coal. Only a little and in small pieces. Coal is far more efficient at heating and far easier to transport.”

“Do you have to trade that with the coastal Frindals?” Anton asked as he stepped onto the sand. He felt his body drop several millimeters until the sand could take his weight.

“There are several mines scattered throughout the desert.” One of the women replied. “Some of the smaller tribes make those areas their permanent settlement. At least we are not at the coastal Frindal’s mercy.”

“If they want your products you shouldn’t let them walk all over you.” Anton raised his hand. “But I’m sure you’ve heard this speech before.”

The two smiled. They had indeed heard it before, probably not from some strange Outsider. Without further instruction Bedes began to lead them through the camp, pointing out the tents like an overexcited tour guide and explaining who rested there and their purpose. Most were rather benign but a distant group caught his attention. The tent cloth was far thicker than the rest, with multiple layers flowing to the ground to form an interlocking wall. A Nomad man emerged looking very happy, a woman emerged as she adjusted her clothes. They walked away, hand in hand, as another couple pushed their way through the thick cloth.

“Not a lot of chances at privacy,” Anton said softly. “Not when everyone’s literally breathing down your neck.”

Cetina nudged his side, nodding to the tent. "Wasn't that long, was it?"

Anton saw nothing on her face that even hinted at what she had just said. Anton looked back to the thick tents, another couple were entering while a larger Nomad, his large physique clear even underneath the loose clothes, stood guard.

Not my idea of a place to bed someone. Especially when someone else has just finished using it. I haven’t heard of any sexually transmitted disease, then again I haven’t been looking for them either.

Bedes ignored it, thanks to a gentle push from the two women, and directed them to the nearest kitchen. A small line of people had gathered, thin wooden plates and bowls in their hands.

"Strange this is the first thing that I've seen that isn't communal," Anton mumbled.

"One cannot survive in the desert by being greedy," Zuhura said calmly. "Everything must be used as much as possible, to save wastage and weight. However, we still do have a few things to ourselves."

"A better bed would be nice," Calo mumbled. "Something that lets you wiggle in the night without feeling the wood underneath."

"That would be nice." Sheso slowly nodded. "A few extra sheets would do."

"I'll talk to Dad." Bedes smiled at the twins. "He might be able to help."

As they approached the rear of the line a man waved them to one side and to the front.

I doubt this treatment is for all guests of the Nomads. I did offer to heal anyone that was badly hurt. And it stands to reason that you can't do that on an empty stomach.

Anton flashed a faint smile at those they passed, to try and convey they were not arrogantly pushing their way to the front, not that the Nomads appeared to mind. They were offered bowls and quickly given their breakfast, a selection of hard fruits, cheeses and a small amount of cooked meat.

"Is this made from camel milk?" Anton pressed onto the hard cheese. When he looked up he saw the Nomad women, all of the servers were women, appearing rather apprehensive. "It smells good. I'm not criticizing, just curious."

"It is." The closest woman smiled beneath her veil. "We collect it during the day and let it mature as we travel."

Anton noticed they had slight orange stains on their clothes, yet he had not seen any orange leafed plants in the oasis.

"Thank you very much." Anton smiled.

The others gave their thanks and moved away. They followed Bedes and his minders to a type of sitting area, with raised wooden seats above the grass, overlooking the nearest of the small pools. Women and children were already collecting water, none were bathing. Anton reasoned that it would be very disrespectful to pollute such waters.

Bedes pointed to a cluster of chairs that were unoccupied. He quickly claimed his, the two women sat either side while Anton sat opposite. The Nomad women removed their veils, they were certainly beautiful, and began to eat with their fingers.

"Can you use magic?" Bedes asked the moment Anton sat, almost spraying food from his mouth. One of the Nomad women produced a cloth and wiped his face whilst looking slightly annoyed.

"I am. That's how I was able to heal your illness."

"I've never seen one before." Bedes quickly turned his attention to Mezot and Axia. "Why don't you have a staff and they don't?"

Even though Mezot was in the middle of eating her face came alive at the prospect of discussing magic. Axia gently placed a hand on hers, which relaxed her mood slightly.

"I am...Different to them." Anton smiled as he ate the strong smelling but pleasantly flavoured cheese. "I come at magic from a different angle, if that makes any sense. It means I can do things they can't without a very long time training."

"Like what?"

"Axia." Anton nodded towards her, Axia raised a blonde brow as she continued eating. "Has been a student for some time. How many winters has it been?"

"Most of my life." Axia smiled. "My first memories are in the Royal Academy."

"Wow. Can I become a mage?" Bedes placed the plate of food to one side before leaping forward. "I could do all sorts of amazing things, like big balls of fire?"

Bedes began to act out as if his hands could shoot fireballs. The two Nomad women merely smiled as his energetic display.

"Like that?"

"You would have an exceptionally difficult time doing anything like that in these lands." Anton created a small Fire Bomb above his hand. "There is something that suppresses mana and our ability to use it. Do any of you know why that might be?"

Bedes shook his head. The two shared a look before slowly shaking their heads.

"We have never seen a Mage before." One began. "I have never heard of this before. Perhaps you should ask Temur, or one of the other Elders. Perhaps they might know more?"

"I haven't asked him yet but I will. But it's not like we're completely useless." Anton began to summon a Small Lightning Crow. The bright blue disk and ring elicited surprised looks, even from Zuhura. "I can still do this, relatively easily."

Still uses a hell of a lot more mana than it should. But, like Hazm said, no one here is really ready for something like this.

The Small Lightning Crow emerged from the disk and dropped onto his hand. Bedes hesitantly reached out to touch the creature, it didn't mind either way but his minders were very worried. His fingers touched the birds head, it began to lightly squawk but not unpleasantly.

“It’s really soft.” Bedes chuckled. “Really soft.”

“That he is.” Anton gently stroked the Lightning Crow’s back. “But he can do more than that.”

Anton raised his hands high and ordered the Lightning Crow to fly as high as it could. The creature squawked once and darted into the sky. Everyone stopped and watched the creature fly so high until he was nothing more than a small speck in the clear blue sky.

“That’s…” Bedes frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Anton frowned, he was smiling as he watched the Lightning Crow in the sky. Bedes was looking at Mezot. She stared at the south, her brows furrowed deeply in an unnatural display.

“Something’s wrong.” Mezot muttered. “Something is happening to the south. Something is happening…”

“I thought I could sense something.” Axia murmured.

“I would like to know exactly what you two are feeling.” Anton murmured.

He quickly finished his meal. Cetina, Calo and Sheso had already finished and readied their weapons. Bedes looked very surprised, the Nomad women, for some reason, gave them angry stares.

“You two can glare all you want.” Anton said harshly. “But you’ll be thanking us when they’re the only thing between you and death.”

The two shared a glance but only softened their anger somewhat.

“What do you think is happening?” Anton asked.

He ordered the Small Lightning Crow to observe the south. He could not see exactly what the creature could but when it returned to him he could understand what it saw.

Maybe that’s the sort of thing Mezot and Axia are feeling.

As the Lightning Crow returned Mezot reached for her staff and Charm. She held it tight against her chest.

“Someone is using magic.” She pointed to the dunes and mountains beyond the oasis. “Over there...Can you...No. You can’t tell.” Mezot coughed lightly. “That mountain. Magic is being used right now.”

“Bad?” Anton held his hand out for the bird. “It’s...It’s saying several hundred well-armed soldiers are waiting behind that dune. Wearing...Yellow clothes?”

“Bright yellow?” One of the Nomad women jumped to her feet, her plate loudly dropping to the ground. “What else do they wear?”

“It’s a little tricky to say with this. It’s not a perfect...answer. But I think they were wearing pointed metal helmets. Three points-”

The woman ran away, leaving Bedes in a state of shock. He turned to the one that remained behind.

“What-”

“We need to raise the alarm.” The remaining Nomad Woman said. She rose up, though delicately placed the plates to one side. “Please look after him. We cannot let ourselves be caught by them again.”

“And who are they?” Anton asked, reaching out and stopping her as she ran past. “You need to tell us.”

“The Sana Vākara.” She winced and pulled her arm free. “They’re about to attack us.”

Quickly the alarm was spreading through the camp. Women and children began to flee for safety while the men frantically tried to ready themselves for battle.

“How do you know this isn’t some ridiculous trick?”

“Temur said you’ve never been in the desert before. It would be impossible for you to know of them.”

I could have asked Zuhura. You seem to forget that she is a Nomad, technically.

She gave a tiny nod towards Bedes before running into the camp.

“Better stay with us.” Anton said softly. “There’s no way they’re going to get through us.”

“Do you know anything about these Sana Vākara?” Cetina asked. She began ushering them towards the south, towards the rolling dunes. Anton wanted to enhance his vision but did not want to risk the extreme use of magic.

“Um…” Bedes rubbed his temples hard. “I know they are bad people. Really bad people. Dad doesn’t like them and I don’t think any of the others do either.”

“But why would they want to attack you?” Cetina asked.

I hope it isn’t because of us. Doubtful, since they’d have been lying in wait near the Oasis. That’s the problem with the desert, you know where your prey has to go to resupply.

“I don’t know.” Bedes shook his head. He reached for Anton’s arm. “Are we going to be alright?”

“Of course we are.” Anton smiled. “We’ll show these fanatics just how dangerous mages can be.”

---[]---

Anton frowned as he stood at the top of one of the other Elder’s Sleds, camped at the most southern point of the oasis. “You don’t think everyone running around has alerted them?”

“Probably.” The Elder woman, the one that offered Anton a chance to smoke, shrugged lightly. “There’s no way they wouldn’t now know. But what else are we to do?”

“Are you in range, Mezot?” Anton asked.

Mezot glanced at her Charm. “I...No. I’m too far away. Do you want me to attack them? They haven’t done anything yet.”

The Elder scoffed. “They’ll attack. They don’t have much of a choice.”

“What do-”

A horn emanated from the Nomad Camp. Nomads charged out of the camp riding camels, wearing light armour while the Nomads wielded long lances made from bone and tipped with steel.

“Where do you find such long bones?” Anton asked. “I haven’t seen any creatures so far, just endless deserts and the odd mountain village.”

The Elder smiled. “We’ll be reaching the graveyard in the next few days. You’ll see everything you need then.”

Anton turned back to the charging nomads. The Camels were not as fast as horses on an open field but they were not slowed by the presence of sand. Great plumes followed their hooves but the Camels were not as tame or obedient as a horse, the Nomads had to continuously flog the Camels’ behind to get them to move in a straight line with any modicum of speed. Those that didn’t quickly found themselves falling behind and had to whip their mounts harshly just to catch up.

They began to reach the dune where the Sana Vākara were supposedly hiding. Though Anton trusted Mezot and Axia, as well as he own summon silently perched on his shoulder, a niggle of doubt lingered in the back of his mind.

The air at the top of the dunes shimmered violently, beyond heat rising from the sand, as people began to emerge through. Wearing bright yellow, with three pointed helmets, they stood at the very top of the dune with large crossbows and metal pikes, all pointing at the charging Nomads.

Shit. They’ve got a lot more firepower than the Nomads. They won’t stand a chance.

“Mezot? Can you cast something in front of them? It doesn’t have to reach those Sana Vākara’s but it just needs to stop their charge.”

“It’s at the limit, but I think I can.” Mezot nodded and gripped her staff tight.

Her lips twitched as she chanted a long spell. The gemstones on her charm, still hidden beneath the cloth, glowed bright.

“Tell them to get-” Mezot grit her teeth and slammed the butt of her staff onto the ground. She let out a gasp, like her slamming the staff down was involuntary, trying to hold back a sneeze but could no longer.

“Tell them to come back!” The Elder woman barked at a nearby Nomad.

He had a small horn pressed against his lips, ready for an order. He blew four short burst, the Nomad Camel Riders began to turn. For a brief moment Anton pondered on just how inefficient this system was, with multiple people able to issue orders.

A giant of a man emerged through the shimmering air, easily taller than Cetina, and raised his hand, ready to throw it down and order the hundreds of crossbowmen to fire at the exposed Camel’s rears. The mask twitched up, his hand hovered, as a white mist descended over the sand between them and the retreating camels. Despite the distance Anton heard the creaking of ice as the mist descended and obscured everything.

“I-”

Mezot’s body began to crumple. Anton grabbed her and her staff, holding her weight against him. She looked at him as he slowly and gently lowered her to the ground.

“I used up more mana than I thought.” Mezot smiled at Anton, small beads of sweat were already forming on her forehead. “I can do it again, if you want me to.”

“Just rest for now.” Anton hugged her head. He smiled when he released her and her face was even redder. “Axia? Can you keep an eye on her, please? We might need to move in a hurry and-”

“I’m fine!” Mezot shrugged off her own daughter's hand. Axia stepped back as she rose to her feet, using the staff to support her weight as she stared into Anton’s eyes. “I was just surprised at how much mana I used. I can fight.”

Anton gave a curt nod. “Don’t overdo it. I don’t want one of my Mages passing out from using too much mana. Understood?”

Mezot took a deep breath and looked towards the receding white mist. Anton took that as a yes. When the mist completely vanished the Nomads gasped and shouted words of surprise and awe. A wall of ice now stood halfway up the sand dune, Anton could just see through the heavily frosted ice that the Sana Vākara were just as stunned by the presence of magic.

“Who is actually in command of your warriors?” Anton asked. “It is utterly ridiculous to have multiple people commanding…” He looked to the nearest Sled and saw another Elder, a trumpeter by his side and ready to issue an order. “There’s no way you can fight like this.”

“It has worked for us for generations.” The Elder woman shrugged. “But I didn’t just give an order. I told the Camel Riders that if they did not retreat they would be killed.”

“I…” Anton did not have the energy to respond. The Nomad Tribes military organization was not his issue.

Guess they act independently, only responding to orders if they want to. It wouldn’t work against a determined foe, or...Someone with rifles.

The Nomad Camel Riders streamed past the outer tents and into the camp itself. They were replaced by foot soldiers, like those that had guarded the Elder’s tents, lightly armed and armored but with thick shields.

They’ll stop arrows and bolts but are still light. It’s not a bad equipment for the desert.

Some of the Nomads began to organize the foot soldiers, they had grey hair and deeply weathered skin, it only reinforced Anton’s perception of the loosely organized Nomad forces.

“Now what?” Anton asked.

“The Ice isn’t particularly thick.” Mezot leant against the railing. “They could smash through it easily if they tried.”

Anton saw the pike wielding Sana Vākara’s approach the ice wall. The large man waved his hands and pike tips pierced through the ice. It was only a few inches thick but it was enough to buy them time.

“Ice Wall,” Mezot said softly. “It’s a basic Ice Magic…” She took a deep breath, Axia held her hand as Mezot tapped her feet. “But I used a lot more mana than normal.”

“You always manage to impress me, Mezot.” Anton gently patted her head. “Always.”

Mezot bit her lips as she averted her eyes.

“We have archers-”

The Elder Woman was interrupted by another blow of the horn. This time it came from the Sana Vākara. The pikes smashed their way through the ice and broke the wall. Thankfully it had lured them out of whatever was hiding them. Anton presumed there were five to six hundred.

“That’s a fair few,” Anton mumbled. “But it’s not going to be a problem for us. We just need to lure them a little closer-”

“I can do it.” Mezot tapped her staff. “I still have a lot of magic left.”

“Anton can do the rest.” Axia pulled a worried face. “He hasn’t used any magic yet, so leave it to him.”

“I’ll be fine.” Mezot smiled at her daughter. “I’ll be fine. I want this chance to show just how strong I am.”

“You did more than enough at the Lumber Mill,” Cetina said softly. “It was some of the most powerful magic I’ve ever seen.”

She threw Anton a glance, Anton was not offended to know there was someone with greater magical skill than him.

“I spent most of my mana maintaining the Icicle Tempest.” Mezot turned to the Sana Vākara. “But I have something…I’m sorry, Anton.” Mezot winced. “I’ve kept something from you. I know one more magic more powerful than Icicle Tempest.”

If I recall correctly, you asked if you could use some of your more powerful magic. So I’m not surprised you know still have something hidden away.

“I’m not mad,” Anton said. “Far from it. But…”

The Sana Vākara’s pushed their way through the remains of the Ice Wall and were rapidly approaching. The pikes had been dropped and replaced with spears and large shields, the crossbowmen retained their weapons. Slowly they advanced on the camp, in a tight formation to deal with any Camel charge and their shields raised. Some brave Nomad loosed an arrow. It landed in the center of one of their shields, there was almost no gap in their formation so arrows were just a waste of time and effort.

“I...How flammable are those tents?” Anton asked. “I don’t think you would survive in the desert if they were destroyed.”

“I-”

“I can defeat them,” Mezot spoke with a rare level of confidence. “I want to do it.”

“Just don’t hurt yourself.” Anton gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t hurt yourself just because you want to impress us...If you can, try and leave that big one alive. Kill everyone else.”

Mezot closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I can do that.”

Mezot began to mumble under her breath. Cetina tapped on Anton’s shoulder and pointed to the Sana Vākara. The large commander, at least Anton presumed he was, was shouting orders but could not hear them.

“Cetina? Shake me if something’s about to happen. I won’t be able to tell.”

“Right.” Cetina held his shoulder tight.

Anton enhanced his vision and sight. The commander was much larger than he first thought, though his clothes were loose they covered large muscles and, unlike the others, he carried a mace easily as large as Axia.

“Do not tally, you worms.” He snarled beneath his metal helmet. Through the tiny gaps in his helmet, Anton saw the horribly scarred and burned skin beneath. “Amurka protects us! Their artefacts are weak, they missed their chance to use Irilik's Breath and cannot use it for another day.”

Is that what they’re using to conceal themselves? In these lands, not knowing what magic is, it could easily start a religion...Could they be buying stuff from foreign lands and palming them off as divine? I’m sure that has never happened before…

The commander looked to the rear. “Hurry up and bring the Cloak of The Sun forward! I don’t want them to charge and know where we are. None of you bastards are dying under my command except by my mace!”

Is that caring or genuine hatred?

The shimmering air descended along the frozen dunes and began to swallow the rear of the Sana Vākara’s lines.

“Now or never, Mezot.” Anton removed his enhancements. “If that field reaches the front we’ll have no idea where they are.”

Actually, it might not work from above, but how many foes do they have to fight that have flying mounts, or bombers?

Mezot’s whispers increased in pace as shimmering air reached halfway point of the Sana Vākara force. Anton readied his own magic, as many tethered Flame Pillars as he dared, but Mezot finished her spell. The Charm glowed unimaginably bright before dimming nearly instantly. Mezot coughed harshly and threatened to fall forward. Again Anton held her, along with Axia while Cetina held her staff. Calo and Sheso looked on with worry, unable to do anything.

“Too much…”

“That was really foolish of you.” Anton healed her, taking a considerable amount of mana. “I should have just used mine.”

“I returned to the deeper sections of the library after you left.” Mezot smiled. “I...I found a book.”

The air above began to turn white above the Sana Vākara. Anton’s heart dropped, thinking about the portal that brought the Beast-kin to this world.

“A book of Ice Magic, one I’ve never seen before. It taught me...Things.” Mezot pressed her weight onto the railing. “It doesn’t use much mana as a single barrage of Icicle Tempest but it normally takes five Mages, but...I thought I could do it on my own. It...Was a lot harder than I thought. I felt my lungs burn and I couldn’t stop-”

Anton gently slapped the back of her head. “And if you’d been killed…”

Mezot said nothing, it looked like she didn’t even notice his light strike, and watched the glowing light with excitement. Out of the white light, five concentric circles emerged, each with interweaving mathematical symbols synonymous with Principle Magic. Snowflakes rained down from between the circles. For a moment Anton thought Mezot had just tried to summon a creature but the circles did not spin. The Sana Vākara stopped and looked up. Their Commander began to order them to retreat but he could not. From the ground a thick sheet of ice surrounded him like a hollow cylinder, freezing those nearby inside the ice, some partially. The Commander tried to smash his way out but could not break the ice.

Anton was almost disappointed when the white disks disappeared. So too were the Sun Walkers. Immediately they turned to freeing their commander, ignoring the changing sands beneath their feet. In a second the ground erupted in ice spikes, covering nearly a hundred meters around the imprisoned Commander. The Sun Walkers were torn apart and thrown into the air, screaming as they flailed wildly as they approached the sharp ice spikes. Anton heard winces as they died on the ice.

“Frost Cage.” Mezot breathed heavily. Her eyes were barely staying open. “Surrounds a target and destroys everything around it.”

“Very powerful.” Anton shook his head. “But I could have done something like that without having to risk yourself so much.”

Mezot looked at him confused. “But you said you wanted the Commander alive? I’ve talked to Verona about what you can do...And I don’t think you could.”

Cetina raised a brow. Again Anton was not offended, rather he was a little happy that Mezot was taking the initiative to learn about others, though it was only regarding magic.

“When will that magic disappear?” The Elder Woman asked. “How-”

“Who did that?!” A voice shouted from below. “Was it our guest?!”

Anton looked below and the Nomad Warriors were looking up at them in a mixture of awe. Their weapons hung loosely by their sides.

“It was Mezot!” Anton shouted down. “She was the one to do this. One woman was able to kill hundreds of your foes with barely lifting a finger.”

The warriors started muttering amongst themselves. Quickly they began to chant, only a single word as they thrust their weapons into the air.

“Mezot! Mezot! Mezot!” They chanted, quickly spreading throughout the camp.

“Is…” Mezot looked at Anton, a deep frown on her face. “Is that for me? Are they thanking me?”

Anton tried with all his might to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Of course they are.” He gently rubbed her back. “Do you know anyone else called Mezot?”

Mezot turned to her daughter. Axia smiled and gave her two thumbs up. Mezot smiled at her then to Anton. Never before had she received such acclaim or applause, and it was from people that seemingly hated women in the front line. Zuhura, silently standing at the rear, motioned for Mezot to wave at the chanting warriors. Mezot raised a shaky hand and waved. The chants grew even louder, interwoven with chants and shouts that Anton did not understand.

“Now what do I do?” Mezot chuckled nervously. “I’ve...Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.”

“Bask in it for just a little bit.” Anton smiled. Everyone around him nodded seriously. “You’ve earned it.”

Mezot continued to wave, enjoying the unrepentant adoration.

---[]---

The Sana Vākara Commander grunted as he was thrown before the Tribal Elders, bound, bloodied, beaten and stripped of his armour. His face was indeed heavily burned but only the front of his face, suspiciously stopping at his chin and just before his ear. It looked quite deliberate.

“Wretched Kafir.” The Commander spat on the carpet. “You and your kind deny Amurka’s blessing and wallow in your blasphemy. Walking through his lands without offering your blood or toil. You are not deserving of your life.”

Anton shook his head, glancing at Zuhura. “You weren’t kidding when you said they were crazy.”

Zuhura glumly nodded. “They are.” She looked at the Nomad Elders, standing well back from the prone Sana Vākara Commander. “But this is one of the most extreme I’ve ever seen. To burn your skin is to show devotion to Amurka. The more you burn, and the more prominent, the higher your devotion.”

The Commander turned to them but Anton did not even have pity or anger for the man. He quickly turned away and back to the Nomad Elders when he realized there was nothing for him to gain.

“Fascinating.”

Anton glanced at Mezot. She was doing well, considering that she had all but depleted herself of mana. She stared blankly ahead, like she had literally drained all of the strength from her body. Which she had, in a sense. It could have been what happened to a Principle Mage but he didn’t like it either way. His other companions stood with her, except for Cetina and Zuhura, who stood by his side.

“What are you going to do with him?” Anton asked loudly. “If you’re just going to kill him I want to know about the artefact he used.”

He waited until the muttering Nomad Elders stopped talking, led by Temur, and paid him their full attention.

“He claimed Mezot’s magic came from something called Irilik’s Breath. I wish to know more about what he used.”

The Commander tried to spit at Anton but it stopped short of his boots. Cetina growled at the man, he was not intimidated but he didn’t know just how strong Mezot was.

“Do…” Temur rubbed his beard. “Do we actually want him?”

“We could trade him for resources from the Sana Vākara.” An Elder offered. “Think of the money and materials we could get. All the wood we could possibly want, even-”

“Wood?” Another Elder scoffed. “They could have killed us all and you want some trees?”

“They’re very difficult for us to acquire.” The first Elder mumbled softly. “We need to repair some of the sleds, the wood is starting to break from dry rot. We-”

A female Elder raised her hand. “You’re forgetting the most important thing. We’ve finally worked out how these things are able to attack the Tribes and get away with it.”

“Is this a common thing?” Anton asked. “Nomad Tribes being attacked?”

“Not really.” Temur sighed. “But it does happen, from time to time. But they’ve always said the attack seemingly comes from nowhere, regardless of how many scouts they have.”

“Lucky that you have two Principle Mages with you.” Anton nodded to Mezot and Axia. “Otherwise you’d have been a victim of...Whatever this man wanted to do with them.”

“Your children are innocent-”

Anton saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He thought Mezot was running at the Commander but he saw a flash of blue. Zuhura. She ran past Anton and kicked him with all her might, her soft boot striking his head. The Commander laughed as she continued to kick him, though she was using every ounce of strength he simply ignored it.

“Little bitch.” The Commander laughed as he rolled onto his side. “Is that the best that you can do?”

Zuhura snarled and drew the small blade from her sleeve. Now the Commander looked a little concerned. Anton lunged forward and grabbed her arm. She glared at him and continued to try and stab the Sana Vākara. Anton was much stronger and wrestled the blade from her hands. Zuhura glared once again, muttered something under her breath and stormed back to the others. Cetina kept her within her sight as the Nomad Elders slowly returned to their bickering.

Zuhura’s old enough to have had a child...Or at the very least witness something terrible.

“Stupid girl.” The Commander shook his head. “Women-”

Anton loosed a small lightning bolt into his leg. He screamed as his body spasmed.

“Shut the fuck up.” Anton kicked his head with all his might. The soft boot connected with his nose and it cracked. Now the Commander cried out in true pain. “You’re just lucky that she didn’t hit you properly. Or try and poke your eyes out.”

“Fuck that hurts!” He tried to hold his bloody nose but could not. “Hereti-”

Anton kicked him again. This time he did not speak again, even as the blood poured out from his face.

“Are you going to be a good boy now?” Anton asked.

The Commander bared his teeth but slowly nodded when Anton threatened to kick him again. Cetina arrived at his side, along with Calo and Sheso, all three had their weapons drawn. The Commander was off-put by the presence of women with weapons.

“Where is the artefact that allowed you to hide, like you disappeared in a veil of shimmering heat. Where is it?”

“How should I know?” The Commander spat out another wad of blood. “You put me into the Irilik’s Cage, then dragged me here when you smashed it down. How the fuck am I supposed to know?”

Anton flexed his hands. “I should have just done this rather than waste my breath.”

He signaled for the three to ready their weapons as Anton stepped around and held the back of his head. The Nomad Elders stopped talking and watched him as he chanted a Truth Prayer. Anton asked the question but the man did not know where the artefact was. Anton smiled and shook his head.

“You honestly don’t. But that’s alright. We can search the desert again. What does Amurka’s Cloak, or whatever you called it, look like?”

The Commander struggled against the magic but, as ever, no one could resist its compulsion.

“Amurka’s Cloak is a large black box with gold lines over its exterior, each corner is tipped with gold and has a small red gemstone in the middle.” He slammed his face into the floor. “Fuck your accursed abilities. How did Irilk bless you with such strength?”

The Commander’s eyes almost wept. “How? I have sacrificed so many in Amurka’s name and I have not been blessed like so many have.”

Anton almost felt a moment of pity. Almost.

“You burned yourself so you could gain these powers?”

“Yes…”

“These...Blessings. How do they manifest?” Anton knew he still held the back of the Commander’s head.

“Like the lightning you struck me with.” The Commander did not seem to notice or care that his words were being compelled. “They beseech Amurka for fire or light and it comes to them, whatever they asked…”

“Did they ever have something like a metal disk on them?” Anton nodded to Mezot and Axia. “Something like those?”

The Commander’s eyes narrowed. “I...I saw one of the priests with something like that. Why? Is that what you need to receive a god’s blessing? Give it to me!”

He tried to stand, Cetina but a boot in his chest, hard.

“Don’t be stupid.” Cetina shook her head. “You’re already in a lot of trouble. Better not make it worse for yourself.”

The Commander scowled but did not fight again.

“It’s alright.” Anton removed his hand. “But I think you were duped. It’s not surprising, actually. You’ve never seen magic before. Do you even know what it is?”

The Commander frowned but said nothing.

“You, and most of your...Order, or whatever you would call yourselves.” Anton took a deep breath. “They tricked and enthralled you with displays of Principle Magic. Those artefacts, of Amurka or Irilik or whatever, are just Principle magical devices. That’s why they activate when you touched the gemstone, not whether or not you were devout. That’s not something divine, just a magical artefact you could buy in Graterious or Bebbezzar with enough money.”

Anton did not know if one actually could but it had a terrible effect on the Sun Walker Commander. His body lost its strength, the realization that he was being tricked sapped his strength.

“Then let me...” The Commander frowned. “Zaffar. That bastard. He was controlling Amurka’s Veil.”

“And was he killed by the ice?”

“How should I know?” The anger returned to his face. “You put me in that Ice...When I find him I’ll find out the truth.”

“Truth?” Calo asked softly.

“If you’re talking shit or not.” The Commander shuffled on his side. “Or if you’re nothing more than filthy Kafirs!”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.” Anton said. The Commander looked puzzled at him. “We’ll find his body and the artefact. But that’s our problem. They are your problem.”

Anton pointed to the Nomad Elders. They had finished speaking amongst themselves, clearly they had come to a decision.

“If we ransom him,” One of the quiet Elders began to speak. “He will tell the Sana Vākaras and their Fanatics what happened here. About us...And our guests. There will be no end of this if they receive word of this. So…"

Realization washed over the Sun Walker Commander. “You can’t do this to me! I am not someone that you can just barter-”

Anton lightly kicked his rear. “I think you should understand what’s about to happen to you.”

---[]---

“Stop this!” The Sana Vākara Commander yelled again. “You Kafir’s dare to touch me?! You dare to touch my sacred skin!”

Cetina leant close to Anton. “Looks like he doesn’t care about his life potentially being a lie anymore.”

“We cling to our past when we’re facing our death.” Anton softly replied. “At least that’s what I think we do. I hope to never be in such a position.”

The Sana Vākara Commander thrashed and raged against his bonds. Eight Nomad Warriors were required to properly restrain the giant of a man. He had been stripped down to his underwear, a simple loincloth, to reveal an incredibly muscular body. Most of the Nomads were lean so he was quite the monster for them. Nevertheless, they were able to corral him towards one of the smaller oasis pools. Hundreds upon hundreds of Nomads, men, women and children, had gathered to watch the spectacle.

“How are they going to kill him?” Sheso asked. “There are simpler ways than...Whatever it is they’re doing here.”

“A knife works extremely well.” Calo added. They stood behind Anton, along with Mezot and Axia, Mezot appeared to be a little better, while Cetina and Zuhura stood beside them. Zuhura had said nothing regarding her outburst but none had inquired.

There are only a few possibilities after all. No one has that much rage for no reason, for a woman to use a weapon before the Nomad Elders…

An elder moved to the highest of the rocks surrounding the oasis and the crowds dimmed to a whisper.

“Sana Vākara!” The Elder’s voice was not particularly loud but the silence of the crowds amplified its effect. “You threatened our tribe, for your despicable fanatical faith, to raid us for spoils of war, for resources and our people. For that you are sentenced to death by drowning.”

The Nomads cheered, the Sana Vākara Commander tried to rage once more. The eight Nomads began to drag him away from the oasis, towards the west of the camp.

“Why…” Anton tilted and scratched his head. “Why did they bring him here? Just to lead him away?”

“Water is sacred to us.” Zuhura said loudly. “Do you think they would pollute an oasis with his body?”

“No. I suppose not.” Anton retained his frown. “But...Are they going to drown him in sand?”

Zuhura looked to the dunes. “That...That would be interesting.”

The Nomads surged along with the captive Sana Vākara Commander. Anton followed, as he was curious to see what they were going to do. He moved to a nearby Sled, the Weevil sleeping silently and ignoring the ruckus. The guards barely glanced at them before stepping aside, even though they were nor Temur’s.

“Do we really want to watch this?” Cetina asked. “He’s going to die no matter what. Why does it matter how?”

“I’m just curious,” Anton said. “But once that’s done we want to find that artefact. Mezot? How much do you know about…”

Mezot was still in a slight daze. She blinked once and her eyes focused once more.

“Once we all calm down we’ll get you a Karak fruit. That should help.”

“A what?” Mezot frowned.

“A fruit that restores mana,” Cetina said as she led the way to a vantage point on the Sled. “That’s what Kal told me it was. Not much use for someone like me to eat it.”

“You never told me about this.” Mezot smiled.

“They’re still in Atros.” Anton reached the railing. “But they’re a lot better than potions. Now...Where is that man?”

The Sana Vākara Commander now stood just before the snow still affected by Cetina’s Ice Magic. As the sun continued to rise, as did the heat, the ice was beginning to melt away, leaving the edges as wet sand. The center was still covered with the ice spikes, stained with blood and bodies with a small path carved through to the broken cylinder at the center.

“Just let me wander in the desert without food or water!” The Sana Vākara Commander shouted. “Far more simple than whatever stupid thing you Kafir’s have planned!”

Hundreds of rocks flew at his head. Most missed but those that connected hit hard. Those restraining him shouted and ordered them to stop, it took almost half a minute for the last of the stones to stop.

An older Nomad brought out a large box and another an even larger water skin. The Sana Vākara Commander kicked and struggled but was forced to kneel. The box was opened and separated into two halves, both with a circle cut out on opposite ends. They wrapped a thick piece of white cloth around his neck, covered it in a yellow liquid and fastened the box around his head. His desperate screams and pleas fell on deaf ears. He tried again to break free but the Nomads did not let him get far. His box covered head crashed onto the sand but did not come free, the eight Nomads lifted him back up without worrying about the positioning of the box.

“Oh.” Anton covered his mouth. “I understand now.”

His words were, perhaps, a little redundant, as everyone else had come to the same conclusion. He was held still and water poured into the box and sealed it with a circular piece of wood covered in the yellow liquid. The Sana Vākara Commander was freed of his bonds and allowed to thrash about violently as he desperately clawed at the box. His fingers desperately pried at the cloth around his neck, desperate to make a hole and drain the water. Blood and flesh covered his fingers but he could not make a hole. All of the Nomads watched in silence as the thrashing slowly ebbed. Finally the Sana Vākara Commander stopped struggling and fell over, throwing up a small plume of sand around his body.

“That’s pretty harsh.” Calo didn’t know what type of expression to make. “I think a knife would have been better.”

“But it sends a message,” Anton said softly. “The Nomads here will tell others. I doubt this is something they do regularly.”

A Nomad checked his body, gave a curt nod to the crowd and slowly they began to disperse, leaving the half-naked man to lie in the sand with the box still on his head.

“Wow.” Anton shook his head. “They really want to make a statement with that. I wonder if the Sana Vākara will try and come through here, looking for their missing soldiers. Just to find...Him.”

Anton turned away and summoned three Small Lightning Crows and threw them into the air. “Now, let’s find this Amurka’s Veil.”

---[]---

Mezot bit onto the large Karak Fruit. She cared not for how many of the Nomads were watching them as they stood in the open space in the camp. Immediately her eyes widened as energy returned to her body.

“I didn’t know there was a fruit that could restore your mana.” Mezot continued to nibble on the fruit, now like a hungry rabbit. “It’s good too. Far better than any potions I’ve ever had.”

“A…” Anton glanced at Cetina. “A witch planted it in Atros about forty or fifty winters ago. It produces a lot of fruit but we’re having trouble getting new ones to grow. But that’s another problem for another time. Right now we have this.”

Amurka’s Veil, or whatever the magical device was actually called, was significantly larger than he had first thought. The black box, with its gold trim and edges, and its red gemstone at the center, was the size of a small table rather than something handheld, like Anton had first expected. The Small Lightning Crows had managed to spot something half-submerged in the desert sands that was not visible from ground level. After asking some Nomad Camel Riders to investigate they found the device. They also discovered two dead Sana Vākara, not killed by Mezot’s magic but from being submerged in sand. Part of the dune had collapsed and covered them in several feet of sand, crushing their lungs in an extremely unpleasant death. Anton pushed such thoughts aside as he looked at the prize.

“This is ours, by the way.” Anton glanced at Temur. “Payment for dealing with the Sana Vākara.”

Temur smiled and raised both of his hands. “Please. By all means, take it. We have no use of it.”

“I’m sure you could sell it,” Anton said idly. Bedes approached the large black box, his minders quickly pulled him back. “I’m sure it’s safe to the touch. The Sana Vākara wouldn’t have used it if...Oh. They might have still used it even if it shaved off your live with every activation.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Temur softly replied.

Sheso ran her hand over the edge, following the golden line. “Imagine this at…” She glanced at Temur. “Home. One of these, if it could cover Atros. Nothing would know that we were there.”

“It’s certainly a good idea.” Anton slowly nodded. “Not even having to fire a single arrow. So long as we can work out how this thing actually works.”

Axia shrugged and tapped the red crystal with the butt of her staff. The golden lines glowed and a wave of distortion washed over Anton’s vision, like he was staring through extremely hot air. It was gone the next moment.

“I meant more than that.” Anton shook his head at Axia. “Like how it actually works.”

“I know.” Axia smiled at Anton.

Mezot, having finished the Karak Fruit, held her staff in her hands and approached the device. As she studied the lines Anton heard shouts from the Nomads around them. Like a wave radiating out from the black box they began to look around in surprise, those behind them stopped and stared until they too were hit by the wave of distortion. Once inside they could see normally and carried on with their day, thinking it had been just their imagination.

“Looks like it stopped.” Calo held a hand to her brow. “About two hundred yards away.”

“That’s pretty far.” Anton stood behind Calo and looked over her head. “You’re right, it doesn’t appear to be going any further.”

The Nomads walking by stopped and stared at the distorted air. Anton did not know what they were seeing, probably that half of their camp had simply vanished behind the shimmering air. Some stuck their heads through and realized what was happening, there were also Nomads nearby to tell them everything was fine.

“If only we could make it cover a city.” Anton turned back to the box. “Then it would be unimaginably useful.”

Mezot continued to gently run her hands along the black surface, her fingers following the golden lines as they travelled along the sides.

“Anything, Mezot?”

Mezot did not reply, she looked like she was lost in one of her trances, and tapped the red crystal with her finger. The light dimmed on the artefact and the distorted light and air washed over them from behind and into the red gemstone.

“Mezot?”

Anton moved to her side. He looked back, Cetina and Axia shrugged while Zuhura looked on blankly. He nudged her side, Mezot twitched and realized he was there.

“Have you found anything?”

“Yes.” Mezot smiled and quickly scratched her nose. “I don’t know much about magical constructs, but this is an extremely well built and designed to last.”

“Could you make another one? Or something bigger? I remember you saying that you could make more Charms.”

Mezot nodded. “I can make more charms, though...It will take me some time to make even a Training Charm.” Mezot coughed. “But something like this is beyond me. If...If I were to acquire some books on constructing magical devices I’m sure I could. But we can’t go back…”

Mezot looked to the Nomads nearby. Their cover story was they were researchers from Graterious. If they knew they could not return easily it would throw a huge amount of doubt over their cause.

“To get more books.” Mezot smiled, pulling her staff close to her chest. “Bebbezzar might have something.” She leant around Anton to look at Cetina. “But I don’t know if it’s necessary, or how expensive it will be. I don’t think we have that much money...You have that much money.”

“It’ll be fine.” Anton patted her shoulder. “But I don’t want it to interfere with your other work. Teaching.”

“I understand.”

“But we’ll be keeping this in Temur’s Sled,” Anton said. “We won’t be activating it. If we did I’m sure someone would get rightfully upset. How much longer will we be around this oasis?”

“We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.” A Nomad said. “The Nomad Elders are certain that Sun Walkers will come looking for their force, sooner or later.”

Anton looked to the west. “I’m sure they’ll figure it out. Probably best just to bury him in the desert.”

“Let’s get this into our room,” Sheso said. “It doesn’t have much use here. Mezot? Did you find anything to say who actually built this?”

Mezot shook her head. “No. No insignias or markings. It was probably built so no one could tell where it came from. Especially…” She looked at Anton. “If they didn’t know this was Principle Magic and not something from the Gods.”

Cetina took one corner, Calo and Sheso the other side while a Nomad helped with the other. As they began to take it away Anton’s thoughts drifted to Zuhura. She still looked rather annoyed, even after the death of the Sana Vākara Commander. Mezot followed the box while Axia walked by Anton’s side as he dropped back to Zuhura.

“Are you feeling better?”

Zuhura looked at him. Her lips quivered beneath her veil.

“I…” Zuhura took a deep breath. “The Sana Vākara are most prominent in the north of Frindal. Their strength relies on the coastal cities and the vast populations...There is an area along the southwestern coast where no cities have been founded. Too dangerous and unstable. It acts as a barrier to their...Conversion.”

Sounds a bit like The Church of The Holy Father. They didn’t...No. They kidnapped children.

“My sister was taken by them.” Zuhura threw Anton a glance, judging him for what type of expression he would show. “I know she’s dead...But I have not forgotten what happened.”

“That man wasn’t the one?” Axia asked softly. “Was it?”

“No.” Zuhura smiled. “And it wasn’t Sultan Hazm or anyone like that. I was very young...But I remember them calling us Kafir, when they held us hostage and forced us to convert. My sister did not and was killed.”

“That…” Anton did not know what to say, or if there was anything to say.

“My father brought our warriors back and killed them. But she was already dead.” Zuhura lightly shrugged. “I just despise them.”

“And yet Hazm tolerated them in his city?” Anton asked.

Zuhura shrugged again. “I know he would love to have them gone. But...But he simply can’t, not without massive issues. He’d likely be killed...There’s nothing he can do. For now.”

“Maybe one day we can interfere with that.” Anton smiled. Zuhura frowned and tilted her head. “I don’t think anyone should have to go through something like that. Though Hazm might not be able to do anything about it right now, perhaps...An Outsider can interfere? So no one has to go through something as horrific as that again.”

Zuhura silently stared at him for some time. Finally she looked forward as a flurry of activity moved past them, men and women carrying foods and fresh fish, some still wiggling.

“What’s happening?” Anton asked.

“A feast!” A young Nomad laughed. “We survived a terrible threat thanks to you, and we didn’t lose anyone! That’s something worth celebrating.”

“At least that’s what the Elders said.” A female Nomad threw her male companion a look. “Any excuse for a chance to eat and drink.”

“You have alcohol?”

“Of course.” The Nomad Woman smiled beneath her veil. “Do you honestly think the Frindal’s don’t drink? They just do it in their homes. Not that we haven’t run into the odd group of people stumbling into our tents. Men and women too…”

“And you’re invited, of course!” The young man nearly tripped on the grass, the woman grabbed his back and nearly fell over herself. “Thanks. But of course you’re coming. You’re the guests of honour.”

“I wonder if Mezot’s going to be the guest of honour?” Anton mused. “Again?”

“Again?” Zuhura asked.

“Again.” Anton smiled. “She’s wined and dined with the Imperial family of Graterious, invited to the debut of the next princess. I’m nowhere near as important as that. I’m lucky to know her, such a powerful Mage.”

“She’s the happiest I’ve ever seen.” Axia smiled wildly. “So much adventure and excitement with you, though I know she would prefer spending all day in her books.”

“Strange that she has come so far…” Zuhura said softly.

“It is.” Anton patted Axia’s head. “Just how well does your mother handle her alcohol anyway?”

Axia only returned a smile.

---[]---

Anton rested against the mast at the top of the Sled as dusk began to settle over the deserts. Beneath the Sled the Nomad festival continued, even though it had been going since midday. Praises had been heaped upon them, Mezot actually, along with offerings of gifts, food and marriage. Anton had intervened when the offers became too aggressive and intrusive. Mezot was very thankful as she did not know what to do with so many people asking her questions. The free flowing alcohol did not help matters, while Cetina did not drink the others did and Anton was more than a little disappointed they were so weak to alcohol. He had them go to bed before something bad happened, he did not trust all of the Nomads, and were currently sleeping beneath him with Cetina standing guard, along with Temur’s warriors on the lower levels with Anton giving them explicit warnings to not let anyone reach them otherwise they would face his and Mezot’s wrath.

Something howled in the distance, coming from the center of Mezot’s handiwork but did not stop the revelry for more than a few seconds. The ice had melted in the snow and had mixed with the sand, along with the blood. Small desert creatures and the Blood Vultures had come to feast on the dead. All eyed each other and the Nomads but were more than content to gore themselves.

I suppose I should head back to Atros for a bit. See how everyone's going there...If only I could split my body and mind. Multiple bodies...That would be incredibly useful.

His thoughts were interrupted by the light footsteps coming up the ramp. Anton was somewhat surprised to see Mezot appear, and no one else.

"A bit more excitement than what you normally had, right?"

Mezot nodded. "Most days I did not get a chance to use any magic." A smile slowly formed. "But with you...I seem to get that chance quite often."

Mezot’s face was slightly reddened by the alcohol. She had partaken very little of the harsh smelling liquid so it had not affected her greatly. Part of him wanted to see how Mezot when she was absolutely inebriated but today was not to be that day. She took a deep breath before sitting next to Anton, close enough for their shoulders to touch. Anton shuffled away an inch to give her some space but Mezot closed the gap instantly. The wind rustled the leaves of the oasis, a few birds were startled and began squawking.

“Thank you, Mezot.” Anton gently placed his hand on Mezot’s head. “You did really well today. If it weren’t for you there could be a lot of dead people. A lot of dead people.”

Mezot slowly nodded. As Anton began to remove his hand she reached back and gripped his wrist tight.

“Okay then.”

Anton continued to gently stroke Mezot’s head. Her breathing began to grow harsher, a slight mist left her flushed lips.

"Cold?" Anton knew that she was not.

Mezot did not answer.

"If it is I've still got some room under this cloak." Anton raised his arm and the cloak. "If-"

Mezot moved closer, but not underneath his arm but onto his lap, facing away. A faint redness crept up her ears.

Every part of her is soft. Her rear, legs and back. Everything...

"If you do something like that to me you know what's going to happen. Right?"

Mezot nodded once and refused to turn around.

“Even if it took...Then I’ll just have to get an answer out of you the old fashioned way.”

Anton grabbed Mezot’s thin waist and spun her around. Her eyes were scrunched tight. Anton poked her nose, only then did she open her eyes.

“You’re a cute and adorable woman.” Anton smiled as he gently held her waist. “Have you ever been told that?”

“No.” Mezot shyly averted her eyes. “No I haven’t...I’ve been called many things but never cute.”

“Then I’ll call you cute as many times as you want.”

Mezot squirmed in his arms.

“Mezot.” Anton waited until she looked at him. “Mezot. I like you, not just as a student and teacher, or travelling companions, but as something more.” Anton held her trembling hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. His other hand gently pushed back her headscarf. “You never doubted me when I said that I could help you, nor flinch or recoil when I showed you my tail and feet. You agreed to help me with my wild plans and even come with me to these strange lands. You are the most interesting Principle Mage I’ve ever met, and I love the way you become so excited by anything related to magic. Not to mention I thought you looked absolutely beautiful in that yellow dress. It was honestly quite hard for me to look away.”

Mezot pursed her lips as she tried to remain calm.

“So...I’ll just outright ask. Will you become mine and join my family for the rest of our days? I promise that I will always be by your side no matter what, never hurt you and will always love you.”

Mezot completely froze. Her eyes locked onto his for almost thirty seconds in perfect silence.

Did I overdo it? I don’t think that Mezot has much experience with men, especially with displays of affection.

Mezot’s head jumped back slightly.

“I…” Mezot blinked. “You...You want me? As a woman?”

Anton resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he cupped her cheeks and brought her in for a kiss. Mezot tilted her head up at the last moment and leant up to meet him. To say that Mezot was inexperienced would be an understatement, but she was extremely gentle and willing to follow his lead. Her hands gripped his shirt as she gently whimpered with every touch of his tongue. When Anton parted Mezot gasped for air, her face flushed but not just from embarrassment.

“You do need to breathe.” Anton gently stroked her back. “But does that answer your question?”

Mezot brought a hand to her wet, flushed lips.

“I...Don’t know yet.” Mezot looked away.

Who would have thought that you, of all people, could act coy?

Anton kissed her again, more gently this time. Mezot essentially melted into his arms. Her hands remained on his chest but she started to crawl forward onto his body to where her stomach rested against his bound tail. She pulled her stomach back but did not stop kissing him. Finally they parted. Mezot slowly pushed herself upright.

“Yes…” Mezot smiled faintly as she looked down. “Yes...I do.

Anton quickly kissed Mezot. “I thought you would say that. Otherwise you wouldn’t have sat on my lap, would you?”

Mezot looked away but Anton caught the barest hint of a smile.

“But since you’ve agreed to become a part of my family.” Anton wrapped his arms around Mezot’s waist. A hand reached just above her rear. “There is something that we need to do. Do you know what that is?”

Mezot nodded furiously. “I-I do. I know how it…”

Anton smiled as he gave her rear a gentle squeeze. He stopped, leant to one side and squeezed again. Unlike the others, all of whom were very well built but still soft, Mezot had almost no muscle. To say that his fingers sunk into her flesh like marshmallows was a severe understatement. It was an experience he had never thought possible. His fingers simply sunk into her flesh, yet at no point did it lose its softness or elasticity. Truly, he had discovered something quite incredible. As he continued to massage her rear, gently squeezing, pulling and massaging, Mezot laid her head on his shoulder, softly cooing and whimpering with every movement.

“This...This is a pleasant surprise.” Anton gave her rear a hard squeeze, Mezot jumped slightly, before letting go. “I think I could play with this all day.”

“I thought you preferred…” Mezot looked down at her non-existent chest.

“I do like them.” Anton smiled. “But I like this too.”

Mezot almost rolled her eyes.

“It would be wrong for our first time together to be here.” Anton looked up to the stars. “Though I won’t deny that it’s beautiful tonight. But it really should be in a bed. Somewhere where we can have some privacy.”

“But everyone’s down there.” Mezot’s shoulders dropped slightly. “I don’t know how loud I’ll be. It’s…” Mezot laughed nervously. “It’s been a while.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Anton gently started to rise. He helped Mezot up and kept his hold of her hand. “We have somewhere we can have some privacy. But...You understand that, since I am already with Verona, Kal, Cetina and Rasha…”

Anton shook his head. “If only people from my world could see me now.” He coughed softly. “I cannot just dally with anyone. Not that you’re just anyone.”

“I understand.” Mezot smiled. “But...Does that mean we’re returning to Atros?”

“Absolutely.” Anton began walking towards the ladder. “I want to tell them face to face. Though...For our first time it might just be you and me.”

Mezot’s face reddened but she did not hesitate to follow Anton down.

---[]---

“Not what I was expecting.” Verona, wearing her soft winter night clothes, cracked a smile. They all stood in their home, pleasantly warm compared to the night chill outside. “But I was wondering if you would ever sink your teeth into Mezot.”

“You make it sound like a terrible thing,” Anton replied.

“It’s fine.” Kal, standing next to Verona in her slightly thinner night clothes, smirked and shook her head. “I don’t think Mezot’s going to follow The Rules.”

“Rules?” Mezot asked softly.

“Nothing too serious.” Kal took Mezot’s hand. Mezot almost began to start to inspect her Beast-kin hands. “Basically...Don’t do anything bad. Only with Anton and not trying to stop anyone else...I think you understand.”

Mezot nodded furiously.

“They’re going to be alright over there?” Rasha asked. She wore a thick shirt and shorts, her build meant she didn’t need much else. Sleeping next to her was quite hot. “In case something happens?”

“The twins are more than capable of defending themselves. And the door is locked and barred.”

Cetina nodded. She wore her Frindal clothes, she did not wish to change when she would be returning shortly. “Even if it collapses in a few hits it’ll give them time to escape. If we need to return to Frindal the long way we don’t actually lose anything.”

“True.” Anton folded his arms. “But I certainly hope that won’t be happening.”

Verona clapped her hands together. “Enough of work stuff. Normally your first time,” Verona smirked. “We would all be there. But your first time is special, so it shouldn’t be ruined by a whole bunch of us trying to be involved-”

“Like mine?” Rasha raised a red brow. “You couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.”

“Can’t normally,” Kal said softly. Cetina nodded in agreement.

Verona scoffed. “Whatever they think they can.” Her face softened as she held Mezot’s hands. “Don’t be afraid to tell him to go calm down if it’s a bit much. He can be a bit of a brute at times. This is all about having fun.”

“Thanks, Verona.”

Verona smiled softly. She brought Anton down for a kiss and whispered into his ear. “I knew you would get one on your own. I haven’t done a thing.”

Anton returned the kiss.

“I’ll tell you all what happened later.” Anton kissed Kal. “But I think it would kind of ruin the moment.”

“You already are.” Kal shook her head. “But I don’t know if we even have a spare bed here. And even if you are I think you’re going to keep us awake.”

“And lure us.” Verona leant against the wall. She frowned softly as she rubbed her protruding stomach. “Both of us need our beauty sleep.”

“I…” Anton smiled. “I think Bebbezzar might have some Inns that we could use. A few late night travelers wouldn’t be anything too amiss.”

“It’s not that uncommon.” Cetina shrugged.

Anton beckoned for her and Rasha to come close, he gave them both a quick kiss.

“We’ll see you both in the morning. I spoke with Temur during the festivities. Tomorrow we should be nearing the first of many sites where the spices grow.”

“You don’t need to barter with us.” Verona smiled as she dismissively waved them away. “We’ll see you two in the morning. No more delaying. It’s going to be hard enough to find an available Inn on such short notice in the middle of winter.”

---[]---

Anton, wearing a thick cloak over his Frindal attire, stepped into the large room, the largest the Inn had. It was well furnished and supplied with a selection of drinks and dried foods, but those were of little importance. So too was the cost. It was not hard to find an Inn with an available room but the price was quite high. Not that it was a problem that a gold coin couldn’t solve.

Mezot followed him in. She didn’t look like she was having doubts, only that she was very nervous.

“This looks very good,” Mezot spoke idly. “Better than my room in the Royal Academy.”

“It’s still upsetting to hear that.” Anton shut the door.

“Yes…” Mezot stopped before the side of the bed. She bit her lip and placed a hand on the thick cloth. “It...Um. Feels very soft.”

“Only the best.” Anton smiled. “You haven’t had to sleep rough yet. It’s not that bad, all things considered.”

Mezot looked at the bed and bit her lip. Anton took her hand. It was hot but she was undeniably nervous.

“This is not something to be afraid of.” Anton gently removed her hood. “It is something to be enjoyed.”

“It’s been a while.” Mezot smiled bitterly. “Really not since my daughter-”

Anton held a finger to her lips. Mezot kissed and began to suck on his finger. He only wanted to make her stop her talking, from panicking, but this wasn’t a bad result. She continued to draw his finger into her mouth, wrapping her tongue around his fingers while keeping her clear blue eyes locked straight on his.

“Are you sure about that?” Anton gently stroked her head as Mezot continued to play with his fingers, pulling his hand deeper into her mouth. “You…You seem to know what you’re doing.”

Mezot pulled his finger away, licking away the few strands of spit that were left. “I wanted to do it. Did...Did you like it?”

“I did.” Anton kissed her forehead. “Very much so.”

Mezot tried to suck on his finger again but Anton stopped her. She frowned but held his hand.

“Is this all you want to do?” Anton asked.

Mezot shook her head.

“Then…”

Anton removed Mezot’s cloak and let it drop to the ground. Mezot moved an inch down, to pick it up, but stopped.

“How…” Anton gently cupped the side of Mezot’s head. “How do you remove these clothes? Looks like you have to crawl your way out of them.”

“It’s not that hard.”

Mezot stepped back and removed her ice blue shawl. A small toggle lay underneath so it would not slide off when she moved. The other layers of cloth did not come off so easily, Mezot had to pull the bottom hemline up and over her head. Anton started to chuckle as Mezot wiggled back and forth to remove it. Anton helped and pulled the outer cloth off.

“Thanks.” Mezot stepped back. “It was much easier to get on…”

Anton was quite surprised by what Mezot was wearing underneath. The light blue and intricately detailed tight cloth on her arms and legs covered her body right up to her torso, a tight band of gold cloth were wrapped tight to stop it from slipping down. Her torso was covered by a thin pair of shorts and a shirt, also made from the same material but not as tight on her body, though not by much.

“That is...Incredible.” Anton placed the cloth on the end of the bed. “Did you choose that?”

“I thought it was the prettiest.” Mezot tried to cover her reddening face. “I…”

“It is beautiful.” Anton pulled her close. “But I want to see what’s underneath.”

Anton quickly removed her shirt and clothes. Mezot was just as flat he first thought, not even a slight rise over her small pink nipples. The rest of her body was surprisingly slim as well, a perfectly flat stomach without any sign of muscle underneath that Anton was used to, until his eyes reached her hips. They flared out significantly to some surprisingly thick and soft thighs. She looked down as Anton threw the clothes away, she ran her hands over them and sighed.

“Don’t do that.” Anton pulled her in tight, one hand on her chest and another on her rear. “All breasts are beautiful.”

Mezot pouted. “Not when I don’t have any.”

Anton kissed her and gave her rear another squeeze. Without the cloth it was even softer, despite the lack of muscle it was still quite pert.

“Incredible,” Anton mumbled. “Utterly incredible.”

“Please…” Mezot whimpered into his neck. She began to kiss his neck, working her way up to his ear.

“This is something for us to both enjoy.” Anton unfastened the toggled holding the few remaining pieces of cloth onto her body. They dropped to the floor, there would be time to worry about cleaning up later. “So you let me know if I’m going too fast or doing something you don’t like. Okay?”

Mezot held onto Anton tight as he placed her on the bed. Her hands reached for his clothes and tried to pull them free, a wry smile formed on her face. She opened her mouth to speak but Anton kissed her into silence. Her hands wrapped around his back as she began to grapple with him, trying to push his clothes off with her feet. Anton just hoped Mezot would not be too loud tonight. Being yelled at, during the heat of the moment, was not something either wanted.