Outlanders

Chapter 18: Mashka Aswan

The rest of the day was a frenzied blur. Over and over, Qasikay ran ahead of the pack and disappeared from sight where the fog grew thick. She then waited grudgingly for the outlanders to catch up. They chased Qasikay for several hours, until they found her collapsed from exhaustion on the road ahead.

"That's enough," said Leif. "We need to stop."

"No..." Qasikay whimpered. "My family..."

"The best you can do for them is keep your head on your shoulders. For now, you need sleep."

Qasikay hung her head, defeated. "Fine."

Before long, she was curled up tightly in a tall patch of grass by the roadside, snoring softly.

"Funny how she runs out of energy before we do," said Caldus. "She's the only one who didn't get the snot beaten out of them today. And we still don't even know what that accomplished."

"I'll ask her tomorrow morning," Leif promised.

As the rest of the party slept, Zoltána stood guard. She watched Leif with pity, doubting that he could bring himself to keep his word.

* * *

Leif laid a gentle hand on Qasikay's shoulder. "Qasikay?" he said softly. "Are you awake?"

Qasikay's sad eyes blinked open.

"How are you feeling?"

She shook her head.

"We need to talk."

"This is about the fight, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid it is. You've been dragging us down this mountain road for half a day without telling us what's happened. I know something's troubling you, but these people need to know why they're still following you."

"I am sorry."

"But why? What are we doing now? Zoltána and the rest are going to start getting suspicious if I can't get an answer out of you."

"My family will die," Qasikay mumbled.

Leif's ears shot up, then he tilted his head. "You mean they have died?"

"No. They are alive now. In a few weeks, they will be dead."

"But... how do you know?"

"Remember what would happen if I failed?"

"Yes, your parents would get sent into battle."

"No. They would be sent to Cuntinsuyu, in the invaders' warpath."

"But you completed your mission..." Leif's face fell. "Oh no... did you fail because we didn't beat all of his warriors?"

"No," Qasikay sobbed, fighting back fresh tears. "The emperor wanted the army now. When I came back with just you, he gave me the gold and the ship. But he took away my family."

"That's..." His ears fell back. "That's beyond horrible! Why would anyone do that?"

"I do not know. But now this is the best I can do for my family."

"So that's what the rush is for. Well, I can't say I blame you. If you want, I can tell everyone else."

"No. I need to take responsibility."

Leif looked to the rest of the outlanders, who stood close behind him. They had all heard her.

"Now's as good a time as any," he said.