by Nancy Gray
It had been a long time since Mercy cuddled close to someone for warmth during cold nights, and it was a good feeling. It was easy to look at Erebus and to think of him as a human, but she knew that deep down he wasn’t human at all. He was one of the Blood Wings, the enemies of her tribe.
Mercy thought, “But I’m no longer part of my tribe, and he acts more human than Green Arrow acted towards anyone.”
Mercy realized she hadn’t had time to grieve over the loss of her status or over anything else. She felt mentally exhausted as well as physically drained. If she thought too much about it, she knew that she was going to weep like a child. Instead, she just closed her eyes again and tried to concentrate on sleeping, but she felt her face contorting in pain despite her efforts to hide her emotions. Erebus drew her closer.
He whispered, “It’s okay.”
Mercy began to shake and weep. She cried while Erebus held her until she felt completely empty, and somehow that felt better. Mirilee pretended not to notice. Mercy was glad that the strange clouds weren’t over their head, and they were able to look up at the stars while discussing what shapes of the constellations they knew and making up others, until the sky began to look red and the temperature become more bearable. Mercy forced herself to let go of Erebus and pretend that she was only holding onto him for warmth. From the half smile on his face and the feelings of contentment she felt from him, she could tell that he knew better.
The moment the sky even hinted at the change in color Mirilee said, “I hope you two got some sleep, because we need to get going.”
24
Even though the dunes were still eerie, they seemed less sinister in the daylight. Mercy didn’t see any other illusions, but there was the occasional unexplained sound. Mirilee seemed surprisingly at ease. It was as though telling them her story had relieved some of her nervousness about their proximity to the Glass Dunes, and she was even singing a little while she led them along the edge of the glass.
Erebus was in the wagon, covering himself with a thin sheet of leather. He knew that he didn’t need the extra heat, but the sun was apparently hurting his eyes terribly to the point that he said his head felt like it was being crushed from the inside. Mirilee began to sing louder when he complained which caused him to make the only bat like sound that Mercy had heard from him since he changed into human form, a pained and irritated hiss between clinched teeth. She had a feeling he was cursing Mirilee in his language, and from the smug expression on her face, Mirilee was enjoying his irritation. Occasionally he would fall asleep even though the ride was slightly bumpy.
After only traveling for a few hours, Mercy began to feel as though the sun was baking her and her skin felt clammy, as though it was cooked and then smoothed out again with sweat. She had never sweated so much in her entire life, and it made her self-conscious about the way she smelled. She was glad she usually had a sweet scent naturally, but she had a feeling that if she stayed in the sun too long, she would smell more like a decaying plant than a flower. Erebus was starting to smell sickeningly sweet as well, like his body was oozing moonflower nectar.
The worst part was the way Mercy’s tongue would stick to the roof of her mouth as her throat became increasingly dry. Mirilee had warned her to conserve as much water as possible. When she thought she wasn’t looking, Mercy would take a few drops and spread them over her lips and her tongue.
Mercy followed Mirilee’s example and stripped her shirt off and wore it over her head. Mirilee had on some sort of undershirt, which suggested her people were a bit more prudish about nudity. Mercy was wearing bandages across her chest, and decided that it was hot enough that she really didn’t care. The shirt shielded part of her face as well as her scalp and the back of her neck. She was grateful for it. The horse was sweating just as badly as they were, and she pitied it for its black fur. She could feel it’s misery at being so hot, but since they were going at such a slow pace she could tell it was going to be okay. They piled furs on her the previous night to keep her warm, and thankfully it seemed she hadn’t gotten sick.
Mirilee glanced at Mercy. “When we get there, I’ll make sure you get some proper attire. You want to cover your skin with something thin and breathable so that you don’t burn.”
“That seems a little odd. I would think you would want to wear as little as possible. Just the thought of even wearing anything makes me feel like passing out.”
Erebus chuckled. “What do you think I’ve been doing this whole time?”
Mirilee snapped in feigned irritation. “You’ve been sleeping, there’s a difference. My skin just gets a little darker in the sun, but by the time we get to the encampment, even with her tan skin tone, I think Mercy is going to be as red as a fire spider’s belly. Here, let me see what I can do.”
Mirilee paused and rummaged through her backpack and then pulled out what looked like a long thin blanket with a hole in the middle.
“Put your head through the hole. That will cover your arms and part of your legs. For now, it’s the best we can do. It’s designed to be thin so you shouldn’t get too hot, but it’s still going to be warmer than you would like.”
Mercy was surprised at the material. It was as light and delicate as spider silk, but it was actually very light leather that had been woven in extremely thin strips.
“That’s the skin of a Child Stealer. They have very thin skins under all of those feathers. I just hope that one doesn’t find us on the way to my people.”
Mercy frowned. “What’s a Child Stealer?”
“It’s a giant bird of prey. Sometimes the desert beast men ride them. They’re big enough to easily carry off a child. It would be bad if one realized that we have someone wounded with us. They’re opportunistic enough to attack. At least they only travel alone or in mated pairs.”
Erebus frowned. “You’re not making me feel much better.”
Mirilee shrugged. “Well, I’m not lying to you either. There are dangerous things in the desert, but you would’ve been in just as much danger in the forest,” She glanced at the sky. “The sun is almost at its highest. We should break for lunch.”
They ate cold jerky and drank water for lunch. Erebus got half of a bag of blood, but they were saving the other half for that evening. The blood seemed to smell even worse as it dribbled into his mouth, and occasionally Mercy noticed a blackish mass slide out as well. She was nearly sick, but somehow she held it back, not wanting to lose the water.
Erebus glanced at Mercy. “I know that it’s disgusting, but it’s helping a little. These bags aren’t going to last much longer, though. They’re cooking in the heat and the blood is separating. Soon, they won’t sustain me.”
Mirilee shrugged. “We could give you a little fresh blood if you get desperate, but not a full bag’s worth.”
“We have just one more day until we reach your village, right? Are you sure that they’ll donate some blood for me?”
“Yes, I’m sure. The Stealer Wings, our beast men, don’t feed on blood. You’ll be something rare and interesting. My people love seeing new things.”
“Great, so I’ll be on display.”
“Well, look at it this way, you’ll be a very well fed display.”
Erebus grinned. “I guess I can live with that until I recover.”
Mercy frowned and put a hand on Erebus’ shoulder. “Do you hear that?”
They all became quiet. There was a terrible sound, like leather being torn apart and a low growling, deeper than that of a dog. The growling suddenly erupted into a cacophony of hissing, and then there was a hollow sound of something large slamming into something else. Whatever was making the noises couldn’t have been more than twenty feet away. It made Mercy nervous. In some ways, the sound reminded her of Erebus’ language. Even though she had a new respect for the beast men, their language and the sound of hissing still frightened her on a level she didn’t understand.
Mirilee listened then said, “Don’t worry. It’s okay. It’s just a pack of
dune dragons fighting over a kill.”
Mercy nearly choked on her piece of jerky and stammered. “Dragons?”
“They’re the giant lizards that we use to make our tents. They can get to be the size of a horse when they’re full grown, though we have seen them occasionally get larger. They hunt in packs.”
Erebus frowned. “Are you sure that we’re safe?”
“Yes, they’re busy fighting over their meal, but it would be a good idea to go ahead and get out of here. I wouldn’t want to fight the whole pack right now if they decide that they’re still hungry.”
Erebus tried to stand but put a hand on his head and fell back to his knees. Mercy put her arm around his shoulders and helped him into the wagon. Once again, Mirilee got in front of them on her desert strider. As they crested the dune ahead, Mirilee motioned to her right side. Mercy looked to where she was pointing and saw the dune dragons. Their sound reminded her of what she imagined forest demons would sound like. Some released deep rumblings while others hissed in high pitched shrieks. Mercy was glad that Mirilee was guiding them. Just the sound the creatures were making would be enough to scare any of the forest folk away.
One of them hissed at them as they passed, but the creatures were still in the process of fighting over a very battered looking corpse. It appeared that at one point it had been a desert strider. They varied in coloration from golden yellow to red or black. Horns stuck out from the tip of their noses and on the sides of their heads, and several were locking horns and snarling at one another over the remains of the strider. Mercy could see why the desert dwellers used their hides. Not only were they colorful, but they were thick enough that even a blow from one of the others was easily deflected without even leaving a scratch.
Mirilee slowed her strider and said to Mercy, “They sometimes ambush animals by burrowing into the sand. That’s why we use them to make the tents. Their scales are very good at deflecting sand.”
“Do you use their hides to make armor? I would imagine it would be pretty tough.”
“Yes, but we don’t wear it much. It gets heavy very quickly in this heat. The less we have to wear, the better.”
Mercy noticed Mirilee looking in the direction of a dark cloud in the distance. Beneath it was a brown haze that shimmered slightly like heat waves coming from the sand. She felt a slight apprehension from Mirilee as she studied it. It wasn’t as strong as fear, but it was concern.
Mercy didn’t like the look of it. “What is that cloud? It isn’t like the one over the glass dunes.”
“That looks like a sandstorm. I hope we can stay ahead of it. It doesn’t look like it’s blowing our direction yet, but we need to get to the encampment before it reaches us. The lizard hides can’t stop our tents from getting completely covered during one, so we’ll have to move the camp. That also means that we might have to get closer to the Stealer Wings than I would like.”
Erebus said in a frightened whisper, “What do you mean? We’re going into the plateaus?”
Mirilee nodded. “We have an unspoken agreement with them. If a dust storm is bad enough, they’ll let us camp behind the rocks that are close to the plateaus, as long as we don’t go any further.”
Mercy blinked in disbelief. “And they don’t attack you?”
“Our beast men are different than yours, Mercy. First of all, they don’t drink blood. Secondly, they always look beautiful. They have wings like birds and the bodies of very attractive human beings.”
Erebus muttered something in the language of his people. His tone sounded bitter.
Mercy frowned. “What’s wrong, Erebus?”
“Nothing. Their kind doesn’t tend to get along with mine. We don’t attack each other or anything like that; we just don’t like each other very much.”
“Well, just because they’re beautiful doesn’t mean my people like them. They might not hunt us for blood, but sometimes they do rob from us or kill us if we happen to get too close to a settlement. Some of my people have been killed just for being too close to their hunting parties.”
“What do they hunt?”
“The same sort of things we do, mostly dune dragons and striders. Sometimes they capture horses as well. We think that there’s an oasis near the plateau where they probably grow crops.”
Erebus said bitterly, “It wouldn’t surprise me. They would take the best land for themselves.”
“We used to try to find out how many there were and what sort of land they possessed, but after what happened to the last party we sent out, we didn’t dare send another.”
Mercy thought about the raids on her village. “What happened?”
“They picked them all up and dropped them and then they attacked our settlement. Nearly fifty of my people died. They made sure that we knew that they didn’t appreciate being spied on. Now, we only get close to their territory to hide from the dust storms. At least they tolerate that.”
Mercy gasped. “That’s horrible.”
“I don’t blame them. They were just looking out for their people. If we found out they were occupying an oasis, we might’ve fought them for it. Sometimes I hate my gift. I dreamed about it the night before it happened. I begged the group not to go, but they didn’t listen to me.”
Mercy frowned. “Why didn’t they listen?”
“Because they were stubborn. They had gone to a lot of trouble to get ready for that mission. Heaven forbid that they should listen to a little girl with a nightmare.”
Erebus said, “Oh. So it was when you first were coming into your gift.”
Mirilee said curtly, “Yes,” and then coaxed her desert strider back in front of them.
The rest of the trip was in silence.
They didn’t speak much that evening either. Erebus seemed much better but went to bed early so that he could save his strength. He would need to ride the next day. It was time for them to stop skirting around the glass dunes and to finally start riding through the desert proper. They sorted through the remaining supplies in the cart and kept everything that the animals and each person could carry, but they had to leave the rest behind. Mercy wished that they could take more, but at least they had already used up most of the supplies. They still had more than enough water for another few days of travel, even for the mounts, and enough food for the journey as well. They decided to leave the blood bags behind. They were spoiled.
Mirilee dismantled the cart and tied up some small strips of wood for kindling since they were running out of firewood and wouldn’t be able to carry large logs with them. Mirilee explained that usually they got kindling from the thin twigs of desert plants, and a large fire with wood was something that was a treat. Her people did have a few carts that they would take on trading missions which were designed with wheels that were made wider and higher so they wouldn’t bog down in dunes. Cruor had given them a cart designed for the forest. Mirilee’s people travelled lightly anyway, mostly with what their animals could carry.
Mercy wondered if Mirilee’s people were really happy living the way that they did but didn’t say anything, not wanting to offend her. It sounded like a rough lifestyle, and already just two days in the desert had proved to be taxing. She was just glad that Erebus seemed to be getting better, and deep down, she felt that Mirilee was right. Even though Mercy would’ve been more comfortable in the forest and the temperature would’ve been milder, the blood wouldn’t have lasted long there either. And, at the end of that journey, there wouldn’t be a large group of people willing to feed him what he needed.
The next day, they all rode on the animals. Erebus rode on the horse with Mercy. She made sure that he rode in front of her so that she could grab him around his waist if it looked like he was going to fall. He leaned back against her through most of the journey, resting. He had fashioned the thin sheet into a sort of cloak so that the sun didn’t get into his eyes as much, but Mercy still heard him groan miserably when the sun seeped through. She occasionally gave him some water to wet his lips and mouth as well
, sure that if she was thirsty, then it must’ve been twice as bad for him.
She whispered in his ear, “Just hang in there, Erebus. You won’t have to suffer through licking my fingers much longer.”
Erebus smiled and raised an eyebrow. “When I told you that I didn’t like to lick you because it was like playing with my food, I lied. I really like it, Mercy.”
Mercy blushed and quickly changed the subject. “Mirilee says that this afternoon you can feed on our blood, and by nightfall we should reach the encampment. We’ll only have a day or two after we get there before the storm hits, but that should be more than enough time to get you more blood.”
“Sounds good. I am feeling blood starved. I used too many of my abilities in the cave. It’s like that power is taking its toll from my body until I have the blood to feed it.”
“Well, you will soon.”
The day was grueling and hot, but eventually they stopped to have lunch.
Mirilee said in a concerned whisper, “We should’ve seen signs of the encampment by now. I hate to tell you this, but I think they’ve moved. Don’t worry, though. They won’t have moved more than a half a day ahead of us.”
Erebus frowned and asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Sometimes if they spot a hunting party of Stealer Wings, or if something is stalking the animals, they move about a half a day’s journey away. I can track them. Don’t worry.”
Erebus didn’t say anything, but Mercy could tell he was worried. She was worried as well but decided to pretend that she wasn’t. She didn’t want to offend Mirilee.
Mercy and Mirilee cut themselves and managed to produce two cups of blood for Erebus. Mercy could tell it wasn’t enough. His eyes became the same shade of violet that his eyes were in bat form as he looked at the blood, and occasionally as he looked at Mercy and Mirilee as well.
Mirilee whispered, “Do you think he’ll try to feed on us tonight?”
