“C’mon Theo!” Illias called to me from outside the temple. “Horses, camel and dwarf are all present and accounted for. Just waiting on you!”

“Be right there!” I called back.

“I don’t need to stress the importance of this again, do I?” Isadora peered at me. “When you get to the Valley of Kings, be sure to keep an eye out for it.”

“Yea, yea.” I sighed.

“Thank you for doing this for me.”

“Well, by my count you’ve saved us three times.” I chuckled. “So I owe you three favors. Consider this the second one, with bringing Artemisia to you being the first.”

The sun had just started to rise, peeking its head over the northern dune. A sliver of light extended from it, traveling through the dark desert and cutting the temple in half. The two of us stood in the shade to avoid being blinded while we spoke.

“You are an honorable man, Theophilus.” She rubbed my arm. “A rare breed, indeed.”

“If you don’t mind me asking.” I cleared my throat. “You seemed quite tired at dinner last night. Did the Immortal nick you with his weapon or something?”

“Not exactly.” She removed her hand from my arm. “What I did to the Persian required a lot of energy. Took a lot out of me. I’m still regaining my strength as we speak, and will likely need a few more days to recover. Wielding magic is no simple feat.”

“I don’t understand.” I shook my head. “I’ve been fighting with these spears since I was eight and I’ve never experienced what you just described.”

“And that is peculiar, indeed.” She started to pace back and forth. “It leads me to believe that there’s more to those spears ‒ and you ‒ than meets the eye. Perhaps you’ve simply scratched the surface of your potential, and because you’re utilizing such a minor font of power, your mind and body are not being taxed too noticeably.” 

The pitter patter of footsteps caught my attention and I glanced over to the columns. Atemu had been looking at me, though as soon as I caught her eye, she turned to walk away.

“I’ve been alive for quite a while.” Isadora continued, bringing my attention back to her. “I’ve seen my fair share of individuals unable to realize their full potential due to either ignorance of, or apathy towards their gifts.”

“How old are you, even?” The question slipped from my mouth.

“It’s impolite to ask a woman her age.” She smirked. “I hope you will not let fear of the unknown prevent you from exploring your abilities. It’s always a shame to see people waste the potential they are so full of.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I tapped my head with two fingers. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Theophilus.” She grabbed my wrist as I turned to leave. “Remember our deal.”

I nodded and she let go of me. I strolled out of the temple to join up with Illias and Damien, both of them already waiting next to their respective mounts.

“Careful with those elven chicks, Theo.” Damien grunted as he jumped up on his kneeling camel. “They only tell you how old they are after you’ve slept with them.” 

“Thanks for the heads up.” I rolled my eyes as I approached my own horse. “I think.”

“No way.” Illias, back in his hoplite attire, interjected. “You actually just jumped up onto your camel’s back. I thought you were just joking.”

The dwarf glared at him.

“What are you doing back in your armor?” I tilted my head at my buddy.

“I’d rather die of heat exhaustion than get attacked by bandits with my pants down again.” He banged his chest with his fist. “That being said, if I pass out at any point during this journey, I consent in advance to letting you drape my unconscious body on the back of your horse, Theo.”

Damien let loose an emphatic ‘ahem’ to get my attention. “What was that conversation with Isadora about anyway? Anything I should know?”

“Nope.” I twiddled with my horse’s reins. “She was just ‒ uh ‒ telling me that ‒ uh ‒ maybe there’s more to my spears than I’ve discovered yet.” 

“I see…” Damien squinted at me.

“Well what are we waiting for?” I mounted my horse. “Let’s be on our way to the Valley of Kings.”

“Really…?” Illias massaged his forehead. “Again?”

“What do you mean‒” I stopped myself as I saw him pointing at the spear strapped to his back.

“How did you get through your childhood without tripping over your own two feet?” Damien chuckled to himself. “Better yet, how did you get through the war with Persia this far without stabbing yourself with your own weapons?”

I ignored him as I extended my arms to summon my spears. As they whooshed into my open hands, a female-sounding ‘oof’ came from behind me. I pivoted my body on my horse to get a good look and Atemu stood there with wide eyes as they darted back and forth between her two hands.

“I was just holding…” She stammered.

“These?” I waved both spears at her. “Yea, sorry ‘bout that. I didn’t know someone was bringing them back to me.”

“Oh…” She brushed her hands together and blushed. “It’s no bother. Illias told me earlier that you almost forgot them when disembarking your ship at El-Arish. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t forget them here.”

“Did he now…” I glanced over at my grinning friend, then turned back to Atemu. “Well, I appreciate the consideration. Chaire.”

She half bowed, then went back into the temple. 

“Oh boy…” Damien lightly whipped his reins and his camel grunted as it teetered to its feet. “Not only are you bad with spears, but you’re also bad with women.”

“What?” I scoffed. “According to who?”

“Me.” 

Illias laughed, then covered his mouth as he saw me glaring at him.

“Let’s just get going.” I groaned as I tapped my horse’s stomach with my heel. “And if we could keep the insults to a minimum, that’d be nice.”