Shadow In The East

Even with her injuries, Voah found the journey back through the Desert of Skulls to be a somewhat easier affair thanks to the experiences of Alexis and Tarmen as well as the safety of a caravan who didn't abandon them.

She and Gonyaul had lost nearly everything they owned in that fire. She didn’t even have proper clothes and was forced to rely on her friends to obtain suitable wear for their travels. At least there was less of a burden to lug across the desert. They weren’t quite out of the desert yet, all the same, Voah was of the mind that if she never saw another dune it would be too soon.

By this point in their trek, the conflict between herself and Gonyaul had remained somewhat unresolved. Voah decided it would do both of them good to take a step back in their relationship for a while. She hadn’t changed her mind or heart about him, she simply needed to know he was willing to work harder for their relationship to see her side of things. She couldn’t be the only one to bend.

This break meant that the nights were cold without him by her side, but she always kept close by and it didn’t stop her from diligently tending to his more grievous injuries, conversing with him on random topics, and occasionally flirting or trading longing looks from a distance.

Her hair had become a little matted and tangled due to lack of maintenance, so she had Gonyaul shear off a majority of her locks. He was always good with hair. The result was a comfortable, short and slick looking ombré mop with blonde roots and faded burgundy ends. The whole journey felt like starting over again and she had definitely been changing into a different person. It felt even more so now than it did upon her arrival on the continent… now that she didn’t hold the same reverence for her Pillars that she used to.

Her father’s words on his deathbed haunted her now while at the time she shrugged it off as nonsense. He spoke about living life for herself. It was true, most everything she had done in life was for the ones she loved, the Gods, her father, and the memory of her mother. And it seemed like doing what she wanted or enjoyed usually led her to trouble and hurt.

Now she was gaunt and tired and hungry, just more of the same she had been for months, barely able to remember what a good bed felt like. The further east they traveled, the more her anxiety and alertness grew like a shadow looming over her. She debated daily on whether or not she should pray or sing the praises of the Pillars, not out of fear for herself, but to avoid possibly summoning them or drawing attention to Greyriver Company. Did it work like that? She still didn’t understand why Vastad had waited so long to reveal himself to her... and she wondered if the others would make a visit.

It wasn’t only the Gods she worried about, there was also the problem of being hunted by the Inquisition. Alexis had informed her that there was a price on her head. She was certainly thankful that she didn’t have to worry about going up against any of her companions, but wondered what she would have to contend with… if any Helian was out this far from the gate city and dared to go looking for her. It made her think back to Alcuin. Turns out he was a cunning bastard. If he would have found her out… if she hadn’t been careful… if he had known about her bounty… she was certain he would have been hunting her instead of working alongside her.

Desdem was somewhat of a sight for sore eyes even though the people hadn’t been particularly friendly during their last passing. She looked forward to seeing the butterfly tree again and was wondering more about these two individuals they were to meet, of which she was told very little.

Voah didn’t want to use all of Tarmen’s coin and would be satisfied with sustenance and survival gear, but resting weary legs and riding a horse sounded amazing.