Asura raiseed her hands up around the child, focusing on saving them both from the boulder of a tree branch that was to land on them. 

“Ugh!” 

She created a shield just in time, grunting against the strain of the impact trying to push her into the earth. The pearlescent shell shimmered at the force, the log dropping after its inertia exhausted. She silently celebrated the fruit of her dedicated practice. 

She lay her hands on the back of the child, and gripped him. She heard him gasp as she yanked him over, placing his back on the ground. Releasing him, she jumped to her feet, trying to see through the dust at the rumbling creature. 

A man’s broad back came to a halt just before them, with shorn hair on one side. His hair lay wavy on the other, adorned in braids and jewelry. He held a spear at the ready, rested upon the gauntlet of his forearm in a defensive manner. 

He’s trying to protect us.

Thwop!

Another cloud of dust rose with the sound of the draggul’s tail, then all fell silent. Seven men similarly dressed to the one before them stood at the ready, spears and curved swords at the ready. 

“Wagh!” One of the man called out, the air thrown out of him in an uncontrolable groan. He flew on his back, sliding several yards to a stop, gasping with the wind knocked out of him. She wouldn’t be surprised if he just sustained several broken ribs. 

As the cloud settled further, the back of the beast could be seen, dusted with a thin layer of dirt. That was all the warning they received before the draggul pounced forward, swiping at the nearest spear wielder. The force of the giant claw knocked the spear out of his hand, gashing through the leather armor and knocked him unconscious. 

Upon seeing this, Asura turned around to the child braced upon his elbows, looking upon the same scene with wide eyes. She grabbed him by the fabric upon his shoulders, hauling him up with all the might her body could hold. Leading him away, her aim was to get out of range from the draggul’s senses. 

“Come on! We have to get to safety!” 

Asura yelled over the din of the attack, now grabbing his forearm to pull him with her. They grouped with the men that weren’t armed, huddled together at the far end of the camp. 

“Kiln!” The child spoke, looking for the man they left behind. 

Kiln gave no hints that he had heard them escape, but his stance changed. Both hands were gripped on the pole, his knees bent. He looked sharper, ready to attack at any given time. 

“Umber one! Evade and distract! Umber two! With me! Formation twenty six!” 

Kiln bellowed, his voice calling to his companions. 

Immediately the flow of the battle changed. Four men drew the attention of the draggul, poking its legs with their spears, making as much noise as they could to mask the movements of the others. Two of them uncorked various spices and herbs, and tossed them randomly. What impressed Asura was that they somehow became more agile, dodging the incoming swipes as if the draggul was in slow motion. She even saw the men who had been hit before, their battered bodies showing no signs of fatigue.

Six more men took up positions in a circle around the draggul, positioning themselves in intervals. On some unseen signal, one ran foward and leapt, stabbing the draggul’s back as he crossed to the other side. It was almost like an acrobat completing a cartwheel, gracefully navigating through the air as his arm extended into the flesh below him. 

Snorting, the draggul whipped around in pain, thrashing about wildly and snapping at the noise makers. Pools of its hardening slime formed where it spilled from its maw, but the guards avoided it skillfully. 

After three more men flew through the air to stab at the back of the draggul, the heavy huffs of the beast grew haggard. It groaned and collapsed to the ground, its claws gripping the ground underneath it. 

Kiln, from the front, ran up and stepped on its nose, causing it to fling him in an attempt to bite. Kiln rose in the air and brought his limbs in, spinning until his spear pointed down. He flayed his legs outward, slowing the spin and plummeted. With his weight behind it, he drove the spear into the top of the head of the darggul, instantly killing it. It sagged to the ground in its own pool of slime, and fell still at last. 

Asura felt chills run down her spine at the sight. The grace and accuracy portrayed just how much they had rehearsed this tactic, and it thrilled Asura.

Is this how people feel when they go see performers?

Her ears buzzed with excitement, her eyes wide in admiration. Her arm was tugged, and she turned to see the child she had grabbed trying to pull his arm free of her grasp. 

“Oh! Sorry.” She let him go, her senses returning. 

The boy’s face was flushed, but he nodded, rubbing his wrist where she had gripped. 

“Th- thank you.” He murmured, unable to make eye contact. Instead, he ran out towards Kiln, who was dismounting the beast. Kiln patted the nose of the draguul in sympathy, then ruffled the boy’s hair with the same hand. This was met with annoyance, and they began talking, gesturing to the beast, then to her. 

Uh oh.

These people didn’t look like they were local, and worse, she led a beast into their midst. Suddenly aware that a mass of people was behind her, the non-combatants, she reached for the hilt of her sword for comfort, it’s grip much too big for her small hand. 

“Are you alright, miss? That beast would have had you for dinner if you hadn’t come across our company.”

“Glad we were able to defeat it.”

“I never doubted Kiln and his Umbers one bit!”

A chorus of voices surrounded her, ranging from concerned to proud. They all had the same accent, extending the vowels just a little too long. Surprised, she turned to face them, pressing her back subconsciously into the tent behind her. 

Dignitaries?

“Here.” A man held out his hand, taking hers and placing something dry in it. 

Stunned, she looked down at her hand to see sandy looking red pieces of… something in her hand. Flicking her gaze up to the smiling man, she pocketed them silently. She just kited a beast to their camp, she couldn’t refuse… whatever those were. Guilt roiling in her belly, she forced a smile and nodded sheepishly, desperately wishing to disappear. 

“And who might you be? You brought quite the nasty friend with you.” Kiln had arrived, throwing a thumb back to the dead draggul, indicating the ‘friend’. 

“Ash. I didn’t know there was a draggul in that cave.” Asura gave them an alias to protect her identity, but otherwise she offered the truth. She did not, in fact, expect there to be a draggul in that cave.

“Draggul? They look an awful lot like the remwyrm’s we have back home, although ours are much more tame.” Kiln chuckled. 

“I see you’ve met the rest of our party.” Kiln gestured to the men behind her, all dressed in robes of varying colors, chatting amongst themselves excitedly in a language she hadn’t heard in a long time. 

She fought on the battlefield with one that spoke long vowels, bore the same spears with tassels. He was an honorable man with a pride so potent it was hard to deal with him at times, but someone Asura had trusted her back to in many battles before he died in Pontius’s conquest. It felt like another lifetime, and in this case, it was. 

Remurians.

“Would you like to join us for dinner? We were just settling for the night. We’ll be arriving in the capital next week for negotiations on trade.” A barotone voice reached her ears. It was the boy who had protected her with his own back. Upon hearing her suspicions confirmed, her shoulders relaxed just a hair. She looked at the boy’s expectant and honest face. His face was very obviously screaming for her to trust them, to stay.

While she was wary of her circumstance, she couldn’t help but hold respect for the fight she had witnessed. They also had a child her age in the camp, and he looked unspoiled and well-treated. It also helped that they didn’t immediately turn their attacks on her once the beast was dead. Asura’s pride and honor as a swordsman kept her from completely distrusting this group. Actions speak louder than words, she knew. 

“Would that be okay? I led this monster into your camp.” She poked them with her question, testing. 

“Did you do it on purpose?” The boy asked. 

“No.” Asura immediately replied. But it didn’t make her any less guilty. She was too small to deal with an adversary of that size on her own. For this, she was grateful for their help and generosity. 

“Thank you.” She directed her comment at Kiln, holding back her admiration. She was still replaying the fight in her head, relishing the artful movements of his killing blow. 

I want to move like that.

Kiln shrugged.

“After you saved our Prince, I coudn’t just leave that gesture unanswered, stranger though you are.” 

So he had seen her use her Talent. But he didn’t seem surprised. Instead, he seemed relieved. 

The prince on the other hand, looked surprised. He had his eyes closed at the time, afterall. Recovering quickly, he held out his hand. 

“I’m Prince Adanian Froshten, but my friends call me Aiden.” 

“Just Ash.”

She extended her hand, and he grasped her forearm in greeting. 

“Please, come sit and dine with us.” Seeming to regain his composure, he gestured to some stumps surrounding the fire. 

“What were you doing all the way out here?” He served her a leaf full of meat, peppers, and onions drizzled in sauce. Asura’s stomach rumbled in response. She nervously looked for the moon, calculating how much time she had left. 

Nan will be so upset with me.

Taking the leaf, she surrendered to the moment and allowed herself to be subjected to their hospitality. It wasn’t likely she would see these folks again, and they did save her. 

“Looking for a friend.”

“A friend? Way out here?” Kiln challenged incredulously. 

Asura nodded, relishing in the warmth of the food in her hands. Her soaked boots offered no warmth in the spring air. She hoped they would dry faster near the fire.

“She was taken.” Asura offered. She was wary to give too much detail, even if they were friendly. Enemies wore many faces, after all. 

“Taken? By a flesh merchant?” Prince Adanian’s eyes flickered with recognition.

“I believe so. I had heard rumors that she was being kept here with other children our age.” Another small lie, but she couldn’t tell them it was a memory of the past. 

Prince Adanian looked thoughtful for a moment, scooping some of his meal into his mouth. Asura did the same, the juices of the meat flowing in her mouth. She wondered how they found peppers so fresh, as it wasn’t native to this part of the country. 

“Is this the only place you’ve checked so far?” He asked. The pointed question made Asura bristle for a moment, because it sounded like he was witholding information. 

“Yes.” She said slowly. 

He then got up, placing his leaf on his seat and sucking the juices off his fingers. He entered a tent, leaving Kiln and Asura to eat in silence. Though Asura thought it to be awkward, Kiln didn’t seem to be bothered at all, lifting fingerfuls of food to his mouth and chewing vigorously. 

She fervently wished for Prince Adanian to return.