“How do the Elements feel about this city?” Tristan asked as they walked the opposite length of the Third Shell from Matt’s Party.

“Hm… Now that you’ve said something, they do sound a little… different,” Lara admitted, tapping her finger against her chin. “Water is… proud. She is desired here more than any other of the Elements.”

“So there is water around here somewhere?” Tristan wondered aloud.

Lara nodded. “Oh yes. Inside the walls, Water runs far and deep.”

“It’s been a long time since I last came here, but I believe they still ration measured amounts of water to the girls in the Third Shell,” Zahra explained.

“They don’t have access to water all the time?” Destiny wrinkled her nose and frowned. “That’s horrible!”

Tristan silently agreed, but it was entirely believable. The lack of water for customers in the tavern and the inn’s exorbitant pricing for offering clean water were two giveaways. Not to mention the general lack of cleanliness and hygiene amongst the girls in the city.

“Anything else, Lara?”

“Wind is reluctant to move. Earth is very touchy because of how easily he is carried in Wind’s gusts, so he gets mad at her quite often,” Lara explained.

Tristan turned to Zahra. “Are there any other water reservoirs nearby? Oases, rivers, or otherwise?”

“There’s an oasis an hour’s ride east. You can follow a series of reeds planted in the sand that leads from the city to the shore.” Zahra pointed eastward as she spoke.

“I’m guessing there’s a reason no one’s using it.”

“You would be correct. The Ejderha guards it. Like their own personal swimming pool.” Zahra smirked. “Sneaking in is a death sentence.”

That doesn’t make sense. “Couldn’t they just ration it, too? Give the girls here at least one more shot at water?”

“Last I heard, Magni’s afraid that too many girls using the oasis will dry it up,” Zahra said.

Tristan stopped walking, working not to let his jaw drop. Lara bumped into his back and quickly apologized before skipping to his side.

“Has he sent anyone to find out how it’s being replenished?” Tristan had a feeling he knew the answer, but just in case…

“I don’t know. But if I had to bet, I’d say no.” Zahra shrugged.

“That’s what rationing is for. And depending on what’s fueling the water there, it may be impossible to run out any time soon.”

“It’s not me you have to convince, unfortunately.”

Tristan ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Right. Sorry.”

He restarted his methodical pace, noting the number of dwellings and buildings crammed together on top of each other. Catgirls took shade beneath broken roofs and dangling awnings. Some hunched down in shaded corners created between keeling walls. Minimal conversation was shared amongst anyone, hard eyes glared at Tristan and his Party beneath dirty hair, and drifting over everything was the slow, ear-grating creaks of the cages high above.

“Where are the kittens?” Destiny asked, looking around. “I thought I saw one or two last night, but none of these homes look suitable for nyannies.”

“The majority of them are in the First and Second Shells. Magni usually doesn’t come this far in search of partners,” Zahra replied.

“But there was a pregnant woman at the gate yesterday,” Tristan pointed out.

“Right. If I had to guess, she lost her status in the other Shell and was forced out here.”

“Why do the girls stay here? Why not move to Madhyam, Kandota, or another one of the outlying cities?” Destiny shook her head, searching the scene before her as if figuring out a puzzle.

“For the chance to move up in Shells.” Zahra shielded her eyes and peered up at the inner wall. “I’m sure my sister could attest, but Magni treats the girls in the First Shell like queens. Second Shell has full-time access to water, food, and medical supplies. Their kittens are well-taken care of, and they have the materials to keep the maintenance on their homes. None of the other cities offer anything nearly so enticing.”

Yes, but all of that costs money. He could only guess at how much Magni was earning from the chain Quests and, even then, funding everything himself strictly off of the Quests was a tall order. It would depend on the populations of the inner shells and exactly what he was supplying to them. Commerce in the Third Shell seemed low; did that mean it was the same farther in? “What about the King’s Tax? Are all of the girls in Rājadhānī charged extra?” Tristan asked.

“In the Third Shell they are. Absolutely. I don’t know about the other two.”

Tristan hadn’t realized how far they’d walked. As they rounded the second corner leading to the backstretch of Rājadhānī, sounds of exertion and demands of faster work reached their ears. A rectangular chunk was missing from the lower section of the wall, replaced by thick bars propping up the remaining stone to prevent the panel from caving in on itself.

“What’s going on?” Tristan murmured.

“I don’t know,” Zahra admitted.

Catgirls dressed in little more than scraps of thin cloth and rope were drenched in sweat, hauling heavy wooden planks from the outside in, laying them down next to each other. Then, others with crude hammers worked long nails into its surface. Some cleared chunks of stone from the opening, moving them outside and carefully avoiding the bars.

“They’re building another gate,” Tristan answered for himself. But why? He had so many questions and so few people he could ask. He looked around for anyone who seemed remotely open to speaking with him. A handful of furious gazes met his while others avoided his eyes entirely.

“Hey! Get the hell up!” a guard barked at a catgirl bundled on the ground, holding her knees to her chest. “The day’s hardly through!”

The guard shared the same deep red armband Tristan had noticed on Sanrai’s bicep. Her leather armor looked tailored to her body, and her strong muscles were a testament to a healthier diet than any of the others in the Third Shell.

It’s getting easier to spot the Ejderha.

The girl turned her head to the side and mewled, “Please, Maibe, I need water.”

This isn’t my island. I can’t change the rules here. Matt and I are dabbling too much as it is.

“You’ve had your ration like all the rest. Why do you deserve special treatment?”

“Please…”

Think of it like the Prime Directive. Just turn around and walk away.

“Shall I find an empty cage for you?” Maibe screamed. “Get back to work!”

“I can’t… I can’t do it anymore—”

“Tristan,” Destiny whimpered at his side.

I know, but—

“Then I suppose I must put you in the wall with the other weaklings.” Maibe unsheathed a glittering bronze khopesh and raised her arm to strike.

Tristan darted forward, closing the distance between his Party and the guard in ten long strides. His island or not, change had to start somewhere. “Stop! Stop right now!”

Maibe looked up from the girl at her feet to Tristan. Her face soured, and her ears dropped flat to her head. “Stay out of this.”

“Can’t you see she’s having a heat stroke? She needs more water,” Tristan snapped, digging his heels into the sand when he reached the crouched girl.

“Then Saoirse should have blessed her with a more appropriate shell,” Maibe growled. “Stand back, boy. This isn’t fitting work for children.”

Despite her readying her blade, Tristan didn’t flinch. He sank his gaze into her cold gray eyes and knelt beside the threatened catgirl. “Ejderha or not, you must know the punishment for harming a man.”

“You’ll have to point one out to me,” Maibe snarled.

The blade of Zahra’s katana struck against Maibe’s khopesh, forcing the Ejderha to backstep twice. “My sister keeps the company of fools.”

“You.” The word was poison on Maibe’s tongue. Her eyes flickered between Zahra and Tristan, then to Destiny and Lara. “None of you are welcome here.”

“Lead us to Magni, and we’ll leave you to your business.” Tristan gently took the quivering girl’s arm and guided her to standing. “Otherwise, you’ll be seeing a lot more of us in the next few days.”

Maibe worked her jaw, then resheathed her khopesh. “That isn’t a decision for me to make.”

“Then petition the one who can.” Tristan fished one of the canteens from his [Cat Pack] and handed it to the catgirl he’d protected. “I’ll take her out of your way for you.”

“Tell Magni we’re here, Maibe. I can’t imagine Sanrai will,” Zahra added.

Maibe hissed an unintelligible response and turned her anger on another catgirl not pulling her weight.

“Let’s find some shade,” Tristan suggested to the group.

“T-thank you,” the girl whimpered beneath his arm, stealing careful sips from the canteen.

Alright, Picard. What now?