Chapter 96

With the sky growing darker by the minute, the group had no choice but to rouse themselves and pull together to get back on the road, exhausted as they were. Fortunately, the remaining distance was not all that far, and since they encountered no further dangers, they managed to reach the supply post safely. The giant lizards were stored away in the Gap, while the warriors who had fallen in battle were temporarily hoisted onto the backs of designated team members. The Princess's wish was to bring their bodies back to the capital for a proper burial, ensuring at least that their families could see them one last time. Burdened with this extra care, the already sluggish party moved at an increasingly agonizing pace. The worry visibly aged her; she skipped dinner entirely and curled up alone inside her tent, occupied with who knows what. Muhammad had stored the giant lizards in the Gap, but now he fished them out again. Fearing that the aroma of roasting meat might attract more trouble, he decided against a barbecue, instead telling his men to simply clean the meat and stew it into a tasteless broth.