Early next morning, Sultana Dudula arranged a couple of carriages to ferry them out of Bravost. It didn't make sense to Kanae until they arrived at Misiah's idle edirashem beyond the city gate. A procession of wagons and carts rolled up to their massive counterpart, and laborers loaded supplies onto the lifts. Citizens of Bravost and Avanesse worked together in what must have been an unimaginable sight mere months ago.

"What's going on here?" Kanae asked, hopping off the carriage after it came to a stop.

"This, my dear Amethyst," Archbishop Patrice began as she and the other royals emerged from another vehicle, "is international politics at work. If you will, Sultan Cerberus, Sultana Dudula?"

"Your archbishop drives a hard bargain, Kanae. Avanesse will be lending you an edirashem. Rasheena and I won't be coming though; it's far too dangerous being so close to the Elusis. Instead, Edirashok Misiah will assist you in our place," Sultan Cerberus explained.

Sultana Dudula then directed everyone's attention to the smaller vehicles and added, "Bravost will supply your journey, and we will create a supply line in the meantime. If a war is to break out between us and Elusis, holding a battlefront far from Bravost may be prudent. The main force of my armies are still near Avanesse's border. I've sent Archmage Donnu to march them back home, but that will take time."

Kanae's jaw dropped. Archbishop Patrice stood there looking pleased with herself. How she, an outsider, managed to achieve something like convincing a sultan to lend an edirashem was miraculous. Thanks to her, they should reach Elusis faster without needing to deal with monsters all the time.

Most of their belongings were sitting in Misiah's edirashem to begin with. Renya, Petyr, and Edina had already completed their preparations the night before and were ready to leave.

"How did you negotiate all this?" Kanae questioned the archbishop.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without leveraging Renya Rown's promise to help repair Avanesse's edirashems. Isn't that right, Chairwoman?" Patrice glanced over her shoulder to Renya, who strolled up and patted Kanae on the back.

"Damn straight." Renya grinned, then raised her voice so Sultan Cerberus and Rasheena could hear. "My guy is Senior Engineer Dino Strauss. He's coming with two crews, that's 400 men and ten caravans in total. Should be here within the week with the strongest lumber the Commonwealth has to offer. You sic them on your edirashems, and those bad babies will be right as rain in no time."

"Tsk. I know we have no choice, but I still take issue with outsiders putting their hands on Avanesse's prized possessions," Rasheena grumbled.

Sultan Cerberus elbowed her in the side. "They have proven time and time again they can be trusted. Thank you, Renya. Thank you, too, Kanae! May the sands fall in your favor in Elusis. You have repeatedly resolved Saviran's problems for us, and that is a deeper debt than we can repay."

"I'm just glad you're not getting sacrificed anymore." She patted him on the head.

Rasheena rolled her eyes and turned the other cheek.

"Bravost has one more thing to offer. Not exactly from me, but from an associate." Sultana Dudula turned in the direction of the city gates, where four carriages with the crest of the East Saviran Trading Association were just coming out.

The Mamba lounged in the coach's cabin, his bejeweled hand waving to them and catching the rays of the sun.

"Greetings! Consider these a gesture of goodwill for helping to expose the traitors within our guild. Oh, and for liberating my mine." Theo Mambahu slithered out from the carriage and took a bow. "Hm? Are the carriages not to your liking?"

"I-I'm definitely grateful! But we're already traveling on the edirashem, aren't we?" Kanae asked.

"You will." Sultana Dudula nodded. "Those incredible wagons can take you most of the way, but they are too large to cross the Shamsir ridgeline. Theo's carriages will finish the journey. Your retinue must pose as merchants. Elusis has it out for Bravost, but not the association. Trade continues to flow as usual, but who knows. Things may change if war does break out."

"I'm also lending you this." The Mamba gestured for Kanae to open her hand, and when she did so, he pressed into her palm an association token with a diamond inlay in the center.

"Wait, isn't this extremely valuable?" She gasped.

"Indeed. There is an association lodge in Elusis. Among the cargo are several crates of rubies and textiles. No one will question you if you have that token in your possession. Oh, and should anyone there demonstrate sympathy towards the Harpy King, be sure to show them the Migo treatment." He flashed a fanged grin.

Kanae gulped. She was glad The Mamba was on Bravost's side.

Everyone bound for Elusis boarded Misiah's edirashem. The more curious citizens of Bravost rushed out to watch the giant caravan depart. They took up residence in the edirashok manor, while Archbishop Patrice elected to make herself comfortable in a private study.

With Kara coming along in the journey to Elusis, Camilla spent most of the day with her sister. A bored Delayn was the only one to guard the archbishop for the majority of the time. The edirashem passed by dozens of small farming villages, some nestled with a crevasse, others under the shadow of a canyon. It was incredible to see how many different ways Bravost's people adapted to the harsh and arid climate, including how similar it was to Avanesse. At the end of the day, they were all Savirans.

As night fell on the fourth day of their journey, Kanae paid Archbishop Patrice a visit. Delayn was falling asleep by the door. To no surprise, Camilla was missing again. Whether to hang out with her sister Kara or smoke hashish in a remote part of the caravan, she certainly enjoyed skipping work.

"Zzz… Amethyst?" Delayn's heavy eyelids snapped open.

"The archbishop still inside?" Kanae asked.

"Well, I'd know if she left. Ugh. I kind of wished she left the room! How someone keeps their nose buried in books all day without going crazy is beyond me. I'm beginning to miss guarding Gretchen Redbaron," she muttered.

"I heard that! Who are you talking to, Delayn? Is it Amethyst? Send her in!" Archbishop Patrice hollered from the other side.

Delayn sighed and opened the door for Kanae to enter. It was a cozy room with a balcony, where Patrice was seated in a lounge chair and reading under the starry night sky. Fire crackled from a small heart to keep the freezing desert at bay. The archbishop appeared unbothered outside though.

"You look like you're having fun," Kanae teased.

"A book in hand and the stars to keep my company. What more can I ask for? Tell me, Amethyst. What do you know about Elusis?" Patrice asked.

"Only that it's the seat of the Harpy King. I bet you already learned plenty. You should be telling me," she said.

"Imagine spires hundreds of feet tall. Some dwarfing the highest point of Aidenhall. There are many, and from afar, they look like needles puncturing the sky. It is possibly one of the oldest civilizations in this world. Elusis is the home of many harpy races. Shamanism and mysticism is a big part of their culture. When the powers of Savir was whole, the Grand Sultan often picked elder seers and sages from Elusis to help guide the country. Curious that they eventually fell to ruin and fractured into three countries."

It didn't escape Kanae that Patrice was trying to suggest that Elusis orchestrated the splintering of Savir. Considering what the Harpy King was trying to accomplish, it made sense that his ultimate goal was to reunite all three but with himself as the Grand Sultan.

The winds suddenly picked up. Pages on the book that Patrice had opened flipped violently. Sands at the mercy of the gale flew sideways. Kanae and Patrice shielded their faces from being pelted by the grains. They quickly grabbed the stack of books and pulled the balcony doors closed. The edirashem began to groan and crack.

Delayn threw open the door and exclaimed, "What's going on?"

"I don't know! Everything was calm a moment ago," Kanae said.

They raced out of the manor and into the forewagon grounds. People were rushing back and forth, tying cargo down with rope or hoisting them inside the warehouses. Misiah emerged from the balcony of her bedchamber on the top floor, wincing as the winds coursed with greater strength.

"I expect all of our inventory to be in place, or there will be three hells to pay! Go, and fly down to the others. Bring down the canopies, and tell the smaller vehicles to take shelter underneath the wagons!" Edirashok Misiah ordered two harpies, who unfurled their wings to fly as quickly to the other wagons as possible.

"Misiah, what happened?" Kanae cupped both hands over her mouth to shout.

"A t-t-tornado! Uncommon, but not unusual in the desert. What is unusual is that this is abnormally strong. I've never seen anything like this before! You should all stay inside where it's safe until this passes!" she yelled back.

Archbishop Patrice and Delayn ran back inside and stopped at the door.

"What are you standing around for, Amethyst? Get in here!" Delayn yelled.

"This is abnormal because it isn't natural at all! I've felt this before, when there was a wind wall blocking the way through the Arkesian Wastes. Elementals!" Kanae exclaimed.

One of the large wooden poles supporting the canopy started splintering. A group of workers were trying to pull the cover down, but the winds were too strong. They were panicking. Someone scaled the pole with a knife to try and cut the rope, but he lost hold.

"If we don't cut the canopy, it might rip a chunk of the wagon with it!" Misiah cried.

Kanae launched into the air and caught the man before he hit the ground. She took his knife to finish the job. The entire pole was splintering. Even the iron bandings that reinforced the shaft began to bend. The canopy that was supposed to protect them from the cursed sun in Avanesse now threatened to destroy the wagon. With the serrated blade in hand, she severed the tether, moved to the next, sliced that one, and watched the canopy carried away into the darkness.

"What in three hells is happening?" Edina, dressed only in her nightgown, ran out of the manor screaming.

Petyr and Renya followed close behind the squirreling, all three looking like someone just gave them a rude awakening.

"Fuck, it felt like the whole wagon was about to lift off into the sky." Renya shielded her eyes from the sandstorm.

"I don't have solid proof, but I'm pretty sure elementals conjured this!" Kanae explained.

They threw themselves to one side of the forewagon. The tornado was upon them now, with wind speeds that could uproot trees. Flying sand was like needles pricking against their skin.

"Whoa, whoa!" Edina lifted into the air and clutched onto the railings for dear life. "I'M NOT HEAVY ENOUGH TO STAY ON THE GROUND!"

"Hang on, Edina!" Kanae jumped to grab her, but the squirreling lost grip and disappeared screaming into the tornado.

"How are we supposed to deal with this? Should I shoot at it?" Renya drew both flintlocks and aimed them at nowhere in particular. She let off a single shot, but the winds were so strong, the bolt arced off and blew a chunk off someone's chimney.

"Let's not do that…" Petyr pushed Renya's weapons down.

The howling winds seemed to grow sharper. Maybe it was due to the sands flying at incredible speeds. Something cut Kanae's arm. A bit of blood trickled down to her elbow. Amidst the bellowing gale, a cacophonous screech echoed from all over.

Elemental cyclones of pure energy took shape, like humanoid versions of the tornado but with masculine and feminine form. Their swirling faces beheld eyes made of pure white crystals. A crackling core of electricity bristling with power pulsed like a storm within their chest. Petyr pushed Renya's weapons back up. She fired a volley for arcane bolts, all of which went flying off and hitting nothing.

Cackling with laughter, dozens of them descended on the edirashem, wreaking havoc and breaking everything they could get their hands on. Debris and rubble flew everywhere, picked up by strong winds left in their wake.

"Damn it! Come down here and fight!" Petyr swung her holy energy-infused maul, hitting nothing but the air.

"I beat your kind before, and I'll do it again." Kanae brandished the Blade of the First Temptress into the sky and shouted, "Turn Horny!"

The gale winds subsided. Briefly. All of the shuddering elementals recovered from their horny state and amalgamated together. They formed a single enormous cyclone whose fists came crashing down on the wagon.

Kanae, Petyr, and Renya braced themselves when a barrier erected over them. The elemental recoiled, losing a bit of its shape. Delayn and Archbishop Patrice, their staves glowing with magical energy, braved the tornado to help with a dome shield.

"Amethyst, again! I can't believe I'm saying this, but keep making that elemental horny!" Delayn shouted.

"Right! Turn Horny, Turn Horny, Turn Horny, Turn Horny!" Kanae repeatedly casted her signature spell, fully draining her pool of mana as it funneled into the Blade to empower the magnitude.

"Kuh… Noooooo!" The elemental howled, this time more coquettishly and like a long drawn-out moan.

The tornado diminished, and the winds receded. They broke apart, losing form— or maybe reverted back to their original forms as gentle gusts and nimbus clouds in the sky. Rain followed soon after, showering the edirashem and desert in a light drizzle.

"Ptooh! I don't even want to know why it started raining." Petyr groaned, wiping her face.

"Good work, Amethyst! It's no wonder you're a Knight of Color!" Patrice complimented as she ran up to them.

"I'm so beat… and horny… I've never been so out of mana… This sword took everything…" Kanae collapsed to the sandy and moistened ground, stomach hungering to feed. "Can someone… look for Edina, please…"

Renya peered over the edge.

"You good down there, shorty?" Renya yelled.

"I'm buried up to my neck in sand, so what do you think? And don't call me shorty!" Edina shouted back.

Kanae breathed a sigh of relief.

"Guys, not good!" Camilla sprinted through the debris with Kara lagging behind.

"Where in the Supreme One's name were you, Camilla? We just fought off a horde of elementals!" Delayn complained.

"I was defending the rear wagons! The elementals wrecked it. Misiah's conductors say it's going to take some time repairing the links between each wagon. The wheel joints or whatever they called them are stuck full of sand, too. The wagons won't move until it's all cleared," she explained.

Everyone uttered the same thing at the same time, "Shit."

In other words, they were sitting ducks out here for another attack.