The rain came down unrelentingly.
Niri hissed from within the vehicle.
Through the curtain of rain, Faelan caught sight of a silhouette.
Then—
THWIP
He didn't wait to find out what it was.
The engine roared to life as he slammed his foot down.
BANG
BANG
BANG
KRRRK
The vehicle wobbled even more violently than before.
Faelan paid it no mind.
Shots rang out behind them.
One punched through the rear glass, leaving it webbed with cracks.
BRRRGHK
"You're going to break it!" Ria called out as the side of the vehicle slammed into a tree.
Faelan had only managed to wrench it away at the last second.
Even after the gunfire faded into the rain, he didn't slow down.
The vehicle skidded and swerved wildly, almost seeming to have a mind of its own.
He stamped on the brake, but it did little.
The ground suddenly fell away beneath them.
They shot down a muddy slope—
THLAD
—and crashed into a rain-soaked ravine.
A mudslide followed after them, burying the vehicle.
No matter how hard Faelan tried, it refused to move.
The wheels spun helplessly beneath the mud.
He struck the steering wheel in frustration.
"Damn ragons," he muttered.
Ria looked at him, then at the mud-caked windshield.
"What are ragons?"
Faelan let out a weary sigh.
"They're criminals. Conniving, spiteful criminals. Independent towns that can't afford to keep them locked up usually drive them into the wilderness instead. If they cause enough trouble, one of the larger nations eventually deals with them."
"Oh..."
Her eyes widened a little.
"Ohhh."
"Exactly."
Faelan pushed the door open.
"At least we aren't trapped inside. Not like we can go anywhere, though."
"What about the ragons?"
"If we're lucky, they won't find us under all this mud. We'll try to get out in the morning."
He glanced toward the darkening sky.
"It's already getting late."
"If you say so."
Ria lay back across the rear seat.
She opened the book she'd been carrying.
"The war dragged on, taking more and more. Neither side was winning, yet neither accepted defeat.
The man who had no one to blame remained among the rubble of what had once been his home.
It didn't feel real. He had held his children in his arms before leaving, but now it was all gone.
He held a burial for the dead, burning the bodies of his family, the people from his small village, even the fallen soldiers. It was the only thing he could do for them.
The long night ended. Morning came as it always had, but not the way he remembered it.
It was empty.
He took what little he could find and left.
The roads felt longer, silent, as though the world itself had let him grieve.
He passed through abandoned farmlands. He harvested what remained of the fields, tilled the soil, and planted new grain. He released the fowls trapped in their coop that had somehow survived.
When the rain came, he took shelter beneath a large dying tree.
When his work was done, he continued on, heading for a nearby town he hoped was still standing."
Faelan turned in his seat, closing his eyes.
***
The sun had yet to fully rise, but Faelan was already awake.
He scraped the thick layer of dried mud from the vehicle as best he could with his hands.
Faelan pushed again, the vehicle rolled a little before sinking back into the mud.
His boots sank to the ankles, every push threatening to send him sprawling.
"Do you need help?" Ria asked.
"Yes," he grunted.
She climbed out, making the vehicle noticeably lighter.
The two pushed together. The wheels climbed onto the slope before slipping back.
"Again."
Faelan dug his boots into the mud and shoved with all he had.
The vehicle slowly crept up the bank.
One last push...
It rolled onto solid ground.
Faelan let out a sigh, then looked to the front tyre, his expression darkening.
"What's wrong?" Ria inquired.
"The tyre." Faelan squatted down and gestured to the large hole. "The ragons put a hole in it. It'll be a lot harder to drive now."
"How about we just change it? There's a spare on the back, and there should be a wide-mouthed cylinder in here." She rummaged through the vehicle.
"A wide-mouthed cylinder?" Faelan replied, puzzled.
She's speaking gibberish again, he thought.
"This."
Ria pulled out a hollow cylindrical metal tool with a hexagonal opening at both ends.
"What's that for?"
"To remove the bad one."
She took the spare tyre from the back, then used the tool to loosen the thick hexagonal nuts holding the wheel in place.
"Now we need something to hold it up."
"But what?"
Faelan looked around. There weren't any rocks large enough for the job.
His eyes drifted back to Ria.
Her clear eyes had never left him.
"How's your rib?" she asked.
Faelan couldn't understand why she needed that information now. Five days had already passed since it was cracked.
"It's fine. Good as new, even."
"That's good."
She walked to the side of the vehicle and lifted it.
Faelan's eyes widened.
"Come closer."
He did as she asked.
"Put your arms under it."
"No..." Faelan replied skeptically.
"I need you to help me lift it higher."
Faelan already thought it was high enough, but then again, he knew nothing about changing a tyre.
"Alright."
The moment he was in position, the weight of the vehicle settled onto his arms.
"Ria?!"
"Just count to ten. I need it suspended while I switch the tyre."
"One... two... three... four... five..."
"You're going pretty fast. Just make it thirty."
"Nine—thirty?!"
"Yes."
She slid the new tyre into place.
"My arms are about to fall off!"
"Almost."
Faelan's arms trembled as the weight slowly forced them lower.
"Ria..."
THUD
Faelan lay on the ground, panting.
"Did... you... finish?"
"It almost fell on my hands, but yes."
"Serves you... right."
"So..."
"We'll leave... in a moment."
The wind carried the smell of damp earth, as Faelan waited for his strength to return .
***
The savannah felt different beneath the morning sun.
Water clung to every blade of grass, bending them under its weight. Small aves darted between them, disappearing as quickly as they appeared.
Ria's eyes traced them.
They passed through a gathering of wooden and stone structures, already reclaimed by nature.
A pair of doels drank from a shallow pool left behind by the storm. One lifted its head as the vehicle passed, watching them until they disappeared over the next rise.
Faelan's grip on the steering wheel eased as time passed.
"There are animals here," Ria muttered.
"What was that?"
"At the ravine there were barely any insects, but now you can see a few animals."
"It seems that way."
Ria rested her head against the door as the wind blew through her hair.
Her cloak hung over the side of the vehicle, drying beside Faelan's jacket after they had washed the mud off.
The vehicle wobbled as it rolled over cracked cobblestone.
"How far do you think we've gone?"
"I don't know, but it would've probably taken us a week to get this far on foot. We owe Jarek one... maybe more," Faelan replied, wondering what had happened to him.
"How do you know him?"
"Um... the first day I got to Dorvel, about a year ago, he just happened to be in the pub I walked into. Back then I was still looking for someone. From there I joined the messengers, survived an assassin here, an orthdra there... a few things in between, and now I'm here."
They went over another bump.
"Are you still looking for them? The person you talked about?"
"Yes."
He paused.
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because someone close to me said I should."
"Close...?" she muttered.