Blood of Azura

The guard's roar echoed, 'Move! Keep walking or you will feel the whip again!' It was a familiar threat, one Fara had come to expect, almost anticipate, in the two days since they were marched from the fallen city. The scent of his desire to lash them hung heavy in the air, a constant reminder of their brutal reality.
Her body, parched and aching, moved only out of sheer, animalistic will. Everything was gone: her home, her love, even her name felt like a distant memory. All of it, she knew, was her fault. The old woman beside her stumbled, a quiet sob escaping her lips. Fara's arm shot out, grabbing her bony elbow, pulling her forward. The old woman wouldn't survive another lash.
'Keep going. We're almost there,' Fara whispered, risking a glance at the old woman's tear-streaked face. 'I can see the fires. Can you smell them? The camp isn't far. I promise.'