and some by virtue fall; any

[Kushiel]

Kushiel felt like he had been chewed up and spat out. Traveling through space and potentially time could do that to you. He opened and closed his mouth, not enjoying the stickiness of his thirst or the ominous popping of his jaw.

Magicians were real bastards. Kushiel already suspected that was the case, but this proved it. If he didn’t value his life so highly, he would have had a serious hoof in face conversation with the meddlesome toad who thought this was acceptable behavior.

If Kushiel wasn’t in such a sour mood, he might have chuckled at the irony of it. He had been sent to the desert. There was no way you could burn down the desert. Additionally, it was already too hot for comfort, so all his beloved flame did was give him a headache.

Touche magician, touche.

He was still staggering forward when the helpful stallion approached. Kushiel gave him a wary look, as if he didn’t trust his motivations, then shrugged and dumped most of his weight on the other man’s shoulder. Hell, if he was going to hover he might as well be useful. Kushiel grunted in acknowledgement.

“If you’re saying I’m hot you’re going to have to get in line.” He said this in a very flat, gruff tone. It was both unnecessarily hostile and a lie. There was no line for Kushiel. Not only was he open 24/7 and a full service establishment, but he was also abrasive enough to scare just about everyone.

Kushiel couldn’t muster up any further conversation until they reached the oasis. He drank greedily and felt some of his good humor returning. After several minutes of slurping he looked back up at Shahrizai.

“Shah it is. I’m Kushiel. I’m assuming this forsaken place is the Deserts?” He looked around and instantly felt foolish. What else could it be? It certainly wasn’t the Tundra. Suddenly, Kushiel wished he had paid a lot more attention when the other kingdoms were visiting. How much trouble was he in, exactly? Were the Deserts and the Chamber on good terms? Did they despise each other with the fire of a thousand suns? There was no way to know.