Alam rode hard all the way back to the temple and threw himself from the saddle. Without tethering Mist he burst in through the back door and rushed into the room where Tajar lay covered by a thin blanket.

"Alam is that you?" Iwan called out from another room in the building.

"Yes," said Alam as he carefully extracted the mulberries from the waterskin and knelt before Tajar. They were still in perfect condition - firm and unbruised. Hope filled his chest. He lifted Tajar's head.

"What?" Tajar mumbled.

"Shh," said Alam. "You have to eat these berries. They will heal you."

"Berries?"

"Just open your mouth and eat. It's only five berries." Alam pried his mouth open slightly and inserted the first berry. Tajar obligingly ate it. He popped the next couple in as Iwan walked in the room.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Healing him." Alam placed the final berries in Tajar's mouth.

"With mulberries?"

"Yes. He will recover now."

"He was already recovering."

"What do you mean?" asked Alam confused.

"After you left this morning he seemed to shake off the worst of the fever. He opened his eyes and even ate a little. He was still confused, but he is going to survive. You can feel for yourself that the fever is lifting."

Alam put his hand to Tajar's forehead. It was indeed cooler.

Why didn't I notice before?

"I don't understand," he murmured. Butterflies swarmed into his stomach.

Hannah appeared at the doorway behind Iwan.

"Why were you feeding him mulberries? Is that a cure for fever in your clan?"

"No," Alam said perplexed.

She told me he was dying. And I believed her without doubt.

"Oh no. What if I've poisoned him?"

"Mulberries aren't poisonous," reassured Hannah. "I'm sure he will be fine."

"No!" insisted Alam in sheer panic. "I was given them by a woman in the woods who told me he was dying and that I had to feed them to him or he would die!"

"You believed a stranger in the woods?" said Iwan in shock. He and Hannah rushed to Tajar. They lifted his eyelids and checked his mouth.

"She isn't a complete stranger," he muttered as if it was an excuse. "We met her once before when she gave us our weapons." Even as he spoke he heard how foolish the words sounded. She was a stranger, there was no doubt about it. "I've poisoned him." Alam sunk to his knees. Fear pooled in his stomach. He felt like throwing up.

Iwan and Hannah looked grim.

Why would she do this?

Why kill Tajar? She gave him the bow. She didn't really GIVE it to him, more like tricked us both into taking the weapons in exchange for doing some  future service. And even when she gave the berries to supposedly save his life she said in the same breath that she would fade if Tajar died.

"Fade." What does that mean?

Hannah and Iwan continued to lift Tajar's eyelids, checked inside his mouth and listened to his chest.

"His face is regaining colour!" Alam pointed excitedly. He jumped back up. Within seconds Tajar's face went from the pale hue it had been the past couple of days to his normal ruddy complexion. He opened his eyes and took in a deep breath. He stared around the room in confusion. Hannah and Iwan moved back wide eyed.

"How are you feeling Tajar?" Hannah asked as she felt his brow.

"Tired but fine... Where am I? Who are you?"

Relief flooded into Alam. His eyes filled with tears which he quickly wiped away. "Thank the Heavens you're better. If you start to die again I'll kill you!"

Hannah smiled. "We'll give you some privacy so you can catch up with each other." She and Iwan left the room.

Tajar raised himself onto his elbows. "Is Sapphire here? I'm sure I heard her voice."

"It must have been a dream," answered Alam. "You have been delirious for a couple of days."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "It felt real. It would be good to see her again."

Alam smiled and decided to wait before telling his friend about his interaction with the Sapphire in the forest.

Tajar looked around the room.

"Where is Frost?" he asked.

"She's gone," said Alam.

"Gone where?" he frowned.

"I don't know. She's left us. It's just us now."

"After holding me on Mist, and making sure I got here alive, not to mention all the other things we've been through, she just left us? Without saying goodbye to me?"

"I'm afraid so," said Alam.

"Did she say when she's coming back?"

"I don't think she is."

"Why would she do that?"

"I have been thinking about that the past day. I think she is afraid of you."

"Rubbish," Tajar scowled.

"You didn't see her face when we thought you were dying. She was terrified."

"So you think she was afraid of losing me, so she left us so she wouldn't have to see me die?"

Alam shrugged. "It's the only reason I can think of."

"That doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Emotions often don't make sense," Alam shrugged again.

Tajar closed his eyes and sank back down onto his back. Alam let the silence stretch out. After a few minutes Hannah appeared at the door.

"Do you feel up to eating?"

"Oh yes," Tajar smiled faintly "I could eat a horse."

"Sorry, we are all out of horse," Hannah laughed. "If you had visited a few days ago we had more horse than we could get rid of. Today I'm afraid you will have to make do with soup and bread."

"You and your husband have looked after me, yes?" Hannah smiled and nodded in reply. "Thank you. I owe you my life," said Tajar as he bowed his head to them.

"You are welcome, but you owe us nothing. Your friend is paying off any thought of debt by filling up our woodshed with new firewood."

"Firewood." said Alam. The word reminded him in a flash of his interaction with Sapphire. Relief was replaced with anger. "I will be back."

"Where are you going?" Iwan asked.

"To pick up the firewood I left behind this morning," he said with menace in his voice. He stormed out of the temple's back door, jumped on Mist and pushed her into a gallop back towards the forest.

***

"Sapphire! Where are you? Come out!" Alam jumped off Mist as he reached the litter of firewood. He off towards the treeline. "Sapphire! I know you're in there! Come out!"

After a couple minutes of continuous shouting some movement could be seen in the trees. Sapphire stepped forward. Despite his irritation his heart raced and his mouth went dry as she approached. The breeze from the South caused her shimmering dress to cling and move against her in a way that he struggled to ignore. She looked him straight in the eyes but not in a confrontational way. Desire rose up in him and dissolved all traces of anger. But Alam had prepared himself for the effect she had on him. He blinked, shook his head, and forced himself to concentrate on his anger. He rolled the immovable serpentine ring on his finger. Looking away helped re-spark his anger. The force of her allure lost some of its power. He focused on the image of Tajar's pale face and his indignation grew. He raised his head and met her gaze.

She was close. Closer than he wanted.

"Yes?" she said quietly to him with lowered lids, as if they were secret lovers.

"What enchantment did you put on those mulberries?" he demanded.

"What do you mean?" she asked meekly. "Did his health not improve?"

"Yes it did, but he was already recovering. But you already know that don't you? You tricked me into giving them to him so I repeat - what enchantment did you put on them?"

A frown clouded her face. "You are becoming more and more rude Alam. The berries sped his recovery, but instead of thanking me you are yelling. I told you previously that I dislike being yelled at."

Alam took a deep breath. Everything she said was true. "You are right. I am being rude. Thank you for healing him," he said begrudgingly. "But you are still hiding the truth from me. What enchantment did you put on them? When Tajar became conscious one of the first things he said was that he had heard your voice."

"Did he?" she batted her eyes. "How flattering."

"It wasn't out of flattery, it was something you did. Now for the hundredth time what was it?"

"And if I refuse?" She smiled condescendingly at him and stepped closer.

He clinched his jaw and stepped back. "To be honest, I don't know."

"What? No carefully prepared threat?"

"My mother raised me to believe that men who threaten women are cowards and tyrants."

"Your mother taught you that?"

"Yes. What of it?"

"I thought you were a foundling and that you had never met your mother."

"How do you know that?" Alam demanded. "Do you know something about my birth?"

"No. Just ripples in the lines of fate. I can make guesses. Usually they are right, but not always."

"Tell me what you know about my birth mother," he insisted as he moved fractionally closer to her.

"But what if I am wrong? It could ruin your life. If I told you that you are the son of some fishing couple from that little village back there," she pointed towards Lasthome, "would you do something about it?"

"Of course, I would go find them instantly."

"And if I am wrong? What would happen to the people that you tried to convince were your parents? They would be confused to start with, but then the husband would look at his wife as an adulterer and would start suspecting the other men of the village. Do you see? It would hurt them. And people would start blaming you for stirring up strife. Does this seem the path you want to take?"

"No. You are right," he sighed.

She turned to leave.

"Hey! You distracted me!"

"It was not difficult," she smiled.

"What did you do to the mulberries?"

"I do not think I will answer. You have already said yourself that you will not threaten me, let alone try to harm me. Farewell Alam."

Alam watched her walk into the trees and out of sight. The moment she was gone he deflated. "Come on, Mist," he said as he attached the litter to Mist, "let's get this wood back to town."

As he rode slowly back to the temple he pondered the futility of arguing with women.