Sands

"We have walked for five days, and still all we see is the sand," Bohan said. Our people, the Igal, are from the land with snow, so we always wore many cloths on our backs. But not even all his clothing could cover up with wounds. He has dried blood all over his face from the whips of our capturers, the demons. Our people call these men "demons". They wear masks with horns on them and they sit on beasts with four legs. Bohan has tried to break away from these men so many times, but has always been dragged back into the bindings.

He now walks in front of me, Tik-Tik is to my right, Crotug is behind me, and a demon is to my left. These are the only members of my tribe that I can see. There are many other different people among us, but none of which I have ever seen before.

"Quiet!" yelled a demon, as he striked Bohan across the back with his whip. I yelled, and struggled against my bindings. He raised his arm to strike again, and I snapped my eyes shut.

"That is enough!" yelled a man. I opened my eyes and saw another demon holding his arm. "They need to be able to walk. I don't need any more trouble from you," he said, turning to glare at us. "If they try to break out, then you will strike them down, nothing else." He turned his beast and it ran towards the front of our line.

I ran to catch up with Bohan, who had lots of blood running down his back.

"Don't struggle against my hold," I said, beginning to tear pieces of my shirt. I managed to tear a large chunk, and with my hands tied, I began to wrap it around his back. He flinched, but remained as still as he could while walking. After fastening the cloth, I slowed my pace down to return to my usual spot before the demon saw me.

The light from the heavens was beginning to fade, and the demons began to slow down. Eventually, they stopped us, and forced us to sit on the scorching sand. I glanced around while a demon was fastening my hands, and saw Evolet sitting on the ground, already tied up. I was overwhelmed with happiness, when she saw me and smiled.

After my demon walked away, I eagerly began to squirm towards her. I hadn't seen her face in so long, I instantly felt better seeing her face light up at the sight of me. I reached her, and we hugged. I cupped her face in my hands, and gently kissed her lips.

"My DeLeh," she whispered, running her fingers on my lips. I looked down, caught her hand, and began to lightly trace my finger over her cuts.

"They hurt you," I said, letting venom seep into my words.

She instantly grasped my hands, pressing them against her heart.

"My heart still beats. I am well," she said, smiling.

"My heart beats only for you," I said, kissing her again.

She put her hand on the side of my face again, looking deep into my eyes. Sitting here with her, everything was alright. It didn't matter that we were being taken away from our homes. As long as I was there with her, to protect her, to love her, I was okay. She was my life; she was what I was fighting for, what I was living for. I could never live without her. She was my air, and I was hers.

She turned to look behind me, and my mind painfully returned to what was happening. I also turned to see huge dust clouds forming and traveling towards us. I had heard stories from Old Mother about how much pain these cause to our skin. I instantly began to take off the remains of my shirt and the cloth that was covering my back.

"Lie close to me, I will not let the sands hurt you," I said, moving closer to her. She wrapped her arms around my waist, and pulled herself closer to me until our bodies met. I threw the big cloth over her and tucked it in underneath her and around her head.

"But what of your back?" she asked. "It is not safe from the sands."

"Are you all covered?" I asked, checking the cloth near her head.

"Yes, DeLeh… what of your back?" she asked again.

"I have a strong back. You are all covered and so is my face. I will be fine," I assured her.

She rested her head on my chest and closed her eyes. "DeLeh, where are we going?"

I kissed her forehead. "We are going someplace together. That is all that matters," I said, trying to sooth her. "Close your eyes. Rest my love. I will always be here, I will never leave you." I kissed her forehead again, and she sighed squeezing my hand. "I love you with all of my heart, Evolet… never forget that."

"I love you, my DeLeh," she said, kissing my bare chest.

I closed my eyes as the wind began to howl and the sands began to tear at my back. I tightened my hold on Evolet, and let sleep take me.