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Chapter Thirty

Reverse Situations

"I refuse to accept the decision of a baseborn fool!" the nobleman shouted angrily, his wife on his arm, attempting to calm him. Her exertions failed, and her husband's face grew steadily more purple. "How dare a lowly plebian believe he could pass judgement on the affairs of his betters!?" The other nobleman agreed noisily and Rhun could only trail the group of nobles and attendants helplessly as they sought higher counsel.

They found the Emperor lazing against the bank of the stream, apathetically fending off a bevy of servants who had disturbed his rest. One was trying rather franticly to convince the dragon to eat, meeting with no success at all. The dragon's head turned minutely as the noblemen and their entourage entered, Rhun at their heels. As he had abandoned his patch of water growth for the moment, there was nothing to conceal the fact that the Endless wasn't wearing a strip. The group stopped short of the water, and Rhun was entertained to see their scandalized expressions. His amusement grew as he noticed that the first nobleman's wife bore less an expression of affront and more one of genuine interest. You don't stand a chance, lady.

One of the servants bothering the ruler took the chance to hold an elaborate silk robe out to the emperor. "Your Esteemed Majesty, would you please put something on?" The dragon favored the garment with a contemptuous glance, and Rhun couldn't help but agree with him. The expensive silk would be ruined instantly in water, regardless.

Fou-Lu was looking much better than he had a week ago, the burns faded to mild red and the open wounds slowly beginning to close. The internal wounds would take longer to heal and it would be a while before the dragon's energy was restored.

The general stepped to the fore the group and bowed to his friend. "Your Majesty, our apologies for the interruption, but I'm afraid these two men have insisted upon seeking your counsel." He added pointedly, "In spite of my own advice."

The first nobleman recovered his composure and stepped forward, dragging his wife with him. "Surely, Your Majesty, you can't expect a lowly subordinate to resolve the issues of the gently bred. While one such as yourself would certainly understand the delicacy of such matters."

The dragon eyed the human with disgust, glancing back over at Rhun with a question in his eyes. Rhun responded, tone making clear his exasperation, "The gentlemen here are disputing their claims to the property of the late usurper and his family. They both are distant cousins of the family and, legally, have equal right to the assets."

"And what was thy resolution?" Fou-Lu asked impassively.

"To split the property equally between them. As you can see, the concept did not appeal to them." One of the noblemen bristled at his wry tone. Rhun ignored him.

"Your Imperial Majesty," the other noble began smoothly, clearly jockeying for favor, "All my peer and I desire is that you would deign to bestow your endless wisdom to our case. We will bow to your words as if they were the words of the gods themselves."

"They art, mortal," the dragon said dryly, unimpressed by the human's embellishments. His eyes glittered maliciously, and the immortal tossed another question to Rhun. "They hath refused thy judgement?"

"Oh, yes," Rhun agreed, recalling the fit both nobles had thrown upon hearing his resolution.

"So." The emperor's golden eyes turned to regard the two nobles. They shifted uncertainly under his steady gaze, and the dragon continued, "Thy claims be equal, yet thou wouldst nay see these possessions divided between thee." He nodded slowly. "Very well. Rhun?"

"Yes, My Lord?" the mortal said, fully expecting the immortal to put the two in their places.

The dragon waved a bored hand in the direction of the bank. "Seize this land in mine name and return it to the control of the government. No doubt there be need of orphanages or some such public work to be built."

It was unfortunate that the two men had been smart enough not to argue with the emperor, Rhun mused, but their expressions upon the proclamation had been entertaining enough.

As the noblemen departed, the robe-bearing servant again attempted to foist his burden on the naked male. The attempt was met with curt orders to leave, and at last Rhun and Fou-Lu were the only ones in the garden.

Fou-Lu sighed, clearly irritated. "For what reason must mortals possess such a surplus of taboos?" he complained to his human friend, "Their shock at the exposure of the body beginneth to grate upon mine nerves."

Rhun chuckled. "I doubt you'll have much luck in convincing them to overcome that particular interdiction."

"It doth seem no matter to thee," the dragon said bluntly. "Why this?"

The explanation was simple, and it had the added benefit of making the emperor smile. "I'm a soldier, Fou-Lu. We tend to get over that taboo after living months in close quarters with a barrack of other men."

The sandflier, commandeered from the reluctant inhabitants of Shyde, ground to a halt in the sand, two more parking to either side of it. A slight figure jumped from the side of the first sandflier to inspect the wreckage. Others followed, spreading out over the scene.

Captain Ursula stared at the remains of the three sandfliers with a sinking feeling in her stomach. If one of those ships was the one that had carried her quarry…How was she going to explain this to the emperor? Any remains would have been burnt up instantly, so she could hardly return with the body…

"Captain!" one of the men called, gesturing to the sand before him. There were footsteps in the sand behind one of the wrecks, which had sheltered them from the wind.

A more detailed search of the area turned up more footprints and a lean-to with the imprint of a body beneith it. A handful of silver hairs at last confirmed the identity of the survivor, and Ursula, with a lightened heart, ordered her men back on the path.

Water dribbled between her lips, running down her parched throat and clearing the sand and dust from her mouth. The last drop slithered out of the canteen and clung to her lower lip, momentarily absorbed into the chapped skin.

Yahla lowered the waterskin, dismayed at the empty container. Of the three containers of water they had retained, Darnik had insisted that she take two for herself and that she drink more extensively than he. She had needed the water more than he as her pregnancy advanced and drew more on her reserves. Now, the second canteen was gone, and she knew well that Darnik had to be running as low as she.

It had been eleven days and they had managed to cover ground at a decent pace. Through the cool hours of the day, they walked. As the days wore on and their conditions worsened, their pace slowed. Still, they had covered over two hundred miles.

Hunger had been appeased by eating cacti and small desert birds Yahla caught barehanded. The watery juice of the former had provided supplement to their liquid supplies, while the raw meat and blood of the later had supplied them with protein and energy. It had taken Yahla some effort to convince Darnik eat either cactus or bird, for the city-bred human had doubted the plant's edibility, even after the needles were removed. And he was squeamish toward eating raw flesh and concerned about the possibility of disease. Yahla, seeing little option but starvation, chose to take that risk. Without means to make a fire and with hunger gnawing at his stomach, the human had eventually given in and accepted the unpleasant food source. Still, both bird and cactus were in scant supply on the rocky and dry terrain and each traveler grew steadily gaunter. If they didn't reach a settlement of some kind soon, where they could restock and regain their bearings, they would likely collapse from the combined stress of hunger, thirst and exhaustion. At this point, Yahla was willing to risk the danger of pursuers, for the desert had grown to pose a greater threat.