Chapter 19 Desert princess
"You're crazy!" everyone had said, "Deen is far too close to the castle!"
Yeah, he was crazy. And Nikita was crazy to come with him.
But Hawk felt a gnawing need to be as close to the enemy as he could possibly come without really being in danger. Deen was a small desert village, completely worthless when it came to tactic and they had nothing to offer in money or goods. Seemed like the demons weren't interested in eating the people either, since everyone still was alive and well.
At least except those who had tried to travel the desert lately. Hypnotized warriors and monsters did their best to take care of travelers.
Deen was alive, but faltering. For ages the village had depended on the oasis in the middle of Navarre's lands, now… the water was slowly ebbing away. Very, very slowly. But steady.
Hawk sat in the shadow of the palm alike cacti that surrounded the pool of water. He wasn't much of a calculator, but Deen couldn't possibly have more than half a year left. If the monsters and ninjas still were patrolling the desert when the last of the water was gone…
He clenched his teeth. He and Nikita had slipped through; the cat was a merchant but not as peaceful as he looked. His and the thief's skills had been enough to bring them through the charring landscape, all the way to the small town. And here they were. Had been so for a couple of weeks, even.
No use…
He had risked to sneak up to the castle one night, and found out that the rumors were true. That had not been dolls on the walls to scare people that there could be demons in Navarre.
That had been demons to scare people that there were demons in Navarre. Nikita had told nothing but the horrid truth. Bigeau worked with the Underworld.
Hawk hadn't been too close, but he had seen the shadows moving on the walls; moonlight reflecting in dark scales that flowed when muscles that even would make Kevin nervous were stretched by the slightest movement. Heh, not even the half blood would be of help against those.
It didn't look good.
With a sigh he threw a pebble into the oasis, watching the calm surface partly explode and throw up a few peaceful drops of water by the impact.
There had to be some way of getting Jessica out of there… somehow…
Heck, he didn't even know if she was still alive… Nikita had seen her be imprisoned, but that was several weeks ago. Bigeau could have fed her to one of her big ugly pets long ago…
Hawk shuddered and clenched his teeth. Oh no. She was alive. She had to be!
Urgh…
He sighed again and surpassed the water another pebble, watching the drops in their way up and down into their home again. In this heat it was amazing that they even made it back and didn't turn into steam blowing away with the puny wind there was.
Blah.
'What am I going to do? What, what, what, what, what, fricking what?!'
He looked up at the clear blue sky. Not the tiniest trace of a cloud anywhere. The next rain should be, oh… two, three hundred years or so away.
Would the Mana Goddess be kind enough to send him some kind of help to save Jessica?
Pretty please?
"Hey bro!"
He nearly jumped out of his skin and spun around. Nikita almost fell down the low cliff stair, regained his balance and stumbled over to Hawk.
"Your tongue is hanging," the thief said and reached up a hand to help his panting friend sit down without falling.
"I've looked… gasp… all over for you…!" the cat wheezed.
"Running in this heat?" Hawk said with raised eyebrows, "why on earth would you do that?"
"Saw… Duran and others… in town and… they… went…"
"Hey whoa? What's Duran doing here?" Hawk asked with a grin.
Nikita's eyes rolled around as if he was about to drop dead. To keep his friend alive Hawk reached out for the oasis and swung his arm towards the big cat. Getting drowned was obviously just what Nikita needed since he got back to talking.
"They… went out… I had no time and… I saw… Bigeau and… Jessica… no mirage…"
"What!?"
"Hey whoa…!"
Splash!
Nikita coughed and spat as his head got torn up above the surface again.
"Where?!" Hawk shouted.
"They walked towards… the Valley of Flames!" Nikita dribbled, trying to catch his breath again, "Duran too…"
Valley of…
"Holy fruit… the Mana stone!"
Hawk threw his wet friend aside and dashed towards the village, sand exploding around his feet as he ran.
"Thanks Nikita!" he shouted over his shoulder.
"Ohhh…" the cat groaned back.
Hawk rushed into the inn to get his water sack and then ran into the desert's floating heat.
'Oh yeah, and thanks a lot to you too!' he thought and blew a kiss at the sky without even slowing down.
After only about a minute he had to slow down to a normal pace; the burning air was impossible to stress in. He cursed the heat that slowed him down.
The only reason for Bigeau to travel in the desert so soon after mid day had to be that she didn't want to be disturbed…
Hawk's eyes narrowed and he forced his already heavy legs to move faster.
And the only reason for Duran and his ladies to travel in this heat… well, none of them seemed too bright, to be honest.
'On the other hand, neither am I right now…' he thought, taking a quick sip out of the leaking secure sack.
The water was warm, but much cooler than the rest of the world around the thief. Including himself.
As he worked his way through the heat he tried to avoid the monsters that inhabited the desert. The slow bulettes were easy enough to dodge, but the humanoid psychotic ducks and nasty birds that also could be found in the ocean of sand and heat were a bit more complicated to get away from. Not to mention the hypnotized ninjas… they weren't too common, but they were there.
But despite everything he eventually reached the entrance to the burning caves.
And…
Oh dear goddess…
The area before the entrance carried distinct signs of battle. The sand had been thrown around just recently, mixed with blood. And there were two dead bodies.
Hawk stumbled over to them and turned the immobile ninjas. One removed mask was enough, because he knew that the other veil would hide a mirror of the face he had just uncovered.
Bill and Ben.
No pulse. But with such wounds it was impossible to be alive.
Hawk balled his hands into fists.
There was no time to grieve! But… but…
Clenching his teeth hard he bent down and picked up as much sand as his hands could carry together.
"You were used by evil, my friends," he grimly told the bodies, "but I swear that I will avenge you, Eagle and everyone else who has died because of Bigeau. Peace over your souls."
With as much respect as he could summon he spread the sand of all ninjas' birthplace over his dead friends' chests. It had to do as a funeral, at least for now.
Before he left them Hawk bowed to honor the memory of his friends, as custom for the desert warriors were.
Then he turned his heels and resolutely walked towards the entrance of the overheated caves.
The air was practically boiling. He had to stop by the entrance and take a few deep breaths to get ready for the next part of the trip before he could continue.
It should really be against any law of physics that such heat could exist… Hawk moved as fast as he dared to through the burning caves, afraid both of loosing his consciousness and of that his boots could catch fire. If any of that happened, he would be in big, big trouble.
Heh, at least there was a track to follow. Not footprints; the heat's pressure had turned the rocks almost as hard as diamonds long ago. No, the track Hawk followed were the lifeless monsters lying around. He grinned to himself. Really, he owed Duran a lot as well… maybe he should team up with the chosen heroes and help them in order to repay them. It would just be fair. But first he had to avenge his friends and save Jessica.
The thought of that she could be within reach but in grave danger helped him to speed up even though his whole body groaned.
It was hard to keep up the knowledge that he had to be careful about the water supply he had. Two seconds after every clunk he took his throat and mouth were just as burning as before again. But he had to save enough for the trip back to Deen…
"Hey! Hold it right there!"
Duran?
"Stop!" Angela's voice panted, just ahead.
"Carlie say bad lady let go of pretty one!"
Hawk skidded down the slanted road and stumbled into a short tunnel, merely a yard or so of length…
"Don't come any closer!"
Bigeau!?
Her voice was hoarse and strained, but it was a dangerous growl.
"One more step and the girl goes into the flames!" she screeched.
Duran growled; now Hawk saw his and the girls' backs. Ahead of them, on a rope bridge, Bigeau stood with an almost unconscious Jessica's wrist in a tight grip. Flames roared not too far below them; the older woman could easily shove the Flame Khan's daughter down there.
Hawk's brain ceased to function properly. He forgot about the cursed necklace, his hand going to his belt by itself. Skilled fingers grabbed a dart he had forgotten he had there, and the projectile dashed through the molten air before he had time to get worried about missing his enemy.
"Ah!"
Bigeau let out a surprised shout of pain and dropped Jessica's arm. The prisoner fell onto the bridge, limbless. Duran, Angela and Carlie looked around in surprise.
'Yeees!!'
Hawk grinned evilly at Bigeau, bringing forth his daggers in a manner that showed that he was prepared to throw them as well.
Bigeau's eyes narrowed and she clumsily tore the dart out of her upper arm, throwing it into the fire she had meant for Jessica.
"I see you brought company," she growled and suddenly forced a sneer, "well, until next time!"
And with that she turned and ran ahead faster than should be possible in the heat that lived in the valley.
Hawk hurried over to Jessica and bent down to check her state. She looked up at him with not entirely focused eyes and her lips weakly moved a little. But not a sound managed to escape her.
"Is she alright?" Duran asked from somewhere behind.
"The necklace is gone…"
The thief spoke in relief in the same moment as he noticed this, not really hearing the warrior.
She wasn't cursed anymore… Hawk could have soared up towards the heavens in his feeling of sheer triumph, indescribably blissful. Jessica was safe!
Very carefully he hung his dear friend's arm around his neck and helped her stand up. Her weight combined with his exhaust and the intense heat was almost too much, but Hawk was also powered up with the feeling of victory.
"You guys handle Bigeau," he said to the three heroes, "I have to take Jessica to Deen, alright?"
"Sure thing, just leave it to us," Duran grinned.
Carlie gave Hawk a big smile, and even Angela's eyes were softer than usual as the thief walked past them, supporting Jessica and smiling his gratefulness.
He heard them hurry on behind his back, but didn't bother much about it.
"It's okay now, Jessica," he whispered, "you're safe, I'll bring you away from here."
"Hawk…"
It was barely a mumble, but he heard it and smiled warmly at her dimmed, tired eyes.
"Thanks…" she whispered in a weak voice.
"You're welcome…"