And after that… what then?
That was where all the maps stopped. He’d be in a land where abominations like the Prana Swarm were common. A land from which the few humans who braved it ever came back. All this without a map, and with no idea of where or how far he needed to go.
He could scarcely believe he was even considering it. Until recently, it may as well have been a myth. A place to be feared, but never something that would involve him directly. And now I’m thinking of going there. Voluntarily.
Not without a lot more information and preparation.
Vir circled the X in the sand around Zorin, just as Neel bounded up to him, tongue lolling.
“Well, it’ll be arduous, but at least we’ll have a cool breeze on our faces, won’t we, Neel?” he said, scratching his friend’s belly.
Having a destination was good, but it was only the beginning. A journey of 700 miles was out of reach with the supplies he had on hand. His water would last a few days, but Vir expected to find rivers as he traveled south. It wasn’t water that was the issue—it was food. While Bumpy could graze on the Ranian fields, Vir could not. Nor could Neel. Besides, he needed weapons. With only his boot blade, he felt naked. He’d need to pick up something along the way, at least until he could buy another katar.
The only towns along the way were Daha and Brij. Daha was out of the question, and even Brij gave Vir pause, but he had no choice. He’d have to resupply there before continuing on.
“Alright, boy! Let’s head out.”
With his waterskins filled, Vir mounted Bumpy and charted a course for Brij.
Fate, it seemed, wanted him to return to his village one last time. Vir doubted he’d ever see it again.
2GUARDIAN OF THE ASH
Vir had taken the entire day to journey the hundred fifty-five miles from the desert oasis to Brij. Fifteen miles an hour was a slow trot for an Ash’va, but Bumpy’s condition necessitated it. The trip took over thirteen hours, with several small breaks.
Though Vir loathed to remain in Hiranya even a moment longer than he had to, the journey south would be an arduous one. For him, and especially for Bumpy. He didn’t want to prematurely wear his friend out. Luckily, the clouds set in around noon, easing the heat for the hardworking beast.
It was deep into the night now. Perfect for Vir. While Kamna might’ve tailed him in the middle of a crowded city, out here in the middle of the night on open plains, none could hide from Prana Vision. Not when he was alert and ready.
Despite this, he’d detoured several miles around the village, leaving Bumpy in the Godshollow to avoid detection.
“Neel, protect,” Vir ordered, pointing at Bumpy. Neel quietly woofed, setting his haunches down near the Ash’va, keeping his head on a swivel.
Vir loathed to set foot in Brij—it was the first place Hiranya would look for him, and Vir knew Mina would have spies lurking in and around the village. He shouldn’t be here at all, but his journey required food, and as risky as it was coming back here, it was downright foolhardy setting out without proper provisions.
Daha might’ve been an option, but Vir didn’t know what the situation was like there. He’d have to pass through the checkpoint, and if Mina had seen through his disguise, she could do it again. It was a risk he didn’t want to take.
I really just should’ve bought supplies before heading out, Vir thought, cursing himself. At the time, adrenaline pumped through his body, and the only thing on his mind was fleeing that infernal city.
Besides, there was another benefit to coming to Brij. If he could make it look like he’d fled here—north of Daha—it’d throw off any pursuers the princess might send for him. Few would suspect him of doubling back to the south, after all.
Hoisting his rucksack, he alternated between Dance of the Shadow Demon and walking, covering the half hour walk to Brij in ten minutes.
As he approached his old home, which sat on the outskirts, Vir relied exclusively on Dance. Spies would no doubt expect him near his old home, so he was forced to. The Ash prana had fully recovered since he’d depleted it months ago, but even so, he had to ration his activations given the affinity’s dearth.
Though Prana Vision showed no signatures anywhere nearby, by relying on Dance, he ensured none would ever find him.
He lingered inside the shadow realm to gaze at his old house, whose windows now shone with dancing amber light.
Someone’s moved in.
A surprise. Even ignoring the mess the prana gophers made of the home’s foundation, the house itself had been rickety at best.
Yet now, the half-rotted wood had been replaced, and the holes through which drafts used to flow were patched up. Whoever they were took better care of the place than Rudvik and Vir had before.
Rather than feel upset, Vir was happy for the house. Like him, it too had received a second chance at life.
He continued to leverage Dance of the Shadow Demon to cover ground, disappearing into shadows only to pop up thirty paces away. He never truly exited the shadow realm, though—he’d learned how to chain the ability together. As his arm exited one shadow, he began sucking the prana and blood in his hands up, reactivating the ability.
To an observer, they might see an arm, or a head, pop up for an instant, though that would be all. Vir would be gone again by the time they blinked.
He only started easing up on the ability once he’d found shelter in the alleys of Brij. Here, the buildings hid him just as well as the shadows, and Prana Vision easily identified every human in the vicinity, even through walls.
His first stop would be the baker. Vir navigated the familiar alleys, rationing Dance where he could, disappearing into the shadows when he couldn’t. Soon, he came upon the old baker’s building—the only one in town who used to treat him with respect.
At least, he came upon what was left of it. The building had been burned to the ground, and now only blackened ash remained.
Vir ground his teeth. This was no accident. The buildings next to it remained untouched. Someone had intentionally torched this building.
Was it the villagers? Had baker Jaisal risen up after he’d learned what happened to Apramor, Aliscia, and Rudvik? Or had the knights simply torched anyone who’d been nice to Vir? To teach the villagers a lesson?
Vir didn’t know, but he at least felt better knowing the blight that was Head Priest Harak no longer wreaked such havoc. No doubt Princess Mina would find a replacement eventually, but until then, fewer tragedies would befall Hiranyans.
It vexed Vir that he couldn’t eliminate the princess as well. While Riyan had used the wrong strategy to coerce Vir, he nonetheless bore the man’s hatred of that princess. Perhaps it would take years, but one day, he’d return to complete the job. Mina was a blight that needed to be eliminated.
Vir slunk back into the alleys and Danced into a nearby baker. This one hadn’t been nearly as nice to him. In fact, the man shooed Vir away whenever he’d gotten close. It’d made him less wracked with guilt when he’d pilfered from the shop’s reject pile in the past.
This time, he didn’t need to resign himself to the scraps. The man baked twice a week and kept his bread in a cooler in the backroom.
Vir helped himself, stuffing loaves into his sack. There were even a couple of layered honey crisp pastries, which Vir ate right then and there. He relished the sweet nectar as it went down his throat. A rare delicacy.