Tale of the Princess

XXVIII

Because of the availability of medicine in Ahsan's home, they decided to shift him there.

They helped Naor carry him all the way back and laid him on the same cot Shyra had used a few kshanas ago. Shyra had wondered why nobody made a big deal out of his injury, but Naor explained that in smaller regions, injuries and brawls were so common that it wasn't a big deal anymore.

Meanwhile, Ahsan had directed them in his dazed state and made them mix the required herbs and painkillers. Once the anxious crew applied the pastes on his head, he seemed to perk up enough to not faint. And once they made sure he was comfortable, they moved to a corner to discuss their plans.

"So, is Ahsan fine now?" Arina whispered, glancing at him.

"Ahsan seems to be doing fine now, but his injury will take time to heal properly. Until then, he needs to be taken care of by someone. Preferably twenty four-bar-seven." Shyra answered, crossing her arms. She felt quite sorry for him, but knew that they would have to keep moving if they wanted to reach the baan as soon as possible.

"And he doesn't have any family or friends to take care of him." Arina finished her thought, pursing her lips. It wasn't really their fault, but Hira voiced the only option swirling in their mind.

"We need to take him with us, at least until he heals. That way we can care for him, and once he gets better, we'll have an in-house medic for our adventurous needs."

A slight knock on the door interrupted them, and the mechanic pushed open the door and poked his head through the frame. "The ship is ready, missus."

"Yes, thank you," Shyra replied, sharing meaningful looks with the others. "We don't have much time left. We need to make a decision about Ahsan."

"Let's take him with us," Naor said, surprising all of them.

"Take him with us?" Arina almost screeched. "We can't go around picking up random people for the journey!"

"Then leave him here, and hope he survives," Naor shrugged. Shyra massaged her temples and signaled for Arina to keep quiet. She swallowed her words and settled for glaring at the floor.

"Let's take him with us. We don't have much time left, and we need to finish this mission as fast as possible." Hira said. It only took a moment for the others to think it through and agree. After all, wasn't it better when there was a medic on board? They were on a dangerous mission after all; injuries were bound to happen.

"I'm okay with that!" Ahsan called, startling them. "Yeah, I've been listening to you guys this entire time. Next time when you make a decision about someone, try including them in the conversation."

"Alright," Shyra laughed. "Let's get you boarded."

It took all of them to lift Ahsan on a makeshift stretcher and heave him into the ship. Arina, unsurprisingly, complained and groaned about her aching back the entire time, but now, the bite in the words seemed to have disappeared. Shyra wondered how that happened.

"Okay then. Since everyone is set, and Naor has fetched Ahsan's herbs for us, let's get going!" Shyra said, coaxing a hushed cheer from them. Hira then made her way to the pilot's seat, and they set off from Ilya with Arina crouched over Hira's seat, pointing out instructions once in a while.

Luckily, they didn't face any problems this time, and were able to get into orbit successfully. From then it was a smooth journey through the paved Asteroid Path that buoyed them through the vast space.

After making sure Ahsan was comfortable and had his medicines near him, Shyra glided to the common room and collapsed on a soft chair. Naor and Arina soon joined her and threw themselves over seats in un-royal manners. Shyra managed a small giggle at their antics, and let her eyes close for a bit. Just a bit...

"Shyra," someone said, shaking her shoulder. Shyra frowned in her sleep and groaned, batting the arm away, but it only shook her harder. "Don't be such a sleepyhead, empress. We're about to reach Ilya. Wake up now."

Those words were enough to wake her up from her reverie, and she bolted upright, smacking her forehead against Arina's nose. Before she could even register the pain, the spaceship tilted to a side and hurtled them around.

Shyra managed to grasp a sturdy handle on the wall and held tight, her groggy senses preventing her from comprehending the situation. All she could focus on was hanging on for dear life.

"Are all our landings going to be this rough?" Shyra yelled, but she wasn't sure anybody heard her. "Guess that's a yes," she muttered to herself and tightened her hold on the handle.

After a particularly harrowing landing, in which Shyra was pretty sure she blacked out for a few seconds, they found themselves on the rocky surface of Ilya. After a brief discussion, they decided to leave Ahsan in the ship, and Naor to guard him, and come back for them when it was safe.

It annoyed Shyra that they had to depend on Arina for directions, but she let her take the lead with a huff. For once, Arina looked lost and confused as she took them through a rough hewn path of sand and stone. Since they weren't aware of their location, Shyra felt as lost as her teammates, and quietly followed Arina.

They came across a village after a long stretch of walking, and Shyra felt a burst of joy as she recognized the tiny new town that had been set up recently. However, Arina took a roundabout route, much to Shyra's frustration, and ventured into the overgrown forest around it.

"Arina, why are we skipping the village?" Shyra asked, glancing back wistfully. Arina gave a small shrug in response, which didn't answer anything, and marched forward.

After a few more villages were skipped by them, Shyra was about to suggest taking a break when she heard Hira scream behind her. Shyra drew her weapon at once and spun around, finding Arina by her side with a long scythe.

She didn't have time to wonder where that wicked-looking weapon came from, for Hira was twisting above them in a knotted rope that dangled from a tree branch.

"What in the worlds?" Shyra and Arina exclaimed at the same time, rushing forward to cut Hira free. Shyra had barely taken two steps when she tripped on a thin wire on the ground and fell, banging her head on the ground.

Hot blood trickled down her forehead, and she pushed herself to her knees, struggling to see past the blurriness in her eyes. She caught some vague figures clubbing Arina on her head, and fear caused her to lift her sword arm to fight, but someone else hit her head with a heavy object, and her world spun.

The last thing she saw before everything turned black was a face that looked suspiciously like a monkey.