Valley of Gold dolor y sangre

From the moment they parted the valley, Andromache sickened.

A sore throat stung and twisted itself to a failing voice; her airways tightened, nose blocked; by the time the howl shocked Silvertongue to a run, a fever had begun to rise in the princess. She longed for her valley, for Nikolaos's protection. To her own surprise, she longed for Faustus's company

But she said none of these things. She followed Silvertongue in what felt like a haze, oddly detached even as the woman broke into peals of shattered laughter and finally began to scream. It was the scream that finally startled her out of her fog and into something panicked and scattering, and she went to Silvertongue's side, settling ungracefully beside her with an air of desperation.

Do you want to go back? She asked, voice cracking and helplessly lost under Silvertongue's shrieking. We'll go back. Andromache decided next, but made no move to get up.

They should not have left.