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"He'll survive." Said the physician, pulling a white sheet up to the canine's chest, turning to the Prince.

"Good. Thank you for all you do, physician." Hinxato looked worried. The Archmage had fled during the night, after disposing of his 'companion' in the river. A pair of fisherman found him, still bleeding, minutes later. I had accompanied Hinxato in visiting the canine after the physician completed his healing. I still had no idea what had actually happened, mostly because Hinxato wasn't talking. He started out, and I followed.

"Hinxato, what happened?"

"The Midian 'ambassador' nearly raped his slave to death, then escaped."

"What? Slave?! Isn't that illegal?"

"Of course. But apparently the Midians have decided to ignore our laws." He breathed deeply as we headed back to his quarters, shaking his head. "I can't stand to see people treated like that. He looked so..." He trembled slightly, his fists clenching. "It isn't my place, he's probably back in Midia now."

We arrived back in his quarters, cooler now that night had fallen. His balcony had a wonderful view of the sea and stars, and we stood out on it as the sea breeze washed against us.

"I love you, Aylwin." Said Hinxato, holding my hand on the balcony railing.

"And I love you, Hinxato. Why are you saying this, we both know it's true."

"I don't know. The urge just came over me." He smiled at me, and drew me into a kiss. "We will be mated, but...just...with recent events, we need to delay."

"I don't have long until Father will decide to return. A pair of days, maybe three, from now."

"I'm aware. Keenly, acutely aware." He seemed to tense a little, his grip tightening a fraction on my hand. "I don't want to have to send you back to that pit."

"I understand, but it's really not a pit."

"You realize if they find out about our relationship, they'll hang you. In Ozzet, that is."

"They won't find out, Hin. I swear it."

"All the swearing in the world won't change chance." He shrugged. "Ah well. We've been safe so far. But with that Midian business..."

"Maybe he was just a bad apple."

"It's possible, but somehow I doubt it. Midian's always been a magical area, and there's been many reports of the dark arts being practiced."

"Dark...arts?"

"The 'bad stuff', demon summoning and its ilk." He looked troubled. "We had a state sorcerer hung a while ago for summoning a pleasure demon. For two months it rampaged around, hidden and invisible, before showing itself and raping someone only to hide again. It was random in who it ravished, making it hard to track it. Eventually we set a trap for it and banished it, but the point is there; it's dangerous."

"We've never had anyone using magic in Ozzet...it's actually...well, against our religion."

"That's mostly because the area Ozzet is settled on. Magic-dampening geological setup and all."

"I see." I didn't.

"We should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be busy." he smiled at me, and led me by the hand to his bedroom, a simple area with a chest of drawers in a corner, mirror, and fine silk bed. We held each other for a long while, chatting and gently exploring each others body, but never actually consummating our hidden marriage.

Two days passed, filled with negotiations and largely boring court matters. Hinxato never came forth with his proposal, and Father was none the wiser. But those two days passed, and soon we both stood on the balcony, watching the ship that would again separate my mate from me being prepared. I could almost make out the blue dot that was Father on the ship.

"I don't want to go, Hinxato." I said, trying to keep emotion from my voice. "I know we've done it before, but..."

"I don't want you to go either, dear. But we've done it, and before long we'll be together once more." Hinxato said, his long hair ruffling in the breeze. "The pains we go through for love." He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"We'll be fi-" My words were cut off by a knock at the door. Hinxato answered it.

"Message for you, milord. From the Nerbekian in the care of the physician." The guard said, offering a sheet of paper, folded. He took it, shutting the door and reading aloud.

"It says: 'We've woven hearts a thorn arbor, left tear streaked reason upon the shore.

Bereft of compass, star or more we set out for this World's end. Few at the prow, most slave below painting coal a perfect gold. But for all it's worth, the engines slow; dead in the brine again. Come cabin fever, sodomy on the Bounty, pray to phallus seas that hiss and foam to douse disease. A storm roars on the way, blacker than the Ace of Rapes dealt out by Death in darkwood glades. Our ship of fools, all boards handmade, sinks; dashed by seismic waves.'"

"He must be hallucinating." I said, shaking my head.

"Maybe. But this sounds...a song? A poem? Why would he send this to me?"

"Perhaps a visit is in order?"

"Maybe, I'd really like to know what's go-" There was a sound in the distance, almost like muffled thumps, twenty in a row. Then twenty again, moments later.

"What was that?" I said, spinning around and hurrying to the balcony. Then my world exploded in sound and pain, before going completely dark.

I stood in a dark valley, a massive iron wall before me. An equally massive door stood in it, looking for all intents like a normal door scaled up. I was nude, a burning pain in my chest. I looked down at it, and found a brightly burning sigil on it, senseless to me but burning badly. As I looked up a shadow appeared, rushing across the dead earth between us, grabbing me by the throat and lifting my head to look at it. A pair of bright ruby eyes stared from the swirling darkness that held me. It suddenly spoke, in a quiet voice sounding vaguely of rustling leaves.

"You are dead." It said. I could only choke and squirm in response. "Dead, your body scattered across the city of Cairi. You stood little chance, the cannonball that blew your body apart was filled with an explosive. Truly, you are over a very large area." He dropped me, the eyes glimmering in something that looked like amusement.

"I'm not dead..." I said, rubbing my throat.

"You are. Would you like to see the moment of your death?"

"Liar." The shadow stepped forth as I spoke, a small tentacle of shadow growing from it and prodding me on the forehead. It was a single clear image, a fireball erupting from the center of a feline that looked startlingly like myself, a copious amount of blood surrounding...was that my intestine...no, it can't be...

"You believe me now. This is the afterlife." He started to drift away, the eyes watching me.

"No! No! No, no no! Don't leave me! No! Put me back, I'm not dead!" The shadow froze as I said the last part, looking at me with the unblinking eyes.

"I can make you a deal." It said, after a long silence.

"Anything! Please!" I begged.

"Anything?"

"Yes!"

"Very well." As it spoke the world went dark once more. I could almost hear, on the edge of my straining hearing; "Whee...plonk."

I woke again. Smoke was all around me, a burning heat coursing over my flesh. Something was crushing my chest, pinning me neatly and making breathing difficult. My clothing was ripped and sheared away, blood covering me from wounds that stung severely. I pushed on the beam across my chest, but to no avail. Other things were covering me, and I could feel the stale air becoming more and more oppressive. I cried out wordlessly once, twice, three times, all to no avail. I struggled more, and only succeeded in making my wounds throb more and more. The heat was getting closer, the more I thought of it, the hotter it seemed. But suddenly, as I was crying out again, I was engulfed in water. It flowed away quickly, quickly enough that I did not drown.

"Boy!" Someone said, splashing footsteps rushing to me. I opened my eyes again, revealing an elder human in gold robes, torn in places. It had large scorch marks across it, and bits of it were still smoldering. "Boy, are you alive? Cairi is under attack!" I tried to affirm him of my state, but as I opened my mouth a sudden pain struck my throat. My hand flew immediately to it, and felt hot blood. The mage grabbed me and hauled me up without saying a word. He hurried me into the castle, past hordes of guards and into a room in the cellar. The lord stood there, in a breastplate and a sword at his hip, speaking quickly with someone in shining silver armor. Hinxato sat in a corner, crying quietly. He looked up as the mage brought me in, and immediately grabbed me in a tight hug, crying on my shoulder.

"I thought you were...I mean, I saw...you..." He said, looking at me. His eyes went to my throat. "Father! The physician!" The lord rushed over, and without another word gestured for the physician. I hardly felt the neck wound, but did feel the hot blood dripping down my chest. The physician led me to the only open cot in a corner, the others filled with moaning, wounded soldiers. He laid me down, and put a finger on each of my temples. Darkness filled my vision, and I slept.