18 South

Tunuva and Esbar follow the ichneumons Ninuru and Jeda south of the Spindles into the Grove of Stone, struggling with heat as they reach the Last Well at the edge of the Desert of the Unquiet Dream. While resting, they worry Siyu might face danger in Mentendon and share food, water, and a brief swim to cool Tunuva’s lingering fever from the fruit.

Apaya returns from scouting with no sign of nearby Nuram tribes and speaks of Queen Daraniya’s bustling court, the curious figures it hosts, and rising interest in the seer Raucāta. She warns Tunuva that grief over past loss clouds her judgment of Siyu, then reminds her of the Melancholy King’s tale—a caution that love can deceive—and urges reflection before sleep.

Days later, the trio reach the fortified Harmur Pass between the Smoking Ridge and the Gulf of Edin. At the gates, Apaya refuses to go farther, gives Esbar toll coins for both realms, and warns of earthshakes and steaming vents. Sensing a troubling new smell, the ichneumons are ordered to follow kingsrose to water and wait, while Tunuva and Esbar continue alone on horseback.

At a seaside waystop, a Mentish water merchant recalls selling to a girl in a green cloak with a gold fastening and an Ersyri hunting sword, implying the fugitives separated. Seizing the lead, Tunuva and Esbar ride through the night toward the northern doors of the pass.

At dawn, they enter Mentendon—Virtudom—under the Vatten crest. Uneasy in a land devoted to the Six Virtues, they resolve to keep to the salt road and move quickly, intent on catching the green‑cloaked girl and discovering what became of the others.