here.” Rikar squinted, peering out north.
“He was close to me,” Mara said, “before Talis attacked….”
“Let’s find Nikulo and whatever supplies we’ll need.” Talis rummaged around, checking the bodies for Nikulo. Where were the horses? All their packs, their food and supplies. Even if the threat of attack were over, they’d die out here in the desert without a way out and means to survive.
Rikar whistled, calling Talis back to where he was searching with Mara. Mounted on horseback, Nikulo grinned in his cocky way, holding the reins of a second horse.
“Couldn’t let these two run off,” Nikulo said. “I tried to find others…” He stopped when he noticed Mara. “You little she-devil! Who let you come along?”
Mara smiled, flushing a bit. “Nice to see you too.”
Nikulo chuckled, and glanced at Talis. “You look terrible, like something sat on your face.”
“Well, what happened to you?” Rikar swaggered over to Nikulo’s horse. “Were you around for the attack?”
“I was trying to stay alive, crawling away just the moment they attacked.”
Rikar scanned the northern horizon. “Looks like we’re on our own now, two horses, a few packs, some water, and how many days riding north until we—”
“Get out of this hellhole?” Nikulo frowned. “Two…maybe three days riding. I grabbed this horse and managed to track down the second…luckily the horses came to me…this one licked me….”
“North? Why would we continue on? The party is demolished…shouldn’t we return to Naru?” Talis said.
“And give up?” Rikar sheathed his sword. “I think not. We have the map in your possession. The Elders said that the champion commanded you to go…”
“I’m not saying give up, I’m saying return to Naru and resupply.”
“If one Jiserian raiding party found us so easily, what’s to say another one won’t again if we return?”
“Rikar has a point,” Mara said. “We’re lucky we’re alive. I say we keep going on.”
Of course Mara wanted to keep going on, if she went back to Naru, her parents would kill her. And it wasn’t luck, it was whoever Rikar had called…he saved them, this Aurellia. Who was he, anyways?
“Did you find any other survivors?” Nikulo said.
Rikar frowned. “I’m tired of dead bodies. I went through plenty looking for you and Mara.”
“I’m going to look…in case there is someone I can heal,” Nikulo said.
Talis rummaged through the mess, trying to find anything useful for the trip. Most of the horses had fled after the attack. Soldiers from his father’s armory—who he’d barely known—lying dead on the sand. There were too many to bury.
“Fire will purify the bodies,” Rikar said, as if reading his thoughts.
“Wait for Nikulo to check for any survivors.” Mara’s face held a dark grimace.
As the eastern horizon brightened, awash in the faintest bit of crimson and cobalt, Talis rose to meet Nikulo as he waddled forward. His shoulders sank with a morbid heaviness, as if his grim job had come up fruitless.
He shook his head, and turned to stare at the northern horizon.
Rikar faced the mass of bodies, breathing in and out rapidly, the breath of fire. Talis wanted to join in and help, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to use magic in this way. The fire danced from body to body, causing the whole mass to explode into flames. The sickly sweet smell of roasted flesh caused Talis to clench his stomach. He bent over, staring at the light flickering off the sand. He had to get out of there.
They rode north as the sun crept slowly up the horizon, igniting the desert with a blinding brilliance. As far as he could see, nothing but swirling sands and rolling dunes, ever-changing under the brutal wind. Mara rode with Talis, her arms clenched around his waist as if she was scared of being blown off.
Charting their way with the Surineda Map, they found a small oasis that night, luckily with an old
“He was close to me,” Mara said, “before Talis attacked….”
“Let’s find Nikulo and whatever supplies we’ll need.” Talis rummaged around, checking the bodies for Nikulo. Where were the horses? All their packs, their food and supplies. Even if the threat of attack were over, they’d die out here in the desert without a way out and means to survive.
Rikar whistled, calling Talis back to where he was searching with Mara. Mounted on horseback, Nikulo grinned in his cocky way, holding the reins of a second horse.
“Couldn’t let these two run off,” Nikulo said. “I tried to find others…” He stopped when he noticed Mara. “You little she-devil! Who let you come along?”
Mara smiled, flushing a bit. “Nice to see you too.”
Nikulo chuckled, and glanced at Talis. “You look terrible, like something sat on your face.”
“Well, what happened to you?” Rikar swaggered over to Nikulo’s horse. “Were you around for the attack?”
“I was trying to stay alive, crawling away just the moment they attacked.”
Rikar scanned the northern horizon. “Looks like we’re on our own now, two horses, a few packs, some water, and how many days riding north until we—”
“Get out of this hellhole?” Nikulo frowned. “Two…maybe three days riding. I grabbed this horse and managed to track down the second…luckily the horses came to me…this one licked me….”
“North? Why would we continue on? The party is demolished…shouldn’t we return to Naru?” Talis said.
“And give up?” Rikar sheathed his sword. “I think not. We have the map in your possession. The Elders said that the champion commanded you to go…”
“I’m not saying give up, I’m saying return to Naru and resupply.”
“If one Jiserian raiding party found us so easily, what’s to say another one won’t again if we return?”
“Rikar has a point,” Mara said. “We’re lucky we’re alive. I say we keep going on.”
Of course Mara wanted to keep going on, if she went back to Naru, her parents would kill her. And it wasn’t luck, it was whoever Rikar had called…he saved them, this Aurellia. Who was he, anyways?
“Did you find any other survivors?” Nikulo said.
Rikar frowned. “I’m tired of dead bodies. I went through plenty looking for you and Mara.”
“I’m going to look…in case there is someone I can heal,” Nikulo said.
Talis rummaged through the mess, trying to find anything useful for the trip. Most of the horses had fled after the attack. Soldiers from his father’s armory—who he’d barely known—lying dead on the sand. There were too many to bury.
“Fire will purify the bodies,” Rikar said, as if reading his thoughts.
“Wait for Nikulo to check for any survivors.” Mara’s face held a dark grimace.
As the eastern horizon brightened, awash in the faintest bit of crimson and cobalt, Talis rose to meet Nikulo as he waddled forward. His shoulders sank with a morbid heaviness, as if his grim job had come up fruitless.
He shook his head, and turned to stare at the northern horizon.
Rikar faced the mass of bodies, breathing in and out rapidly, the breath of fire. Talis wanted to join in and help, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to use magic in this way. The fire danced from body to body, causing the whole mass to explode into flames. The sickly sweet smell of roasted flesh caused Talis to clench his stomach. He bent over, staring at the light flickering off the sand. He had to get out of there.
They rode north as the sun crept slowly up the horizon, igniting the desert with a blinding brilliance. As far as he could see, nothing but swirling sands and rolling dunes, ever-changing under the brutal wind. Mara rode with Talis, her arms clenched around his waist as if she was scared of being blown off.
Charting their way with the Surineda Map, they found a small oasis that night, luckily with an old
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