Oshto pulled in a hissing breath through his teeth. 

Taha frowned, offended. "I'm trying to be careful!"

They'd escaped Mavar Town a few hours ago, and the sky was starting to light up a little bit. But the two of them were tilted towards the campfire, so Taha could get the optimal lighting for attempting to dig the bullet out of Oshto's shoulder.

His operation of the tweezers left much to be desired.

Across from them was Frey, watching them desolately. And a few feet away, where the warmth didn't reach her, was Eve, sharpening her spear.

"Can't you help with this, Eve?" Taha asked.

"This is foolish," came the reply. "Oshto. Just die and your problem will be solved."

Oshto hesitated on how to reply, but Taha said, "Dang, you want to kill him? Doesn't that seem like a bad note to leave us with?" Eve scoffed, prompting a chuckle from Taha. "True, we'll see you again in a few days anyway."

Eve stood and swung the spear. Then she turned to Frey, whose gaze had followed her. "I'm challenging you to a duel," she said.

Frey's eyes went huge. "Wh— wha—-"

"It's because," Eve explained, "you made a mistake with horrible consequences. You made our location too obvious to the enemy. We were ambushed, which was bad enough, but they've seen most of our faces as well. Only you went unnoticed."

Oshto shuddered a little. Poor Frey. She was already feeling guilty enough because he'd gotten shot, and now this. Though he had to admit that it had been a bad move from her.

Eve stood expectantly, but it was like Frey had been paralyzed. She just stared.

"What's your answer?"

Oshto couldn't help breaking in. "C-come on Frey, just say you reject."

"Let her decide," Eve snapped.

Frey opened her mouth and closed it a couple times. "I… I reject," she finally said.

"Fine. Ria will decide your punishment when we get back."

Oshto and Taha exhaled. Ria's punishment would definitely be light, especially if the rest of Eve and Frey's reconnaissance went unhindered.

The tweezers painfully scraped the inside of Oshto's wound once more. "Ugh." He jerked forward and shook his head. "Alright, I think I'm just going to regenerate."

Taha put down the tools. "Sorry, man. Maybe I should have gotten my medical degree. Focused on hypodermic needles instead of sewing needles."

"Nah, it's okay. Even if you got the bullet out and everything, my shoulder would've still been messed up for a while." Oshto nodded to Eve. "Might as well."

Eve smiled as she came closer to them, swinging the spear. "One thing beforehand. Where were you, Oshto? What were you doing before you appeared on the fire escape?"

Oh no. This. Oshto squinted and thought back, even though it scared him. The mere void occupying that point in memory. And it also scared him to admit this to Eve.

"I… listen, I know it sounds crazy, but I don't know. I forgot."

"You forgot?" Eve asked. "Just go through and tell me everything that happened in there."

Oshto acquiesced and started to explain, although he knew he would hit the same block again.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sephia was putting up the last of the three tents. This was the one that she would share with Carter, who, along with Astrid and Jacob, was not back yet.

She thought about how the day had gone. In the end, they were still on schedule. But the prince's actions bothered her. Holding them up with a ritual that he couldn't do, and then acting carelessly on the strait… Sephia wanted to trust Jacob’s decisions, since he was practically the king now. But he was as ridiculous today as he was any day. Maybe even more so. She sympathized with him losing his mother and then his magic, but the only way to get those things back was with this mission.

So as much as she hated to do it, she decided that she would have to pull the strings from now on. She would direct the group, and she would keep them under control. The prince would become the figurehead— he might enjoy it, the slacker.

Sephia heard a rustling behind her. She turned around and saw Astrid emerge from the trees.

“Ah, Ambassador Faizah, you’re back. Where are the others?”

Astrid edged closer to the site. “Oh, Lady Sephia… we encountered a bit of a problem while we were out there.”

Sephia dropped the pole and fabric in her hands. “What happened? Is His Majesty okay?”

“He’s fine, don’t worry,” Astrid said in her most soothing voice, realizing the impact of her words. “We saw a strange beast and got separated while trying to escape. I’m sure Carter and the prince will arrive soon.”

So there was danger out here after all. “Are you sure?” Sephia asked. “What if he got lost? Or if that beast caught up to him?”

“He was with Carter, so… I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Sephia didn’t look convinced in the slightest, and seemed about to leave when the trees rustled again, and the two missing members burst into the clearing. Carter immediately pounced, and Astrid narrowly avoided her grasp. 

“Faizah!” Carter shouted. “How are you still alive? Why did that monster follow you?!”

“Carter? What's wrong?” Astrid asked. “I just saw that you were in danger, so I diverted the monster’s attention towards me, because I was at a safe distance. Then I ran away and lost it as soon as I got the chance.”

“But you said that it wanted you specifically. What was up with that?”

Astrid raised an eyebrow. “It was only a diversion tactic. It was the first thing that popped into my head.”

"What kind of beast was it?" Sephia interrupted. "And what will we do about the fire?" 

Astrid, Carter, and Jacob looked at each other. All three of them had returned empty-handed.

"If we have to talk, we could do it while making a last-minute scrounge for firewood in the nearby trees," Carter said. "We could get a decent amount."

Sephia nodded, and they all walked to the edge of the clearing.

Carter and Astrid then took a few minutes to describe the beast, and what had happened in the woods.

"It was extremely large, and shaped like a canine. It had very dark fur. It had six legs and was covered in dark eyes with yellow sclerae," Astrid summarized. 

Jacob walked over with a few branches in his arms. "We should come up with a name for it, in case it appears again."

"We could call it a dug," Carter suggested. "It looks like a dog but has six legs like a bug."

Everyone cringed. 

"Let's call it the Seshreyan," Jacob said.

"The Great Danger," Sephia repeated. She narrowed her eyes. "That will do. And it doesn't need to be said that we must all be on the alert. Never wander off on your own, unless we deem it necessary for Noelle or I to do so." 

Her three listeners didn't protest, although Jacob and Carter's expressions remained aggravated. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sephia watched as Carter carefully laid the final dry leaves and twigs in a pointed formation.

"Okay," Carter said, standing up and brushing her hands over her trousers. "Now we just need someone's lighter."

Sephia slowly looked around, and her gaze landed on Jacob, who was sitting outside his tent and flipping through his notebook.

"Your Highness," she called, "would you do us the honor of lighting the fire?"

Jacob scowled. "I know you have a lighter."

The unspoken command reached her: don't pity me.

Okay, brat. Sephia started digging around in her pockets, but Carter stopped her. "Since we don't have much tinder, you can light it when it gets dark, or when it's time to start cooking."

"Alright." The knight made a move to stand.

"Wait."

"Yes?"

Carter took a deep breath. "Listen. I know you hate me, and I hate you too."

This is news to me.

"But I need you to know," Carter continued, "I'm still suspicious of Faizah."

Sephia sat back down and sighed. "It does one well to pay attention to her instincts, so I won't tell you to let go of your suspicion entirely. But to my mind, there's no evidence against her, and you don't even have a concrete thing to accuse her of. Furthermore, His Highness and I have known her for many, many years. There is scarcely someone more trustworthy in all of Hathorsha."

"..."

"Take my advice, Noelle. It's good to trust your instincts, but it's good to trust your comrades as well. If you feel the need, you might find benefit in spending more time with the ambassador."

Carter scratched her head. "Well, she did ask me to teach her archery. I guess I have to do that."

"Do that. I'll handle dinner." 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Hey, you're drawing it too low." Carter guided Astrid's elbow forward, slackening the bowstring, and then upwards. "Your entire bicep has to be on the same level as your shoulder."

The two of them were standing a few meters in front of the tree which Carter had demarcated as their target.

"Ah, thank you!" Astrid said. She tried again to draw the arrow, biting her lip with concentration, but then finding that she could no longer pull the string at all. "It's… harder to draw it this way."

"Yeah, your body wants to pull lower, with the full strength of your arms. Try drawing with your back muscles instead. Imagine your shoulder blades compressing towards each other as you draw."

Astrid attempted again. Her eyes squeezed shut with the effort it took to draw the bow halfway according to Carter's instructions.

"Whoa whoa whoa, don't try that hard! You might break something!" Carter protested. 

Astrid relaxed her arms and frowned thoughtfully. "What am I doing wrong?"

"I think my bow is too stiff for you. There's no way to make it easier without magically getting buff in the next few days, so this won't work out."

"Ah," Astrid said. She began handing the bow, arrow, and archery glove back to Carter. "I'm not very strong in general. I've regretted it before, but now more so than ever."

"Why don't you just train yourself, then?"

"Well, work gets in the way of such things…"

Sephia spoke up. She had been taking the metal buckets and dried food out of the luggage and examining them. "Your Honor, if you'd like to strengthen yourself now, then I would be glad to assist you. I would waste no time."

"Is that so? That's very kind of you, Lady Sephia, especially with your expertise." She inclined her head. "Then, I accept your offer."

Sephia holstered her gun, grabbed the two buckets, and stood. "In that case, please accompany me to the nearby stream."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sephia and Astrid returned about twenty minutes later. Astrid was holding a bucket in each hand, and beads of sweat were dripping down her temple. She carefully set down each bucket, letting Carter and Jacob see that they were almost completely full of water, and then collapsed next to the future campfire.

"What did you guys do?" asked Jacob.

"Lady Sephia had me fill the buckets to the brim, and then try to carry them back without spilling any," Astrid explained.

"How do you feel?" Sephia asked. 

Astrid smiled. "I feel… pretty good."

"Hey, good for you, Faizah," Jacob said. "You can quit your job and become a knight any day."

"Haha… thank you, Your Highness."

Then Carter busted out a metal pot and started filling it with water. "Dinner time!"