“Rory,” said Thomas, before correcting himself. “Sanatasi. How, uh…how are you?”

  “Great,” said Sanatasi. Thomas thought he was being sarcastic, until he said otherwise. “No, I mean, it’s great. They unfettered me and let me sleep like a normal person. No thanks to that foxy lady behind you. Some of them eyed me weird, but who wouldn't?"

  “You’re welcome,” said the sionnach.

  “How’s the outside world?” he asked.

  “People are afraid of the miasma and the Sybarians retaliating,” said Thomas. “Aldimar’s slowly turning into a ghost town.”

  Sanatasi’s head plume sagged. “That’s…unfortunate.”

  There was silence, each did not know what to say. Shana just stood behind them waiting while looking outside, checking to see if there was anyone who could see through her charm. Sanatasi was the first to say something.

  “Is…your sister okay?” asked the Dromedian, sounding as sincerely as possible.

  “She’s…teetering between life and death,” said Thomas. “But she’ll survive. She'll survive, and we'll be together again. I'm glad. If she dies...I don't know what I'm...."

  “Hey, hey, Tom.” Sanatasi moved out of his cot to try and comfort him, making sure that his sharp talons wouldn’t injure him. To his disappointment, though expected, Thomas backed off, not letting Sanatasi get close.

  “Perhaps…we should talk about it first. About our friendship,” said Thomas. “Starting with telling me the truth.”

  Sanatasi let out an unusual vocalization: a deep, croaked trill, akin to a raven, but deeper. Thomas wasn’t sure what to say of his vocalization, considering that he wasn’t an expert on both Dromedians and birds. This was the first non-mammalian beast person he met, and he already looked like a chimera, though he was clearly more vibrantly colored than that cockatrice, especially with his crimson red feathers that adorned his dark-colored scales. While he stood by his observation that he did not look at all like a cockatrice, given that he was more reptilian than avian, his look still made him wonder what creature he resembled.

  “I think it’s only appropriate that I say I’m sorry for deceiving you,” started Sanatasi. “I'm sure Shana had told you about my intentions that night."

  "Yes," he said. "You were there to kill me."

  "I didn't, thankfully. But I couldn't show you my true form. You were distraught. The Sybarians shedding their disguise right in front of you must have been stuffs of nightmares the way you told me. And I suppose it's still a scar that couldn't heal, seeing the way you reacted."

  “No,” said Thomas, shaking his head. “I’m the one who should ask for forgiveness. My paranoia got the better of me. We were being ambushed and my inexperience caused me to assume that everyone’s an enemy. I know it’s unfair for you. That accusation I said….”

  “That's fine,” finished Sanatasi. “Don’t think too much about it. I knew it was inevitable when I decided to shed my disguise. Being Rory was great, but Dromedians don’t wear human skins. It's not in our nature to conceal ourselves."

  “I doubt you’d want to cover those beautiful feathers of yours,” said Thomas.

  “Are you flirting with me?” jested Sanatasi, causing Thomas to be flustered.

  “N-no!” he stammered. “I’m just admiring your feathers, that’s all!”

  Sanatasi shook his head. “Tom, you really need to learn when someone’s joking or not.”

  “I don’t expect you to be joking!”

  “Because I look like this?”

  Thomas couldn’t say anything but appreciate Sanatasi’s attempt to lighten the mood, which was successful enough. Thomas started to chuckle. Sanatasi followed suit.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” said Sanatasi. “Our feathers are the pride of our race. To keep it all under some leathery human skin feels wrong, not to mention the wrong gait, the flat face, the lack of tail, the height…. I’m beginning to wonder if those Sybarians are crazy. No, scratch that. They are crazy. I don't even know how they came up with this spell in the first place."

  “So, why are you with them in the first place?” asked Thomas.

  “Because I needed a place to belong,” explained Sanatasi. “I drifted around the world, trying to find a purpose in life after my grandfather died. I never knew my parents. Grandfather told me they died, but did not elaborate on when and how. I think he was trying to spare me the details. Our kind, Sybarians or Dromedians, don't usually have a peaceful end when we're out of the jungles. We thrived among the overgrown trees, but even then, there are dangers beyond the village. Beyond the protection of the jungle, we are considered monsters, so the human skin is the only way we can safely travel."

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "Why human?"

  "Limitations of the spell, I guess. I thought it would make more sense if we disguise ourselves as beast people. Don't ask me, ask whoever came up with the spell in the first place." Sanatasi shook his head. "Anyway, when grandfather died, I roamed the world, at first wanting to know what really happened with my parents, but it soon became clear that it was a bad idea, given my unfamiliarity with humans. Then I met this old human, a Hokinese who escaped from the empire after a regime change came with a brutal crackdown of dissidents. He taught me many things, but most importantly, martial arts.

  “Having one of my limbs sealed and the lack of talons made quite a disadvantage for me, but I needed a purpose, so I stuck with it. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable wearing human skin all the time. So, I steeled up and told him that I wasn’t human, to which he said he knew.”

  “He knew?”

  “He said I walked strangely, and when frustrated, I tended to let out a trilling noise. And I didn’t blink as often. That’s when I shed my disguise for the first time in front of a human. Like you, he admired my feathers, and I was happy. He then taught me martial arts that were tailored to my anatomy but also suggested that I trained myself as a human, both in mannerism and in skill.

  “We lived together until the old man died of old age. It crushed me when I realized that it was over, but I knew I must move on. I took the wisdom he taught me by heart and started limiting myself with a human disguise, learning how to become more human while at the same time training myself. It's like wearing weights to train your body's toughness, or so the old man told me about the training back in the Hoki empire. But my search was fruitless, and over time, I started to feel frustrated. And lonely. I walked among you like humans, but I was never a human. Then, I had a chance to meet with a group of Sybarians who were similarly disguised as humans after responding to a flyer that had Sybarian words disguised as art. It was comforting at first, to be among people you recognize, even though we were disguised as humans. But I should've known that any well-meaning Sybarian would not recruit anyone with the promise of a well-paying job written in Sybarian. None of us, not even the Sybarians in the jungle, did so. I walked myself into a scam."

  “Did the Sybarians ever knew you were a Dromedian?” asked Thomas.

  “They knew me as a Sybarian, mostly because we spoke the same language. Different accents, but same language, so we understood each another well enough. I did not know better then, and they were not talking about a raid or about Vyrnian magick until we got to know each other better. I only began to realize that they were fanatics when one of them started to praise Vyrnian magick a bit too much, as if it was a work of art. Now, I’m no expert in religion or politics, but when someone got too enthusiastic in talking about killing people and justifying it as a noble mission, that’s when I know I’m in with the crazies.

  “I had a feeling the begin to doubt my allegiance when I suggested to them that there were better ways in spreading their beliefs without the loss of lives. I was careful with my words, but I could tell when they began to see me as a potential loose end. In the end, I did not know how much they thought me, but like I said, I was being careful. I voiced my support after a bit of argument, preventing it from escalating and further suspecting. I voiced my intentions to kill your family, but deep down, I had a different plan.”

  “Hold on,” said Shana, butting in. “You never told me this when we were talking.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” retorted Sanatasi. “I just never told you that I objected. I’m saving that for Thomas here, so that he can listen it from me."

  Then Thomas asked, “So, if it wasn’t me who got to the lake house…."

  “It would still save them by letting them go while I went another way,” said Sanatasi. “But you were a distraught, broken child wearing a nightshirt covered in blood and staring into a distance, catatonic. You were clearly not on a condition to run on your own. I was screwed anyway, so I ran with you, scavenging for clothes, helping you escape from Wyrith, et cetera. I only realized you were a prince later, during which I already gave you the name Thomas Alonquin.”

  Sanatasi chirped. “That’s all I have to say. I doubt you’d believe me, but I speak the truth. Now, it’s your choice whether you want to believe me or not.”

  Thomas did not need to think or doubt Sanatasi’s words. He experienced what he said. He only needed to learn the context to accept that this Dromedian, disguised as a human, was telling the truth. Part of Thomas told him that he was a very good liar, reasoning that he managed to fool him into believing that he was human for the past two years. Part of him, the one that ultimately won, did not matter.

  And he did what he denied Sanatasi before: a hug, one that caught Sanatasi unaware. He almost hugged him without considering his talons, so there was a hesitant pause before the Dromedian slowly, but carefully, returned the hug.

  Shana was standing near the door, not particularly moved by this. She kept her eyes on the charmed guard and outside, hoping that this wouldn’t complicate matters. But she understood the importance of reconciliation. She was denied it many, many years ago. This was a catharsis for both amidst the suspicions levied against the reptilian people. Then again, she did not care. It wasn't her reconciliation.

  “I can’t maintain the subterfuge for long,” said Shana. “Unless you’re planning to sleep in here with him, I suggest we leave.”

  “Listen to the fox, Tom,” said Sanatasi after breaking the hug. “You’ve got someone you need to protect. You don’t need me.”

  “Don’t say that,” said Thomas. “I’ll come visit. Have a talk. I want to know the real you better.”

  “You said it like I’m completely different from Rory. Here's something you should now, kid. I never faked myself, whether I am Sanatasi or Rory. You know me for two years and we are friends. I am me.”

  “Sorry. What I meant is…I want to be able to conquer my fear. I’m sure there will be more Dromedians—or even Sybarians—out there, with good intentions. I don’t want to look at them and feel my heart skip a beat from fear and anger. I might not be as fortunate as I am with you, Sanatasi, but I want to try.”

  Sanatasi smiled, which came out like a grin, as his sharp tooth were visible when he did so. He never thought Thomas to work out his hesitations so quickly. He grew up in just a short time.

  Thomas then turned to Shana. “Come on, Shana.”

  The sionnach, who had been waiting for this, nodded, and knocked the heavy oak door, letting the charmed warden to open it for her and Thomas. The human mage and the Dromedian exchanged silent looks before they nodded to one another, silently acknowledging their newfound appreciation of one another.

  The door then closed behind them, leaving Sanatasi behind. The room did not feel so isolated anymore, now that he and Thomas had sorted their differences. He simply let himself relax on his cot, watching the small opening where light went through.

  “You hear that, old man?” he said, presumably towards the sky. “You’re right, after all.”