Altan couldn't remember much of the night after the Phoenix sighting. After it had flown out of their view everyone had gradually trickled back in to resume the festivities, and after that, the night was a blur.
      In the morning, Altan awoke in a small dusty room on a prickly hay bed with a raging hangover. Soft morning light filtered through cracked wooden shutters, and Altan groaned in protest as a wave of pain and nausea wracked through him. The Prince was sat across from him on a similarly fashioned bed, apparently totally fine, slipping his feet into travel-worn boots. His head raised when he heard Altan arouse, and The Prince stood, picking up a tray and a glass that had been set on an old nightstand between the two beds.
      "Good morning." The Prince said, presenting a dizzy Altan with the glass of water and the tray filled with small portions of dried meat and berries, small brown nuts, and two slices of fresh bread. "Eat, we have a long way ahead of us and must embark soon. Scorchshield is at least five days away, even with Knax, and we will need to resupply there before braving the desert."
Altan grumbled some unintelligible complaint and blearily pushed away the food before gripping his stomach in agony. The Prince, unimpressed, quirked an eyebrow and set the food aside.
      With a sigh he hovered a hand over Altan's stomach and spoke the words "Kinundito Stabit."
       Altan recognized the words. They were from when the two had snuck into Crag's Fort and The Prince had strangled the two Black Guard outside the city's walls without laying a finger on them. And now it was aimed at his stomach. In an instant he felt his stomach contract like someone was gripping onto it for dear life. Acid burned his throat. Nausea flooded his brain. Altan jolted off the bed and, into a blemished metal bucket beside him, puked in a way he'd never puked before. When the contents of his stomach had been thoroughly expelled, The Prince released the spell and the uncomfortable squeeze faded.
      Altan wiped the vomit from his mouth and glared up at The Prince. "I really hate you sometimes."
       "Do you feel better?"
        "..."
        "Eat."
        Several minutes, some food, and a bit of preparation later, The Prince and Altan were descending from the top floor of The Dancing Wildebeest, through the now quiet interior of the tavern, and out the front door. What was supposed to be an easy exit from Keld and an uneventful quest across the savannah quickly turned poor the second the pair emerged into the streets.
Although it was still quite early, every street, corner, and alley in Keld was swarming with villagers shouting out, frantically searching about.
      "Sophie! Sophie!" They called.
Altan quickly spotted Kauri, flanked by his elder daughter Elena, in the midst of the chaos giving orders and spearheading the search. As they hastily approached, Kauri turned to them, distress evident in every crease on his face. He opened his mouth the speak then remembered himself and bowed deeply to The Prince.
"Good morning, Prince Griffin. I trust your room was-"
"Kauri," The Prince interrupted, "what is going on?"
It was Elena who piped up to answer, clinging to her fathers side with tears welling in his bright amber eyes. "It's Sophie, your Highness. She's gone missing!"
Kauri nodded, his eyes still scanning the streets. "And Angi too. At some point last night in the middle of everything she just... disappeared! Elena says she was watching Sophie out back by the stable caring for Agni and Knax, left to go grab some water upon Sophie's request, and then when she got back her and Agni had vanished. But she couldn't have wandered off! She's only seven but my Sophie is smarter than to go off on her own at night. Agh! I should've been... what if she's..." Kauri trailed off, big fat tears streaming down his jolly cheeks. Elena hugged her father, guilt hanging heavy on her shoulders.
"If Agni is with her, I am confident your daughter will be alright." The Prince reassured him, speaking firmly but kindly, and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Kids are adventurous!" Altan chipped in, maintaining an unconcerned tone despite his own worry. "Maybe she's just transitioning into her rebellious phase and decided to explore the area a little bit. Im sure she'll turn up soon."
Kauri sighed. "Maybe..."
After a few more reassuring words and a promise to keep an eye out on their travels, the group split with Kauri hustling away to organize search parties and The Prince and Altan going to pick up Knax and head out.
      When they rounded the corner to collect Knax, she was lying limply underneath the shade of the stable, gazing at Altan with intense blue eyes that he was sure were conveying sadness. She was whimpering and Altan immediately rushed to her side, patting and stroking her soft fur with all the love he could muster.
      "Do you think she knows what happened?" Altan asked The Prince, searching Knax's face for any little clue that could lead them to Sophie.
      "Possibly." The Prince acknowledged, fastening their little belongings in preparation for travel.
        "I bet you she saw." Altan maintained, squishing the soft fur around her neck. "I bet you she could lead us right to them. Couldn't you, girl?"
      Knax's tail beat the ground.
       The Prince looked at Altan with such pity that had he'd seen it, he would've gone up in arms. "Altan. We must leave. I understand your desire to find the girl, but..."
       "Yeah, yeah.... I get it." Altan stood and dusted his pants, swung a leg over Knax, and tried to make peace with the fact that he'd have to fall through on his promise to Elena. For some reason, it disturbed him more than half the experiences he'd had since being here.
      The Prince mounted in front of him- if the people of Keld were going to assign the role of 'servant boy' to Altan, then that's the image they'd maintain. After they were well outside the bounds of the village, Altan would likely switch over, guiding Knax to their next destination. The Prince readjusted a few items and then pulled out a wrinkled map.
"We should reach Scorchshield in five, perhaps six days. Are you prepared?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's go."