Chapter 12

Immortality Seared

Lindhall Reed was perplexed when four complete strangers suddenly appeared into his humble abode. Somehow he was not surprised when they all mentioned his student Arram Draper as an explanation of everything. There was never a dull moment with that student of his. Everything he did was odd and slightly vexing. Sometimes Arram's antics even amused the dear man.

"Arram sent you here as a safety measure?" Reed asked after trying to absorb what was happening in his home. "I'm guessing the four of you are slightly on the wrong side of the Carthaki emperor, then."

Jon chuckled. "I'm on the wrong side of the emperor and he doesn't even know I'm in his country…"

Buri was still apologizing for their rude entrance right on top of Lindhall Reed's dining table, especially when he was just about to have his dinner. At least Jon and Gary used the window.

"No need to apologize, my guests," Lindhall replied, almost used to the atmosphere now. "If Arram sent you here for my help, then you are welcome until Arram comes to find you. I'm guessing he's in a bit of a tight spot now, is he? No doubt he'll pull through it like he usually does."

Jon and Buri looked at each other. They hoped that he would pull through. Alanna was there with him…unconscious. George has stood up again, eyes flaring. "I can't just stay safe here while I know my lass is out there and not wakin' up. I have to get back!"

"Thayet will be unhappy with me if I didn't go with you, George," Buri replied.

"We all need to get back there," Jon frowned. "But we can't as long as the Old Hag is playing up to her tricks. "How do you battle against a goddess?"

George's face was emotionless. He didn't want to have to call upon the Crooked God in front of all these people. You haven't accomplished your part of the wager, Kyprioth. I'm not leavin' until Alanna's back in Tortallan soil. "By hoping the goddess will tire of her precious emperor and let us be!"

Indeed, Lindhall was much perplexed at the sight of the four in front of him.

---

Sand erupted around Alanna once more. This time, however, the overbearing heat was suffocating. The surrounding felt real and the lady knight had to steady her feet to keep from fainting due to exhaustion. She wondered whether anyone would tell her what she was doing in a desert once more.

"The Sea of Sand awaits you, my daughter," the voice of a thousand hounds whispered to her. "The divine entities above have decided that you are ready to cross it."

Alanna paled. The Sea of Sand? Where had she heard this story before? Hadn't Thom once told her about the mythical Divine Realms and the Sea of Sand? The King's Champion remembered her brother's voice from years back…

"The Sea of Sand…" Thom went on, eyes glazed, as if describing his favorite dessert, "Only one of the most dangerous lands of the Divine Realms. No mere mortal can pass through unscathed, the winds and the heat will destroy a mortal no sooner than when he steps in."

"Well, it's not as if mortals are even allowed into the Divine Realms in the first place," Alanna had retorted then.

Alanna's twin brother waved his hand away as if her reply didn't matter. "But, see, the gods always have Chosen mortals. These mortals have that blessing…hmm, perhaps that right to walk into the Sea of Sand. Whosoever survives it means that once their mortal lives are ended, they are whisked into the Divine Realms and made out to live as an immortal. I've never heard of any case of survival, though…that's why the gods only choose their most promising Chosen when they are at the end of their mortal life…and to think! I found all that info at the bottom of a pile of old scrolls! Hah!"

The King's Champion was incredulous. If the gods knew that the Sea of Sand was perilous, then why did they summon her into the area when her life was still ahead of her? Alanna would not stand for death so soon after seeing a king crowned and a land saved! She did not want that!

"Great Mother—"

"There was no choice, Alanna," the Great Mother Goddess appeared in front of her, the same beautiful appearance as when she first spoke to the red-haired knight. "The council has declared that it will be this time and no time at all to test you. Your mortal life as is hangs in the balance. We did not find the Old Hag's plots out in time to save you until old age, my daughter. Will you not take a walk across the most difficult ordeal you will encounter?"

Thoughts of George, Pirate's Swoop, and her king filled her mind. Alanna's purple eyes filled with tears. She was still too attached to her mortal life to risk her life. But what choice did she have? Would she die in the Sea of Sand now or in the land of Carthak? She let out a delirious chuckle, "At least here the Old Hag isn't controlling my body. Would that mean a better chance of survival?"

The Great Mother Goddess embraced her Chosen heroine and placed a kiss on top of Alanna's forehead. "Survival lies in your strength, King's Champion. And you are strong beyond imagination. Be well, my daughter."

Winds whirled around the goddess as she disappeared, leaving Alanna alone in the tumultuous desert. The lady knight scanned the area, looking for something that might give her a hint to which direction she should start walking.

"Try heading north, past those rocks over there," a familiar voice told her from behind. Alanna turned around to find her brother approaching her. He forced a smile. "Fancy seeing you here, sister, after your disinterest in that Sea of Sand myth I've told you about long ago."

Alanna made a face. "If I had known I'd become some divine pawn I'd have listened more closely to your scholarly blabbering. What are you doing here anyway?"

Thom shrugged. "Oh, I figure I'll keep you company. I've left Arram with a number of instructions and choices, I believe. I trust he will do what is right. You need me more now."

She hated to admit it, but her brother was right. Alanna, for all her courage and heroism, wanted someone with her when she trekked through the pain-filled desert. Already the heat was making her dizzy, but she persevered. It would take more than immense temperatures to kill her!

"I'm not allowed to lend a hand," Thom sighed regretfully, "Otherwise you know I'd work as hard as I can to ensure your survival. I will tell you, however, that from here it's two days' journey across the Sea on foot. Mortals can survive without food and nourishment in this part of the realms, the gods were at least that merciful upon our souls."

"Are you still a mortal, brother?"

"Just as much as you are, Alanna."

Together, the purple-eyed twins set forth, Thom chatting to keep the searing pain from overpowering his beloved sister. It was only hours later that the light began to disappear, covering the Sea in darkness. Instead of breathing a sigh of relief, for she can indeed breathe this time, she groaned. "Let me guess, this wretched desert also has the immense cold at night?"

Alanna's brother smiled. "You'll live through it, sister of mine. This cold will not murder you as it almost did trekking through Chitral's Pass."

The King's Champion shivered as she remembered that adventure. She hoped it wouldn't be like that. Pretending that she still had strength left, she quickly moved on, wishing her journey would end soon. It was already a great surprise to her that she had managed to travel for this long…had others who faced the same task as her perished later on in the journey? There was no telling, and Thom would not divulge the fates of those who perished…

---

Impatience reared its head as George paced across Lindhall Reed's room at about a hundred times. Gary was completely against going back to risk their lives for two people who were completely capable of taking care of themselves. "George, you of all people know how blessed the Lioness is. We can't just rush in without thinking about it!"

Jon sympathized with the former King of Thieves. He had wanted to take Alanna back once and for all, while the K'mir warrior sat troubled. "There must be some way…"

"We were told to keep safe," Gary was stubborn and would not budge in his decision. "Jon, we can't have you traipsing about playing hero if there's a chance that you might not be able to return to Tortall! Think of it! You don't even have any heirs yet!"

Lindhall was perplexed. "Tortall? Heirs? You're King Jonathan! Oh, dear…Arram has gotten himself into something big this time, hasn't he? To have involved the king of Tortall!"

Buri shook her head. "I need to do something or else I will run after Alanna!"

"Buri, I will personally stop you if you even move one inch out of that door," was Gary's dangerous voice.

George watched Jon at the corner of his eye and noticed the king signaling to him. Jon tilted his head to the window and quickly turned away. The baron of Pirate's Swoop hid a smile as his eyes twinkled with mischief. He had an ally in Jon, as he always thought he did. Now all they had to do was wait for the most opportunistic time to spring…

"Here, I'll, um…try to keep you occupied, yes?" Lindhall spoke up, rummaging through a pile of scrolls. "I actually need a number of hands to help me carry these into the library."

Thayet's good friend jumped up for the task immediately. If Gary wasn't going to let her leave, she might as well go on ahead and help the sorcerer. She was getting restless. Maybe while she was going to the library…

"I'll come with you," Gary said warily. He glared at Buri. "I don't want you trying anything funny that can get your pretty little self in trouble. Jon, watch George, would you? And don't you two dare do anything stupid!"

With that, the 'safety warden' disappeared into another part of Lindhall Reed's manor, along with the frustrated K'mir. Jon ran his hand through his hair and chuckled. "Well, you can't expect him to keep an eye on all of us, can you?"

"I suppose not," George smiled again, looking at his friend. "So, keepin' an eye on me? You're goin' to have to come with me then. You know I'm not stayin' here any longer."

"I thought you'd never get to that part, George," Jon said, getting up and opening the window. "Come, I'll help you out."

Just as the windows closed on the two departing men, the sounds of footsteps quickly coming back were heard. Gary had thrown the doors open and let out an angry cry. He knew he shouldn't have left those two alone! "By the love of Mithros and all the deities above! Buri! Come on! We have to go after them!"

Lindhall Reed followed them as far as the door and shook his head. He was going to have to ask Arram all about this when he gets out of this mess.

---

It was the beginning of the second day, and Alanna couldn't handle it anymore. Her strength was disappearing, even with Thom distracting her from the immense heat. She had already collapsed to the ground more than she can count, and again, she slowly dropped.

Thom stopped every time his sister fell. He would wait until she got up again. It wasn't his place to help her up, he was forbidden to do so. "Lioness, you can pull through this. There's too much at stake here for you to fail."

Alanna looked up at the glare of the light above. She glanced at her sorcerer brother and saw that he was also sweating. Voice raspy, she whispered, "Did the gods put you through this?"

The sorcerer shook his head. He smiled. "I did not have the honor of crossing the Sea of Sand. I was made like this out of necessity, to do Shakith's bidding. You, on the other hand, are a woman of legend in the mortal realms and the divine realms alike. Alanna the Lioness, many say. And here you are, trekking through. Get up, sister. Up!"

Groaning, yet following her brother's orders, Alanna slowly stood up, swaying back and forth to steady herself. The searing pain ripped at her body. The lady knight gritted her teeth to bear the pain; she would conquer this if it cost the last ounce of her strength. Her stubborn flare erupted and the purple aura of her Gift glowed around her body, as if shielding her from more harm. Alanna took a step forward and started walking again. She needed to get across as fast as she can now. There's no telling when her Gift will run out, and if she collapsed again, she wasn't sure she'd be able to get up…

As the sun started to set, Thom's eyes grazed the horizon. He smiled. "There, Alanna, do you see the end? How fitting, an oasis!"

Already Alanna could feel the coming of the frost as the desert cooled a second time. This time, however, she started shivering involuntarily, her Gift flickering, almost going out. She panicked. "It's getting colder than the last time!"

"The last stretch of the Sea will bring you to the very limit," Thom said sadly. He hated having to watch his sister in so much pain. "Sister, this is where I must leave you to head to the other side. This part of the journey you must go through alone…I'm sorry."

Thom vanished before Alanna could protest. In fact, she was so bent on keeping her Gift from completely flickering out that she wouldn't have spoken against her brother's leaving even if she wanted to. She moved faster than before. "This had better not be your contribution to the Sea of Sand, Chitral…I've had enough of your frozen nonsense at the End of the World."

The winds howled now, and to her chagrin, frost began to form around her. Alanna could feel her Gift shimmering out. Once all of her magic is gone, she would have nothing left to insulate her from the cold. She would pass out before she can reach the end of the Sea of Sand!

"No," Alanna whispered, a bit more strongly. "You will not have the best of me!"

The end was so close, just a couple of hundred yards! The wind tried to hurl her backwards, but all it did was slow her down. The King's Champion threw her whole weight into every step, hugging herself for more heat. The last bit of her Gift flickered, and then blew out. She was completely alone now.

Alanna could feel her weight carrying her to the ground. In a flash, a dozen thoughts came out of her head. Her diplomatic mission…Arram's eagerness to talk with her…Ozorne's manic face…Tortall…her friends…and then George. It was the thought of never seeing him again that pulled the Lioness out of her stupor. For George, she had to get out alive. She'd never forgive herself if she didn't…

The last step was near, yet getting there felt like an eternity to Alanna. She collapsed onto the white sand, its warmth giving her back some of the lost strength. Her eyes blurred as she stared out above her. Had she made it?

Four figures stared down at her as she looked straight up. She knew the Goddess and her brother. From what Thom had told her, she could only guess that the other two were Shakith, the white-eyed goddess, and Mithros, the most majestic of them all. The Goddess and Thom were smiling down at her. "You have done it, my daughter."

"And thus," Mithros's booming voice spoke out, "When her time for her mortal life comes to an end, she will be seared of those impurities and join the lesser gods of the heavens. This is the law."

Thom sat on the ground and placed Alanna's head on his lap. "That's all well and done, Great Mithros, but I think all she wants right now is to sleep."

"Her body will gain back the energy she lost," Shakith finally spoke, "But her Gift will take some time. Rest she cannot have. We need to send her back to the mortal realms."

The Lioness's brother kissed Alanna on the forehead. "The gods are with you now, sister."

---

Alanna's first sight back into the mortal realms once more was Arram's scrutinizing frown. She tried to get up quickly but to no avail. The Lioness noticed that she and Arram were sitting on a cold floor and she winced from the pain she felt at her back. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"No more than a few hours, less than a day," Arram was tired, but calm. "I thought you would be fine, so I didn't fret, but there have been a few events that have taken place while you were unconscious…"

A groan escaped the lady knight's lips. "Tell me about it. How did we end up in this prison?"

Here, the Tyran sorcerer hesitated and fidgeted with a strand of his hair. As he spoke, he refused to look at the King's Champion, for fear of her mounting fury. "I…well, we were greatly outnumbered, the two of us."

"What do you mean, the two of us?" Alanna raised an eyebrow. "Where is Buri? And George? Had I imagined him?"

Arram shook his head. "No, they're safe. After Ozorne told his men to kill anyone but the two of us, I used most of my power to get them both out of the scene. They are at a friend's…along with two others who tried a hand at rescuing you."

Alanna could only guess who the other two were. She did feel Jonathan's powers surge through earlier…it would not surprise her if Jon was accompanied by Gary or Raoul. She shook her head. Since when had this diplomatic meeting become such a mess anyway? "And the reason as to why we're here? Stop looking at me as if I'm going to pounce any moment. I'm still aching and I've got no energy to get angry."

"The Dominion Jewel is still with me," Arram told her coolly, showing her the legendary stone. "He couldn't have pried it off my fingers even if he had found it. Somehow it's having a temporary…partiality to me. So we were thrown in here to be dealt with after he tries to open the gate with all of his power and the power he will receive from his sorcerers."

"Wait…open the gate?" Alanna could only stare as she stammered the question out. "I thought he needed Roger's—"

"He took it, Alanna," Arram said quietly, completely avoiding eye contact, "He…extracted Roger's Gift when you were unconscious and from there learned of the whole process itself. I tried to channel your entire Gift into me, but somehow I couldn't tap into the rest of it. Fortunately, neither could he. Is it blocked by divine interference or—"

"Arram, now you're rambling," Alanna was feeling sick. Her body felt cold again, and she could feel shiver after shiver coursing through her back.

"Lioness, Ozorne's about to open the Gate of Idramm."