Balsa took a deep breath as she was completely pulled into Nayug and the Empress disappeared along with the palace. She looked around and, as she had expected, Chagum was floating about thirty feet from her. He had been hiding behind a closed door the entire time. He looked at her, fear in his eyes, as she started swimming toward the surface. He followed when she looked back. He pushed his crown off his head and quickly shed the top layer of clothing, which was covered in heavy embroidery and jewels.

Chagum reached the surface a few seconds after Balsa. When his head broke the surface, he gasped for air. He had almost run out. Balsa, treading water next to him, was looking down at what had a moment before been the palace and royal city. Once she caught her breath, she remembered the danger they were in.

"Chagum, swim for land. La Lunga will be coming soon. We don't want to be in the water." Chagum, still catching his breath, nodded and started swimming. Balsa followed behind him a second later, watching carefully for any prowling La Lunga.

Neither of them spoke as they swam. It was like when they had first met. Both of them were trying to see what the other was feeling. Chagum's face had grown older over the past year, but he still showed his worry with a straight face as he always had. Balsa's face was, as always, a mask to anyone trying to read her thoughts. Her face was even harder to read as she concentrated on the tasks at hand.

Several minutes later, they were almost to the semi-safe land. Unlike in Sagu, where the area was rocky mountain, in Nayug it was lush fields of grass with trees off in the distance. Chagum knew that La Lunga could live and travel out of water, but not nearly as fast as they could run. His feet had started hitting sediment when Balsa spoke for the first time since they started swimming.

"Hurry, Chagum. They're here." Her urgency gave Chagum's tired legs another burst of energy. They were waist deep when Balsa turned.

"Run, Chagum!" Chagum looked back as Balsa pulled the sheath off her spear and threw it to the shore. A solitary La Lunga extended its huge tentacles toward Balsa as she pulled her spear through the air with absolute control. Two tentacles, which would have wrapped themselves around her body, fell into the water as La Lunga roared. Chagum desperately fought his way from the water and ran to a safe distance from the water's edge.

Balsa chanced a looked to make sure that Chagum had escaped the dangers of the water as she silenced the La Lunga in front of her. She knew another approached, but she had to be sure that he was safe. Satisfied to see him well away from the shore, she turned her attention back to the approaching La Lunga. She had managed to retreat to water that only reached a few inches above her knees, but she knew that she didn't have enough time to turn and run for the safety of the grass near Chagum. She taunted it with her spear, trying to get it closer so she could kill it and escape the water before the others she could see arrived. She caught the small tentacles the creature shot out in hopes of binding her. She thrust her spear forward into the creature's bulbous mid-section. She looked at the approaching La Lunga and started backing up.

"Chagum! Run into the trees! Get away from here!" Chagum stood, fear shining in his eyes as he turned to run again.

Meanwhile, Tanda and the eight soldiers had also made it to land. They had quickly defeated the handful of La Lunga that had reached them before they escaped the water. Now, they were running through the unfamiliar fields in search of Chagum and Balsa. The eight soldiers, much faster than Tanda, split into two groups. One group stayed with Tanda while the other group ran ahead. They ran for several minutes with no luck.

"Wait a minute!" Tanda called out as he slowed and started swiveling his head. Jin, impatient as always, had his hand on his hilt and his face in an irritated scowl.

"What it is, healer? We must find Prince Chagum!" Jin had been extremely irritated when Mon ordered him to stay with Tanda, along with Sun, Yun, and Taga. Tanda was panting as he turned completely, looking back the way they had come.

"Some of the land is the same in Sagu and Nayug. If we can find a landmark similar between the two, we will know where we are relative to where the palace was." Jin's face softened slightly in surprise as Tanda continued desperately searching for something familiar. A moment later, his eyes lit up and he pointed.

"That is where the road to Kanbal starts." He lifted his other arm to point directly out over the water. His chest was still heaving. Jin finished for him as he caught his breath.

"That means the palace was over there. Yun, we'll go check it out. Sun, Taga, prepare a signal fire." Yun and Jin ran for the water's edge that was hidden from view by a small hill, Tanda joined them several seconds later. The three scanned over the water and grassy plain in front of them.

"There!" Yun lifted his arm and pointed. Jin turned and whistled to Sun and Taga, who started signaling that they had found the Prince. Yun waited until Jin started running, but Tanda had already started running and was almost down the hill.

"The Spear-wielder has found His Highness first." Yun didn't respond to Jin's comment as they easily overtook Tanda racing across the flat, grassy plain.

"Something is wrong with her," Yun observed in a toneless voice. Two La Lunga were already dead, but there were more that she was fighting with. And there were more on the way. Sun and Taga, after signaling Mon, had followed quickly.

They heard her yell to Chagum after she killed the second La Lunga and saw him stand and turn. She was practically surrounded by La Lunga as she started backing out of the water, she appeared to be limping.

"Balsa!" Tanda's distressed voice alerted Chagum that they were coming, but he didn't turn to their voices. Instead he looked back at Balsa again. Tanda had yelled because two La Lunga had attacked and as one had tried to wrap its smaller tentacles around her arms, restricting her spear movement, the other caught her legs. As she was lifted out of the water and her spear handle wrapped in tentacles, Sun drew a fire arrow back and let it loose at one La Lunga as Jin flung shuriken at the other. Both La Lunga roared as they unwillingly released their grip on Balsa, but she wasn't able to catch herself. Her leg, which Tanda had seen dripping blood as La Lunga tightened its grip, gave out under her and she fell to her hands and knees. She struggled to her feet again and stopped the attack from another La Lunga.

More La Lunga were appearing. Soon they would be overrun. Jin and Yun reached Balsa in time to deflect another attack from the pair of wounded La Lunga. Both creatures were soon dead. As Jin and Yun guarded Balsa's slow retreat, Tanda reached the water's edge and started splashing toward the limping Balsa. Suddenly, Balsa's leg was jerked out from under her and she fell forward with a grunt. With a swing from her spear, a La Lunga roared and she continued her escape. Tanda pulled her arm up around his shoulders and half carried her out.

"Get out of the water! They can hide their tentacles under the sand and get your legs!" Balsa warned. Jin and Yun looked down in time to protect their own legs from the tentacles that shot out of the sediment beneath them.

Sun and Taga finally caught up to them and joined Jin and Yun at the water's edge. Chagum ran forward and supported Balsa's other side as the small group slowly retreated.

"Get into the trees! That should slow them enough to let us escape," a familiar voice called. The four warriors were on the sandy beach when the other four appeared and Mon took command. Though they didn't turn their backs on La Lunga, they did begin hastening their retreat until they had put enough space between them so they could turn.

"Zen! The spear-weilder!" Zen, the biggest of the eight men, stopped in front of Balsa, who was nearly unconscious from loss of blood and pain. With swift, precise movements, Zen lifted her onto his back and started running again with Chagum and Tanda following as fast as they could.

They ran deep into the trees until they could no longer hear the rampaging La Lunga behind them. Zen laid Balsa on the moist ground. Tanda was already digging through the bag at his waist. His hands came out full of bandages and leaves. Balsa had lost consciousness along the run and her face was pale.

Tanda looked closely at her leg and sighed as he started working. Chagum knelt by his side, worry shining in his eyes as he watched Balsa's face. He didn't say anything as Tanda worked cleaning, stitching, and wrapping. Before long, half of Balsa's leg was tightly wrapped in clean, white cloth. All eight of the soldiers had taken positions surrounding the three. Unfamiliar sounds surrounded them and they looked for the sources, but couldn't find them. Tanda was the only one not appearing worried as he sat back.

"Will she be alright, Tanda?" Tanda looked at Chagum's worried eyes and was reminded of the last time Balsa had received a near fatal wound. It had come from Mon's sword. He sighed and looked at his dear friend's face.

"Yes, Chagum. It looked bad since she fainted, but it looks like La Lunga have a natural sedative in those tentacles. She should wake up soon." Indeed, Balsa's eyes were starting to flutter. Her eyes opened and Tanda helped her sit up.

"Balsa, are you okay?" Chagum's worried voice immediately drew her attention. Balsa's gaze shifted to Chagum as he leaned closer to her. She smiled.

"I'm okay, Chagum." Chagum's face split into a grin and he hugged her. She flinched as her leg was jostled, but didn't make a sound.

"I've missed you, Balsa. I sent Shuga to look for you, but he couldn't find you. I thought . . . I thought . . . ." He tilted his head to look up at her.

"Father sent assassins after you," he said with worry in his voice. Balsa's smile faded and she nodded. Chagum sat back again when he realized he was smashing her wounded leg. Balsa looked at the spear that was laying next to her and picked it up. Her gaze followed the familiar curves of the blade.

"I wanted to ask the blacksmith about that." Chagum looked at the blade in confusion. The eight warriors had turned to face the unfamiliar forest and drawn a tighter circle around the three. Balsa didn't let herself be distracted for long.

"Can you contact Shaman Torogai, Tanda?" Tanda sighed, she was back to herself again. Tanda stood, brushing off his clothes and helped her stand, leaning on her spear to keep the weight off her leg.

"I don't know if I can, but if I can I'll need water." Balsa nodded and the eight warriors split up into the trees already knowing what Balsa had in mind.