*****
Bit by bit the sun begun to cast it beams from the horizon, revealing the vastness of the dunes of the desert around them also to human eye. Amashanae and Asaryen had treaded forward on the sandy soil, and although they occasionally stopped for a quick rest, the lack of water kept their senses in check. No room for sleepiness if one was to survive. They would have to find water soon now. The chilling coldness of the desert night would abate soon and the deadly heat of sun would radiate upon them. There was no other choice for them but to move on and to find any kind of signs of shelter and water. Perhaps plants to extract moisture from. Even an oasis, if they should be so lucky.
“The sun will rise and our chances of survival are getting smaller”, Amashanae muttered laconically. She felt her amulet through her shirt, thinking to herself. Tahlthar let me die here not. The idea of the incandescent heat of the desert definitely did not allure her, even if it still felt like a welcome change after her chilly nocturnal flight. Her lips were already chapped and her muscles started to be sore, but she remained calm and did not reveal her exhaustion to the girl.
”We must think positively”, Asaryen said and seemed surprisingly high-spirited. “I mean we have been here only for one night. I remember one time, when the little daughter of the blacksmith of our village got lost in the desert, and everyone was in dread about her fate”, she started to chat with absolute heartiness. It seemed there was no end to her talkativeness, and Amashanae started to be quite astonished for this ample nonsense she kept pouring out of her mouth. She was more than slightly puzzled – where did the girl get all that positive energy flow? Was she simply so dumb that she did not really embrace the serious state of situation? She thought.
“Save your story – and your strength”, she said, putting an abrupt end to the girl’s tale. “We are in the middle of desert, not in some silly little village, and that is not a matter to be taken too lightly.
Asaryen picked up her pace and came to Amashanae’s side, looking at her apprehensively
“Do not be so negative”, she said. “Try to take it a little more relaxed and maybe you could live longer”. Unbelievable, this girl, Amashanae thought.
“What do you think you know…” Amashanae blurted, too amazed to even get angry for being interrupted. But Asaryen did not even listen to her anymore, and persevered her story about the desert, the daughter of the blacksmith, and how there is always hope for salvation and every cloud has a silver lining.
“You see, the girl that went missing was the only child of the family, and…” she went on telling a story about how everybody had been certain the girl was long gone, until she had suddenly appeared at the village gate, saying that she had been saved by this weird character who had given her food and shelter, but Amashanae had more important things in mind. Are we heading in the right direction?
“…and that is how they got back his little daughter, who sure enough was alive and well”, Asaryen finally finished her tale. Amashanae had stopped to listen to her long ago, because her instincts had told her something. She examined the ground they treaded on. The sun was already high on the sky like some celestial fireball and the heat was nearly unbearable. She was suffering from the aridness of her body, but she still kept her frame of mind in one piece. She heard Asaryen go on reciting tales; she had changed the theme but continued her stories with unfaltering jolly. She can not be serious, Amashanae thought. She felt disoriented, watching the girl talk. She was still looking at Asaryen when she suddenly had an epiphany. It was only a heartbeat long, but in it Asaryen changed – she was dead, dead eyes, skin, everything, like her present existence was a lie and now she suddenly saw her true self. Or her future. Or perhaps it was a glint from her own past, something to be frightened of, a breath from the beyond that made her feel cold and easy and she shuddred, forcing her eyes closed and resisting the urge to grab the ground to stablilize hersef. She could imagine the voice in her head laughing at her, laughing at her folly, until suddenly her attention was mercifully drawn elsewhere, back to the safety of reality. Asaryen had quit her blabbing, seeing something in front of them.
“There’s something over there”, she squeezed her eyes to better see in the glaring sunlight. Whatever it was that she saw, she expected it to be an illusion.
“There is something. Now quickly”, she said to Asaryen, hitched the bridle of her horse, and picked up the pace moving towards her discovery. Since there was no water for the horses either, they had walked along them to spare them from exhaustion.
”Let it be an oasis” Amashanae thought out loud. Asaryen heard this and started an annoying rant:
“Let it be. Oasis. Let it be. Oasis.” All right, she IS senseless, Amashanae thought.
“Shut up! The heat of the desert has messed with your head”, she roared with her now dry and hoarse but still commanding voice to Asaryen, who finally fell quiet, glancing a sulky look at Amashanae.
It certainly was an oasis she had seen. As they got closer to it, they could soon make out that there were two small and totally withered palm trees, but also three bigger ones that still held most of their leaves and did not seem to be just moments away from dying. As they reached the shadow of the trees they saw a ring of ashes where a fire had been, abandoned not long ago, surrounded by an assorted group of rifted rock located near a small puddle, which – maybe just recently – had contained some water. Water that in all probability had kept the bigger palm trees alive. But it was almost all drained out now. Only a little pond of muddy water rested there but for Amashanae it was better than nothing. Quietly she slouched to what was left of the water and kneeled. She grasped a handful of the dirty liquid and slurped at it greedily. Sand creaked amidst her teeth when she swallowed and she almost threw up with a shudder that came when the dirty water reached her stomach.
“Phew! This is for nothing” she coughed. She steadied herself, one hand on the sand and the other pressed against her brow. Frustrated, she gazed about. We will not make it till dawn, she pondered, heaved a sigh and arose.
“It is still better that we rest here”, she said to Asaryen who had said nothing, just stood there watching. Amashanae looked at her, puzzled.
“Do you…”, she started, but Asaryen turned her head away with indifference. Amashanae realized she was probably still angry about her yelling at her.
“Look, I am sorry for that…” she begun, not even being sure of what was it she was sorry about. The vision of her dead crossed her mind. No-one should carry a grudge under such dire circumstances and over such a trivial issue. Walk away. Her clumsy attempt at an apology went for deaf ears. Leave it. She shook her head and walked under a palm tree. Suit yourself. I am not going to pamper your emotions she thought. “This will give us at least some shelter. The sun would not burn us at least at the moment”, Amashanae kept her causerie up without further commenting on Asaryen’s antics. Asaryen did not say anything. Amashanae felt her irritation towards the girl fade away and felt a twinge of worry for her instead. She’s just a young girl, she’ll calm down eventually, but what will become of her innocent temper if we will not find water soon, she thought while sitting aboard heavy trunk of palm tree which gave just enough cover from the scorching sun to lower her body temperature slightly. She looked around her for a while, and realized that Asaryen had gone to feed the horses some dry palm tree leaves. The horses. Maybe we could try to drink their blood she had time to think, before her eyelids got immensely heavy and she slumbered in the scorching heat, exhausted by her adventures since escaping the caravan.
Amashanae - Book 1 Page 9
