Dink lay flat on his back, confused by his surroundings. He blinked to clear his eyes of the last remnants of his vision. What he now saw instead was the starry night sky of an unfamiliar location.

Pushing himself onto his elbows, he discovered Estra lying beside him. She was shivering in the cold air. The scent of her feverish sweat filled his nostrils. He placed a hand against her brow. He frowned in concern, her temperature was burning up. Noticing his movements, Riva leapt to her feet.

"Dink, he's awake!" Riva exclaimed, nudging Tahlea sitting right next to her.

"Thank the heavens, I thought he was lost in a coma as well," Martha said, dramatically sighing with relief.

"Riva, leave Tahlea be. She's maintained her spells for a day and almost two nights. The Sisterhood of Mercy is further away than it was said to be from Burrowton.

"With any luck, we'll find signs of them soon rather than later. I can't hold this for much longer. The mana I received from Dink was astronomical. I don't know what he did to get it under control, but it prevented me from suffering the same fate as Estra," Tahlea said with enormous strain through gritted teeth.

Dink looked around, the cart and its surroundings were illuminated by a small flickering orb hovering in the air above. Squinting his eyes, Dink peered into the darkness. He could make out the outline of a large mountain range.

It seems I was out for a significant amount of time. Tahlea must be on the verge of exhaustion. I can see the Laughing Peaks. From there, if we're in the kingdom of Tordrana, Mount Grace will be the first one we encounter.

If my memory serves correctly after those Hags went playing around in my head, the Sisterhood of Mercy should be somewhere near the base, not too far from the main road.

"Look over there, in the distance. I can see lights above that cliff!" Riva shouted, pointing toward the closest mountain. Light shone within her eyes, indicating she was enhancing her senses through mana.

In response to her words, the magelight faltered, briefly vanishing from existence. Tahlea's eyes closed as she slanted to the side in her seat. Riva immediately dropped to Tahlea's side, catching her. She draped an arm around Tahlea's shoulders to give her an encouraging shake, her face filled with concern.

"My mana is almost depleted, I can't hold the magelight any longer," Tahlea managed to weakly say, leaning heavily against Riva.

"You can do it, I know you can. Surely there's something we can do to help?" Riva asked.

"The probability of me remaining conscious until our arrival is statistically unlikely. You know this," Tahlea replied, her voice trailing off as she started drifting to sleep.

"Stay awake. I also know that we can't do this without you!" Riva shouted, trying to shake her awake. Even in the darkness, Dink eye's were drawn to the tantalising view of her pale cleavage jiggling with the movement.

"Leave her be. She has done more than a lion's share. I'll take care of the rest," Axion said, jumping down from the driver's bench. He unhooked Betsy's harness in the darkness before giving her flanks a praising pat. "You've done well too, Betsy. You lot, move Estra to the side and make some room."

Before anyone could react to his words, mana flooded the tattoos covering his impressive physique. Reaching down, he easily lifted the mule from the ground. Betsy brayed in protest as he carried her to the back of the cart. Dink and the others hurried to scoot out of the way before he put her down.

He couldn't resist the opportunity to cop a cheeky feel of her tender breast as he pulled her to the side behind him. Estra emitted a light involuntary whimper in response to being dragged across the rough timber. Dink quickly let go of her body, gently lifting her head to place her sleep roll under her neck.

With everyone out of the way, Axion heaved Betsy onto the cart, causing it to alarmingly lurch with the added weight. Axion caught the side of the cart with a firm grasp, preventing the front wheels from lifting into the air.

"Sit down, Betsy. You're going to tip the cart. That's a good girl," Axion said as Betsy obediently lay down.

Axion trailed his hand along the side of the cart, walking to the front. Once there, he expertly strapped himself into the harness. The large lionman glanced over his shoulder at his passengers with a smug grin.

"What are you smiling at, cat-boy? There looks to be something you're not telling us. Do you usually switch places with your girlfriend over here? You seem awfully well-versed in wearing a harness. I almost suspect that you enjoy roleplaying the stud donkey," Dink mocked. Axion's smile slowly faded away in response to his teasing.

"You know what, I liked you a lot better when we thought you were dying. Can we go back to that?" Axion grumbled, adjusting the harness on his shoulders.

"Actually, there is someone who might be dying here. Would you two cut it out and get a move on?" Martha snapped, reprimanding the pair. Her words caused their expressions to become solemn.

There was a glint of moonlight reflected in Axion's cat's eyes when he turned away, indicating that he had at least partial night vision. Hopefully enough to allow him to see the road ahead. The tattoos covering Axion's body flared as he leaned into the harness.

Dink was distractedly caressing Estra's pink hair when the cart suddenly lurched forward. He fell slammed backwards in his seat, flailing his arms to regain balance.

The cart rattled noisily as they travelled down the dirt road at breakneck speeds. Betsy hunkered down, enjoying the wind streaming through her mane. Everyone else got low as well with their backs plastered against the wood to minimise the jostling from the uneven road. Dink glared daggers at Axion's back while clinging to the side of the cart while remaining silent.

Murkuk wasn't quite so considerate, he somehow ended up in the driver's seat clutching the reigns. His screams of terror echoed into the night, probably causing any unprepared travellers to believe the area was haunted.

To add to the effect, Axion's glowing mana tattoos left eerie afterimages trailing behind him.