“Damned heat.” Loric wiped the sweat off his forehead for the umpteenth time. The wood of the carriage was thin and didn’t keep much of the scorch outside.

“Hang in there.” Rane mumbled without looking up from the books on his lap. “We’ll be arriving today, I heard.” After witnessing Ravenlock’s memory and getting the books he needed from the Cradle, he would use all the free time he had to study the symbols. It was difficult to decode what the ever-changing glyph said, even with the aid of the manuals, but he was making progress. They were specific instructions that, along with Ravenlock’s experience, would allow him to use the infusing technique.

“I hope so.” Loric huffed, flapping his shirt for some cold relief. “You’ve been stuck to these for weeks now.” He leaned forward to ruffle Rane’s hair. “Weren’t you gonna train your magic with me?”

“I’d rather not do it with the soldiers nearby,” Rane whispered back. “Can never be too cautious.”

“Up to you.” Loric shrugged.

Rane was about to reply when a hint of grief struck surfaced in his mind. It took him a few moments to realise it wasn’t his own. This one was childish, innocent and fearful. The kind of grief he didn’t get any more. It got a bit stronger as the carriage moved, a bitter taste that tickled the tip of his tongue. There were people in the wilderness, he could tell. They could be in danger.

“Stop!” Rane stuck his head out the window and yelled.

The soldier up front narrowed his eyes, leaning to the side to hear.

“Stop the carriage! There’s someone in the forest!”

The man raised a hand to the carriages following behind. “Halt!” he bellowed, almost bursting Rane’s eardrum. “Person in need of aid!”

Rane retreated back inside as the horses trotted to a stop. He carefully placed his books and the journal under his seat and tried to focus on the grief in his mind. Ever since he experienced Ravenlock’s senses as an Empath, it was almost like he had found new ways of using his own. Perhaps he could figure out a location.

“What did you see, boy?” Loric asked.

“I didn’t see anyone,” Rane mumbled, “but I felt them.”

“That weird power of yours has grown it seems.” Loric got off, carriage slightly tilting from his weight.

Rane planted his feet on the wet grass and took in the earthy scent of the rain-drowned soil. He walked back and forth, trying to grasp which direction made him feel the most. The trees here were far apart, making it easy for him to see a small line of darkness leading deeper into the forest. Were his senses actively leading him now?

The soldiers stared at him perplexed, but to their merit, they volunteered to accompany him deeper into the forest. Two led the way alongside Rane with their weapons drawn, while the others – about half a dozen– followed close behind. The grief and its manifestations only grew more prominent as they headed deeper into the forest. They were close.

“There!” One of the soldiers pointed to the party’s left.

“Blights.” Rane followed the soldier’s finger to a little girl sitting next to a tree. His gaze skipped over the body the first time. It was so covered in dirt and malformed that the shape was hard to make out.

Rane tried hard not to look at whoever it was that lay next to the girl. He approached her cautiously, extending a hand. Grief surrounded her, along with confusion. “Hey…”

The girl turned to look at him. He saw then that she was an Ashfen, the white of her skin hidden under bruises, burns and grime. She held his stare for a few moments, her eyes glazed over and reflecting the foliage above, then went back to playing with a dirty doll that she held. Rane knelt next to her, holding back tears. The grief he felt now was his own. He brushed the dirt away from her face and examined her. No more than five years old, she couldn’t be. Why was she here? He couldn’t understand. The poor thing probably couldn’t understand what was going on either. She had not left the body’s side.

“I won’t hurt you.” Rane wrapped both arms around her and gently picked her up. She offered no resistance.

“What are you doing?” A soldier stepped forward with furrowed brows.

“We have to take her with us.” Rane started walking back the way they had come. “We can’t leave her here.” Some soldiers shook their heads and looked at him with furrowed brows, but none stopped him.

“Not like that. You’re gonna hurt her.” Loric quickened his gait to match Rane’s and took her from his arms, resting her head against his chest. The ashfen seemed to relax a little. “What do you think happened?”

“She has burn marks on her face and arms.” Rane titled his head and brushed a hand against her skin. “It’s not an animal that did this. Maybe they were ambushed by bandits.”

“What are ashfen even doing this far from Andren borders?” Loric stroked his beard. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“I know…” Rane mumbled under his breath. “Nothing does any more.”

Rane and Loric got back inside their carriage with the little girl in tow. They did all they could to clean her and feed her with some fruit they had. Rane was happy to see that she didn’t refuse food, but he couldn’t get her to talk to matter how he tried. He didn’t want to push her too hard either. After a couple of hours, she had calmed enough to fall asleep on Loric’s lap. The little toy never left her hands. It used to be a wooden horse, probably, but now it was too damaged to make out. Rane leaned his head against the wood and watched the trees and land passing him by. They would be to Danira in minutes, he could tell. A lot of emotions lay ahead, and most of them were negative. Dread, anxiousness, pain, the city was boiling in them.

The horses neighed and slowed. Outside, the ashfen that were lining the road opened the way for the carriages to pass. They were burned and injured, most of them, wearing rags and carrying heavy sacks with their belongings.

“What in the world is happening?” Loric caught on as well, waking from his half sleep to look outside.

“I have no clue.” Rane struggled to come up with an explanation. Why would people that had been forced from their homes travel so far to foreign lands? Not to mention a nation that viewed them with hostility. The faces that looked up at him as the carriage rolled to Danira were different. Some filled with worry, others with rage or envy. Rane didn’t turn his head away from the stares. He met each and every one and took it all in. This was what he had vowed to change. This was his duty.

Further ahead, the line had stagnated, and so did the carriage. The soldiers had to yell and wave weapons around to get the crowd to disperse enough to allow the horses through. Rane used the chance to observe the refugees more closely. Different clothes and skin colors, ranging from an ashy gray to pure white. Very few wore jewelry on their bodies. Some rings, and a few necklaces.

Rane’s gaze drifted to one and his body shivered. Marked on the neck of a woman like a tattoo, he saw the head of a black snake. Leylin’s mark. The pieces started falling into place. Leylin had been testing a disease for ashfen. All these people… They didn’t willingly leave their homes. They were chased out.

“Ah…” Rane gripped his legs and tried to control his breathing. His disgust for the man burned in his chest once more. Leylin alone had caused this much suffering and agony. It was his fault, and his fault alone. Hatred spread around his body, like thick black cuts across the air. He should have killed that bastard when he had the chance. He should have–

“Hey!” Loric snapped him out of it, making the little ashfen on his lap flinch a little. “Relax! If the ashfen are liping up outside then Danira is not turning them away. At least not all of them.”

“That’s not my issue.” Rane covered the ashfen girl with a blanket. It probably wouldn’t make a difference. “They carry a disease, many of them, and I doubt Danira has a cure.”

“A disease?” Loric narrowed his eyes. “How can you tell? Nobody seems sick to me.”

“I was there,” Rane whispered, “when it was made.”

“You think it was Leylin?”

“I don’t think it.” Rane tried to find the woman with the marks again, but she was gone, lost in the crowd. “I know it.” He could see Danira’s white walls extending upward. Nowhere near as tall as the capitals, but impressive nonetheless. Returning to his birthplace after all those years brought him no joy. Not with such heartache pouring into him from every direction. The horses halted and Rane heard the soldiers talking up front.

“You two, come down.” A guard clacked his spear against the carriage’s window, drawing their attention. “What’s the purpose of your visit?”

“We’re apprentices of the Elne family, here to study local herbs and animal life.” Rane used the excuse Ellin had suggested. Innocuous and harmless, but still hinting at high status. He reached into his pocket for Veradin’s family crest and presented it.

“Good.” The guard noted something down on his palm. “Coachman says you’ve got an ashfen with you. Have you checked her for marks?”

“She was naked when we found her,” Rane replied, unconsciously holding the girl a little closer. “Didn’t have any marks.”

“Well, don’t let her touch any other ashfen regardless. Sometimes they take days to show,” the guard mumbled with a frown. He glanced over his shoulder at the Ashfen outside. “Chose a bad time for herb studying.”

Rane nodded. “I won’t let her touch anything.” They had already discovered how the disease was transmitted. That gave him a bit of hope.

“Bad time indeed, it seems,” Loric replied. “How long has this been going on?”

“Started about two weeks ago, I reckon.” The guard lifted his helmet to wipe some sweat from his forehead. Exhaustion and frustration fought on his face. “They come in waves, the ashfen. This one’s from… uhm... “ The man consulted his palm. “Thindor.”

“Did any of them say why they left?” Rane asked.

“Plenty talk, yeah.” The guard leaned a bit closer to the window and lowered his voice slightly. “The emperor’s gone mad, they say. He stationed a small brigade in a northern town and burned everything from there to Silyran borders. More than thirty cities razed to the ground without warning.” The man shook his head and spat. “Damned monster. His soldiers kill on sight, that much I know. They even burn the bodies. These poor bastards are all that’s left.”

“Horrible.” Rane clenched his fists. The Emperor might be ruthless and barbaric, but he wasn’t quite insane. He was trying to stop the sickness before it spread, and he didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his own people to do it.

Another guard whistled and the carriage started moving again. “You stay safe!” The guard said hurriedly, tilting his helmet in their direction.

The interior of the city felt different. While the refugees outside were stagnant and languishing, every person within the wall –be it human or ashfen– seemed in constant motion. Ashfen were being stripped naked and examined under Danira’s steel gate. Those that were allowed entrance lined orderly for food, water and clothing under the watchful eyes of Daniran troops. Despite the crowd and the number of people, tensions seemed low. It made sense, considering even the briefest touch could mean infection. Rane stuck his head outside, to get a better view. Archers, most of them anxious, lined the top of the walls, bows at the ready. “It does feel like war.”

“Are you worried?” Loric asked. “About your family?”

Rane chuckled softly. “Honestly, after all this time I’ve lost hope of finding them.“ He paused and looked down at his hands. “I do hope they’re okay.”

The carriage rolled to a stop and the soldier up front knocked on the wood. “City hall,” came his muffled voice. “We get off here.”

Rane made sure he had all his books and belongings neatly packed, Ravenlocks’ journal safely hidden. Loric hugged the girl and kept her close to his chest as he got off. Rane could feel her emotions as she looked around the busy city. She was confused still, but the sadness and grief had lessened. Perhaps she was too young to understand what had happened.

The oldest of the soldiers rounded the carriage to meet them, while the rest of the unloaded their armor and weapons. “This is where we part,” he said jokingly. “You’re good folk.” He extended a hand at Rane.

“You too,” Rane said as he shook it. “Keep the fight strong.”

The soldier patted his chest twice and nodded in acknowledgement before taking off to help his men. Rane turned to the largest building he could see. It wasn’t hard to infer where the city hall was. The place was built like a palace compared to the surrounding city. By the entrance, the sole guard had already spotted them. A quick flash of the Elne crest and they were allowed entrance. The inside of the hall was as grandiose as its outside, with paintings decorating the walls and statues lining the vast corridors.

“Hello?” A woman in a frock locked eyes with Rane as soon as they entered. She was carrying a stack of envelopes, books and notes that reached up to her chin. “Who are you?”

“Mages from Silyra,” Rane said. “Here to study local wildlife and collect herbs. We were told to report to administrator Drayton.”

“Ah, welcome! I would offer a handshake but…” She lifted the stack slightly and smiled. “The administrator is sadly busy these days. The situation is a bit dire as you can see, but I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“A pair of beds would be nice,” Loric said with a deep sigh. He lifted the ashfen up slightly and frowned at her smell. “And a bath as well.”

“Of course! The rooms to my left are all empty. You can pick whichever you like.” She lifted a knee to balance the stack in her hands. “I’ll have someone send food your way as well, but you’ll have to do with a smaller portion, as we’re a bit short.”

“That’s fine,” Rane replied. He would give his portion to the ashfen girl as well. Who knows how many days it had been since she last ate?

“Alright then, I should go.”

“One last thing,” Rane said. “Is there an infirmary? Some place you keep the ill?”

“Yes, some of the old barracks have been repurposed.” She answered with mild confusion. “Don’t worry about avoiding anyone. The disease does not spread to humans. You can go about your business normally.”

“Oh, I don’t want to avoid them!” Rane gave her a smile of his own. He had been given a chance to undo part of the harm Leylin had done, and by the Arbiter he’d take it. “I plan to heal them.”