Jin managed to hold out until nightfall. When the sky finally turned from red to dark purple, he had slumped so far in the saddle that you felt his entire weight on your shoulders.

Nobu had picked up a faster pace. The stallion seemed to sense that his master was not well. Heavy breathing echoed in your ears.

"Jin.", worriedly you patted his hands, with which he was still holding tightly to the reins.

Tired, he lifted his head. Only a heavy sigh escaped his lips. His eyes were glazed over and seemed to look past you.

Carefully you raised a hand to feel his forehead. He was all sweaty, his hands were cold but his head was glowing as if he was on fire. His fever had risen. He would need something to drink and a warm place to sleep.

Your eyes wandered through the gathering darkness. You had already come quite far, but it still didn't feel far enough.

Tanaka had said half a day. There had been half a day between the house and the Mongols. You had also ridden for half a day, maybe more. That should give you a day's head start.

Nevertheless, you had a queasy feeling at the thought of resting. Jin groaned behind you. Contorted in pain, he writhed.

"Give me a moment.", you whispered to him reassuringly as you continued to look around.

It hardly seemed as if there was any life in this neighbourhood. You hadn't come across any streets or houses for several hours. Not even shrines. This was a distant wilderness.

Suddenly Nobu stopped.

A shiver ran through your body. You immediately feared that a Mongol had discovered you. But when you dared to look over the stallion's neck, you recognised something else.

"A fox?", your eyebrows rose in confusion.

Jin sighed. The sound was fragile, exhausted. But somehow something was tickling the back of your head.

"Kitsune...", he whispered, sweat dripping from his forehead. "Where... are you taking... us? Mother..."

Worried, you tried to straighten him in the saddle, bracing your body against him so he wouldn't fall.

"Are you hallucinating?", you asked him.

Wordlessly, he shook his head.

"Kitsune...", he whispered, trying to reach out to the animal.

Giggling, the fox danced between white flowers. The red fur seemed to glow like fire. When your eyes met those of the animal, it paused. All of a sudden it seemed human to try to speak words to you.

"Follow me.", whispered the eyes, the little twitching nose. "I know a safe place."

"Mother...", Jin whispered again.

This time the fox turned round and chased off. Without hesitation, you ordered Nobu to run as well. The stallion obediently set off in pursuit of the fox.

He led you across the field full of flowers, along a small stream that carried the purest water you had ever seen. The wind sang a calm melody but Jin's breath in your ear was like a cry for help.

He didn't really want to die.

"Just a little longer.", you mumbled as he almost fell off the horse.

His fingers blindly tried to grab hold. He grabbed your hand and held on to it as if it could save him from certain death.

Nobu ran on, past trees and bushes, further away from the plain until a forest opened up. This one was different from Tanaka's and Yuriko's. The leaves were green, densely grown. It smelled of stagnant water.

"A bog?", you looked around but in the darkness it was hard to see what was really lurking there.

As long as they weren't Mongols, you would be able to cope with the danger. The fox ran on between the shadows. His laughter echoed off the logs.

Jin gasped. Your shoulder was soaked in his sweat. But another odour also mingled in your nose.

Blood. He started to bleed again, and badly.

Panicked, you urged Nobu to run faster, but the stallion seemed to know how fast his master could hold out. If he started galloping now, Jin would fall off his back.

In his condition, that would break all his bones and that was something you could try to do. Healing wounds and poisons were your speciality, healing fractures was not. A crippled samurai was a useless samurai.

"Not much longer.", you whispered. "Hold on a little longer."

His hands clawed at you. When he managed to return your gaze, he already looked like a dead man.

"Please...", he whispered. "Save... me..."

The shadows around you seemed to reach out for him. It was as if the forest wanted to swallow him up, make him a part of itself.

The fox disappeared between the trees. And when Nobu followed him, there was suddenly a hut in the middle of nowhere. Holding your breath, you stopped the horse.

"Hello?", you shouted as you slipped off your back. "Is anyone there?"

But no one answered. Fog enveloped the house, old and crumbling. It looked as if it had been abandoned a long time ago. Even before the Mongols had driven people from their homes.

Jin dropped like a stone in your arms when you pulled him off his horse. Although it wasn't huge or particularly massive, it felt as heavy as a stone. You almost let him fall.

"Can you walk?", you allowed him to lean on your back.

He shook his head wearily. Strands of his long, black hair stuck to his forehead.

"Come on.", you heaved him up the small steps of the house.

Rotten wood creaked under your every step. The house was deserted but enough to spend a few nights in. There was still a fireplace in the centre and a small room adjacent to it for sleeping. The doors could barely be pushed, they were so weathered.

Jin groaned in pain as you laid him down next to the fireplace. His whole body was trembling. He was as cold as ice, but his head was glowing.

"I have to make a fire.", you hurriedly stood up again to look for something flammable, but he suddenly grabbed your hand.

"Wait - p-please...", he breathed in rattling, his face contorted in pain. "Don't go... I..."

You gently took his hand and squeezed it.

"I'll be right back.", you whispered in his ear. "Try to stay awake. Do not fall asleep."

His eyes flickered at the touch of your warm breath on his skin.

"Don't... sleep...", he whispered.