Chapter Seven:
A Sea of Sand
I cleared a spot on the ground and waited as Cynder opened the map. It was still difficult for me to read accurately, so I was glad that these two were with me to help.
"Alright, we should be around here, in the middle of the forest," she started, indicating where we were, "now if we head north from this area we could be at the cliffs by sundown."
"Are we camping there for the night, then?" I asked.
"You're kidding, right? We're using the cliffs as a checkpoint before we take off. I was planning on checking our supplies before we left."
"So that means another late-night flight. What's the next island, anyway? That one, with the mountains." I pointed at a dusty colored island on the map.
"It's the Nevarra Desert, and we are going to avoid the mountain at all costs." Spyro said.
"What's wrong with the mountain? Is there some kind of curse that haunts those who enter?" I replied mockingly. It felt awkward to see them completely serious when I was sitting here chuckling about some mountain.
"We don't know, but I have heard stories about it. They say that if you go in, you never come out."
"Then the worst thing we have to be worried about is an over-used cliché."
"Alright, guys, we should get moving if we're going to make it to the cliffs before nightfall," Cynder said, rolling up the map. I followed Cynder as Spyro led us through the empty werewolf camp. After today, I'd be ready to just lie in bed and sleep as the remaining hours of sunlight keeps the room heated. I could easily picture my room, just laying around, sleeping.
"Blaze?" Cynder asked, pulling me back to reality, "Are you okay? We need to stay focused."
"Yeah, we're tired too, but once we get camp set up at the desert, we can all get some rest." Spyro added. I did not reply, and followed them through the forest silently. Because I was tired, I started to space out at times. I ran into a tree twice, and into Cynder at least once, but we kept going.
The sun began to set as we reached a high cliff. The smell of saltwater filled my nostrils, waking me up from my walking sleep. I was lucky that I stopped where I was, because a few more steps would have sent me straight down into the water. We set our bags down and Cynder began sifting through what we had. Still, I was silent as I watched her look through various pieces of parchment and poultices. Out of nowhere, an idea popped into my mind, and it was one that would help us all.
"Hey, guys," I finally said, surprising both of my friends, "Let's stay here for the night."
"That wouldn't be a good idea. We don't know if the chief you spared found a way to notify your Janus Council. We don't even know where he is right now." Cynder replied.
"Would you have preferred I killed him?"
"It was better that you didn't, but aren't you worried he'll rat us out?"
"There's some worry in the back of my mind, but other than that, no. Why I want to stay is to possibly show you guys how to use weapons like swords. It'd be better to start early, so that way-"
"But we don't have swords," Cynder interrupted. I stopped talking and reached into my bag to reveal two short swords.
"I found them at the werewolf camp. With the shields, you two will be able to defend yourselves without using your breath." They came over and took the swords sheepishly, looking nervous as they held it up. Spyro almost fell over due to a loss of balance, but I knew that they'd have the potential to use the weapons.
"We can rest for the night, and tomorrow I can show you the basics."
Whether the following day was a waste or not, I don't know. I was able to make some practice dummies so they would have something to 'kill'. All we did that day was practice with the swords. Today, however, I woke up tired ands stiff. Getting up caused a few bones to pop, and I almost felt like I had aged another hundred years overnight.
The first thing I noticed was that the forest was unusually cold this morning. The fact that the sun was hidden behind a layer of clouds didn't help with the temperature either. Then I remembered that we were going to the desert today. At least we won't have temperature to worry about there, I thought. Simply thinking about warmth made me remember my room with its open skylight. Immediately, I pushed that thought from my mind; it wasn't helping with all of these flashbacks and memories if I'm out here in a forest. Even so, it makes me happy remembering how my scales would be tinted after a long nap in the sun. I'd have to cool down in the shadows to make them return to their natural color of midnight blue.
My fantasy was broken when I heard the sudden clash of metal behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Cynder sparring with Spryo. From what I saw, Cynder was winning. Yesterday, she had started off a bit shaky with a sword. When she sparred the other day, Spyro had won. I guess this was her payback.
"Did you stay up all night training or were you just faking yesterday?" I heard Spyro ask between blows. He was constantly having to block Cynder's attacks with his shield and was unable to strike back.
"Nope, you beat me yesterday, so I got better while you slept," Cynder replied, swinging her sword in a wide arc down on Spyro's shield. By now, I would have expected trash talk or some sort of elemental usage, but they have kept it classic. As she stabbed at Spyro, he jumped back and deflected with the shield. At least Spyro's getting some sort of shield practice, I thought to myself with a chuckle under my breath. Cynder tripped just slightly and our eyes met. I nodded and smiled, and I assumed she knew what I meant. I watched as Spyro let out a yell and made a daring strike at Cynder from behind. In this split second, she was able to spin around onto her back, stop the blow with her shield, and kick Spyro over her. He landed about three feet from my front paws and looked up at me. I motioned behind him as Cynder mimicked his jumping move. The only difference was that she landed on Spyro and put her blade up to his neck. With that, it was over.
"Are you two ready, or is there going to be a 'quick' rematch?" I asked with a smile. They smiled back as Cynder helped Spyro back onto his feet. Cynder sheathed her sword and picked up her bag while Spyro packed up some of the supplies laying around. I extinguished our fire with a short puff of ice. As we met on the cliff, I could see that there was no island in sight. That meant another long flight. I sighed and shook my head in annoyance.
"Spyro, you can take point. Lead the way," I said. No other words were exchanged as we jumped off of the cliff. Luckily, it was extremely high up and we were able to dive for at least ten seconds. At the very last moment, I extended my wings and abruptly changed direction. My tail hit the water as I started flying upward. I lined myself up with Cynder as we followed Spyro to the desert island.
I didn't know much about our destination, let alone most of the other islands or even the rest of the world. Being a 'colonist' meant it was harder for me to learn the layout of the world. I could have explored these areas alone, but gods forbid my mother let me do that. I'd need a whole expedition team just to leave the main island. Even now, I have to rely on two others to be able to get around efficiently. I really shouldn't complain, though, they really are great friends. Maybe I should introduce them to Sabre when all of this Janus stuff is over with. That is, if I manage to survive.
No one spoke throughout the entire flight, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Although I enjoyed the silence, it just felt too empty. All I could hear was the rushing of water below, and the wind in my ears. It was a monotonous, repeating sound that was almost hypnotic. I could feel my altitude decrease as I started to doze off. Without warning, Cynder appeared below me, gently forcing me back up. I silently thanked her and looked forward again. As I did, a small par rose up from the horizon. The desert was in sight.
We were far enough from the Temple that we could afford to travel together. Spyro thought it'd be better if we stuck together anyway. I completely agree with him. It is also here in the desert that I planned on finding something to get paid for. Not that I'd succeed or anything, we just need more money. We will never beat the Janus Council with basic swords and shields. We'll need some armor, more training, and, most of all, enchanted weapons. (I don't care about specifics; anything enchanted will be useful.)
I started to think about the mountain Spyro wanted to avoid. He said it was close to the center of the desert. Seems like such a common place for anything hostile to be. Then again, most hostile places like that are usually guarding something deep within. And that something is most commonly ancient, or looted, treasure. How many have journeyed into there and died? I half-hoped that it was some large number because that would mean even more treasure.
Based on the map, there is a small city northeast to where our camp will be, and no one would even know us. We'd have to find someplace where we can get some cheap food. We had enough to get through the desert, provided we don't stop or get held up halfway through. The map did not show the name of the city, but that can be found out once we get there.
"Are we going to sleep on the sand?" Cynder asked me as we landed on a bare patch of sand. She set her stuff down almost immediately.
"I don't that that would be a good idea; we can look for some small tents in town," I replied, also dropping my bag on the sand.
"Hey, Blaze," Spyro started. I turned around to face him as he continued. "Did you have a lot of money where you come from?"
"That's a very odd question, even for you, Spryo. Can I ask why, all of a sudden, you are wondering this?"
"Well, we're in the desert with limited supplies and virtually no luxuries. From what you've said about your life at your home, it seems like you come from wealth."
"I can see where you would think that. But the truth is that my parents hold all of our wealth and give me small 'portions'. This is because of the fact most of my days in Draconia were spent training, working, at a school, or asleep."
"So this is much different than what you're used to?"
"More than I'd like to admit. I long for the relaxation I regularly took part in back at our city. I guess now that all of it is taken away, I see how spoiled I really was." I shook my head in shameful-sarcastic manner. I never realized how good I had it. That'll change once we're done with all of this.
"Anyway, we should head into the city now; we lose daylight talking. That's better for around a campfire, you know. Stories and other stuff like that."
"Actually, Blaze, maybe you should stay here while we go into town," Cynder said. Immediately, I felt blindsided.
"What? Why?" I stammered, surprised that she would want me to stay after Spyro said we should stick together.
"First, you got to go alone last time, and second, someone should stay to guard the camp. That way, no one steals our stuff and there is at least one capable dragon to keep things from blowing away." I would have been angry if I didn't think she was right.
"Fine, I'll do guard duty. But if I'm not here-" I started.
"Don't fall asleep! We can't risk it, so stay awake. You can find something to occupy yourself, right?"
"You sound like my mother," I said disdainfully. She chuckled and called for Spyro to follow her. I watched them leave and walk though the sand towards the low walls that surrounded the small city. Once again, I am left alone with nothing my thoughts. I would watch their 'adventure' by dream-walking, but I'm not supposed to nap. It was hard not to doze off, what with the lack of surrounding activity. Nothing was happening around me and all there was to do was to look at sand. In my boredom, I started looking around. One thing caught my eye amidst the ocean of sand. A mass of craggy rocks rose from the ground in a tightly bound circle. In the center was a high rising peak about twice the size of those surrounding it. I couldn't take my eyes off of this, and for some reason, a whirlwind of sand started blowing. Within minutes, everything around that area was whipped into a massive sandstorm. I thought it would come this way, but it seemed to be more like a contained tornado. The winds didn't leave it, and the flying sand stayed within its invisible boundaries. A disturbing thought came to my mind as I watched the sandstorm. It wasn't natural, but felt like it was placed there.
"This would be perfect cover," I muttered to myself. It would delay us slightly, but if we left right away, maybe we'd still keep time. I didn't have time to wait for the other tow to ask them if we should do this, so I started packing everything up.
As I finished, I could hear the bickering voices of Spyro and Cynder approaching. I didn't pay any attention to what they were saying, and obviously they hadn't noticed the change of the camp. When they did, Cynder dropped the bundle she was carrying.
"What in the world did you do?" she screamed. I looked around innocently.
"I packed up, and I have a plan you might think is insane," I replied.
"No, not this time. You may have a plan, but we had a camp. Set it back up and then you can tell us the plan."
"It won't work unless we leave right now!"
"Then what is it? And make it quick," Cynder said menacingly, clearly having no patience. I started again, not noticing what I was saying exactly; I was just going with what I saw in my mind.
"That sandstorm would make excellent cover if we go through it now."
"Why would we need cover if no one is chasing us?" Spyro asked. I opened my mouth to reply, but Cynder interrupted before I could.
"Exactly, there is no need, so we can afford a day of rest. Just set the stuff up and we'll handle the tents."
I did as instructed, and eventually lost track of that idea. I started to wonder why that thought even came to mind, as it was truly insane. Why had I wanted to go into the sandstorm so badly? Was it something in that mountain that was urging me to go into the desert?
Chapter Eight:
Oasis of Fear
I shot awake in an instant. It was cool out, but I was sweating bullets. It was one of the few nightmares I have had. In it, I remember a shadowy figure, but that was all it was-a shadow. Other than that, a ghostly voice called to me. I don't remember a lot of it, but I know what I saw was terrifying, even for me.
Since I was up now, I took the time to take a quick look around. It was hard to see at first, but I adjusted to seeing the natural aura of the land. Funny, I hadn't used my aura sight in quite a while. The moon was waning and near black, and a slight breeze was hitting my face. No sandstorm tonight, I thought. Thinking of sandstorms made me remember the one near the mountain. Curiously, I looked in that direction, and instead of a soft, glowing shade of blue, the mountain was more of a sickly green color. I have never seen anything like that before and knew that something was wrong there. Normal places show up as a softer, darker blue, but this was different, being green. The first explanation I could think of is that something must have altered or corrupted the natural aura there. Maybe the green meant it was 'sick'. If so, what was causing it? I hoped to not find out and just to follow Spyro's idea of avoiding it completely. That sucks now that I think about it. That means I can't explore the mountain and find its treasure.
I walked back into the center of our small camp where our fire lay smoldering. It was nice having tents instead of having to sleep on the sand. This wasn't what I wanted, though. But I keep reminding myself to ignore that desire and to just adapt to what is happening right now. Just like I always have, I thought. My father once said that was his favorite thing about me, being able to adapt to just about any situation. Whether it was bad weather, different environments, or just a pitch black area, I could adjust and adapt to survive efficiently. He'd be glad to see that that skill is working out here where it really counts instead of having him there to intervene if anything went wrong. I wonder what he would think of me now. Maybe out of some random luck, he'd be proud of the fact that I've survived this long.
Now, I just wanted to get though the desert as fast as possible. I sighed to myself and took a quick look at the tents of my friends. They were still, despite the breeze, and the only parts moving were the flaps leading inside. I thought I might as well try to go back to sleep. There were no signs of dawn in the distance, so there was no point in staying awake. I crept back into my tent and laid down. I was surprised when sleep overtook me so quickly.
Sun poured into my tent from the entrance and almost blinded me when I woke. It wouldn't make much of a difference anyway; when I'm using my aura sight, I look like I really am blind. I groaned while stretching and crawled out of my tent reluctantly. It felt like early morning, but it was blazing hot.
I let my eyes adjust to the intense light, and I still had to squint to see. At least it's sand and not snow, I thought. That would be hell, all of the light reflecting off of a white surface. I heard the sound of cloth flapping and looked in that direction. I could see Spyro tying his tent into a bundle, and Cynder's was left untouched.
"Is Cynder still asleep?" I asked. Spyro jumped a little and turned to face me.
"I think so; I didn't look," he replied. I moved towards her tent to check, but Spyro spoke up again. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If she's sleeping, never wake her unless there is some sort of apocalypse going on."
"That reminds me of myself," I muttered, "so when are we heading out, then?"
"Once Cynder's up we can go. If you want to get her up, I won't stop you again. Just stay clear of the opening as she'll probably respond badly."
"So why'd you bother to stop me at all?"
"I didn't want it to be a habit. Just don't yell to get her up; she'll be pissed off the whole time if you do."
"I've had those days before. Never any fun for my companions, but they brought it on themselves." I said as I shook one of the supporting beams that kept Cynder's tent up. "Hey Cyn, we're packing up. Time for you to join us," I said gently. There was no response, so I tried again, but spoke a little louder. Still nothing. Sighing to myself, I tried one more time. Only this time, I yanked the bar from the ground, causing the tent to fall. I heard Spyro gasp in fear as I watched the cloth of the tent flail around. Claws raked through the fabric and was soon lying around Cynder in shreds. She looked annoyed, but not completely angry.
"Who wants to explain why that happened?" She asked with fire in her eyes.
"That's a story for another time. We're getting ready to leave, and Spyro said we couldn't leave until you were awake," I replied.
"Didn't you once tell us what happened if your sleep was disturbed?"
"Probably. But we've lost enough time arguing over my hypocrisy."
"Fine, but if this happens again, the tent won't be the only thing that is shredded," she threatened as she walked by me, making sure to bump into me.
"I look forward to it," I replied. I could've sworn she said something like 'smart-ass', but I wasn't sure.
As soon as we had our supplies packed, we set off towards the desert's center. We were going to walk in a wide arc around the mountains. That way, there was no chance of having to risk being to close to them. Today, we were lucky because there was no breeze at all. That meant no storm, but much greater heat. What worried me was the eerie calm of the area around us. It seemed that these conditions were too perfect, especially since yesterday, there was a raging sandstorm here.
I looked forward only to find that there was absolutely nothing to see. All that was out there was rolling hills of sand. Pretty soon, I knew I would have to fly, but the gear we carried was so heavy. I don't know how we'll be flying between islands with all this stuff, so some of it will have to go. Walking was just too obsolete for creatures (like us) that have wings. However, even walking with this stuff was tiring me out. But I knew we couldn't just stop in the middle of the desert; we've gone too far. Even now, I didn't know if Cynder and Spyro were still behind me. I took a quick glance just to make sure. When I looked forward again, I saw something that had to have been a mirage. Before us laid a small oasis; the kind that is normally talked about in desert survival stories. I felt elated to find this, but some part of my rational mind told me it was danger. I didn't care, and I let the other two to this spot. When I stopped, I laid down right in front of the water, but did not drink.
"Why'd we stop?" Spyro asked. He obviously didn't see where we were.
"We can take a break here; it's an oasis, I think," I replied, dipping a paw in the water. I had to know if it was real or not. Surprisingly, it was, and I started to drink it greedily. Between slurps, I could hear the wind rushing by and making the palm trees sway. Like I said, classic oasis. Sometime during my drink, I shut my eyes. I didn't know why, but I felt inclined to sleep. Not with my face halfway in the water, though, just on the ground.
"That's good," Cynder said with a yawn. "I thought it was just me seeing things."
"I call the shady spot!" Spyro cried. I curled up by the water where it was strangely cooler, and relaxed. Before I dozed off, I could have sworn I saw the sandstorm raging around us.
I woke up in a field of darkness. There was nothing around me, and nothing below me, either. I felt awake, but I didn't know why I was still asleep. Confusion pounded my skull as I tried to discover how I was levitating.
"Blaze…" The voice came as a whisper. I spun around, trying to see who was there. No one was nearby, and I was still alone. "Blaze…" There it was again! I knew it wasn't just my imagination! I just needed it to speak again. One occurrence usually means nothing; twice can be just a coincidence. But three times marks a pattern.
"Blaze…" It spoke again. This time, it was clearer than before, as if it was right next to me. I dared to look, and saw a shadow. It wasn't like the ones that the sun makes, but this one was like a collection of smoke surrounding a shadowy source. Black smoke was dripping off of it like water, and, strangely enough, it looked just like me. It started to walk around me in a circle, chanting incoherent words. It really wasn't that intimidating to be circling me; I could easily take it on one-on-one. When it finally spoke words I understood, a chill shivered down my spine.
"All alone and left abandoned with the sentence you've been handed," it said. These words confused me. True I was alone, but did my friends really abandon me? And what was my sentence? A second voice joined the shadow, but it said something different.
"You know the sleeping feel no more pain. And the living all are scarred." I turned to see a second spirit form of myself, only this one was white, and it had a melancholy look on its face. This one made me wonder if I had died. Why was this one so negative when it was white? Wouldn't it be the exact opposite of the shadow? A cruel laugh interrupted my confusion and I looked in that direction. Continuing the circle was a crimson-red version of myself. Like the other two, clouds of its color came off of its body. His eyes glowed with a kind of malice that would instill incredible fear in anyone other than me.
"Run from me before I tear you down; you chose the wrong side," he said. I didn't understand his words of rage, but it implied that I was his enemy. But weren't we the same being? He was me, but in a more enraged form. I wasn't afraid of him, even though there was fear trying to push its way out.
"Now I think I understand how this world can overcome a man, but like a friend we saw it though. In the end, I gave my life for you," a fourth voice said behind me. When I looked, a blue, depressed-looking form of me was circling me like the others. Once again, the implication of my death was spoken. Did I die, or not? And what was this 'man' it spoke of? Was the mission of these spirits to confuse me? My head was spinning with all of these conflicting questions and that made me fall over. When I finally got back up, all of the other dragons were gone. A shadowy, purple form of myself stood in my presence instead.
"Hello me, meet the real me," it spoke.
"You're not me!" I cried out. It seemed futile to try and argue with it. The thing sounded as evil as it looked. It checked at my remark.
"You can subdue, but never tame me," it said, starting to circle me like the others. This one, I believed would attack me at the drop of a scale.
"It would give me a migrane headache to sink down to your level," I yelled. Once again, it replied with a brief laugh. The thing was mocking me and I refused to give up. "It's your fault I'm here, right?"
"Yeah, just keep on thinking it's my fault; you still have to learn your limitations." This evil form of me was bent on driving me insane! All of these conflicting questions and statements were making me confused. Whether it was out of anger or part of the insanity, I attacked the spirit. All of a sudden, I was thrown back. I knew it used some sort of telekinetic power, but I didn't have that. Or did I? I tried pushing back with my mind and, at first, nothing happened. When the evil spirit looked shocked was when I realized that he was being pushed away. Without so much of a sound, the spirit was gone. Once again, I was confused and alone. A soft blue glow came from behind me, and I expected another spirit. When I looked, it was really just a brighter version of myself; it was as if someone tinted my scales to their maximum brightness. It smiled at me, but it wasn't an evil one like the others. This one was an approving smile, one that made me feel relieved and happy.
"We are the angry and the desperate, the hungry and the cold," it said. I guessed that it was talking about the other spirits. "We've been pulling out the nails up from everything you've known."
"You're one of them?" I asked suddenly. It shook its head. "Were you?" This time, it nodded.
"Let's open your eyes, friend, and be on your way. Broken spirits and ashes are guarding the way," it replied. I nodded to it and then realized what it just said.
"Wait, broken spirits? Is that what they were? Or is it outside of here?" I asked desperately as it started to fade away. "No! I need to know what's going on!" I screamed. Without another word, the spirit was gone, and I was falling.