The sound of the air conditioning was occasionally interrupted by other passengers going in and out of their rooms in the passageway. Moffitt and Dietrich weren't interested in the late-night happenings in other parts of the ship. Moffitt was completely engrossed in his book, and Dietrich had decided to get his own tin of cookies to snack on. Of course, Moffitt still thought he was being uncivilized by not dunking them in tea like they were supposed to be, but it seemed like a lost cause at that point. Anah was curled up on Moffitt's chest, looking as blissed as a snake could be.

Moffitt hadn't seen her that happy in a long time. Without looking away from his book, he ran his hand down the length of Anah's body. She shifted, sighed contentedly, and rested her head near Moffitt's right shoulder. Several minutes passed, and a slight smirk crossed Moffitt's face when Anah started snoring a little.

Dietrich glanced over when he heard the soft sound. "I did not think it was possible for snakes to do that."

"I guess it is," Moffitt replied. "I don't think I can move now."

"I reckon that would be extremely rude." Dietrich closed the tin of cookies and set it on the nightstand. "How long do you intend to stay up?"

"Not sure. I'm not tired."

"Well, I am exhausted."

"Wonderful, Dietrich. Go to sleep. I'm trying to read."

"And a gute Nacht to you, too." Dietrich turned onto his side, facing away from Moffitt and toward the window. Within minutes, he, too, was snoring, leaving Moffitt the sole person awake in their room.

Eventually, the other passengers were finally in their own rooms, leaving only the sound of the air conditioning and Anah and Dietrich's snoring. With no jarring interruptions, Moffitt found himself starting to drift off. He would occasionally doze, nearly dropping his book on Anah. When he could no longer keep himself awake, Moffitt marked his place in his book, set it on the nightstand, and turned the lamp off.

It wasn't difficult getting to sleep, but once he was out, Moffitt found himself trapped in another nightmare. This time, he was in a small, hot, dark room full of sand. The necromancer castle where the SS had been searching for the enchanted fox's paw in Syria. I'm sealed in. There was a tunnel in the top right corner of the room. Just dig it out. You'll be alright.

He noticed the room was smaller than its real-life counterpart, but he tried not to think about it while getting on his knees and digging away at the sand. Where is it? Where's the tunnel? His digging became more frantic. When he found the true floor of the room, there was no tunnel. Okay. Don't panic. Maybe it's elsewhere in the room.

The room was getting smaller. Again, Moffitt shoved the thought out of his mind as he kept digging. Each corner yielded no tunnel, and the room continued getting smaller. When he reached the last corner, he found he was truly sealed in, and was aware of the walls closing in. He couldn't get a full breath of air in. He started hyperventilating. His heart pounded faster and harder. The room continued to shrink. Unable to stop it, he started screaming.

Moffitt jolted awake, gasping for breath. He was shaking as he sat up, cradling a still-sleeping Anah. His eyes darted around the room, and he remained frozen in place until he was convinced he wasn't in that sand-filled chamber anymore.

Anah stirred in his arms. "Are you alright, dear?"

"F-Fine, Anah."

"I know that tone. You had another nightmare."

Moffitt nodded. He couldn't hide things like that from her. "I dreamt I was in that room, in the necromancer castle, the one that Obersturmbannführer Leitzke threw me in to look for the fox's paw. It was…" Tears began choking him. "I-It was closing in on me."

"Shh…" Anah gently shushed him. "It is alright, dear. You are not there anymore. Everything is okay."

Moffitt wanted to believe her. He truly wanted to, but something deep inside wasn't letting him.

"Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?"

"No. I don't want to wake Dietrich."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Go back to sleep, Anah." Moffitt settled back down in his pillow, with Anah still on his chest.

He managed to fall back asleep, but awoke the next morning feeling like his sleep hadn't been very restful. Even though Dietrich was still snoring away, Moffitt turned on the radio. He kept the volume low while sitting in bed and staring at a painting of Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro on the wall. He wasn't paying attention to the music from the radio or the brushstrokes in the painting. He could still hear his own screaming and feel the panic crushing his chest from the previous night's dream.

"Good morning," Anah said, interrupting his thoughts.

"'Morning," Moffitt muttered.

Anah slithered up his arm, taking her usual place around his shoulders. "Poor dear. Are you ready for your tea?"

"I'm… not hungry, and…" Moffitt shook his head. "Don't want anything."

"Not even tea?"

"Nothing." He sighed. "Just… nothing."

Anah looked over at Dietrich. "Maybe you should talk with him."

"He's sleeping!"

"Hard to sleep with you shouting, Moffitt," Dietrich moaned, eyes still closed.

Moffitt sighed, glancing at Anah. "Fine. I'll… talk with Dietrich."

"Coffee first."

"No! No coffee, no tea, nothing!" Moffitt clenched his fists and let out a growl of frustration, feeling a tight ball of anger burst inside him. "I'm sick of this! I'm sick of the nightmares, the bad sleeps, the exhaustion! Everything! I'm not fit to be a father if this is what my bloody life is going to be! This is what my child will be growing up with! I don't want them seeing this!" He covered his face, body trembling as he tried suppressing a sob.

Anah wrapped her tail around Moffitt's right arm. "Dear—"

"Don't bloody 'dear' me!"

Anah glared at him. "Fine," she hissed while leaving his shoulders. She dropped down from the bed and slithered off to the bathroom, where she slammed the door behind her.

Dietrich sighed. "Look at me, Moffitt."

Moffitt hesitated.

"Look at me, now."

Reluctantly, Moffitt turned to face Dietrich, who was sitting on the side of his bed with a stern expression reminisce of those Moffitt and the rest of the Rats had gotten used to seeing in North Africa.

"You have no idea how fortunate your child is going to be with you as their father. You have no idea how loving of a family they already have. I understand that the nightmares are exhausting and tiresome and no matter what you do, they refuse to go away. My own nightmares contributed to why I wanted to die four years ago."

"I know I don't… want to do what you tried to do, but I want the dreams and anxiety to stop."

"I doubt they are something you can truly stop. Much like the prophecy, and, like the prophecy, it is something we both have to learn to live with. You cannot let it rule over you. I let my depression rule over me, and look where it got me." Dietrich's expression softened. "I do not want to see you go down that road, and under no circumstances will I let you go down that road. I have been through hell, and if, heaven forbid, you end up going through hell, too, I will be with you to bring you out. I know you are not someone who gives up easily, but try not to exhaust yourself fighting this."

"I feel like I already have given up."

"Are there still things in life that give you joy?"

"Yes, but—"

Dietrich picked up Moffitt's wedding band from the nightstand. "Does Vanora still love you despite your faults?"

"Yes." Moffitt's heart ached. It had only been a day and he missed his wife terribly. "And I love her."

"You told me a couple of days ago that you are looking forward to introducing your child to horses. Are you still looking forward to that?"

Moffitt nodded.

"The horses in general. I know they give you joy. You love them and care for them deeply. I remember the state you were in last autumn with Snowstripe's colic scare."

"I was an absolute wreck," Moffitt said.

"But you never left his side while you were waiting for the veterinarian, even though it was late at night and you were exhausted. At no point did you consider giving up. Snowstripe means that much to you."

Even though everything turned out alright with Snowstripe, Moffitt remembered how that one night felt absurdly long, how he was constantly fighting the fear that he was going to lose one of his best friends. He was extremely grateful that his veterinarian, Doctor Wickes, a young man who trained under the vet who tended to Nicholas's horses, had been able to help. Wickes insisted that Moffitt get some sleep afterward, and Moffitt's response was that he planned on sleeping in the stable that night. That certainly wasn't what Wickes wanted to hear, but he figured it was best not to argue with such a stressed and exhausted man.

Dietrich continued. "Your friends and family bring you joy, and I know you would do the same for all of them that I am doing for you."

"I have been in similar situations before. Mainly with you."

Dietrich nodded. "You were in one with Hitch a few years ago, before his wedding with Molly."

"Yes. He had a get-together with people he knew from Wake Forest, and someone was questioning whether or not he was actually going to stay faithful with Molly, because of Hitch's previous… adventures with women. I remember he told me that he told this gentleman that he was absolutely sure he was going to stay faithful, but this fellow brought up a relationship Hitch was in where he claimed he was going to be faithful to that woman. It culminated in a huge argument, and Hitch disappeared." Moffitt managed to laugh a little. "We were fortunate this timber rattlesnake had seen Hitch near the beach, otherwise it would've taken forever to find him." His smile faded. "It was quite awful, seeing Hitch so upset. I let him express his frustration, and… did my best to convince him that things have changed. I'm glad it worked. I was afraid I botched it up and he was going to call off the wedding."

"You truly had faith that he did change, and Hitch knew you did, so he took your words to heart. There is so much more to you than your combat fatigue. Your father still sees the boy eager to learn everything there is to know about the desert."

"He certainly does."

"Believe me, it is easy to let the nightmares take over, but then you will not be able to see the things that matter most. Keep fighting, but know when it is time to step back and let someone help you. I had to learn that, and so did Troy. It does not make you a weak person." Dietrich reached over to squeeze Moffitt's shoulder. "Am I making sense to you?"

"You are."

"Do you feel better?"

"A little, yes."

"Good." Dietrich gently shook him. "Now, speaking of Troy, I suggest you go apologize to Anah. How you treated her was extremely unnecessary, especially since she was trying to comfort you. I highly doubt Troy wants to hear about this when he returns from Korea."

Moffitt sighed. "Yes. He will pretend it doesn't bother him that I snapped at Anah, but then he'll corner me later and give me a very stern lecture."

"Exactly."

"I'd rather not have that." Moffitt stood. "I'll apologize, and then… I guess I'm ready to start the day." He went to the bathroom door and knocked. "Anah? Anah, can we talk, please?"

The door opened, revealing Anah coiled up on the sink. She glared at Moffitt with her hood spread. "What do you want?"

"I want to apologize for yelling at you. It wasn't right."

The cobra's whole body expanded and contracted with each hissing breath.

Moffitt folded his arms over his chest. "Do you need more time?"

"Get out."

"Alright. I'll leave you alone." Moffitt left, closing the door.

"No luck?" Dietrich asked.

"No. She'll come around." Moffitt opened one of his bags to get a change of clothes. "I'll take care of the horses first, then meet you for breakfast."

"I can wait," Dietrich said. He held up the tin of cookies. "I have these to snack on."

"You're not having biscuits for breakfast."

"Biscuits are for breakfast, though. In the States."

Moffitt rubbed his face in annoyance, then cursed to himself upon feeling the pricks of his stubble. He looked at Dietrich. "I have to shave. Anah's in the bathroom. What should I do?"

"How mad is she?" Dietrich asked.

"She looks mad enough to bite me. Not like that'll actually do anything, though."

"I think disturbing her will just make her angrier. You can go a day without shaving."

"It's rather uncomfortable, and Vanora hates it when I'm not smooth."

"Well, Vanora is not here, now, is she?"

"No, but—"

"Go take care of the horses, Moffitt."

"Oh, alright." Moffitt finished getting dressed, then left the room.


Dietrich wondered if Anah's mood would change interacting with someone other than Moffitt. He, too, needed a shave, but he wasn't immune to snake venom. He doubted Anah would actually bite, though. When he entered the bathroom, he found Anah perched on the sink, looking absently at the wall. She reared up and flared her hood, but immediately retracted it when she saw it was only Dietrich.

"We are going to be on this ship for some time," Dietrich said. "I would rather not have you and Moffitt fighting the whole trip."

Anah didn't respond. She watched Dietrich while he opened his shaving kit, then sighed heavily. "I would rather not be fighting, either."

"Then why did you snap at Moffitt when he was trying to apologize?"

Anah said nothing at first, and rested her head back down on the sink. "Felt like he needed a taste of his own medicine."

"And was that the right thing to do?" Dietrich asked.

"No."

"Are you going to apologize when we return from breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Good. Glad that is settled, and that I will not have to listen to Moffitt complain about being 'scruffy' all day." Dietrich looked at Anah in the corner of his vision while shaving. "He will forgive you. No need to worry. Friends have arguments."

Anah was quiet for a moment. "Is he feeling better after last night?"

"He is."

"Good to hear."

When Dietrich finished his shave, he noticed Anah was still on the sink, watching him. "Is there anything you wish to discuss?" he asked.

"Not particularly."

"Are you sure? You look like you want to say something."

Anah hesitated. "Last night, I… sensed someone standing outside the door. I thought it was my imagination, but… I am not convinced it was."

"They just stood there?"

"For several minutes, yes. Then I heard them fiddling with the lock and the door handle. They were interrupted by someone else leaving their room, and then they disappeared."

Dietrich closed his bottle of aftershave, then glared in the mirror frustratedly. "Yesterday, I felt like someone was watching us down in the restaurant during lunch, and again during dinner. There was a man with dark-blond hair looking in my direction."

Anah stiffened nervously. "The mere idea of someone watching either of you is terrifying. What are we going to do?"

"For all we know, we are just being paranoid. The person standing outside the door may have been intoxicated and had the wrong room. The man staring at me in the restaurant may have mistaken me for someone else. He did not show again after Moffitt introduced me to a gentleman he knew from Cambridge."

"It is possible, yes, but I did not sense intoxication with last night's stranger."

"What else could you sense with them?"

"Not much. Their aura was… blurred. Some psychics can train themselves to mask their aura. Enchanted jewelry or pendants can disrupt auras as well."

"The idea of dealing with a psychic watching us is even more terrifying."

"Indeed. The question is why. What could they be after?"

"You?"

"That is likely. They could be after any of us."

"Still leaves us with more questions than answers."

Anah nodded. "Do you have any suggestions as to how we can figure this out? Does Moffitt know about this?"

"He is aware that I felt that we were being watched yesterday, but I never told him about the blond man."

"Why? He should know, dear!"

"I am of the opinion that we should wait until he has tea, a full stomach, and a shave. He will be far less likely to go into a panic."

Anah sighed. "No arguments there. This is the last thing anyone was expecting when we came on board this ship."

"We just have to pray that whoever this is does not realize we are getting off in Alexandria."

Anah nodded in agreement. "Whoever this is has made a significant error, dealing with the three of us."

"I would like to think so."

Dietrich left the bathroom, and Anah followed him. She climbed up onto the nightstand between the beds, and started muttering about Moffitt forgetting to make his.

"I thought a maid would be coming in to do that," Dietrich said.

"Do you want a maid seeing me, dear?" Anah asked.

"No. I will put the 'do not disturb' sign on." Dietrich put a light jacket on, and made sure the room key was in his pocket. "We should be back in a few hours, Anah. Would you like us to bring back anything?"

"Yourselves. In one piece."

Dietrich nodded, feeling Anah was overreacting with that response. "Alright. We will… make that happen. So long." He left the room, and closed the door with a sigh.

There was chatter coming the rooms around him of passengers getting up and ready to have their own breakfasts. Dietrich did his best to look casual while making his way down to the same restaurant as the day prior. He had a feeling that he and Moffitt were going to get very acquainted with it for the duration of that trip.

At the same time, Dietrich would occasionally look around, trying to catch anyone staring. He saw no one staring in his direction while navigating several small shops in order to get to the restaurant, and continued trying to look like he didn't suspect a thing when he entered and found a place to sit.

Dietrich was grateful to finally have a cup of coffee, and savored each sip while patiently waiting for Moffitt. He glanced around, not seeing anyone for a few minutes, then spotted Isaac Redmond, the man Moffitt introduced him to the previous night, talking to the blond man.

Now Dietrich was wishing he had brought Anah to eavesdrop on them, but he knew the consequences of another passenger seeing a highly venomous snake on board would be serious. He cursed to himself in German, but kept glancing over at the two. The conversation was over rather quickly, and the blond man and Redmond parted ways. The other Cambridge alumni never went over to Dietrich, and disappeared completely into a crowd.

Nearly a half-hour passed before Moffitt finally showed up, smelling heavily of horse hay. "I haven't kept you, have I?" he asked.

"No," Dietrich replied. "I talked to Anah. She is willing to apologize, and I managed to get a shave of my own."

"Well, good for you." Moffitt made a frustrated sound while touching his stubble. "I'll take care of this when we go back to the room." He opened his menu. "Ooh, they do serve a full English here. That'll do. And breakfast tea! Wonderful."

"Yes. We will all survive this trip with our heads still on our shoulders," Dietrich said, flatly. He smiled when Moffitt glared at him.

"Shut up."

Moffitt's enthusiasm quickly went out the window when the two received their breakfasts. "This isn't a full English, this is a… half English. Look at this—no toast, no sausage, there's only one egg—" He looked over at Dietrich, who was content with his oversized and very sticky cinnamon roll. "This is insulting."

"Is the tea good?" Dietrich asked.

"It's good, but… look at this, Dietrich, it's appalling."

"It looks fine to me." Dietrich gestured to his plate. "Do you want some of my breakfast instead?"

"No. I can't stand cinnamon."

"Alright. More for me." Dietrich took a huge bite out of the cinnamon roll, and found himself foregoing thoughts of being watched in favor of making sure the thick layer of vanilla glaze didn't drip on the table or his trousers each time he brought the rather monstrous roll to his mouth.

The two returned to their room about an hour later. Lying in front of the door was a small box, labelled for English breakfast tea.

"Curious," Moffitt said. "Wonder what this is doing here."

"Perhaps someone overheard you talking about how much you enjoy it," Dietrich replied.

Moffitt leaned over to pick up the box. He gave it a shake. There was indeed something inside, but Dietrich didn't think it sounded like the flat packets of tea rustling against each other. It sounded somewhat round and solid.

They entered their room. Moffitt continued staring at the box, then turned to Dietrich. Without a word, Moffitt went into the bathroom. "Something about this doesn't feel right."

"No," Dietrich said. "Whatever is inside, do not touch it."

Moffitt pried the box open with a pair of tweezers, then dumped out the contents into the sink. Instead of tea, a snake's head came rolling out. Moffitt stumbled backward, looking like he had been struck in the head. Unsteadily, he turned toward the bathtub and fell to his knees, violently throwing up.

Dietrich stepped back in shock when he saw the cold, dead, black eyes of the snake in the sink. He was equally disgusted, but not enough to be sick. He knelt by Moffitt, and a chill shot through him when he saw blood in the tub. "Are you alright? We should bring you to the infirmary. There is blood in your—"

"No." Moffitt was shaking as he gripped the side of the bathtub. The blood was coming from his nose. "No. I-I don't… n-need—"

"Take it easy." Dietrich carefully helped him sit up, and grabbed a tissue box. He looked in the sink at the snake head. It was dark brown on top, while the scales under its lower jaw were creamy white. Its mouth was slightly open, revealing two small fangs partly concealed with pale, almost translucent sheaths.

"Don't touch it," Moffitt said, muffled by the tissues he was holding against his nose. "Even dead, if you prick yourself on a snake's fangs, you could still get a bit of venom."

"Can you even tell if it originally belonged to a venomous snake?" Dietrich asked. "It does look a little like… Anah, except—" he looked closer at the head, "Anah's snout is a bit more pointed, and she is entirely black in color."

Moffitt continued holding the side of the tub while trying to stand. He was still shivering, and kept his head level while pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked down once at the snake head. "It's a monocled cobra. Or was." Moffitt looked a little unsteady, prompting Dietrich to gently take his shoulders.

"Sit down. Wait for the bleeding to stop," Dietrich said. "I thought you did not have reactions like this anymore because you acknowledged your role in the prophecy."

"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting a snake head to come out of a bloody tea box. That, and… there's something… dark and sinister about it. Who would do such a thing? And it seems… oddly specific."

Dietrich nodded in agreement.

Anah came slithering into the bathroom. "What happened? I heard someone throwing up."

"That would be me." Moffitt raised his hand.

"Are you alright? Your nose is bleeding—"

"I know. It's okay, Anah, just relax."

Dietrich looked down at the unfortunate cobra's head. He was hesitant to bring up what he and Anah discussed earlier, but turned to face Moffitt. "I really do think someone is following us."

"What brought this up?"

"Last night, at dinner, I saw a man looking in my direction near the door of the restaurant. He disappeared after you introduced me to your friend, Isaac Redmond. Also last night, Anah sensed someone at the door of our room. This morning, I saw that same man talking with Redmond in the restaurant."

Moffitt slowly pulled the tissues away from his nose. He waited a moment to make sure the bleeding had truly stopped, then looked up at Dietrich. "I know Isaac is traveling with people. I would need to see this person myself to know exactly what you are talking about."

"Well, he may show up again today."

"We also have no idea if this is the same person. It could've been a different person who was outside our apartment, and another person sent this snake head."

"That is quite possible. I feel something… off about the man I keep seeing, though."

"I'm not saying you're wrong in how you feel. There is definitely something strange going on here, and I don't like it one bit."


The rest of the trip was wrought with frantic dreams, especially after Moffitt began to feel, like Dietrich, that there was indeed someone after them. With no further clues presenting themselves and this mysterious blond man seeming to have made himself scarce, Moffitt wasn't sure how to proceed. Regardless, the trip wasn't nearly as calm and relaxing as he had initially been hoping.

When they finally landed in Alexandria, Moffitt turned his attention to the horses. There hadn't been much room for him to walk them on the ship, and he hated only being able to do the bare minimum with them. He was looking forward to riding, and he imagined both Snowstripe and Icepatch were looking forward to a good run.

During their trip to Egypt, Moffitt noticed that his two horses weren't the only ones being transported, and even though he knew it was probably very rude, he still went up to other stalls and cooed and talked with other people's horses. He was caught by the owner of a lovely black bay Arabian mare at one point, which fortunately led to a long and friendly conversation about horses, something Moffitt was always keen on doing.

He also noticed a rather unusual horse among the stalls—a white Akhal-Teke, a hot-blooded breed from the deserts of Central Asia. Moffitt never expected to see one outside of books and photographs. He found them to be gorgeous-looking horses, though he would always have a soft spot for the Arabian, its history, and its connection to the lands he and his father studied so heavily. Still, he couldn't resist the chance to see this Akhal-Teke up close. The lithe, white horse seemed quite friendly, sniffing Moffitt's hand and letting him stroke its muzzle. "I'll be your owner has some interesting stories to tell," Moffitt said.

He never did encounter the owner on the ship. Moffitt was a little disappointed, but didn't think much of it now that he, Dietrich, and Anah were finally in Egypt. There was something pleasurable and calming about stepping out into the sun and looking over the city of Alexandria spread before him. He had been there countless times before, but it was no less intriguing, especially since he could see a particular location from the dock. "Dietrich—" Moffitt tugged his friend's sleeve, "there're the Roman barracks I came here to get that picture. Can't believe it's been twenty years since I did that."

Dietrich adjusted his backpack before looking at where Moffitt was pointing. The barracks were quite a distance, but it was easy to see that the huge, stone structure was in rough shape. One of its towers was crumbling, while the other was still in fairly decent condition.

"Now, the adventure truly begins," Moffitt said, smiling a little. He lowered his voice. "Once we get out into open desert, hopefully, we will lose whoever seems to have it out for us."

"I hope so, too," Dietrich replied. He turned to Icepatch. "Right. You have never been in the desert before."

"No, she hasn't," Moffitt said. "We'll be going through some busy streets, so keep an eye on her."

"To prevent spooking?"

"That, and horse thieves. Arabians like these are worth a fortune, especially Icepatch. Mares are considered more valuable as war horses."

Dietrich raised an eyebrow. "And you still think bringing them here was a good idea?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Don't worry. Use caution and we'll be alright." Moffitt walked with Snowstripe alongside him off the dock, with Dietrich close behind with Icepatch. For a moment, Moffitt could see himself here as a much younger man, wide-eyed and jaws agape with wonder, hearing his father constantly telling him to quit staring so aimlessly at everything and to close his mouth before an insect flew in. That was hard to do—as was not running off to see things for himself.

Moffitt pulled himself back to reality. A warm feeling came over him at the thought of getting to share something that had brought him so much wonder and joy twenty years ago with someone else—the same someone who had told him to focus on the things that brought him joy whenever his nightmares made him feel as though there was no joy to feel. He felt like a student again, going on an expedition with a very good friend, in search of something untouched by anyone in thousands of years. For him, this was the epitome of joy.

They navigated the maze of streets in the older section of Alexandria to get to the Roman barracks. Moffitt knew the city by heart, but he had to pause and make sure Dietrich didn't get lost or fall behind. The streets eventually gave way to homes and buildings with a bit more space in between them, fenced off from a collection of ancient structures left over from the days of the Greek and Roman Empires, bleached from hundreds of years in the sun.

The horses wouldn't be able to go up to the tower with Moffitt and Dietrich. They were brought as close as possible, so the two men and Anah would be able to leap into action should trouble start. A strange, excitable feeling had worked its way up from Moffitt's stomach to his chest. It seeped into his head, making him feel somewhat dizzy while climbing the steps of the ancient barracks. The stuffiness of the interior didn't help, regardless of how thrilled he was at being in that same place again. He fought through it when he saw the stone steps leading up to the tower.

The sound of the Mediterranean Sea lapping at the rocky shore below and the gentle, salty breeze passing through were all Moffitt could hear apart from his own breathing when he emerged onto the tower. He stared out at the deep blue water, unable to believe that he had returned to the same place after twenty long years. He looked up at the cloudless sky, wondering if this was real, or just a dream. Why can't I have dreams like this, though? He turned to his right to see the skyline of Alexandria. There had definitely been some additions over the last two decades, but it didn't change the majesty and wonder that seemed to emanate from it.

Here, he was at peace. The constant echoing noise of memories, flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety finally quieted down, replaced with the steady, comforting sound of the Mediterranean washing the rocks. If I could live here, I would.

"This truly is a beautiful place, Moffitt," Dietrich said. "I see why you took a secret trip here all those years ago."

Moffitt nodded, not wanting to respond and disrupt the quiet.

Dietrich appeared in the corner of his eye, leaning over the hot stone wall. "It reminds me a place in Italy, near where I was stationed after North Africa. It was this very quiet, peaceful spot, set deep in a cliffside. You could look out at the hills and villages, and it was like a postcard come to life. A pool of the clearest water, surrounded by the greenest vegetation. The only sound was that of the waterfall that emptied into that pool. I would stand under it and let all my problems melt away. My depression, my frustration, anger, sadness. All of it would just… temporarily disappear. At times, I wondered if how I felt, being under that waterfall, is how it will feel when our time comes to go to Heaven. Will we no longer have to experience any sort of anguish?"

"It wouldn't be Heaven if there was anguish, now, would it?"

"No." Dietrich shook his head. "Seeing this place with you makes me wonder if all of us—every single man and woman on Earth—have a spot where they can feel complete tranquility. A place where one can feel like everything will be okay."

"That's a nice thought. Being here… feels different, in a way I can't describe in words. It's funny to think that out of everyone, you're the first person I've ever taken to this place."

"You never took Vanora here?"

"No. We did a lot of traveling over the last few years, after we got married, but… Alexandria never crossed my mind. I think it was because there were so many other places we both wanted to see."

"Including, apparently, Antarctica."

Moffitt smirked, glancing at Dietrich. "Yes. Oh, that was a fun trip. Just me, Vanora, and Anah. The only people—and snake—for thousands of miles. There was something quite strange and fascinating about that."

"I doubt I ever could go to a place like Antarctica. It was strange enough being in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming when I visited Troy for the first time. Antarctica is… a bit too lonely. I have had enough of being lonely."

"Well, one shouldn't be going to Antarctica alone anyway. Maybe one day, we'll go together." Moffitt looked back out at the Mediterranean, and sighed. "I guess we should get our journey underway."

"We should," Dietrich replied, stepping back. "We can always return another time, when we are not on a deadline."

Moffitt nodded in agreement, then followed Dietrich down the steps to leave the barracks. He took one last look at the ancient building as he checked over Snowstripe's tack, then climbed into the horse's saddle. Next to him, Dietrich had gotten into Icepatch's saddle, and rode alongside Moffitt as they made their way out of Alexandria.

Anah had been quiet while Moffitt and Dietrich were in the barracks. She raised her head a little when they left the city limits, and sighed.

"You alright, Anah?" Moffitt asked.

"I… do not feel ready for this, dear," Anah replied.

"I know. We'll be right here with you the whole way. We won't leave you, and we both understand how difficult this is going to be."

"You have no idea how much I appreciate that, dear."

"You would do the same for either of us," Dietrich said.

"Of course I would." Anah took a breath, and relaxed a little. "The two of you are the perfect traveling companions for this."

Their first destination was only five miles south of the city, but as the three entered open desert in search of the ancient village, Moffitt had a feeling it was going to be a rather long journey.