“I expected better from both of you,” Arxa says. “You’re both on equipment duty for the rest of the mission.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nobody moves until Arxa is back inside his own tent. Then the crowd slowly disperses. Cas shoots me one last dirty look before someone urges him away. Slowly, I bend down and clean up the flower remains. They’re dirty and crushed beyond use. I sweep them together and stare blankly at the pile. And I can’t help but think how easy it is for a thing of this world to be destroyed, and how quickly something beautiful can disappear.

The aches and pains that greet me the next morning are almost enough to make me regret last night’s fight. Almost.

“Your eye is blue, Dineas,” says Walgash as we shiver over mugs of hot water.

I grunt in reply.

We saddle up as usual, but around midmorning, Walgash starts sniffing the air.

“Salt water,” he says.

“What?” asks Masista.

But Walgash just falls silent, deep in thought.

A short while later, the hills in front of us fall away to reveal a rippling, gray body of water that stretches as far as I can see. The ocean.

“Looks like we have a change of plan,” Walgash says cryptically.

“By Neju’s snot rag,” says Masista, “just tell us what you’re thinking.”

But Walgash looks to Arxa, who’s ridden forward to address the group.

“As some of you may have guessed, we are deviating from our announced plan for the tour. We’ll leave our horses at the docks and cross over to Monyar Peninsula, where Prince Kiran wishes to get a closer look at the terrain. As you know, this is dangerous territory. The Shidadi tribes are not to be underestimated. The prince will dress as one of the soldiers and march in our midst. From here on out, you will refer to him as Pisinah. It’s your job to keep him safe.”

There’s a buzz of excitement among the men as we all dismount and repack our bags for the journey ahead.

Masista frowns as he tucks a clay tablet into his bags. “Would have mailed this at our last stop if I’d known,” he says.

I look over his shoulder. “Letter home?”

“Boy stops minding his mother if I’m away for long. He takes too much after me.” Masista shrugs. “Let’s just hope we can do what we need to and get out of there quick.”

I squint across the water. “What they say about the Shidadi, are they really that dangerous?”

“They’re better than your everyday foot soldier,” he says. “But Neju’s Guard is more than a match for them.”

I flex my fingers, trying to imagine what such fierce tribesmen would be like.