Zaniyah laughed loudly to herself as she ran through the flowered fields. She spun about, looping her arm with Vincent’s. Her foot hooked into the back of his knee, and with a tug to his arm, she tossed him to the ground. Then she stood triumphantly above him, hands on her hips.

“Not bad, eh? Told you it would be no time at all before I’d be as good as new!”

Vincent responded by elbowing her knee. Zaniyah let out a yelp of pain as Vincent pulled her to the ground and rolled on top of her. His ponytail had come loose in the process and his curls were now whipping about in the breeze.

“Gloating is a weakness,” he replied in an amused manner.

Zaniyah watched his hair blow about. She loved how the color glistened in the sunlight. “What’s the fun of fighting if I can’t make fun of my opponent?”

Vincent smiled briefly. “We’re far from enemies, Zaniyah.” He leaned closer to her, until the tip of his nose was touching hers. Both of them closed their eyes at that moment. “You are my eternal partner. No matter where we go, we shall never be apart.”

The two of them kissed deeply until they were interrupted by a man clearing his throat. Zaniyah glanced off to the side, only to be horrified to notice that Beat was sitting casually next to them. She began to push and shove at Vincent until she had enough space to sit up.

“Uhhhhh…” Zaniyah gestured between Vincent and Beat. “... I, uhh…” Her brain ceased. “... Huh.”

Beat shifted behind Zaniyah. “This is the way of paladins,” he replied in a husky voice. His teeth playfully nipped at her neck as his arms looped about her body.

Zaniyah let out a confused muffled noise as Vincent leaned in to kiss her again. This wasn’t the way of paladins… Wait, right? It probably wasn’t, but should she complain? Certainly, it would be worse for her to complain now only to find out later that this was completely acceptable behavior.

She felt a sharp tug to her back and the warmth of their bodies disappeared from her own. The sun was suddenly snatched from the sky, replaced by a glowing crescent moon. All around her, plants were blooming. Purple blossoms flourished around big, rounded leaves.

Zaniyah stood up and saw Vincent standing a little ways away. His hair was neatly combed and pinned back, and he was dressed in his finest armor. Suddenly, Zaniyah felt like she was on trial. Guilty of thoughts filled with vile perversions.

“Alright,” she started. “I can explain.” Once more did the gears in her head threaten to come to a grinding halt. “Look, it isn’t my fault! I told Luca that I don’t like that medicine because it gives me weird dreams. It’s not like I’m in control of what my brain decides to think about!”

“There isn’t time for that.” Vincent strode over and took one of her hands into both of his own.

Zaniyah had an ill-thought. This felt eerily similar to when she was struck by the arrow of true faith, when she somehow was able to visit Vincent through his golem.

“Please tell me you’re alright,” she quickly whispered in panic.

“I am well,” he reassured her. “There isn’t time for us to talk.” He said there wasn’t time, yet he hesitated to continue. “I need you to find a child. Find them, and do whatever you can to keep them safe.”

Zaniyah shook her head. “What child?”

There was someone talking behind her. Zaniyah looked away for the briefest of moments, but Vincent vanished the moment she was out of her line of sight. Having nowhere else to turn, Zaniyah began to trudge through the plants and towards the voice.

A woman in a cloak was speaking to the flowers. They had twisted and bundled themselves together in a tall mound in front of her. Whenever she spoke, the flowers glistened and twinkled, as though they were speaking back to her.

“Yes. I am certain she headed north.” The woman put a hand to her swollen stomach. “I can only act if you create an opening for me.” Once again did she pause as the flowers twisted and turned. “I refuse to expose myself any further than I have. The whole point of this was because I wished to return to Grand Temple. I cannot do so if you force me to be the villain!”

The flowers glowed all the brighter, as though they were glistening with rage.

“Most of them have either died or abandoned our plan,” the woman spat back. “I’ll head north with you with a guard. The others will watch the abbey. Know that this is the last time I will help you.”

The woman’s words became muffled. Zaniyah walked closer to hear her, but her legs kept getting tangled in the plants. Her feet became numb, followed by her legs. She fell over, struggling to claw her way free, but the plants were now stretching themselves over her body.

“Luca!”

Zaniyah’s eyes snapped open. Bleariness was quick to abandon her. Luca stood up from his desk, suddenly started by Tish’s loud cry. She was standing by the door. Her hands were tugging nervously at her sleeves.

“It’s missing, Luca!” She spat out frantically.

Luca blinked a few times. He was clearly stunned. “Tish…” He shook his head. “Where have you been?”

“I was trapped in the cellar!” She replied loudly. Tish then grasped the sides of her head. “The last I remember… I, uh…” She shook her head again. “We were talking, then suddenly… I don’t know, Luca! I found myself going to the cellar, then Maurice, he… He asked me for my rosary and told me to go to sleep!”

Luca’s expression shifted from surprise to alarm. “You believe he’s going to murder someone?” Tish bobbled her head.

Tish’s rosary was a traditional Eatha rosary that her mother had given her. It was made from a plant called rosary peas, but the bright red beads were insanely toxic if mistreated. Less than one pea was enough to kill a human being.

Zaniyah struggled to sit up, but the pain made her lay back down. “Where is Vincent?”

Tish clung tightly to her torso. “He’s fine. He was guarding the room where we were having the interrogation. Mister Tardivel knocked him out and brought him to the cellar. The two of us only just woke up not that long ago.”

Luca was already searching for his quarterstaff. “I’ll help with the search.”

Tish flailed her arms about. “No, no.” She rubbed the sides of her head as she attempted to get her thoughts together. “This is all going horribly wrong… Stay here with Zaniyah. We have more fighting experience than you, Luca. We can’t risk you getting hit with one of those terrible arrows! I just wanted to see if you had seen anything… And they’ve already headed out to look for them. I’ll be able to catch up with them quickly on my hammer.”

Before anyone could say anything, Tish had unfurled her hammer and jumped out the window. She dipped down for a moment before the wings of her weapon sprouted, and she rose up in the air. Zaniyah only caught a glimpse of her as she quickly disappeared over the abbey wall.

“... I hate this,” she whispered.

“I could get you more medicine,” replied Luca as a joke. He walked over to her bed and helped her get more comfortable.

Zaniyah put her hands to her cheeks. “I really hate the dreams I have when I take that stuff.”

Luca smiled briefly. His attention was then focused on something on Zaniyah’s nightstand. “Common mallow.” He picked up a bundle of dried plants. “Veximarl taught me about this.”

Zaniyah tilted her head. It looked similar to the plants from her dream, but the flowers had fallen off. They had been replaced by little seed pods that looked like either cheese wheels or buttons.

“What’s it do?” She asked.

Luca put on his best Veximarl impression. “Common mallow is remarkable in that it is rich in many nutrients as well as acts as an excellent demulcent.”

“... Eh?”

“It means it’s good at quellin’ swellin’,” clarified Luca. “Someone must have grabbed this from the herb storage. Let me brew some of it into tea. It won’t give you the dreams that the other stuff gives you.”

Zaniyah waited while Luca brewed a new collection of herbs. After all, all she could do was wait. Time passed, and Vincent was the first one back. He took a seat next to Zaniyah’s bed. A heavyweight was on his conscious, easily visible by the way he sulked.

“He’s dead,” whispered Zaniyah.

“... We believe that Mister Tardivel ordered Maurice to use himself as bait for the slavers. He used Tish’s rosary to poison their dinner. Chester came across their bodies and gave them a proper burial.”

Zaniyah chewed on her lower lip for a moment. It was all she could do to calm herself down. “Where is Udell now?”

“He and Miss Rodanthe have left to make their report to Prince Duxton,” replied Vincent quietly.

“How convenient,” growled Zaniyah between her teeth. Someday… Someday Udell was going to get his due. She was going to see to it personally

Vincent leaned forward in his seat “I had a discussion with Tish. We will make adjustments to this mission. You and I will move faster than a wagon of supplies. We will go ahead while Macestar will be half a day behind us.”

It was for the best. If their letters were being manipulated, then they truly had no idea what was going on in the outside world. Zaniyah nodded at the news. Vincent stared at her for a moment before leaving. The two of them planned to leave at first light.

Zaniyah couldn’t rest. She felt frustrated and useless. Udell had never planned to let Maurice have a fair trial. Once Zaniyah had let that ring slip away from her finger, Maurice’s death was all but assured… If only she wasn’t such an idiot, she would’ve never ended up paralyzed in the first place.

“I’m going to bed.” Luca picked up his lantern. “Unless you needed me to stay? I could sleep in one of the infirmary beds.”

Zaniyah looked up at him. Luca was just as torn up about the situation as she was. “Pfft!” She flashed him a wide smile. “Come on, I’m not a baby, Luca! I can watch myself! Besides, you need all the rest you can get! Like any of us are gonna be able to sleep once we’re back at the barracks. Henry will no doubt shout that we were all lazy butts and make us take extra combat lessons!”

The look of worry on Luca’s face deepened. He struggled to put on a fake grin. “I suppose you’re right.” He hesitated for a moment, as though his body wanted to move but his feet wouldn’t let him. “... Goodnight, Zaniyah.”

“Goodnight.”

But Zaniyah didn’t sleep. She worried that she would have strange dreams again, or worse, dreams of the stories that Maurice told her. It was only when she heard the faint call of birds that she felt some ease, because it meant that she’d finally be able to leave the infirmary.

Vincent carried her downstairs and placed in the back of a small cart that had been loaded up with pillows and blankets. Tish had put in her parasol, so that the sun wouldn’t bother Zaniyah much. It was almost like they were preparing the cart for a noble instead of a cripple, which in no way made Zaniyah feel better.

“Well, uh…” Luca rubbed the back of his head. “Chester and Evan are uh, it’s hard for them to see you off, since, you know…”

They hadn’t visited her in the infirmary. Zaniyah had figured they were both feeling guilty about her accident, so she didn’t worry about it much. “I know in my heart that they care and that is enough,” she said with a firm nod.

“But they did pick you flowers!” Tish exclaimed as she held out a bouquet of wildflowers.

“And what am I supposed to do with those?” Zaniyah asked in a confused manner.

Luca took the bouquet from Tish and placed it on a box of supplies. “They mean well,” he whispered to Zaniyah.

Vincent was standing at the front of the cart. He didn’t know if he should hitch up Flower or Gypsum, as he would be stuck riding one horse while guiding the other. After long deliberation, he carefully backed Flower against the cart. Gypsum was more likely to run off if he wasn’t being ridden.

“We got two days of food, extra medicine, and nothing else!” Luca exclaimed. “Anything else you want?”

Vincent tightened the straps on Flower. “Only to travel as quickly as possible.”

Luca awkwardly flashed him a double thumbs up. “Alright, then!”

Tish waved with both of her hands. “We’ll do what we can to rush, but hopefully we’ll be there tomorrow evening!”

Zaniyah hesitantly smiled. “Yeah! Looking forward to it!” She wasn’t. The only thing on her mind was threatening to murder Iath if he refused to fix her back.

The abbey doors opened, but instead of the cart moving forward, there was the sound of hoofbeats charging in. It was times like these when Zaniyah really hated the fact that she was paralyzed. There wasn’t enough strength in her to be able to look over the edge of the cart, but she did recognize the voice that greeted the others.

“Excellent. You’re traveling light,” said Shaw.

“... Yes, sir,” muttered Vincent. “I see that Flaytongue was able to give their report.”

Shaw nodded. “I will be escorting Zaniyah back to the barracks. Udell sent word ahead yesterday. He believes that Beat will attempt to intercept us.”

Vincent’s hand tightened on Flower’s reins. “... Then I will head north. My return to Duke Sickleson’s estate is long overdue.”

“No. I will not risk my sister’s life to any possible opposition,” retorted Shaw. “You will stay with us until I have deemed our situation to be safe. Likely until after Beat has located us.”

“Because that won’t be awkward,” muttered Zaniyah under her breath. Shaw peeked his head over the edge of the cart. “... Oh, hi Shaw.”

Shaw reached down and grasped onto her shoulder tightly. “We’ll get you help soon,” he whispered. He then let go. “Let us move out!”

The cart began to roll forward, and Zaniyah waved her hand over the edge of the cart. Hopefully Luca or Tish saw that. She didn’t say much to either Shaw or Vincent. It was hard for her voice to carry loud enough for either Shaw or Vincent to hear her. One in a while, she overheard their conversation, but it was difficult to hear what they were saying.

Shaw had sent word to the abbey that slavers may attempt to go their way in search of Sybil. When they heard no word back, they assumed that no one had shown up. It was only after they had received Duxton’s forged letter that they began to worry. Shaw only chose to visit once he was certain that Duxton’s safety was assured.

Other than that, neither Shaw or Vincent spoke to each other unless it was related to their travels. It was around midday when Zaniyah’s letter had connected to someone else's. It let out a buzz as it received a message from Chickadee. He was heading towards her with Beat, partly so he could use his letter to contact her but mostly because Beat couldn’t stop him.

All of them were able to meet up in a town by nightfall. Chickadee immediately crawled into the cart and began squeezing the life out of Zaniyah. She let out a wheeze and hugged him just as firmly. As happy as she was, the sight of Beat’s face had drained all the joy from her. A seed of guilt began to blossom deep within her.

Beat kneeled next to her and put a hand on her cheek. His eyes darkened to black voids as his voice deepened. “We’ll speak later tonight,” whispered Iath. Beat then clutched onto the side of his head as he struggled to regain control.

“It’s okay,” whispered Zaniyah. “We’ll be able to talk later. Let’s get settled in at a tavern first.”

Zaniyah wasn’t able to sit up in a chair, so she ate her dinner in a hotel room. The others ate their meal in the same room. Beat and Shaw were professional in their conversation, talking of missions and business at the barracks. They eventually relaxed and shifted to more casual topics, which either Beat retelling a story he had read Shaw describing a new recipe he had learned.

Chickadee sat next to Zaniyah on the bed. His hand never left hers. He assured her that everything was going to be okay. Veximarl and Grimhawk were certain that they could lure out the spy at Braytons, and it’ll be all over soon. Even though Zaniyah was left feeling torn about the news, Chickadee kept assuring her that they would be alright.

Vincent was the only one who had chosen not to eat dinner with them. He simply stated he would wait for his orders and act upon them in the morning.

After what seemed like an eternity since her injury, Zaniyah thought that she was supposed to be feeling happy. By tomorrow, Iath would no doubt have cured her. She’d be able to walk again. Yet, all she could feel was a looming sense of dread.

It had nothing to do with the fact that she was left out of Grimhawk’s plan. Someone was intervening with their communications. One of them had to have sent her something. Sybil or Alton would’ve forcibly dragged Veximarl to see Zaniyah if any of them knew how bad her injury was. Zaniyah found herself frustrated, but unable to be angry with them.

She couldn’t quite put how she felt into words, which was strange. Zaniyah always knew how to phrase everything. Storytelling is what she did best.

“Are you feeling ill?” Shaw put the back of his hand on Zaniyah’s forehead.

“Just feeling a bit numb,” muttered Zaniyah. “A lot of nothing was happening and suddenly it’s like a lot of stuff has been happening. I’m only now catching up.”

Shaw struggled to smile at her. There it was again. That look of pity that Zaniyah had come to hate so much. “I need to speak with Paladin Highland, so I will be departing now. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“He’s not going to be punished, is he?” Zaniyah asked, worried that Vincent would be in a whole lot of trouble for abandoning his post.

Shaw shook his head. “Both Amalfrieda and Udell felt that his presence was necessary for keeping Macestar calm during a stressful mission. Whatever force encouraged him to head your way was… Beneficial.”

He made his way out of the room, leaving the three behind. Everything quickly became awkward as Chickadee looked about innocently. Zaniyah knew that Beat was searching for the opportunity to speak to her in private, but Chickadee also had no interest in being anywhere else.

“I, uh,” muttered Zaniyah. “I didn’t get a lot of chances to sleep. Were you able to get a room, Chi?” She squeezed his hand and he frowned back. They stared at each other before he nodded his head. “Thank you.”

Beat was busying himself by tidying up the room. He only sat down once Chickadee had left. Rather than look at her, he either stared at the wall or his hands, which he had folded together.

“... This is different.”

“Yeah…” Zaniyah slowly nodded her head. “We normally just meet in a field.” She smiled to herself. “Gonna be a lot harder to do it when I can’t move my legs.”

Beat snickered to himself. “That won’t be an issue for long.”

“So Iath really can fix my back?” Zaniyah nervously looked away, her hands tightening against the blanket.

“Yes, but you must remember that he isn’t a god of healing,” replied Beat. “It won’t ever be the same.”

Zaniyah shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll do anything to make people stop looking at me like I’m some broken toy.” Beat glanced at her. “At least you and Chi don’t look at me that way, but everyone else… I hate it so much.”

Beat laid down next to her. He helped ease Zaniyah onto his shoulder “I will always appreciate the fact that you treat me as an individual,” he whispered. “... But we should talk about what happens next season.”

Zaniyah scoffed at the idea. “What I know is that you’re not getting sent off to war.”

“Indeed. Rebecca and myself are working on a proposal. We wish to form a squad whose purpose is to hunt down those who are still producing the slaver’s rings.”

“I still can’t believe they are killing off priestesses for it. It’s such a weird waste of life.” Zaniyah shook her head. Poor Tish must be terrified to have this threat looming over her head.

Beat rolled onto his side and squeezed Zaniyah. “If that fails, I will have no choice but to disgrace myself by fleeing from the war. The prince will likely find a way to pardon my actions, but I would need to remain in hiding until that time. Regardless of what occurs, it is unlikely that I will ever see you again.”

Zaniyah couldn’t help but laugh to herself. She had the worst luck with men… Or maybe she had terrible taste. “Is that what you were worried about?” Beat nodded. “Pfft. Both of us are going to be fine. Why not just waste what time we have left and have fun?”

“Yes… Thank you, Zaniyah. I’m relieved that you understand.”

She pecked his temple and leaned away so she could look him in the eyes. “So how does fixing my whole back thing work?”

Beat hesitated for a moment. “Sleep. It will be done by morning.”

Zaniyah nodded her head and buried her face against Beat’s shoulder. She drifted off to dreamland and awoke to find that Beat had melted into his “Iath just unpossessed me” form. Sitting up, she suddenly paused.

It was the first time she had been able to sit up on her own since the arrow struck her back. As the realization sunk in, Zaniyah tore the blanket off of her and hopped out of bed. She immediately had to flail her arms about to keep herself from falling over.

Her feet were still numb, like they were asleep. She couldn’t tell whether the floor was cold or hot but that didn’t matter. Zaniyah was standing on her own. Tears began to stream down her face. She hiccuped loudly as she failed to stop herself from crying.

“Are you alright?” Beat pushed himself up. There were bags under his eyes, and he was still bleary from sleep, but his concern was more important than getting his rest.

“Better than alright!” Zaniyah formed her hands into fists in order to pump herself up. “I’m gonna tell Chi!” She took a step forward and fell immediately on her face.

“Zaniyah!”

“I’m alright!” Zaniyah pushed herself in a stand and began to wobble her way to the door. “You just get some sleep and I’ll come get you when it’s time to leave!”

Chickadee’s reaction to seeing Zaniyah waddling about was to immediately bowl her over. The two began to laugh uncontrollably as Shaw loomed over them. He scoffed with disgust and left to pay off their tab.

They began to prepare for a return trip to Braytons. Chickadee had ridden on a horse with Beat, but now he could be in the cart. Zaniyah could ride Gypsum, who they would hitch to the cart. The two were greatly amused and were putting on a show of Sir Zaniyah escorting the dear Princess Chickadee back to her castle. It was only when Beat arrived that the two became serious again.

It was almost time to go, but Vincent was nowhere to be seen. Zaniyah didn't ask where he was. Neither Shaw or Beat mentioned him, so it was likely they didn’t expect him to appear. She let out a sigh. Would it be appropriate to wait around and say goodbye, or should she just go ahead and leave?

Either way, Shaw was busy digging around in their food supplies. “Have either of you seen the buttonweed? Highland had mentioned that you had some.”

Zaniyah tilted her head. “Buttonweed?”

“Yes. I wanted to make sure we had some before we left. It has properties that help with inflammation.” Shaw unwrapped a handkerchief that had a bundle of dried herbs. “It will help with your rehabilitation.” He then shook his head. “Now that I think about it, you should ride in the cart. We don’t know if your legs are strong enough for a long ride…” His face became twisted up by the strange expression Zaniyah was making. “Zaniyah?”

Zaniyah stared at the common mallow that Shaw was holding up. “Button… weed?”

Shaw was confused. “... Yes?”

“Nooooo!” Zaniyah clutched onto the sides of her head.

“I’ll add some honey so it won’t be bitter,” replied Shaw.

“No, it isn’t that!” Zaniyah shook her head back and forth. “Why am I so stupid?!”

It was Maurice! He must have snuck into the room when Luca went out trying to find him! That really weird dream was a warning from him! He left the buttonweed behind so Zaniyah would understand, but she was to stupid to figure it out!

She clambered onto Gypsum’s back and held out her hand. “Chi!” Chickadee didn’t hesitate to take her hand and climb on behind her. “You should go ahead to Braytons and tell them I’m okay! I’m going on ahead to Felsend!”

Beat took hold of one of Gypsum’s reins. “Inform me why.”

“It was Paladin Buttweed!” Zaniyah exclaimed. “He’s the jerk that’s after Sybil!” She knew her friends could handle an elementalist on their own, but none of them were expecting to go against a skilled paladin.

Shaw placed the buttonweed back in the box. “Then we’re going with you. We’re more than enough when it comes to reinforcements.”

“Thanks!” Zaniyah beamed at the pair. “Wait, what about the wagon?”

“Leave it!” Beat exclaimed.

The four of them raced north, hoping that the situation they came across wouldn’t be as dire as the one they were imagining. Some time had passed before it was Vincent’s turn to enter the stable. His hair was a mess, and he had dark circles under his eyes, but it was time for him to leave. Any longer and he would end up owing the inn money.

He looked around. The others had left without him, which was fine. Vincent was planning on separating from them so he could continue his mission up north. Yet… His eyes landed on the cart. A heavy sigh left his lips right before he began preparations to take it back to Braytons. Being the responsible one was simply his lot in life.