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MAYRA AND JOSSIAN HIKED for hours through the Maddagar Wilderness, shielded by a constant canopy of trees. Sunlight winked through rare gaps between crimson leaves, and even though they walked in shade, it was hot and humid. Every inch of Mayra's skin was moist with sweat. A gurgle from her stomach reminded her of its emptiness, but she was more thirsty than hungry. After three hours, they passed one creek, but it was shallow and dense with mud. She prayed for a better water source with every step they took.
Jossian held their prisoner's rope, and he gave it a tug if Jun ever drifted too close to Mayra. Jun's shirt was soaked and his neck was covered in bug bites. The many insects of the Maddagar Wilderness had been less kind to him than Mayra or Jossian. Their feast on his blood only added to his misery.
After hours of following in silence, Jun suddenly said, “I think the princess would like to rest for a bit.”
Jossian flashed a doubtful glare in the captain's direction. “I think you want to rest for a bit,” he countered.
“No. I'm serious. She's been hobbling for at least a few minutes,” Jun said. “You're too wrapped up in yourself to notice.”
“Are you hobbling?” Jossian asked Mayra.
If she was, Mayra didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to be the only one who couldn't endure their three-hour trek, even if her shoes were mostly to blame. There was a hole in one of her paper thin slippers. She was walking on pebbles, and it was pointless to shake them out. Every time she tried, new ones slipped into her shoe a moment later.
“I think I'm alright,” Mayra lied.
Jossian turned his intimidating glare on her. “You think?”
“I'm fine,” she insisted. “Really. If I can't walk anymore, I'll tell you.”
“But you are in pain? Show me.” When she didn't react, Jossian pointed at her feet and demanded, “Take off your shoes.”
Mayra blew out a heavy sigh as she kicked off one of her slippers. It was useless to argue with Jossian—he always got his way. She held up her shoe and peered at him through the hole in the sole.
“There's a hole,” Jossian said.
Jun laughed at his captor's observation. “Well, that's obvious! You're quite the genius, aren't you?”
Jossian dragged Jun to a nearby tree and tied him to its trunk. Then he returned to Mayra and knelt beside her feet. “Do you have blisters?” he asked.
“I think so.” Her toes folded under her foot, as if to hide from his gaze.
“This shoe is useless,” he growled. “I should have bought you a better pair in Mobius City. Can you walk?”
“Yes.” She glanced at Jun, who was trying to untie himself, to no avail. “Captain Shiraishi was worrying for nothing. I'm fine.”
“Oh, sweetheart!” Jun erupted with a snide chuckle. “Believe me, I'm not worried about you. When I said you were hobbling, I was just making an observation.” He yanked on his ropes, realized it was useless, and surrendered to Jossian's knots.
“Here's an observation,” Jossian fired back at him. “You're a heartless shit.”
“Actually, I think I'm a fairly nice fellow,” Jun disagreed. “However, I generally don't have a great deal of sympathy for people who murder my family members. Is that really so surprising?”
“I would've killed your little brother as well, if killing him was the only way I could escape my torturers. Don't pretend you wouldn't have done exactly the same thing.”
“Kill my own brother to get away?” Jun tutted at the thought. “Actually, I would have cut off my own arm to save him.”
“No. Not your brother. Anybody's brother. Are you too thick to follow my logic?” When Mayra sat down, Jossian scooped her bare foot in his hands, checking it for blisters. Ignoring her gasp, he continued, “As a soldier, you can't pretend you don't have blood on your hands as well. I'm sure you've had to make difficult decisions, and maybe some innocent people have been affected by those decisions.”
Mayra's head shook as she listened to their debate. It was strange to hear Jossian defend her. She swore he hated her once.
Jun didn't respond, so Jossian said to Mayra, “I'm not going to lie... your feet look terrible, Princess. Your biggest blister looks close to bursting.”
“I can still walk!” Mayra insisted. “I have to. There could be soldiers searching for us. I've been through worse than this.”
“I'm sure you have.” Jossian tore off her second slipper and checked her other foot. It was less inflamed and had fewer blisters, but he still grimaced when he saw it. “I'm not sure what to do. Should I carry you?”
“No. I can walk!” Mayra jumped from the ground, reclaimed her slippers, and limped away before Jossian could insist on the alternative.
“Alright,” Jun suddenly conceded. “I have some sympathy for Mayra. I wouldn't want to see her tortured again, and I wouldn't want her to be in any pain. I'm not a sadist like Trimble and the others.”
“Then you chose the wrong job,” Jossian said as he returned to Jun's tree. He freed him from the trunk, but kept him tethered to the rope.
When they resumed their walk, Mayra's hobble was more obvious than ever.
“You know,” Jossian began, “I really wouldn't mind if you wanted to ride on my back.”
Mayra shut down the idea with a firmly stated, “No.”
“I could tuck you under my arm?”
She shook her head.
“Let you ride on my shoulders?”
“No!” she cried. “Please, Jossian, no. I'm perfectly capable of walking. Even if it hurts a bit... I'm fine.”
“Suit yourself.” Jossian shrugged at her resistance. “I had to offer. My brother would be disappointed if I didn't. He's besotted with you, after all. I'm sure he wouldn't want those poor feet to suffer.”
Jun perked up. “You have a brother?”
“I do. A younger brother. His name's Rathen. If he survived the crash, your people probably killed him, so... perhaps you and I are in a similar situation?”
“You don't know that,” Mayra said.
“No. You're right. I don't.” Glancing back at Jun, Jossian asked, “What was your brother's name?”
After a few seconds of silence, Jun replied, “You don't deserve to know his name.”
“Well... fuck you, then.” Jossian chuckled and rolled his eyes. “You seem about as stubborn as I am, Captain Shiraishi. I wonder... in another life, would we have gotten along? Maybe we would have gone out, had a few drinks together, flirted with—”
Jossian's thought was interrupted by an equine nicker. He followed the sound to a grotto, where a small cascade emptied into crystalline waters. Six dozen unicorns with silver-white horns trotted around the glistening pool. They started to retreat at the sight of humans, but as Mayra approached, their curiosity took over. The youngest of the unicorns, a colt with lavender hair, sauntered closer to her, his muzzle outstretched. When she presented her hand, the unicorn whinnied and nuzzled her palm.
A few of the unicorns scattered when Jun ran to the water, pulling Jossian with him. The parched captain brought his mouth to the cool liquid and gulped until he felt an uncomfortable slosh in his stomach.
“Let me guess...” Jossian started as he knelt by the pool, “you were thirsty?”
Jun finished chugging the water and rolled on his back with an, “aaah.”
Jossian cupped and filled his hands. As he sipped the cool liquid, he kept his eyes on Mayra. Three unicorns surrounded her. They nipped at her clothes and sniffed her hair. “They seem to like you,” Jossian said. “You've heard the myths, right? Unicorns are supposed to be attracted to only the purest of souls.”
Jun snorted in disagreement, but he didn't speak. He stayed on his back and waited for the water to settle in his stomach.
“You should have a drink too,” Jossian suggested to Mayra. “It might be awhile before we find water again. It's too bad we don't have a canteen or an empty bottle to fill.”
Heeding Jossian's advice, Mayra tiptoed to the water—because her heels were the sorest part of her. Her new friends followed. Heads thrashed and tails twitched as the unicorns vied for Mayra's attention.
“Be careful, Princess Mayra. You might get gored,” Jun said. “They look like majestic creatures, but they could skewer you with that horn of theirs.”
Mayra shook her head. “I don't think they'd hurt me.”
Jossian asked, “Do you think we should eat one?”
His question earned him an elbow jab from Mayra. “No! How could you even suggest such a thing?”
“Uh... because I'm hungry? Because we're all hungry?” Jossian explained. “It might sound cruel, but it's survival.”
He was surprised to find a supporter in Jun, who said, “I've heard unicorn meat is tough, but tasty. It's not a bad idea.”
“No!” Mayra cried again. “I'm not going to let you murder one of the unicorns! They're sweet and gentle and you're barbaric for considering it!”
“Very well.” Jossian accepted her decision with a sigh. “If we can't kill and cook one, can we at least try to ride it?” When he made eye contact with one of the unicorns, he swore he saw it nod. “It shouldn't be much different than riding a horse.... right?”