Akua glanced down at her hand with wide eyes and gave her a crooked smile. He slid his hand into hers, the smile fading into a smolder. Neira pulsed with nerves, lost in the sensation of their entwined fingers and the weight of his gaze.

She looked away, her cheeks hot. This was dangerous. The last thing she wanted right now was to make a fool of herself. She looked up at him again, fighting to mask the strange desire that welled up inside of her.

"Akua..."

Gobren appeared behind them, and clapped his enormous hands on their shoulders with a hearty laugh.

"Whoa there you two, I know that you are newlyweds but do not forget you have an audience out here."

He paused, a frown crept onto his lips.

"I hate to do this but I must ask Akua to join our shifts for night watch. Now that we are this close to Nopriat it is necessary to be extra vigilant. Aside from the bandits we have all manner of wild creatures to watch for. They won't all be as polite as your feathered friend here." He reached out a hand to Tawny who recoiled with a screech, hackles raised.

Akua slipped his hand from Neiras' and gave Gobren a polite smile.

"Of course. I'll be happy to, it's the least I could do after all your help."

Gobrens' face brightened once more and he slid his arm around Akuas' shoulders.

"Good man! Let us go and see what shifts are left, eh? Then you can rejoin your lovely bride."

The two walked off to join a knot of men standing near the fire. Neira buried her face in her hands, torn between disappointment and relief. She crawled under her thin blanket, Tawny curling up beside her. Neira ran her fingers through Tawnys' thick fur with a sigh. The repetitive motion soothed the turbulence in her mind. Before long she succumbed to a deep weariness and slept.

Akua volunteered for the first watch. He was glad of a reason to be on his own for a while. His face clouded as he looked over toward Neira. He shook his head, as if that would rid him of the unfamiliar longing. She was a human. He could not allow himself to forget the distance between them.

He kept wanting to please her, to see her smile and laugh, and it felt dangerously unrelated to their contract. What did it feel like to fall in love? He had wondered that for years. How do you avoid something you know nothing about? His old mentor had known, but she hadn't had the chance to explain it to him before she was gone. He sighed, looking up into the vast array of stars above him. He could not end up like her.

The hours passed quietly, nothing but a soft wind occasionally stirring the vast ocean of sand. When his shift was over, Akua woke Dyric to replace him. With a groan he separated from Assems' and took his place beside the fire. Feeding another log to the flames, he turned to look out into the night. Akua settled onto the warm sand nearby.

"Not going to join your wife?" Dyric asked with a cocked brow.

"She's a light sleeper, I'd rather not wake her up."

Dyric nodded and fell silent. Akua closed his eyes and let himself fall into a dreamless slumber.

When morning came the fire had faded into a nest of embers to be buried in the sand. Akua and Neira avoided each other, each finding some task to occupy them until they began the days long trek. Neira stuck close to Assem, excited to train with her again.

Assem laughed, watching her fiddling with the hilt of her sword.

"I doubt that I have ever taught anyone quite as eager as you Zora."

Neira colored, a fervid gleam in her eyes.

"How could I not be? It's an incredible opportunity, and I've always wanted to learn to fight!"

Assem nodded, extracting her own weapon with a chuckle.

"Well then, let's get to training."

Neira grinned, clutching her borrowed blade.

"Sounds good to me!"

They crossed to an open space.

"Now then,"Assem began "as I said yesterday there is a limit to what I can actually teach you in the course of two or three days while we are moving. But since we covered how to hold your sword and some of the basic movements yesterday I think we can move on. The next thing to practice will probably be critical for you. Using dirty tricks."

Neiras' mouth fell open. Assem gave her a wink and continued.

"Playing fair in a swordfight is a good way to get killed."

Neira nodded, scowling a bit as she considered the idea. Assem made a fair point.

"One thing to always remember is that the weapon you hold is not the only weapon you can use. The sand or sun can blind your opponent, your arms or legs can strike a vulnerable area while the sword acts as a distraction."

She raised her sword high as if to strike from overhead.

"A big obvious strike like this creates an opportunity for a kick to the groin or knee. Once the opponent is down from that, you have a better chance to finish them."

She flicked her sword out at Neira, twisting into the blow. Neira brought her blade up to block it.

"As a woman, you will be underestimated by men when you fight." Assem pushed her sword along Neiras' and hit it aside with a flourish. "Use that to your advantage. Be unpredictable."

Their swords clashed over and over in a light sparring match as they walked.

"Assem?" Neira paused chewing at her lip. "What if I freeze up?"

Assem stilled her blade, a new intensity in her voice.

"Truthfully, if you do, then you'll probably die, or get someone else killed." She paused for a moment, silent ruminations roaming through her. Finally she shook her head, dispelling the gloomy thoughts and forcing a smile.

"Still, there's no point in getting worked up over that now. All you can do is learn the skills you need and hope for the best."

Neira nodded and focused on memorizing the basic movements they drilled. Every once in a while Assem snuck in a swat with her free hand or one of her feet.

"Remember, fight with more than your sword. You are the one at a disadvantage."

"Right."

Neira tightened her grip and started again. Assem countered her movements with practiced ease, and a natural grace.

"Careful, this is a gentle spar. You don't want to overexert yourself in this heat."

She nodded and loosened her tense muscles. They continued sparring until their group reached the well. By then, the heat of the day was at its peak, forcing them to rest.

After a few hours they pressed on again. There were distant mountains on the horizon that grew larger as they traveled. Everyone grew wary as they came within range of large rocks and groups of trees that could hide bandits.

To get to Nopriat they would have to go through the canyon pass. It was wide enough that they could have travelled with the full canopy, but visibility was better without it. Neiras' skin prickled, a feeling of dread settling into her stomach.

"We can set up camp on the other side of the pass my friends. Not much further now." Gobren sounded cheery but his smile was strained and he watched the shadows as closely as the others.

A low growling chatter came from Tawny. She was focused on a dark gap in the stones. Swords flew from their scabbards as she darted forward. There was a scream, and then a crunch before Tawny popped back up with another dead rabbit hanging from her beak.

She trotted back with her prize, amid relived laughter and scattered groans. Sunset settled in as they made their way out of the far side of the pass. They pressed on some distance, still watchful of the shadows and rocky landscape surrounding them.

The sky grew dark and the air cool and they decided to make camp. The camels were tied to a stand of trees and wood gathered for a fire. The easy routine bringing a false sense of security.

Thwip!

Arrows flew in from the darkness. Darmic, Horthar, and Vresh were killed. Pacumi took an arrow to the leg, while Tench and Sefrin leapt back unscathed. The camels cried out, heaving against their tethers. Eight heavily armed bandits rushed forward, swords flashing.

The members of the caravan drew their swords and lunged forward to meet them. Blades crashed, shouts ringing through the night. Tench doubled over as a sword found his stomach. Sefrin danced between the blades of two bandits, deft movements taking the lives of both before being cut down by a third.

Neira stood for a moment, her hand on her sword hilt, eyes wide at the chaos. Memories flashed through her mind, men with swords decimating her small village, fires and blood, her lifeless parents with their wide, staring eyes.

A shriek pierced the air, Serri fell, a long crimson stain across her torso. Gobren turned with an enraged roar and rushed the bandit who had killed her. He drove his sword through the bandit, but forgot the one he had been fighting. A blade erupted from his abdomen and he fell beside his wife.

Neiras' face drained. She sank low, her hands to her head as the terrible memories blended with the awful scene before her. Assem fought a tall bandit with a dark beard and scarred face. She swept his legs and swung her sword in an overhead strike. He blocked her strike and slashed her leg, scrambling to his feet. Assem crumpled with a cry, blood gushing from her wound.

"Assem!"

Dyric swung his blade, tearing through the flesh of the man before him and lunged forward. He fought with a blind rage, making short work of the remaining bandit. Scooping up Assem he carried her away from the battle. Neira scurried over to help.

"Assem, hold on, stay with me!"

Dyric tore off his shirt and pressed it onto the gash to stem the tide of crimson.

"Bandages! We need bandages!"

Neira dashed toward the camels with Tawny on her heels. Two bandits clashed with Akua in a flurry of sword strokes. Another was attacking Morai while Cuzew cowered behind her, his young face streaked with tears.

Neira was halfway to the camels, furiously blinking away the tears that muddied her vision. Tawnys' low grumble morphed into an enraged screech as three more bandits dashed into the camp ahead of them.