“Wait, there’s something I’m still not clear on. If one man has a dozen or more wives, what do the other men do?” Sebi asked. Ever since he had heard about the strange customs of the Empire, he had been stuck to Iova like glue. Rae also had more questions. So whenever this conversation started up again, he found himself wandering closer to them.

  They had stopped to rest in a clearing after walking a good way into the forest. It was not yet noon, and even though they had found a few useful herbs, they hadn’t found what Sebi was really after yet.

  Iova raised his eyebrows at the question, “Anything they want. Women aren’t the be-all and end-all of everything, you know?”

  Sebi’s face stayed pale and serene, but the tops of his ears flushed red. Rae stifled a chuckle and turned to Zott. He was still knee deep in the undergrowth, long grasses, tall poppies, and nettles, searching for herbs and pretending not to listen.

  “Will this be useful?” He asked, holding a handful of leaves and stalks where Sebi could see. When Sebi shook his head, he went back to searching.

  Iova continued, “There’s the military or the priesthood, for men who need something to consume their hearts and souls. And if it’s pleasures of the flesh you’re asking about, there are plenty of ways to deal with that,”

  Sebi stood bolt upright, “That’s enough idle chit-chat. Get back to searching,” he snapped. He joined Zott in sorting through the foliage.

  Rae’s feet were throbbing, but he didn’t want to seem like a layabout, so he joined them.

  “Your lordships have gotten so quiet, don’t tell me you don’t know about such matters?” Iova smirked.

  When had that foreigner gotten so cheeky? At the camp, he had been all deference and flattery.

  To Rae’s horror, he found Sebi and Zott were glaring at him.

  Why is it my job to discipline him? Just because I’m the Shak? It wasn’t my idea to let him come along… And besides, I’m curious to see where he’s going with all this…

  “Pleasures of the flesh? What would a young fellow like yourself know that I don’t?”

  In truth, Rae knew very little in terms of practicalities, but he doubted Iova was any different. Any wisdom he wanted to share would surely be entertaining.

  “There are places in the empire where one can indulge. Male or female, men with enough money can pluck any flower they wish, and as many flowers as they wish,”

  “Master Ven would have liked to live somewhere with such an establishment,” Zott said.

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Sebi replied.

  It didn’t surprise Rae either, but the flippancy of the comment stung a little.

  “It seems like an easy place to get your heart broken,” Rae said.

  “Were all you Shaks so upright? Your sincerity is refreshing. But I think if everyone goes in knowing the rules of the game, no one should get hurt. What’s the harm if everyone agrees?”

  “His majesty would never agree to something like that,” Sebi said, before Rae could answer.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Not even if two beauties agreed to it, asked for the honour of sharing him? Just as you said, the man he fancies would probably be open to such an arrangement? If he agrees and another handsome fellow wants to share the Shak’s company, why wouldn’t he indulge himself a little?”

  “This conversation is absurd and immoral,” Zott snapped, making Rae jump.

  He had expected this prudishness from Sebi, but never considered Zott would be the one to get angry. He wanted to tell Zott that it was fine. Rae wasn’t at all offended. The conversation was amusing, and no more bombastic than things he and Gaori had said in their youth.

  But before he could say a word, Zott had stalked off into the forest.

  “Don’t follow me,” he said, and Rae stood dumbly and watched him go.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think I would cause such offence,” Iova said.

  “It’s alright,” Rae said, “He has a bad temper sometimes. He’ll be back when he’s cooled off.”

  But Zott didn’t come back in a while. Sebi, Rae, and Iova combed the whole area looking for herbs, but didn’t see a glimpse of him for several hours.

  “It’s getting late. Do you think he went back to the camp?” Iova asked.

  Sebi and Rae shared a look. In this land where steep cliffs were plentiful, and bears prowled the mountainsides… Where in dark shadows, much worse things lurked… To abandon your friends in the mountains was an unspeakable act.

  “He’s probably close by and too embarrassed to show himself again,” Rae said.

  But as the sun sank lower and they still saw no sign of him, Rae’s stomach tied itself in more and more knots.

  What are you playing at? Making me worry like this, all over a stupid joke.

  They had combed the entire area around the clearing of all the useful plants, and Sebi and Iova were growing more and more restless.

  “If we don’t go back down soon. We should prepare to spend the night,” Sebi said.

  Iova’s face sank into a whole new level of despair, “out here? In the dirt? With the bears? Oh, I thought I’d left that life behind me,”

  At that moment, Rae settled on a course of action. To hell with Zott.

  “Let’s each search one more time. I’ll go that way-“ he pointed uphill “-Sebi that way, and Iova that way. Count your steps. If after one thousand paces you’ve not seen any sign of him, turn around. We’ll meet back here and go down the mountain without him,”

  Iova seemed happy with this plan. Sebi less so.

  “Are you really willing to leave him behind?”

  “He made this decision himself. It might be as Iova said, and he’s already waiting at the camp— safe and warm. And anyway. We can’t forget why we came here in the first place. Any time you’re up here delays your work on the cure.”

  Five hundred and fifty-six.

  Five hundred and fifty-seven.

  —Wait! Had he skipped one? Better to start the two-hundred-and-fifties again, just to be sure.

  Two hundred and fifty-one…

  Rae had chosen the uphill route because something about it screamed Zott. The terrain was rugged and tiring, and Zott always preferred to be high above everyone else. Rae hoped he would be the one to find Zott so he could give him an earful without the others hearing.

  Two hundred and sixty-one…

  It was quiet, a soft breeze and golden sunbeams filtering through the leaves. The silence made Rae think of things he’d rather not. Like Ven lying motionless in that bed. And all the knawing worry that something terrible had happened to Zott.

  Because this wasn’t like him. Not at all.

  Ever since the incident with the Shali— after the Ashems had returned to their camp— Zott had been stuck to him like a shadow. They had quarrelled many times, but Zott had never gone far. He’d made watching over Rae his new mission, when murdering him had been explicitly prohibited, it seemed.

  “Zott!” Rae called, his heart pounding, “Are you out there?”