In his dreams, Samir's father was still alive. Samir had gotten his revenge. He became a madman, searching and searching. He didn't know what, or who, he was searching for, only that he continued on. He walked through town after town, his ankle breaking with every step. All he knew was that he had to finish his search. He had to. He had to. He had to.
When Samir woke, the sun was just beginning to creep above the horizon. His nose was cold to the touch, and the smell of fish still lingered in the air. The Anabi Desert did not bother to cool when the sun disappeared, and it was a new, strange feeling. Samir found he rather liked the shiver that ran down his back.
It's beautiful out. he thought.
"It'd be prettier if I had something to eat." she returned, oblivious as to who she was talking to.
He heard a rustle and sat up, expecting to see Amara running about their makeshift campsite. Instead, he saw a monstrous brown beast. It walked on four legs, and was covered from head to paw with thick fur. The animal had a long snout that was sniffing the remains of the fire. When it reached the bowl, it devoured what was left, licking it clean. He had seen creatures similar to it on his journey to the top of Terra Mons, but those animals had been half the size, and howled when the moon was full.
The creature turned towards him. It had large brown eyes that could have been kind, if they weren't filled with hunger and rage. At that moment, the creature's eyes were more frightening than the tunnels.
Samir screamed.
Another sound came from the woods as the creature charged at Samir, teeth bared and eyes full of hate. It clawed him, and he reached his hand to his shoulder as blood began to pour. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blurry figure hit its side. The beast fell back, crying out in pain. Amara stood next to it. Her face was painted with anger and her eyes were focused on the beast's face. She lunged again, this time stabbing it's neck. It threw its paw at her, drawing streaks of blood across her face and collarbone. She cried out in pain and jumped at the creature. She slammed her knife against its eye.
Although they only fought for a few minutes, Samir felt as if it was hours. Amara and the bear both had deep cuts and slashes against their skin. Amara's breathing was short and strained, and the monster appeared to be getting worn out. Their movements slowed as the fight wore on, however, neither surrendered.
"What's he doing just sitting there like a rock? He can help!" he heard her say in his mind.
His ankle is broken.
"So? He walked twenty miles on that leg. Thirty seconds won't hurt."
It will.
"Then we'll both die."
Listening to her, he grabbed a large stone next to him and threw it at the beast. It looked at him and paused for a moment. In that second of hesitation, Amara shoved the knife through its skull and the creature fell over, dead.
She stared at the beast for a few moments before turning to Samir. A cool breeze blew through the trees, and he shivered.
"I killed it." She said. Her hands were stained red and she clutched her injured shoulder. A smile creeped onto her face. "I killed it!" Amara repeated, elation in her voice.
Horrified, Samir asked, "What was that thing?"
"A bear. Surely you took the time to learn about our wildlife before you arrived, little emperor?"
He's taller than you, he's not little.
"I'm referring to his mental capacity." she replied, humor in her thoughts.
Samir had no response. Instead, he turned his head to look at Amara. "Do they always go people-hunting, or was that a one time thing?"
"They almost never attack us, unless-" Her voice trailed off.
"What?"
Amara shook her head. "Nothing. This time of year, bears are looking for extra food before winter hibernation. It must have been going to the river for the fish."
"Farren's sake, it was the fish I left for him last night."
The what? he asked, trying not to let his emotions spread to his face.
"I left him half the fish, right?"
He didn't want to eat.
"I thought he was just trying to spite me." Samir had been, and his stomach growled with hunger. However, the last thing he would do was admit that.
"So what do you suppose we do next?" he asked.
Amara wiped her hand across her face, and inspected the blood when she brought it back in front of her. She flinched in pain.
"We need to get to Amberford. They have plenty of healers there. I'm sure we can find someone who can get us fixed up."
Samir sighed at the thought of walking again. When he moved his ankle, a blinding pain shot through him, filling his eyes with white.
"How far is it?"
"I'm not sure." She admitted. "Amberford is built on the narrowest land between the Amber and Ford rivers, hence the name. So, if we follow the river, we might be able to find it."
"Upstream or downstream?" He asked, pulling a map of Farren up in his mind's eye.
Amara looked at her feet, ashamed. "I don't know."
"Haven't you lived here your whole life?"
"You act like running through tunnels is a regular occurrence."
"How am I supposed to know what crazy things Farrens do?"
Amara glared at him. "I can tell you it isn't traditional to stage a coup on your sister's coronation day."
Samir didn't understand why she kept blaming everything on her sister. Her sister had been aiming at her, but she had failed. She should have jumped out of the way. His father had warned him the night would be violent, but Samir hadn't expected anyone he cared about to be injured, let alone killed. Now he was alone in the world, with no one to care for him.
I have Bahar. He reminded himself, as if his younger sister could replace his father. He loved Bahar with all of his heart, but she was nothing like their father. Bahar was her own person with her own beliefs. Samir had always admired her for being creative and fun. He didn't know if she was still alive, but if she was, he hoped she stayed away from William Bates.
Samir wondered why his father insisted on going. Had his father known his life was running out? The extent of Lahan Balil's kouzlo was fickle, sometimes he was able to see bits of the future in small, detailed pieces. Other times, he was able to predict a larger, hazier, picture. Had he seen himself dying at Princess Eira's knife, or had he only seen blood?
A million questions stormed through his head, but none of them were answered. Samir knew getting Amara to confront William Bates was important, but surely it wasn't worth his father's life, was it? His mind flooded with possibilities of what could have happened if he had refused to go to the gardens. Would his father still be alive? Would he have died instead?
He pushed himself up from the rock to help her, but the second he put weight on his foot, a bliding spark of white pain shot through him. He screamed and he fell back to the rock, his head spinning.
He looked up to see Amara stifling a laugh.
"Something funny?" he growled.
"No, your majesty." she said with a teasing curtsy.
"You know what is funny?"
"A comedian?" she asked, tilting her head.
Samir scowled, his witty response dying on his lips.
Amara turned back to extinguish the remaining coals. As she worked, Samir noticed that everything she touched left a trail of red. Her light colored dress had turned to a deep crimson across her shoulder, and she winced when she reached to grab her dagger. Samir watched as she strapped the knife around her shin and tightened the strap that held it there.
Aren't you glad you brought that?
"Thank goodness I did. We'd be in much worse shape if not for it."
Frustrated that she was taking credit, he asked, Are you sure it was your idea?
On the other side of the clearing, he saw Amara's brows knit together in confusion.
"Who else would it have been?"
Samir cursed himself for being careless with his kouzlo. In the past, he had never needed to worry about his thoughts, because well, they were his.
Now, he had to be careful.
Amara stood up. "It's time to go."
"Where? The middle of nowhere?"
"As long as we follow the river, we'll find a town soon enough."
Samir let out an exasperated sigh and pointed to his leg and her arm. "How do you suppose we'll get me there?"
"I could leave you here. It would make my life easier."
You need him. he told her without a sound.
"What for? He's only making it harder to move around."
He's the emperor now. Basam is the only ally Farren has left. If he dies, you risk losing the desert's alliance.
"I hate doing the right thing."
I don't blame you.
He turned his head back to her. Her expression was no longer the stern glare it had been moments ago, but was now frozen in concentration.
The quiet hung in the air and suffocated him, grabbing hold of his sanity and stretching it thinner and thinner. When he could take it no longer, he laughed. However, it was the forced type that only succeeded in making them both uncomfortable. It broke the silence, though.
"Take me with you. I promise I'll eat."
Her lips quirked. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"