Mommu, are you all right?

Mommu, where are you?

Please Sing back if you can hear this. I need to know you are safe.

I am waiting in Ratho, where you told me to be.

Please, Mommu, please be unharmed.

Tia sighed and withdrew her energy from the Wind, closing her eyes in an attempt to control her emotions. Two hours of Singing but not a single reply from her friend. She didn't dare to let her imagination take charge, but she couldn't help but fear the worst. Even the beauty of the sound she made with the Wind couldn't cheer her up.

She opened her eyes again to see a crowd of children, about twenty or so of them, standing in front of her, clutching one another. They were clothed in the same tattered outfits as the rest of the townspeople, with their bony wrists and knocking knees visible through the thin materials. They stared at her with fascination in their round eyes.

They whispered amongst themselves, throwing her furtive glances. Without warning, one of them was pushed forward, towards her. He stumbled, squealing, and glared over his shoulder before flushing to the roots of his curly hair, realising his proximity to the Caster.

The rest of the children hissed at him, sniggering. His knees trembled as he gazed up at her in awe.

Tia smiled at him and crouched, so that they were at the same height. His shoulders eased as he smiled back with a little more confidence. He pointed a bony hand at her staff, his eyes shining.

"You want to hold it?" She passed it to him with both hands. He took it with great care, his mouth in a perfect 'o' shape of admiration. He stroked the Wind gem, a deep, sapphire stone, set near the top of the staff, marvelling at its clear crystalline appearance. He trailed his fingers along the curved upper extremities, caressing the smooth wood and down the length of the staff, gripping each segment.

He placed the end of the staff onto the ground and looked up, a determined glint in his eyes.

"Whoosh!" he shouted, throwing a hand out dramatically at the group of children, who shrieked in laughter and scattered about, pretending to be blown away by the imaginary wind. "Whoo-oo-oo-sh!"

Tia giggled along with them, feigning admiration and reverence for the 'Windcaster'. She bowed along with the kids and mimicked being bowled over by the sound of wind coming from his mouth. They ran about, squealing, fleeing as the boy waved the Caster's staff, chuckling in delight.

It was a big relief to be able to guffaw and squawk, to participate in fun and games and to forget about what had been happening in the past week. She could feel a whole load off her chest as she ran, shouted, and giggled with the younger ones in the town. The group grew bigger and soon there were about forty kids running about, screaming with mirth as Tia brought the Wind in and snaked it around each child, tickling them and ruffling their hair. They tried to chase the dust the Wind blew up, shouting and bumping into one another, determination on their little pinched faces.

It wasn't much, but Tia was glad that she could help bring amusement and joy to these impoverished people, even for a few fleeting moments.

The sun began to set and the group began to trickle away. The last to go was the little boy who had pretended to be a Windcaster. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes bright. He was still panting from the running and laughing, his small bony shoulders heaving up and down. He toddled forward and held out his hand.

She knelt to his height again, the smile on her face mirroring his as she gripped his hand in a handshake.

"I hope you had fun today." She knew he couldn't understand her language, but there was no need. He nodded, grinning and showing gaps in his teeth.

He answered in Rathian. Tia thought he meant something like, "I was glad you came today." She nodded and patted his shoulders.

He pointed to himself. "Humbaba."

"Tiamat." She grinned. He said something in Rathian again, a delighted expression on his little face. He let go and ran off, waving with vigor behind him. She waggled her fingers back at him.

"He said, 'I want to become like you when I grow up'," said a gruff voice behind her, making her jump. She straightened up and faced Tammuz, standing a few feet away.

"Being a Windcaster is not as appealing as it seems," she said with a sigh.

"Windcaster..." Tammuz appeared to mull things over in his head.

 "Yes?"

"I would not normally ask this of someone not on-duty, however..." He hesitated.

Tia could sense what he wanted to ask. "You wish for me to Cast for you?"

"A Hearing," he admitted. "Crops have been very poor for the past years. We do not know when to sow, when to reap and what conditions to expect. Our livestock and our crops have suffered consistently."

"The king's men do not send you reports from Capital? I had thought that all smaller areas' Hearing are covered by neighbouring cities."

"Nobody bothers with the impoverished of Ratho," the man said drily. "We had been self-sufficient for a decade until the past six years. We lost several of our finest men and several bad years of crops have taken its toll."

Tia couldn't help but feel guilty at how neglected the already poverty-stricken people of Ratho are.

"Of course I will Hear for you," she said, straightening up. "I will send you a report as soon as I am done." The man nodded.

****

As the sun set over Ratho and stained the sky a violent crimson and violet, Tia, eating her watery broth with Tammuz and his mother, heard the sound of distant hooves with her sharp ears. She paused, lowering her bowl from her lips.

"What is it, Windcaster?" Tammuz sounded concerned.

"There is someone – no, several people – approaching Ratho."

Tia tilted her head to the side as she stood, trying to source the sounds. They came from the north and were but minutes away. They were strong, fluid, rapid hooves, indicating the carriers were well-built and strong.

The sounds also made her feel very uneasy.

"We do not normally have travellers to our part of the country." The man sounded on edge, too, as he stood up. "It may be best that you hide somewhere."

Tia felt her blood run cold. He knew?

He gave her a wry smile. "Windcasters do not frequent Ratho, and those that do, do not stumble in half-starved and delirious from thirst. I do not know what is happening, but for your safety and ours, you should conceal yourself."

"I cannot bring war to your people," she said, reaching out and grabbing his sleeve as he strode to the door. "I will leave; do not trouble yourself, Tammuz. Please."

He chuckled and patted her on the head, not unlike how Master Anu used to, when she was younger.

"I thank you for the compassion, Tiamat." It was the first time that he had addressed her by her name, rather than 'Windcaster'. "But people outside of Ratho rarely treat Rathians as humans. I dare say whatever we do we will receive the same treatment. Rathians stand up for each other, Windcaster, and you have proven yourself to be one of us."

She let go, helpless, as he joined the crowd that was gathering on the streets. She crept to the glassless window and crouched there, peeping over the edge. The street had fallen silent. She could see beyond the people of Ratho to the newcomers, who were clad in armour and riding carriers. Each man was twice the width of any Dernexan soldier and at least two heads higher. Their shoulders were broad and their arms and legs thick with muscle beneath their gear. Even the carriers were stronger, taller, rippling with strength. The metal glinted with menace. She bit back a gasp.

Mawlinese.

"We are looking for a Windcaster here," said the first rider in a haughty accented voice, drawing his carrier abruptly to a stop. "Make no attempt to hide her and your people will come to no harm."

Tammuz stepped forward; Tia could hear the anger in his tone.

"Your source is wrong. There is no Windcaster here."

"Silence, peasant! You think your lies can fool the mighty Mawlinese?"

"Not at all, sir." Tammuz's voice held just a trace of mockery. "We have no reason to harbour anybody. Ratho has not seen a Windcaster in over six years. As you can see, we are but a poor community."

The captain of the group sniffed with disdain, although his lieutenant appeared taken aback at the answer.

"We are not as foolish as you Dernexans!" he blustered, looking at his commander for instructions.

"Of course not. Your mightinesses merely have a troop of sixty men coming to this poor area to look for a solitary Caster," Tammuz said tartly. The Mawlinese bristled. The captain slid off his carrier, landing with a metallic thunk on the ground, and strode forward, his chest puffed out. In one swift movement, he had grabbed the Rathian by the throat and held him so that they were at eye level.

Tammuz choked, his hands gripping the gauntleted arm. The poor man's legs kicked uselessly in the air.

"We are also not so conceited to think we can survive forever by ignoring the suffering of our people. We began eliminating the pests that act out your king's oppression. Give us the Windcaster now and nobody will be hurt." His eyes narrowed. "Face it, peasant, if harm do not come to you at our hands, it will be by theirs; do not expect Dernexes to be merciful. Either way, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The Mawlinese are merciful. Your assistance will not be forgotten; now why don't you tell me where that little witch is?"

Tammuz spat in the captain's face.

Tia watched in horror as the saliva dripped from the Mawlinese's chin, but the man's face remained mask-like. His icy tone did not change.

"Kill him."

He promptly threw Tammuz to the floor and followed that with a hearty kick in the stomach. The kind Rathian gave a guttural cry, curling into a foetal position.

The captain's lieutenant stepped forward, unsheathing his sword. Tia shivered at the sight of the unforgiving blade glinting in the sunlight.

A little figure darted out of the crowd with a shout, rousing a murmur throughout the people. He swung the plank of wood as hard as he could at the soldier. The material clunked, useless, against the heavy armour, but it sufficed to serve as distraction. The man turned away from Tammuz for a fleeting moment.

Smoothly, his expression unchanged, the Mawlinese turned and plunged his blade into the child's abdomen.

Tia's blood turned to ice. A horrified gasp rippled all around the other Rathians.

Humbaba made no noise. His skinny body twitched and he collapsed onto the ground as the Mawlinese drew back his blade. Dark red blood pumped at a frightening rate onto the dirty, sandy ground.

"You killed a child!" hissed Tammuz weakly from the ground. "You are nothing but monsters! Inhuman!"

"Burn this place to the ground." She heard the captain say, followed by the simultaneous clinks of metal on metal as his men saluted him. A nervous mutter began to fill the air.

Tia's knees felt weak. She learnt heavily against the brittle brick walls, unable to watch any further. She became aware of someone tugging at her hands, repeating the same word over and over, "Come."

She blinked her green eyes, disorientated. She allowed herself to be towed away by Tammuz's mother. Everything seemed hazy and to be moving in slow motion. Humbaba's laughter echoed in her head, the happiness in his huge eyes danced in her mind's eye.

She was led out the back, weaving between the fragile brick homes and to the make-shift stables, where her carrier was resting.

"You, go," said the old woman, speaking to Tia for the first time in her croaky voice. She gave the Windcaster a firm push. Tia bit her lip, torn.

The Mawlinese wanted her – and only her. If she surrendered herself, Ratho and its people would come to no harm.

People outside of Ratho rarely treat Rathians as humans. I dare say whatever we do we will receive the same treatment. Tammuz's wry words sounded in her head. She looked down at the tome in her left hand, gripping her staff tight in her other. The deaths of all the Windcasters in Capital would mean nothing if she were to be caught now. The Book of Wind must never fall into the wrong hands. The guilt weighed even heavier on her chest.

"Windcaster must live," said the old woman, her veiny, wrinkled hands clasped in front of her. She nodded to Tia as the she led her carrier out, pulling the heavy hood of her travelling cloak up over her head. "Go. Now."

"Grace be with you," Tia whispered.

She hopped onto the creature and gave one last look over her shoulder. The woman nodded at her in encouragement. Behind her, Tia could hear the crackling of flames. The Mawlinese had begun to burn Ratho down, but there were no screams.

Even without Sensing, she could feel the grim tenacity that united the people of Ratho as they stood up against the Mawlinese. Strengthened by their perseverance and fuelled by their resolution, Tia urged her carrier on, continuing her journey southward.

Live to fight another day.