Under Desert Skies
Chapter Seven
The sun rose into the pink sky, hidden by the veil of the ridges up ahead. Yasmine sighed as she urged Rabi down the slope. They had stolen out of Peda at midnight and ridden hard until they had reached the halfway point. She tilted her head up to gaze at the stars that were fading away. There was a chill on the air that penetrated her cloak, but she didn't mind it. She found it rather invigorating at this time of the morning. Up ahead, Trowa and Heero were talking to themselves quietly, voices nothing more than ghostly murmurs to her.
Rabi snorted as she started down the rocky ground, picking her way through with caution. Yasmine rolled her eyes before she clucked at Rabi. "There's nothing to be worried about. You're not going to get a rock in your hoof."
"Having some trouble there, Yasmine?"
She looked back to see Duo coming down the slope behind her. "Rabi has picked this time to become particular about where she steps." Yasmine glared at her horse as Rabi turned her head and showed her teeth. "Bite me and you'll regret it. You're too used to palace life, that's your problem."
Rabi gave a somewhat petulant snort before she started walking down, small clouds of dust rising as she trotted down to the bottom. Yasmine didn't say anything for a moment as Duo came up beside her, the silence somewhat tense.
"So, Yasmine, why did you leave Laharish?"
"For my life," she said. "If I wanted to keep it, it was in my best interest to flee. My father remarried. Let's say that his new wife didn't like me."
"That's pretty harsh." Duo didn't say anything. "My father offered to marry me to some woman. I wanted nothing to do with her."
"Was she some simpering fool?"
"Yup," Duo nodded. "And she needed me to do everything for her. I know I have to take some responsibility, but not that much. I need a more spirited woman."
"I see." Yasmine stared at the reins in her hands before she looked at him with a smile. "You'll find her some day."
"Thanks. But I think I'll remain a bachelor for now. I like my tent the way it is. Besides, I don't think I'm cut out for marriage." Duo grinned at her. "When you find your family, I'll come and visit you some time."
"That would be nice," Yasmine said. "Allowing that they don't take your visits the wrong way."
Duo's face paled for a second. "Or maybe you can visit me."
"A woman coming to your tent alone? That would raise some questions, would it not?"
"Nope. Women do as they please. Equal status as men does allow for certain liberties. Though a guy visiting a girl still seems to mean marriage in the future."
Yasmine looked at him in surprise. "That sounds even better than palace life."
Duo laughed. "That's been said before. And…" he frowned, wheeling his mount around.
"Is something wrong?" Yasmine looked at the top of the ridge that they had just descended. What was Duo trying to see up there?
"Heero, Trowa, we have some company!" he called, reining his horse around. "Run for it, Yasmine!"
Yasmine looked to see them taking off. When she looked back up at the ridge, she saw horses coming over the lip, tearing down at breakneck speed. She cursed to herself and smacked Rabi sharply on the hindquarters. She took off like a frightened bird, hoofs thundering over the arid ground. She glanced back, seeing a line of them stretch out across the plain, all five riders. She smacked Rabi's hindquarters again, making her increase her speed. Then she felt a familiar whizzing sensation that made her duck closer to her horse.
"They want to play this game do they?" she though angrily as she sat up and drew an arrow and notched it. "Fire arrows at me?"
She turned around and let one fly. It thunked into a pursuer's shoulder, flinging him from his horse with its force. She whipped the reins now, Rabi's feet flying across the ground, Trowa, Duo and Heero were just up ahead and nearing what appeared to be bones protruding from the ground. She gritted her teeth as she concentrated on them; that must have marked the entrance to the flats. If she could only make it that far…
A curse flew past her lips as the remaining four riders drew even with her, lassos in their hands. A stab of fear clutched her throat as they threw at the same time, two binding Rabi around the neck and two binding her. The world suddenly dropped as Rabi reared, throwing Yasmine off her back. She couldn't even break her fall as she landed on her side with a painful thud.
"Well, well. Looks like we caught ourselves a pricey bird." a man rode up on his horse, looking down at her; he must have been the leader.
She narrowed her eyes as she noticed the blood running down his shoulder. Blood, red, with the colour of life, the colour of rage. She whipped her head around as Rabi, screamed, trying to free herself from the jerking ropes as she tried to bite her captors. She staggered to her feet, anger in her eyes.
"How dare you," she began standing perfectly still, ropes hanging from her like vines. "You treat me like a common criminal and dare to touch my horse, and you dare to talk to me in that manner?"
"I'll talk to you as I like. You're nothing more than a pretty face that will pay for my dinner back at Laharish." the man gave her a disdainful look. "Truss her up men."
Yasmine's expression didn't change. "I am not going anywhere." she stated.
The men looked at her like she was insane before they laughed and yanked her down to the ground with the ropes. Or rather tried, for nothing happened when they pulled with all their strength. Yasmine glared at them, feeling something inside herself crumble away. She didn't say anything before she grabbed the twisted lengths in her hands, red and white light crackling down them. The men screamed as soon as the light touched their skin. It enveloped them and vanished in second, leaving only piles of ashes. The other two men dropped the ropes holding down Rabi as they made a run for it. Yasmine turned to face them, light crackling off her body. Two bolts darted out and reduced them to ashes, the horses taking off in fear.
"You," Yasmine said in a strangely dead voice. "You…"
The leader finally moved from the sight before him, trying to flee. Yasmine extended a hand, palm open, and snapped it back, palm closed. The horse and the man stiffened before they came floating back over the ground right in front of Yasmine.
"Tell that Egyptian whore that I am not done with her Tell her that I still live and breathe and will never forget what she has done. Blood shall be paid for in blood."
The man's eyes widened in fear as Yasmine opened her hand, releasing him from her grasp. The man took off in the opposite direction, whipping his horse frantically. Yasmine watched him go before she closed her eyes. Whatever had been released into her was draining away rapidly. She only managed to open her eyes slightly before she crumpled to the ground, unable to do anything more than float off into the blissfully comforting darkness before her.
Drops of water crashed down into a pool. Yasmine winced at the sound as it reverberated through her head. She opened her eyes to slits, a soft light greeting her. 'Allah…' She sat up, the world suddenly swimming around her. Her eyes squeezed shut to block out the whirling world before she was gently eased back down onto a soft surface.
"You took a lot out of yourself. Rest."
Her brow furrowed as she opened her eyes more cautiously and saw Trowa wringing a cloth. She watched as he wiped her brow, the water cool and refreshing. She hadn't even realized how warm she had been. "What happened back there?" she asked, managing to sit up.
"You killed four men." Trowa paused for a moment. "At least you killed them quickly."
Yasmine blinked as she struggled to comprehend his words. It felt like some horrible dream and she had just woken up to find herself in a strange place. "I killed four men?"
Trowa nodded. "You mean you never knew?"
"Never knew what?"
Trowa didn't say anything, rising and coming back with a mirror in his hand. He gave it to her and took his seat again once more. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."
"I see myself," she said, gazing down at the surface. "And a rather dirty face, but still myself."
Trowa shook his head as he rinsed the cloth and wrung it dry. "Look beyond the surface. Look at what you cannot see."
Yasmine frowned but looked back into the mirror, puzzled by what she should be looking for. She stared at the mirror intently, her eyes shifting in and out of focus. Then she saw something for a split second before it vanished away.
"What did you see?"
"I saw light…red and white." she frowned as she gazed intently into the mirror. "Maybe it wasn't my imagination."
Trowa shook his head as he took the mirror from her. "It wasn't. There are very few with abilities such as ours."
"As ours?" Yasmine looked at him. "What do you mean by ours?"
"Magic." Trowa gave her a faint smile. "And judging from your abilities, you come from a long line of shamans."
Yasmine shook her head as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "No, that can't be true. Mother would have told me something. She would have told me something…" she finished in a whisper.
Trowa didn't say anything for a moment before he picked up a small red seed from a dish and moved aside a small section of the rug to reveal the sand beneath. Yasmine watched as he dug a shallow hole and placed the seed in. He dripped a bit of water over it and covered it again. He glanced at her before he held his hand over the spot. She watched as it pulsed with a green tinge, heat radiating off of it. A few minutes later, a seedling pushed its way through the say, leaves outstretched to them.
"That is one of the few things that magic can do." Trowa made a slight pressing motion.
The seedling retracted back into the ground. She glanced at Trowa and he nodded his head. She grasped a handful of sand and allowed it trickled through her fingers. All that remained in her hand in the end was a pomegranate seed, the pale seed encased in the ruby flesh. She looked up at him quickly, amazement on her face.
"You mean to tell me that I can do things like this?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Yes. But it is a long process and not for people of faint resolve." Trowa paused. "It might be in your best interest though."
"What makes you say that?" she asked cautiously.
"There was a girl in this tribe, Varase, who refused to train and give an outlet to her power. Time and time again, she ignored it, keeping it bottled up inside. And she slowly went insane. She's still here. All she does is sit down and mutter to herself." Trowa didn't say anything for a moment, allowing his words to sink in. "I don't wish to make you do anything, but it is a very real possibility that it can happen to you, should you not do something about it."
Yasmine didn't say anything, nodding her head slowly. "I want to take a walk."
Trowa nodded as he rose. "Ailysha's family will be coming by to see you."
Yasmine didn't say anything as she rose, walking out of the tent and out into the dim sunset lit area, not paying any attention to Trowa who was following her. 'I was asleep all day?' She looked around disoriented, a few people outside looking at her warily. She didn't blame them one bit. Her gaze found itself straying to the largest tent set up on a slight hill. 'That must be the leader's…' She turned away, boots scuffing up dirt. Her feet took a path for her, weaving through the tents and myriad of people. Perhaps she should see this Varase for herself and determine from there.
"Excuse me? Where is Varase?" she asked an old woman who was seated outside her tent.
The woman didn't say anything but pointed to a tent on the fringe of the others. It looked somewhat run down and worn beyond repair as if no one had been taking care of it at all. Her brow furrowed as she walked towards the tent, a somewhat strange smell reaching her nose.
"Hello?" she called, seeing no one outside. Maybe they were inside. "Is anyone here?"
"What do you want?" a dour looking woman whipped back the tent flap, her beady eyes glaring at Yasmine. "Are you here to gawk at my daughter?"
"No. I just wanted to see her. Trowa told me about her."
A few tense moment's passed as the two women regarded each other. The woman didn't say anything but stepped aside, allowing Yasmine and Trowa to step in. "She's in the back. Just sit down and don't say anything when you see her."
Yasmine nodded and made her way through the tent. It really was run down. The mother must have been hard pressed to simply take care of her daughter, let alone any other small thing that would need her attention. She stopped in front of a cloth partition, the humble brown cloth effectively screening who lay behind. Taking a deep breath, Yasmine pushed the cloth aside and walked past.
The girl sat on the ground, shoulders hunched up as she rocked back and forth. Yasmine managed to stifle her reaction of fear and curiosity. She sat down just in front of the partition, watching the Yarase with pity. This was something she could afford to have happen to herself. But what if the power within her released itself in such a destructive manner again? How many people would die? How many souls would she have to repent for?
She looked up, hearing a mutter. "I beg your pardon?"
"She will come." Varase stopped rocking. "She will come…"
"Who will come?" Yasmine asked in a slight voice, half-fearful of the reply.
"The one from the dark sands," Varase lifted her head, eyes staring ahead in a blank manner. "Corpses will rain down as never before."
"How do you know?" Yasmine's voice sounded dry.
"I saw it." Varase tilted her head in an insect-like manner. "I saw her rise from the Earth…I saw the bodies start to fall…I saw another rise, from the light sands."
Yasmine swallowed, sufficiently convinced that she should go through the training. Varase's eyes focused on her, the pale unearthly green seeing her for the first time.
"You must!"
Yasmine cried out as Varase grabbed her shoulders, and shook her. "Must…what?" she managed as her sight was blocked by strands of tangled hair.
"You must rinse away the dark sands and purify what was once clean! You must for all our sakes, you must! You must!"
Yasmine tried to pry Varase's grip from her shoulders, but she was being shaken so hard that she couldn't get a good grip.
Suddenly, Trowa and the mother were there, pulling Varase off of her. Yasmine pulled herself away, coughing as she tried to get her breath back. The woman tried to calm down her now distressed daughter, while Trowa helped Yasmine to her feet.
"Perhaps you shouldn't come back here." he offered in a calm voice.
Yasmine glanced at Varase before she nodded and quickly left the tent. "That I was not expecting."
"As were we," Trowa paused. "Yasmine, this will be rushed but-"
"Yes." She said, cutting him off. "I am taking no chances."
Trowa nodded. "Ailysha's family should be at the tent by now."
"Don't bother." she said as she stared at the ground. "They are not my relatives."
Trowa glanced at her. "You know this for sure?"
"I have seen my mother's people before. The Draza'carth look nothing like them. I am sorry to have wasted those people's time."
"Very well, I shall tell them and then we can eat dinner." he looked at her. "Training begins tomorrow at dawn."
The early morning sky was a dark blue, studded with the points of stars, still bright. The somewhat frigid air moved briskly, past the two figures sat on the top of a hill just outside the encampment, perfectly still. Yasmine glanced down at her knees, wishing she could move. Trowa had woken her up when the sky was still dark. They hadn't even eaten breakfast before they had come out here to sit and meditate. 'Wishing will do you no good.' Yasmine closed her eyes once more, allowing the silence to fill her mind once more. All she knew was that feeling of pervading coldness. It made its way down to her very bones and settled there, numbing and awakening at the same time. It was as if her body was that of a corpse, unable to move and react, yet she was acutely aware of every single heartbeat, of the blood rushing through her veins and arteries.
Suddenly, she felt something on her skin, something warm. Her eyes remained closed as she allowed the feeling to wash over her. It tingled at first, warming the chill from her. Her brow furrowed as she felt the tingle increase to gentle warmth. That was much too rapid. But perhaps she should learn to go with the flow of it, rather than fight and worry about it.
Her breathing remained the same as the gentle warmth increased to a feverish heat. She kept breathing calmly, doing her best to not panic and run off. The heat forged itself into an inferno, blazing away as something fuelled it. Yasmine sat there, unwilling to move, until she had something she could work with. The longer she sat there, the calmer and relaxed she felt. The inferno was blazing, true; but she felt no pain. It was as if she was one with the flames and they could do nothing to injure her.
She allowed the heat to suffuse through her, banishing the heat away. All she did was tilt hr head up slightly to allow herself to enjoy the sensations further. Her eyes opened to slits hesitantly, finding the pink orange sky before her.
"Trowa…" she whispered, unsure if she was seeing right.
"Yes?" his voice was quiet, expectant.
"What's that?"
Faint white wisps were floating up into the air, melding into the very fabric of space around them. Yasmine looked Trowa surprised to see a pleased expression in his eyes.
"That was you choosing the nature of your magic." Trowa rose. "We're done here. We'll get breakfast now."
Yasmine hid the wince as her knees creaked when she rose. She wasn't used to sitting down for so long. "What do you mean by 'choosing'?"
Trowa didn't say anything for a moment. "More often than not, shamans have more than one type of magic in them, sometimes complete opposites. Life and death, earth and air. You had fire and death in you, two negatives. That is why it burst from you that day on the plains. It simply could not be contained any longer."
Yasmine didn't say anything. "So what was that white…air I saw rising above me."
"The shaman must choose between the two powers residing in them. Keeping both only spells disaster. However, if the shaman makes a conscious decision, then both remain. It must come from the inner solitude of the shaman. From there, the one that should stay will expel the other."
"So which one do I have?" Yasmine asked as they made their way to the center of the tents.
"You tell me." Trowa said, finding some kindling and starting a fire and walking off.
Yasmine sat down in front of the cheery flames, watching them crackle away. She shook her head as she cursed herself. How could she be so silly? It was right in front of her. Trowa came back ad handed her some bread, dried meat and fruit before he sat beside her. They didn't say anything, eating in companionable silence. When they had finished, Yasmine stared at the fire intently.
"Can I control the feeling? The feeling that I'll burst into flame?"
"Over time, yes." Trowa paused for a moment. "Red represents the flames, white being death."
"And green is earth." she murmured, broodingly. "Is blue water?"
Trowa nodded. "Yellow is life, air is a light purple colour."
"I see." Yasmine didn't say anything as she stretched out her hand and focused on the fire. There was no need for it. Better they conserve what little fuel they had. She wanted the flames to die down to nothing, to be non-existent. The flames grew smaller and smaller, as if in response, until they outed themselves completely, small tendrils of smoke rising from the wood. She looked back at Trowa and grinned. "I did it."
"You did well, but no more for today. It can be draining for a novice."
Yasmine nodded as she regarded the wood. "How long will it take me to achieve the same level as you, Trowa?"
Trowa didn't say anything, simply gazing off into the distance as he mulled over something. Yasmine bit her lip, wishing she hadn't uttered those words. She looked up at the ridge they had been sitting on, seeing the tip of the sun peeking over. She smiled, as the sky became a rich orange-red gold, gilding the tents around them. The Draza'carth would be the start of her new life.