by Callie Kanno
Adesina reached across and took her hand. “He did.”
Faryl looked startled by her touch. “What?”
“He did fail—more than he will ever know.”
She lowered her head and stared at her lap. “But I want him to know it. I want him to feel his failure as deeply as I have felt it.”
The young queen experienced a surge of determination on the other’s behalf. “Let us keep trying.”
Both Faryl and Ravi stared at her in surprise.
“Keep trying?”
She raised her chin. “Yes. We will keep practicing your ability to manipulate vyala. After all, one never knows what will develop over time. You may learn to do the impossible, just as I have.”
Faryl’s smile trembled with emotion. “Yes, let us keep trying.”
Chapter Twenty-six: The Great Desert
The rescue party arose with the dawn and prepared to leave the port city immediately. They loaded their supplies on the horses and strapped on the hoof supports that made desert travel less uncomfortable for the animals.
The innkeeper was kind enough to show them how to put on their brown robes, but he gave a constant stream of warnings as he did so.
“The storms give little warning before they strike. There is little shelter in the desert, so you will probably not be able to hide before the first storm hits. And the storms last for many days. If you do not have proper provisions, you will starve before it is safe to venture outside again. It would be much better for you to stay here in Jame until after the storms have passed. My inn is comfortable, and we have plenty of room for you here. There are underground tunnels between this building and the stables, so your horses would be safe as well. Animals that are not accustomed to the storms do poorly in such an environment, but my stables would keep them quite comfortable.”
Adesina was beginning to lose her patience. Mar’sal, who was standing closest to her, seemed to recognize her expression and quickly intervened.
“Thank you for your concern. It truly touches our hearts that you would take such interest in strangers. Unfortunately, our path is set and our fate is in the hands of the Creator.”
The proprietor appeared to be caught off guard by this sudden declaration of faith, and he did not argue with it. After all, a man’s beliefs were his own.
“I do not doubt that your god will favor you. I just fear that you are tempting fate by riding into such hazardous circumstances.”
The man said no more, but walked away muttering darkly to himself.
“Thank you,” said Adesina quietly. “I was afraid that I would say something rude if he did not cease his warnings.”
Mar’sal gave a sunny smile. “He meant well.”
“I do not doubt that,” she replied, “but that does not mean that I was taking it well.”
The group chuckled and gathered up the last of their belongings. The sun was still low on the horizon, but the heat of the day was already climbing past comfort.
They mounted their horses, waved farewell to their host, and began riding south. The city was densely situated, and the buildings came to an end quite suddenly. The desert stretched out before them in an endless landscape of brown.
The ground was parched, but still firm. Adesina had expected there to be more sand now that they were entering the wilderness of Zonne. There was a sparse amount of plant life, mostly scrub brush and cacti, but the most noticeable variations in the landscape were the rock formations.
There were no mountains or hills anywhere close by, but there were occasionally low outcroppings of rock that took interesting shapes. Some of them were as tall as Adesina as she sat on Torith’s back, but most of them were closer to the ground.
Ravi viewed their surroundings with sad eyes. “This land still bears the scars of the Final Battle.”
Faryl turned to him in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“The last and fiercest battle of the Great Wars was fought on Zonne. The fighting grew so severe that the land itself began to die. That is why this entire nation is wasteland.”
Adesina also surveyed the landscape with sorrow. She could sense the desolation that had been wrought beyond what was visible.
“The Great Wars ended centuries ago. Why has the it not recovered?” asked Kendan.
“The land almost died completely,” Ravi explained. “There was only the tiniest flickering of life left when the battle ended. The fact that there are plants and animals living here is an indication of how far it has come since then.”
“What happens when land dies?” inquired Faryl.
Adesina had a brief vision pass before her eyes. She saw a bare section of earth where no plant could grow, and no animal could live. The soil was colorless and barely more than dust.
“It cannot support life, no matter how small,” answered Adesina. “It becomes…nothing.”
Ravi turned his bi-colored eyes to her. “That is correct.”
A somber silence followed her statement. After a moment, she cleared her throat and changed the subject.
“Maizah, what do you see?”
The Tracker’s vision opened up to view Zonne as if from the sky. It looked like a golden creature swimming in the sapphire sea. The vision swooped downward to narrow the focus of her search. The golden color of the land became muted to the brown that currently surrounded them, and the harsh features of the terrain became apparent.
Three figures traveled at a steady pace on the backs of camels. The animals plodded along, swaying back and forth, and the riders only moved in accordance with the motion of travel.
The last figure was L’iam. He still wore the black robes and grey mask that she had last seen him in. The mask bore a scar from where it had been split, but the wolfish features were still intact.
Adesina’s heart leapt to her throat and she struggled to fight down tears. How she desperately wished she could simply reach out and touch him. She also felt a surge of concern for her husband’s health. Wearing such dark colors in the heat of the desert could result in a number of alarming situations.
The two leading figures wore the local robes of the Zonnese in the same brown color of the L’avan apparel. One of them sat on the camel with ease, and appeared to be searching for landmarks. That had to be the guide that had been hired to take them through the desert.
The remaining figure was Basha. Her face was covered to protect her from the dust in the air, and her arms were folded tightly across her chest. She scowled fiercely at the horizon, and Adesina could sense her frustration as clearly as if they were standing side by side.
The landscape they traveled through was vastly different from where the L’avan rode. It fitted Adesina’s original idea of a desert—vast sand dunes and no plant life.
“How far away are they?” she asked Maizah.
The vision jumped away from the three figures and tracked backwards to where the rescue party was located. Adesina calculated the distance to get an estimate of how far they were from their goal.
“About two days,” murmured Ravi.
Maizah indicated her agreement.
“We have not made much progress,” said Adesina in disappointment.
Mar’sal immediately disagreed. “Not much progress? Of course we have. When we left Emerald Harbor we were almost a week behind them, and now we have narrowed the distance to a mere two days.”
Than’os nodded in support of his optimistic friend. “You must not lose hope, Adesina. We will catch up to them, and before those desert storms hit.”
As the sun rose higher in the sky, the group of travelers came to a halt. They had been advised to stop during the hottest hours of the day and rest, and then make up for lost time by traveling into the night.
They erected a flimsy sort of pavilion to shade the horses and gave them water and the special feed that would sustain their stamina in the harsh environment. Adesina gave Torith a rubdown, helping him to relax after the hard exercise of the morning.
The robes tha
t the travelers wore doubled as personal tents. Than’os showed them how to prop them up so they would be shaded while they napped. Faryl handed out rations of food, water, and salt pellets, and they all retreated to their makeshift tents to rest.
Adesina bit into the small cake she had been given. It was surprisingly hard to chew, and her jaw ached before too long. The taste was bland, but it was quite filling. She hadn’t expected her hunger to be satisfied with such a small portion, but it was.
She swallowed the salt pellets, knowing that her body would need it after all of the heat and sweat, and then she drank half of her portion of water. Adesina was aware that water would be their most precious supply, and she intended to make it last as long as possible.
The young L’avan closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
***
She knew she was Dreaming before she finished crossing over from the physical world. She opened her eyes and studied her surroundings.
Adesina was standing in the middle of a vast desert—one filled with an endless ocean of sand. Her feet were slightly unsteady beneath her, and she shifted to gain better footing.
“Ma’eve,” came a voice from behind her.
She didn’t need to turn to know that it was Ravi. The connection of their minds seemed even stronger in the Dream world.
“I have never seen a desert in my Dreams before,” she commented idly.
“You have never been to Zonne before,” responded her guardian. “This land, much like the ancient forests of Sehar, invokes a special kind of vyala.”
The young woman furrowed her brow. “I thought you said that the land was almost dead.”
“It bears the scars of great magic,” he explained, “and that has left it forever changed.”
There was an eerie feeling as Adesina looked around. “We are not alone.”
She and Ravi were the only creatures in sight, but she still knew that she was right.
The Rashad inclined his head. “There are many Souls in the Great Desert.”
Adesina could hear the distinction in his voice and raised an eyebrow. “Souls?”
“Everything that has vyala has a soul, but those with Souls are creatures of magic. The L’avan have Souls, and humans have souls.”
Understanding dawned in her mind, and she recalled their experiences in the ancient forest just north of the Shimat fortress. “That is why I was able to see the spirits of that forest—the one that granted us the boon. They were all magical creatures.”
“Yes.”
She looked around them at the great expanse of the arid wilderness. “And there are… Souls… here as well?”
“Yes.”
The silence became, if possible, even more profound.
Adesina listened carefully for several moments before speaking again. “I cannot hear them.”
Ravi grinned. “The Great Desert appears to be a place of quiet reflection.”
She rolled her eyes. “You do not have to make up an answer if you do not know the real one.”
“I have never been here before, Ma’eve. I can only tell you what I surmise.”
A thought crossed Adesina’s mind, and she suddenly grew excited. “Do you think the desert would grant us a boon like the forest did?”
The large feline slowly shook his head. “I doubt it, dear one. The forest was filled with Souls that were tied to the L’avan through your Serraf ancestors. I do not recognize the Souls of this desert, and I do not think that they bear any regard for the L’avan.”
Adesina tried not to show the strength of her disappointment. “Oh.”
The two of them began walking through the sandy terrain. The oppressive heat that normally existed in the waking world was not present in the Dream. Instead, it was pleasantly warm.
Shadows and colors flickered just outside of Adesina’s sight as she walked. She stopped to study their surroundings, but nothing was visible as long as she stood still. It was almost as if the world fluctuated with her movement.
“Do you see that?” she asked Ravi.
He looked around, slightly bemused. “What?”
“That…flickering. It looks as if this Dream is not solid.”
The enormous feline slowly shook his head. “I see nothing, Ma’eve. Only the desert.”
Adesina stopped again, and the fluttering of motion stopped with her. “Something is not right,” she murmured to herself.
Her instinct was to connect to her vyala and investigate, but a deep sense of dread gave her pause.
During her battle with the aekuor, her power had taken control and acted on its own. Adesina’s fear of that happening originated when she had first begun her training with L’iam. She had felt an unaccountable apprehension that her vyala was a being separate from herself.
The anxiety had faded with time. There had been brief moments over the years—usually during times of great emotional stress—when she had felt surges of uncontrollable power, but those had always diminished within moments. Adesina had surmised that all she had to do was to keep her emotions in check while using her vyala.
However, the battle with the aekuor had changed everything. She had not simple experienced a surge of power. Her vyala had acted of its own accord. Adesina had lost complete control, as if her body were not her own.
She shuddered with terror at the thought.
Now she felt the greatest reluctance to use her magic to do anything. She could not risk losing control once more. After all, the young L’avan didn’t know if she could regain control if she were to lose it again.
Ravi’s eyes narrowed as he studied her carefully. “Ma’eve? What is it?”
She quickly gave a dismissive gesture. “It is nothing. I was just thinking about how to investigate the strange flux in my vision.”
“Connect to your vyala,” he suggested casually, but his eyes remained shrewd.
Adesina didn’t know why she was so intent on keeping her fears from her guardian. Perhaps she was afraid to learn the truth.
“Of course,” she said faintly.
The queen delved within herself and beckoned for her magic to come forth. It flared to life, eager and strong. Once again, she rushed to suppress it to a small stream, but she did not get the chance to succeed.
The Dream exploded around her, suddenly a torrential storm of visions and emotions. She could sense the presence of hundreds of thousands of Souls who had died on this land. Their pain and their memories were as tangible to the L’avan as if she had experienced their lives for herself.
Her mind was not able to sort through the sheer volume of information being forced upon it, and she let out a scream of agony.
She felt herself starting to lose consciousness.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was aware of Ravi. She felt something wrap around her mind in a cocoon of protection. It shielded her just enough for her to break her connection to her vyala.
The visions died as suddenly as they began.
Adesina found that she was on her knees, even though she had no memory of moving. She gasped for breath, shaking violently from the experience.
“What was that?” Ravi asked in a grave voice.
“I do not know,” she whispered, “but I fear this Dream is more dangerous than we imagined.”
Chapter Twenty-seven: Dreaming or Joining
Adesina started awake from her Dream and realized that she had shaken forcibly. She opened her eyes to see Kendan standing over her with a worried expression on his face.
“Adesina? Are you ill?”
She sat up, slightly dazed.
“What happened?”
“I could not wake you,” he responded. “I thought that maybe the heat was too much for you.”
“No, it is not the heat,” said Adesina.
Her former teacher did not look convinced, but he did not argue with her. “The hottest hours of the day are past. We should prepare to leave.”
The young queen nodded and got to her feet
. She donned her traveling robe and moved to join the others. They were passing around the various salves to reapply them to their skin.
“Now that it is getting cooler, the insects and animals will begin to appear,” explained Than’os. “We should apply the repelling salve for this part of our journey.”
They were all given more water rations, and they shared a meal from their previous supplies. The traveler’s bread and dried meat were a flavorful change from the desert cakes that had eaten earlier in the day.
The horses seemed somewhat refreshed, although still unaccustomed to the heat. Adesina mounted Torith and gave his neck an affectionate pat.
“You are doing well,” she encouraged the stallion. “We will not be in the desert for too much longer.”
“I certainly hope not,” exclaimed Mar’sal jokingly. “I feel as though the sun is draining my life away.”
They laughed good-naturedly at his complaint.
Maizah led them southeast, deeper into the desert. Even though the sun was starting to descend the heat continued to be blistering, and Adesina felt ill and weak. The scent of the repelling salve was strong, and she soon developed a headache.
Her companions all seemed to be having a hard time adjusting to their new environment, so none of them were very talkative. The party rode at a steady pace, keeping silent.
Mar’sal gave an audible sigh of relief when the sun finally set, and he was not alone in his sentiment. There was a brief period of time when the air was rather pleasant, and then the temperature began to drop rapidly. Before too long, they were wrapping themselves tightly with their robes and huddling on the back of their horses.
“Why can this blasted land not make up its mind?” muttered Than’os. “How can it be so hot during the day and so cold during the night?”
“It only seems cold because of the contrast from the heat of the day,” reasoned Ravi. “It is no colder now than springtime in Sehar.”
The L’avan gave him a sour glance, but didn’t respond.
They journeyed well into the night, only stopping to rest during the darkest hours. Adesina volunteered to take the first watch, nervous to go to sleep again.
