Have you no shame?

“I sincerely hope you have a plan!”
“I always have a plan!”
“A lie so blatant, and yet no hesitation to say it. Have you no conscience?”
“Ann, this is really not the time!”

A quick look back tells me the air hounds are catching us. Cheating bastards, using magic to lower their air resistance like that. This might be harder than I thought.

“Come on, Shadowfax, keep pushing boy!”
“Keep pace, my loyal Snowmane!”
The horses continue to gallop at full speed. The canyon is nearby, but the hounds are gaining fast. I really better hope I judged this right.

“Shiidou, we’re nearing the end of the line, if you plan to act, you must act fast!”
“I got it, I got it, but I can’t do it yet, it’s too soon!”
“Then make haste, or we’ll be naught but a red tinge at the bottom of the crevace!”

Dammit Ann, you should know to trust me by now. When have my plans ever gone awry? Wait, maybe that’s a question I don’t want to think about the answer to right now.

“On my mark, pull Snowmane off to the left, and I’ll pull Shadowfax to the right.”
“Understood, I will await your command.”
I look back once again. The hounds are right on our tail. Just a little further and…

“Now!”
Ann and I pull our horses to opposite sides, and they have just enough time to slow down and not barrel off the edge of the canyon cliff. And now for the second act.

“Paralyse!”
I aim my spell at the hounds, who’re a mere few metres behind. They yelp in fear as their legs suddenly give way beneath them. With their muscles suddenly refusing to move, they’re helpless to stop themselves from tumbling over the cliff face and falling into the narrow canyon ahead.

Trying to pretend I didn’t just hear the sound of dozens of bones breaking, I step down from Shadowfax’s back and inspect the two stumps of wood at the edge of the road. From both of them dangles a rope, burned at their severed ends.

“Looks like something took out the bridge. Fire magic, by the looks of it.”

“The caves of the crevace must be home to fire lizards. A menace we must avoid.”
We both step back from where the bridge once was, realising we’ll need to find a new way across.

“Still, had it not been for the destruction of the bridge, your absurd battle strategy would have been impossible, so I suppose we must thank them for that.”
“If the bridge was still there I’d have just destroyed it behind us, no big deal.”
“Is inconveniencing others the only method you know to solve problems.”
“Your words wound me, my dear lady. Did I not just prevent the deaths of us and our noble steeds?”
“Indeed you did, and yet, were there a championship for finding the most reckless solutions to one’s problems, you would win in an avalanche.”
“Well now you’re just being mean.”

I catch Ann’s eye and smile. She rolls her eyes, but fails to conceal a smirk as she hurriedly turns away. Now that she’s finally more comfortable talking casually with me, I’m learning just how ruthless she can be when she speaks her mind, and it’s an utter treat to listen to. Her eloquent and formal manner of speech mixed with such vicious criticism brings a tear to my gap-moe-loving eye.

Remembering that we are, in fact, on a mission to save potentially hundreds of lives, I stop grinning like an idiot and go to check on the horse that I had just put through the ringer.

“You holding up ok, bud?” He lightly presses his face against mine in a show of affection, but from the rattled sound of his whinny I can tell he’s run ragged.
“My Snowmane is also displaying signs of fatigue. Such a taxing run would exhaust even the mightiest of steeds.”

Ann’s words ring true. The hounds chased us for some four, maybe five kilometres, and our ever-loyal horses kept at full gallop the entire way. I affectionately stroke the top of Shadowfax’s head, wondering how I could ever repay everything he’s done for me.

“I suppose this isn’t something where you can just juice ‘em up with healing magic and have ‘em feeling right as rain again, right?”
“I can restore the energy they’ve lost, and alleviate any pain they may be in, but I cannot fix their breathlessness. That will only go away with a moment’s rest.”
“Well, the poor bastards deserve a rest break anyway. I really pushed ‘em too hard this time, didn’t I?”
“Their willingness to exceed their own limitations speaks volumes of their loyalty to you and I. Be not sad that you made such a demand, but elated that they made their best efforts to meet your expectations.”

I turn my head and see Ann smiling brightly as she affectionately strokes Snowmane’s neck. Not a barely concealed smirk or a curl of the lip, but a genuine smile of warmth and affection. It’s a sight my sore eyes are reluctant to look away from.

“You really are the best partner I could ask for, huh?”
I turn back to my own noble steed and show a similar affection, but even I’m not sure to whom my statement was directed.

***

“Shiidou, think you that you are able to bring down that tree without destroying it?”
“Sounds far less fun than blowing it apart but yeah, I see no reason why not.”
“In that case, would you please do the honours?”
Unsure as to what Ann’s planning, I go along with it anyway and face the large tree some few metres from the side of the road.

“CLEAVE!”
With a swiping motion I split the tree at its stump cleanly, and it falls to the ground with a loud thud.

“What you planning to use that for?”
“Observe.”
Ann’s familiar prideful smile curls onto her lips, and she puts out her right hand to cast magic.
“Transform.”

Instead of shouting her spell like I normally do, she speaks calmly, and moves her arm in small fluid motions. With every slight bend of the elbow or flick of the wrist, the tree’s form changes more and more, until it’s been reduced to dozens of finely shaped planks of wood.

“Construct.”

She now begins moving her arms in larger motions, each movement corresponding to a single plank. One by one, each plank is set down in a space over the thin canyon, until eventually there sits a sturdy new bridge across the gap.

“That should suffice.”
Her words say ‘good enough,’ but her self satisfied look says ‘please praise me’
“I had no idea a lone mage could construct something from scratch so quickly. Colour me impressed.”
“Well, I suppose my skills are somewhat exceptional, even for a light mage.”
“Indeed they are. But you are aware that it would have been faster just to move the tree itself and turn it into a makeshift bridge, right?”

I think I get far too much joy from watching Ann try to hide embarrassment.

“W-well, I simply didn’t want to settle for half-done work, of course. The only job worth doing is a job well done, after all.”
“So you weren’t just excited to show off that you’d mastered a high-level magic technique?”
“A preposterous suggestion, know you not that I am above such prideful action?”
“So that smug smile had nothing to do with pride at all?”
“An unsubstantiated claim. A baseless accusation. A vile slander. Have you no shame?”
“Maybe telling you to speak freely and casually was a bad idea after all.”

Like clockwork, we return to our regular banter. Ann turns her head and lets out a small ‘hmph!’ but despite her frankly adorable pout it’s pretty obvious she’s enjoying this.

“Well, as much as I’d like to continue bullying you, we better get back on the road. We should only be a few hours out by now.”
“Indeed, by my estimates we should arrive before nightfall, assuming no further interruptions.”

We walk back over to Shadowfax and Snowmane, who’ve been lying together off the side of the ride while we took a rest break. They slowly rise back to their feet upon seeing us, and we once again remount.

“You feeling all better now, boy?”

Shadowfax whinnies in response, the rattle in his lungs now gone, and his stamina seemingly restored.
“My Snowmane has recovered her strength too.”
“In that case, let’s get moving. We have a job to do.”
“Yes, let us make haste.”

After almost three days of travelling, our destination finally grows close. With no more words said, Ann and I begin the last stretch of our ride to Higashi, where the lives of our countrymen hang in the balance.