Down in the desert basin, Mina moved like a shadow among shadows, with a predator’s grace, her footsteps silenced. She reached the dune where Arya was waiting somewhere. She clasped her hands together and whistled the song of the desert bird that Kaen had taught them. That was the signal Arya had been waiting for; she could already hear the low growl of the guard dogs somewhere in the tent area, meaning Arya was on the move.

She moved as soon as the dogs began barking. The camp was stirring. The two drunk guards by the fire were standing up to check the noise. One eventually staggered to a tent, probably to alert the others. The other moved towards where the dogs were barking.

Now. It had to be now.

Then Arya exploded from the other side of the camp, with a roar he tried to mimic being scary, but it worked, the dogs fled to him, the few awake humans screamed, waking up the others. Chaos, as ordered, followed suit. Men stumbled out, shouting, tangling in their bedrolls.

Mina was already moving. While the slavers were distracted, she sprinted to the large tent on the east side. She sliced the front flap open. The scene inside was a punch to her gut. A jumble of frightened, chained beings, several elves, their eyes hollow; a small, feathered creature she didn’t recognise, A fox kin, Several small fairies in a small iron cage, A phoenix bird with its embers running out in another one, and what shocked her the most were the sight of scared human children whimpering in corner.... even their own kind. All bound, all collared with cold iron that sapped the magic and strength from their kind.

“I’m not here to hurt you!” she spoke steadying her voice as they cut through their whimpers. “I’m getting you out. Stay down!”

She heard a thunderous rip of canvas from the other side of the tent. Arya’s enormous hands peeled back the entire rear wall like it was parchment. His presence, usually so calming, was intentionally magnified now. He loomed in the opening, a silhouette of immense power, but his movements were precise. He began snapping chains with his bare hands, his touch as gentle as possible on trembling limbs.

Outside, the sounds of combat changed. A man’s voice yelled, “The Giant! Kill him! Secure the stock!”

Two slavers, looking mean and competent, rushed the tent’s front entrance but Mina already ready with the bow shot them. She whirled around, “Arya!” she called. "The Cord!"

Arya had already freed most of the captives. He pulled a coil of shimmering, spider-silk-like rope from his belt—Kaen’s silver-cord, stronger than steel and magically binding. With deft, practised motions, he began trussing up the stunned and fleeing slavers, wrapping them into neat, helpless bundles.

Mina checked the captives. The fox-kin was helping the open the fairies' cage. The elves stared at her, then at Arya, disbelief turning to dawning hope. One of them, a young girl with silver hair, grasped Mina’s hand. “Who… who are you? Border patrol?”

“No,” Mina smiled “Just someone who doesn’t like slavers. A patrol will come at dawn. You’ll be safe with them. For now, take water from the oasis. Take whatever supplies you need from their stores.” Her eyes then shifted to the three human children, one of the female elves was tending to them. "Take care of the children." She spoke. The elf nodded.

She and Arya worked swiftly. In less than half an hour, fourteen traumatised beings were free, drinking and tending to each other. Seven slavers were bound and gagged, stacked unceremoniously by the dead fire. The camp was theirs. Mina climbed to the top of a supply wagon, pulled a small, polished tube from her pouch, and aimed it toward the cliff where Kaen waited.

She twisted it. A tiny, perfect green spark shot into the sky, flashed twice, and winked out. Task complete. Victory. She jumped down, landing lightly beside Arya. He was offering a waterskin to the trembling, feathered creature. He looked at Mina and smiled, a wide, warm smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. He gave a thumbs-up.

Mina returned the smile, exhaustion and triumph mixing in her veins. “Yeah,” she breathed. “Good job, big guy. Master Kaen will be pleased.”

By the time the first blush of dawn tinged the eastern dunes pink, Mina and Arya were back at the cliffside camp. Kaen was still awake, feeding the last bits of dried fruit to Lilly. She didn’t look up as they approached.

“Report,” she said, her tone casual, as if asking about the weather.

“Fourteen freed, all able to travel,” Mina recited, kneeling again out of habit, though her posture was relaxed. “Seven slavers bound with the silver cord. Minor injuries among the freed, none life-threatening. We left them with the slavers’ supplies and water. Arya took care of the guard dogs. No casualties on our side.” A proud grin. “Took thirty-seven minutes.”

Kaen finally looked up, her golden eyes sweeping over them both, checking for unseen hurts. She saw the dust, the minor scratches, the satisfied set of Mina’s shoulders, the peaceful calm in Arya’s gaze. She nodded once. “Good.”

Lilly scrambled up and ran to Arya, who lifted her effortlessly onto his shoulder, where she squealed with delight, tugging gently on his ear. “Arya Strong Big!” she declared.

“Told you,” Kaen said, standing and brushing sand from her trousers. She walked to the cliff edge once more. In the distance, they could just make out the tiny shapes of Donna’s border patrol—a mix of stout dwarves and keen-eyed elves on camel-back—converging on the oasis. Right on schedule.

“They’ll be safe with Donna,” Kaen murmured, more to herself than anyone.

“What now, Sir?” Mina asked, stretching her arms over her head. “Head for the next Border Village? Its nearby according to the map, it'll take us two hours to reach, we might be able to book an inn and meet Miss Donna”

Kaen watched the patrol for a moment longer, her youthful face pensive. The dullness in her golden eyes was less pronounced this morning, burned away by the success of the night’s work. For a moment, she looked exactly like what she was a thirteen-year-old girl, carrying the weight of a world that hated what she was.

“Yes,” she said, turning her back on the oasis, on the humans being taken into custody. “The Iron's Roar. Lilly needs to sleep in a proper place, and I heard a goblin tribe in the nearby forest is terrorising the local ore miners, Donna will need to be informed about that.”

She pulled her hood up against the rising sun, the crimson hair disappearing into shadow, leaving only those two points of gold gleaming beneath the fabric. “Let’s move. I want a proper bath tonight.”