“I can’t believe you’ve been to the Forbidden Desert before,” said Leo. “I thought the Royal’s shield would be smarter than to leave holes in their defense grid.”
“Oh, they’re plenty smart alright…but I’m smarter,” he said with a sly grin.
Both men laughed, welcoming the release of stress. Once their laughter died down naturally, Leo stood and began walking towards the trees.
“Be careful in there, kid,” said Darrod, his protective tone returning. “You even catch a whiff of a Royal or a beast, you come back—you got it?”
“Understood,” said Leo with a nod. He moved to the edge of their campsite and then he turned back, “And Darrod…thanks.”
The grifter smiled and gave Leo a wave, which was the most affection the young man could hope for. He laughed softly to himself and entered the woods, in his search for firewood. He quickly found a few solid pieces of wood here and there—but soon, as he kept up his search, the pit in his stomach returned. No matter what he did, Leo couldn’t shake his feeling of anticipation. He knew something was going to happen to him soon. He had no idea if it was going to be good or bad, but he somehow felt scared and reassured at the same time. Once again, he thought about his evolved ability. It had been so long since Leo felt safe, he barely remembered how to use his power. But deep down, he knew, that if he had to use it—if he was in real life-threatening danger, his ability would come back to him, and he would need it to protect himself.
Leo had never told Darrod about his ability. The only people who knew were Leo and his father. They kept the secret for good reason—as much as the young man liked Darrod, Leo took the man’s own advice to heart and never trusted him for a second. If Darrod found out that his protégé was an evolved, Leo would be in chains and sold to the government immediately. Darrod would be the first to admit there was no loyalty between thieves—everyone looked out for themselves. You may work together, but at the end of the day, if it came down to yourself or someone else, you wouldn’t even hesitate. You would choose yourself and there wouldn’t be any guilt left over. Everyone did what they had to do to survive in AzzaNation—that was the game after all. Survival.
Leo suddenly stopped walking and looked around the dark forest. He couldn’t see anyone in the darkness, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. The pit in his stomach grew and the hairs on the back of his neck jolted up.
This is it, he thought. This is the moment he’d been feeling. Any second now, royal soldiers are going to come out of the trees and ambush him. He will try to escape, but one wrong move and it’ll all be over and he’ll either be dead or in custody.
Leo couldn’t contain his anxiety any longer—he turned to run, when suddenly he was tackled from above. His body buckled to the ground under the force of the assailant. His face hit the ground hard, rubbing against the dirt, and he felt a stinging pain on his cheek. Leo lifted his face off the ground, but his body was still being restrained. He looked down to the ground beneath him and saw blood—his own blood, dripping from his face. He moved to wipe it away, but whoever was on top of him quickly grabbed a hold of his wrists and held them firmly to the ground.
“Got you little man!” said an excited familiar voice.
Leo relaxed at the sound of Len’s voice on top of him. He moved to face her, and finally she let him turn so that his back was now against the ground. She took control of his wrists once again and straddled his hips, keeping him in place.
“Len,” said Leo, his fear rising in him again, as he now realized what she was after. “You scared the crap out of me…I-I thought you were a Royal.”
“Oh, you humans are so paranoid.” She let go of his hands and sat up, staring at him with a hungry smile. “No one would waste their time coming this close to the Forbidden Desert. They probably figured we made a break for Caas or Qoraal. They have no idea Darrod can get through their little desert shield, so it won’t even cross their minds.”
“Yeah, well, I may be paranoid, but at least I don’t attack my friends.” With his hands free, Leo held his cheek where he had been cut, trying to minimize the bleeding.
“Humans…so fragile,” whispered Len. She grabbed Leo’s hand and moved it away from his face, exposing his cut. A stream of fresh blood dripped from his cheek, and Len caught it with her finger. She slowly moved her finger up to her mouth and sucked Leo’s blood off it.
Leo didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t prepared for the sexual advances that Len was making. He had to admit that he had always been attracted to her, but she terrified him—not only in a sexual way either. She had just demonstrated her physical dominance over him, and if she ever wanted to, Len could easily kill him…But she didn’t want to kill him, she wanted something else. Normally, Leo would give in to the pleasure of the moment—after all, in AzzaNation you had to take what little pleasure you could find, but he couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling of dread at the back of his mind. The pit of fear wasn’t going away.
“I don’t know if now is the best time Len,” said Leo, trying to squirm out from under her.
“Mmm, you’re so attractive when you’re frightened.”
Len’s reptilian eyes suddenly gleamed and she licked her lips. She pushed Leo back to the ground aggressively and began taking off her armor and clothes. Leo watched her reveal her skin, covered in light brown scales, as each piece of armor and fabric covering her body was removed. He wanted more than anything to give into the moment—to push his fear aside and have a wild and passionate time with her, but the pit in his stomach was growing. As she began to take off his clothes, he didn’t struggle—his mind had left his body. Flashes of the royal soldier he killed filled his mind once again. Then he let his head fall to the ground, as Len bit her fangs into the skin of his chest. He didn’t care. He barely felt it. His gaze then moved towards the Forbidden Desert lying ahead of them. As he stared at the hills of sand and rock, the pit of fear grew—spreading from inside his stomach into every muscle lining his body. It moved into his arms and they began to shake. The pit moved into his groin and he went limp. Tears began to form in his eyes, as the trepidation in his mind took over.
“What the hell?” exclaimed Len, clearly furious. “I’m fine if you just want to lay there, but you have to give me something to work with.”
Leo barely heard her. He made no indication that he was listening, and his body—every part of it remained still and lifeless.
“Fine then!” said Len, getting up and putting her clothes and armor back on. “I usually get a thrill out of scaring little humans like you, but I’ve never scared someone this bad before. I mean your cock doesn’t even work for Kahl’s sake.”
She finished strapping on her last pauldron on her shoulder and gathered the rest of her belongings. She looked down at Leo one last time as she turned to leave. “You really are pathetic, Leo Exe.”
She left him lying in the dirt, alone with his thoughts and fear. He now knew the cause of his feelings of trepidation. They were warning him not to go into the Forbidden Desert. He had no idea what was going to happen to him and his gang if they continued on their journey, but he knew that it wouldn’t end well. Because now, as he stared into the desert’s horizon, the pit in his stomach had shifted. It was no longer filling him with a sense of anticipation or simple fear. The pit had grown exponentially and was now filling Leo’s bones and blood with complete and utter dread.
_________________________
The next morning, Darrod led Leo and Len into the desert. Len had moved her belongings into the cart with the bricks of thetinum and had taken over the driving. Darrod told her where to go, and after only an hour or so they reached the outer perimeter of the shield covering the desert. The shield was mostly transparent but with enough of a blue tint that you could make it out, glistening in the sunlight.
Leo had always heard stories of the Forbidden Desert from his father and other travelers. His official education at the academy only taught him that it was r
estricted for the safety of all on AzzaNation. Therefore, no one, under any circumstances was to be allowed inside. Because of this vagueness, the rumors and stories had never ceased to grow. Some people claimed that King Grindaull used the desert as a personal hunting ground, killing people for sport. Others claimed that demons and ancient magic still roamed the area, back from the days of the angelic wars. Leo’s father had always said that he didn’t know what was inside the desert, but he knew that it was dangerous. He had seen evidence and old records that showed that every government of AzzaNation had taken precautions to protect it.
Leo had never given much thought to the rumors surrounding the Forbidden Desert, until now. As he stood in front of the energy shield protecting it, he truly wondered if the desert had dark secrets no one was meant to know. As he stepped off the cart and followed Darrod to the shield’s perimeter, the pit of trepidation and dread screamed at him to run away.
“So how does this work, Darrod?” asked Len, leading the mule by keeping a firm hand on the creature’s muzzle. They were all around six feet away from the shield now, waiting for Darrod to proceed.
“Pretty simple…and yet, incredibly complicated,” he chuckled to himself as he pulled out a small data-pad. The handheld computer device was a rarity among people of their economic standing. It was Darrod’s most valued possession. Stowed away since his days as a technician for the royals, he always kept it on his person, and held onto it with dear life. “Okay, now if Brian and Jax didn’t get themselves caught, they should be in position too.” Darrod looked at his watch. After staring at it with an intense patience, he finally turned back to his data-pad and began typing rapidly.
Leo was impressed by their leader’s skill with the pad. During his time at the Academy, Leo had been instructed on digital programming and the finer mechanics of modern technology, but he never had the aptitude to learn more than the basics. He glanced at Len, hoping to share his feelings with her, but she only shrugged in response.
“And….Done!” said Darrod, adrenaline and pride exuberating from his voice. “Okay, I hacked into the shield’s net and implanted a virus. It won’t last long, but for the next two minutes, anything passing through the shield won’t give off energy signatures.”
“What does that mean?” asked Len, clearly confused.
“It means we have two minutes to get through this thing. Let’s go!” said Darrod, grabbing the other side of the mule and quickly pulling it and the cart forward. Len got the hint and helped, moving to the back of the cart and pushing it from behind. Within a minute, the three gang members and the cart were safely through the shield.
Leo looked back, underwhelmed, “Well that was anti-climactic.”
“Trust me kid,” said Darrod, now getting onto the driver’s seat of the cart. “You wouldn’t want it to be climactic. Now let’s get a move on. We still got a full day of travel if we want to make the rendezvous point by the evening.”
Leo did what he was told and hopped into the back of the cart. Len walked beside them and did for most of the journey. Her light brown scales seemed to shine in the sun, and as they walked she appeared as though she was basking in the heat. Leo knew that she was a Desert Drake, a specific race of the drake species that thrived in the desert. Supposedly, her people had built Adras hundreds of years ago. But back then, it was a fortress for the drake people. A home and a refuge. Then Grindaull went to war with them and slaughtered the majority of her people who stood against him. As Leo watched the lovely Desert Drake feel at home, for the first time in probably years, he couldn’t help but wonder how things would be if humanity never came to AzzaNation. If their ship, the U.H.A.S. Exodus had crashed, or ran out of fuel along the way—maybe there would still be peace on the planet. Maybe someone like Len, would be living with her people…her family—not working as a criminal and hired thug in order to survive.
As they travelled, Leo wondered how Brian and Jax were fairing on their own journey. The idea of splitting up was Brian’s plan originally—he had pointed out that if they were all together and were caught then they would all be screwed. However, if they split up, they ran less of a risk of being seen by unwanted eyes. And this way, if one group was caught then at least the rest of the gang could get away. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Darrod had even timed his trick with the shield to allow Brian and Jax to pass through at the same time, at their respective position. If everything went according to plan, they would meet up with Jax and Brian that evening at Darrod’s predetermined coordinates, and all would be well. But Leo couldn’t help but wonder if Brian was planning on betraying them. The man was such a narcissist that maybe he thought that he could trick the group, and make off with half the profits. However, even Leo had to admit that there was a massive wrench in that plan…Jax. The shifter was incredibly strong, and not that dumb. If Brian was planning on making off with their share of the thetinum, he would have to kill Jax, and as resourceful as Brian was, there was no way he could pull that off. Jax would crush the arrogant human between his massive hands in seconds.
Leo pictured the event in his mind: Brian taking a swing at Jax. The shifter blocking with ease and then choking the life from Brian’s annoying little body. Leo couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. The blonde sleaze of a man had been such a pain in Leo’s side, ever since he first joined Darrod’s crew. He always saw himself as Kahl’s gift to AzzaNation—the superior intellect who escaped the clutches of the royals to steal from the rich and serve his own hedonistic needs. Every time the man opened his mouth, Leo always pictured Brian getting what was coming to him. But despite his annoyance of the arrogant jerk, Leo knew he should never wish death upon the man. As much as Leo fantasized about Brian’s death now and then, he knew that Brian didn’t deserve to die. However, if Brian happened to be beaten or humiliated, Leo decided that he would be alright with that.
As he played the scenario out in his mind, Leo couldn’t contain himself as he let out a burst of laughter.
“What’s so funny, little man?” grunted Len.
“Oh nothing,” replied Leo, “I was just daydreaming.”
“There seems to be a lot of that going around,” said Len as she gestured towards the front of the cart.
Leo quickly realized that they had stopped moving. Darrod was holding the reins that guided the mule, loosely in his hands. Their leader was staring straight ahead, not with his usual calm and confident demeanor…but instead with an expression of perplexed confusion.
“What’s wrong, Boss?” asked Leo, as he tapped Darrod on the shoulder. The grifter quickly broke off his gaze and looked back at his crew.
“…Down there, there’s an oasis.”
Leo looked past Darrod, and sure enough at the bottom of the hill they were on, stood a pristine and beautiful oasis, filled with trees and plants. Leo’s mouth salivated at the thought of drinking from the water that was surely kept there.
“What’s the problem?” asked Len. “A desert this size is bound to have an oasis or two.”
“That’s the thing,” replied Darrod, still confused, “It doesn’t. I’ve been to this desert before. I’ve traveled the same path we did, and there is supposed to be a cave here…a simple ordinary, dust-filled cave—not that!”
Leo felt the fear and frustration in Darrod’s voice and knew that their leader was serious. Leo’s first thought was that they were looking at a mirage, or they possibly took a wrong turn and ended up at a different location. However, he quickly dismissed the idea. Both Darrod and him were intellects—their minds were trained to see through tricks and illusions as easily as eating or breathing. It was more likely that something else was at play here. The odds were greater that some form of magic was responsible rather than a misconception or failure on their part.
“Should we investigate?” said Leo, softly, offering up a small solution to their problem.
Darrod was silent a moment, still contemplating the unexpected situation in front of them. “Y-Yes…Yes. I think we sho
uld.” The grifter’s confidence was wavering, but he quickly found his strength and turned to the other two. “We’ll continue as normal, but keep your weapons at the ready,” as Darrod spoke he unsheathed his short sword. Len followed suit and took out her Bakon, while Leo was left holding his rusty short sword.
As he looked at it, he thought he saw blood still fresh on the edge of the blade. It appeared to be dripping down, staining the old metal. Leo shook his head and forced himself to close his eyes. When he opened them again, the sword returned to normal. He felt his hands shake again, but he quickly took a couple deep breathes, forcing himself to calm down—now was not the time to be freaking out. They were going into a strange and potentially dangerous situation. He didn’t have time to feel remorse over the death of some royal soldier. If they survived, then he would have all the time in the galaxy—but not yet.
As Darrod drove the cart into the oasis, Leo could feel his heart pounding within his chest. It felt as though it would burst at any moment, exploding out of his body. None of his surroundings seemed right—the patches of trees were too thick, the bushes seemed like those of a jungle, massive leaves hanging off each one. But more than that, the plants of this oasis almost seemed…fake. They were devoid of all life. In fact, Leo noticed that there was no life in this oasis at all. No insects were trying to bite him. No animals of any kind were in sight. There wasn’t even any sounds emanating throughout the entire place, except for them.
It was bone chilling to experience. The mule began crying out, confused and frightened, until Darrod got it under control. Leo empathized with the animal. He wanted to leave so badly—wanted to run away and never return, but at the same time, he was strangely curious. It wasn’t every day that he experienced something like this. An entire isolated oasis that was void of all life? He had learnt about some truly unfathomable things during his time at the Academy, like the mythic beasts of AzzaNation—ancient creatures and monsters that have lived for thousands of years on AzzaNation, usually the only one of their kind. Beasts like the Basilysk, a gigantic snake that patrols the ancient depths of Mount Adjourn. Living in the capital city of KL’en, with Mount Adjourn attached to Grindaull’s castle, Leo always had nightmares of the Basilysk breaking through the mountain to destroy the city. No one really knew what the beast looked like—for part of the legend was that no one had ever seen the Basilysk and survived. In fact, because of this, many claimed that the Basilysk and the other mythic beasts were only legends and nothing more. The three-hundred-foot leviathan known as the Corvak, the walking and living mountain, Roalkenn, and many more. No one knows for sure if they were real or myths, but their legends were truly unbelievable. And yet, somehow, Leo craved an encounter with a destructive and mythical monster like the Basilysk, if it meant he could leave this oasis with his life intact.
The Chronicles of AzzaNation: Dawn of a New Age Page 4
