Heat.
The rays of sunlight sang down in an endless choir of misery and sweat that left many humans here in Sha'kar with bronze skin and draping clothes. She found that the loose flowy clothing did very little for her, and the sweat pouring out of her was a clear indicator for the futility of this culture norm. She has more of a temperament that would find her at ease in cooler climates, to some it would be considered frigid. Unfortunately, she simply goes where she is directed, and she ended up in this miserable place at the fringe of the empire.
Her legs burned and wobbled from the constant trek through the red sands here in the eastern reaches of the empire. She has only been traveling across these sands for less than a week and she already wishes she could be back playing pretend in the capital. Alas, her superiors have designated her to this place as a major point of interest. She sighs out cool air into this intense heat and finally looks up from the sands below to gaze ahead.
The backs of several people greet her, along with the long legs of the pack animals. How she wished she still had her horse and could ride across the sands atop the wonderful mare. Unfortunately, The marvelous creature had to be left at the edge of the sands some days ago, for the breed originates from the northern reaches of the Empire. The poor thing would collapse the moment its hooves touched the scorching coarse sand. So here she was, walking through the hottest part of the world with nothing but a waterskin and the clothes on her back. Her legs were beginning to feel like cooked noodles and she was sure a puddle was being left in the sand behind her. She again wishes she had some sort of mount to ride upon, but now all she can do is look at the rear end of a large crustacean, a sasa'shuree, with envy. More specifically, the one riding atop the desert faring creature. She could see the reflection on the man's violet scaly skin practically shining like a beacon for the caravan behind him. Which would be useful if he could glow like this after the sun has fallen, but the moons do not nearly shine bright enough for such things. So, she simply looks ahead trying to avoid the sharp bright reflection leading the group.
She licks her cracking lips and swallows nothing just now noticing how dry her mouth is. She wipes some sweat from her forehead, and parts the drenched violet hair from her face. She then reaches to her waist and grabs a leather skin from the rope there. The contents swish inside and she licks her lips in anticipation for the wonderful treat. She uncorks the waterskin and places the divine gift to her lips pulling deep. The water was lukewarm and tasted of sediments that could only be found in a riverbed. It brought a flavor she has not experienced since she lost her home. The water had the same unmistakable taste of sucking on a coin, and the built up grime associated with discarded belongings in the mud.
It may as well have been nectar for the gods themselves.
She allowed herself two small sips and no more, she did not trust herself to avoid drinking the whole thing all together. What an embarrassment she would be as a mage if that were to happen. A mage dying of dehydration in the desert while on a covert reconnaissance mission here at the fringes of the Empire. Simply a routine assignment as far as her superiors are concerned, but she doubts they have ever stepped foot out of the western isles. Routine for them is very well likely going from one end of the room to the other. They have not experienced the burn of hard work that accumulates in the body from a job well done. Well, or a job they are still in the middle of completing.
Her boot slips on the sand and she experiences a moment of weightlessness before crashing into the unforgiving red sand below. A cloud of red explodes from around her once she impacts the hot sands. Coughs wreck her body as the sand filters through the air around her. Her hands burn when she places them on the ground to lift herself up. She pushes herself up to her knees and begins waving her arms before her face, attempting to clear the air of the sand. She was surrounded by shuffling feet and carts, none of which appeared inclined to assist her.
"All'ssss Well?" A feminine voice hissed out to her right. She turns her attention away from the sand sticking to her face for a moment to appraise the individual. Where legs would normally meet hips, were instead the long length of a scaly violet tail. A cloth skirt that was a striking gold color hid her delicate area from view, and rested upon her hips loosely. A reptilian hand with three delicate fingers was presented down to her. This woman's scales thankfully did not reflect the sun nearly as much as the leader, allowing her to further appraise the striking woman. Her gaze follows the bare arm up to a slender shoulder and a thin torso wrapped in striking gold cloth that hugged her lithe form. Their neck was long, much longer than any neck a human could possibly have, and several golden bands wrapped around their neck allowing those to clearly see their rank among the tribe. Seven gold bands sat upon their neck much like a ring on a finger, snug to be sure but not uncomfortable. Seven was the most she has seen so far of any of the people here in the sands. The gold bands were bare of jewels, allowing the gold to shine brilliantly. Where the gold ended, the skin fanned out forming a hood around their head, a head of a cobra. Their eyes were teal with a large black pupil in the center, but contrary to snakes, these eyes held a tenderness one may reserve for a child. "Admiring my beauty?"
"Sorry." Hopefully her cheeks would seem red from the heat, and not embarrassment. She placed her hand into the cool slick skin of the woman, and found she was practically lifted from the ground. The slim frame does well to hide their great strength it would seem. "And thank you."
"All'ssss well." A forked tongue poked out, flicking to and fro. She then released her hand, and she immediately missed the cool feeling. "Come, let ussss continue."
With that said, the reptilian woman turned and continued along with the rest of the caravan. She quickly followed, careful to avoid the tail of the slithering woman moving through the sand with a serpentine grace. She trudges along after the woman and manages to catch up, soon they stood shoulder to shoulder, well what would be shoulder to shoulder. At her full height, her head is about the same level as the reptile woman's chest, and it would seem the scaled woman was slouching slightly. These snake men are incredibly tall, and seem to have astounding strength. How did the empire manage to envelop the desert and its people into their borders? The round teal eyes meet her scrutinizing gaze once again.
"I am already mated." The snake woman hisses out. Mated? Oh no, this seems to be developing into a huge misunderstanding.
"I am as well." The other woman's head seems to tilt at hearing the lie, but does not speak upon the matter. "This is my first time here in Sha'kar, and my first time meeting a Shu'sakir."
"Allssss well." She says with a nod. "Let ussss speak then."
"My name is Frida." She sticks her pale hand out in the scorching rays of sunlight towards the Shu'sakir woman. The violet scaled woman stares at the hand for a moment, then a flash of recognition crosses their face before meeting her grip with their own. "And you are?"
"Hmmmm." They seem to ponder the question. "Hassssari will suffice."
"Suffice? Is that a fake name?" Not that she minded, she uses fake names all the time.
"Hmmmm." Hasari ponders that question just as a large gust of wind blasts sand through the caravan. She looks down and squints trying to prevent any particles from stinging her eyes. Hasari seemed unfazed by the sudden attack from the small pellets of sand, and simply brought a hand up to rub alongside the hood of their head. The wind died down after a moment of annoyance, and all was back to normal in the caravan. "Not fake, but unussssed."
"Unused?" She stares at Hasari in confusion for a moment. Hasari releases a small burst of hisses and her shoulders shake slightly. Is Hasari laughing?
"Yessss." The snake woman nods her head approvingly. "Namessss are foreign among the shu'sakir."
"What?" A name being foreign? No, not just a name, but all names. Do these beings of the sands not use names? If that is the case then how do they differentiate each other in a conversation? Or call out to one another in a crowd?
"You seem confussssed." Upon hearing the statement she relaxes the muscles in her face, and only now realizes her face was scrunched up in bewilderment. It would seem she still needs to work a little more on hiding the emotion in her face.
"Yes." She admits freely. Hasari nods as if to say this was the expected outcome. "How do you refer to one another then?"
"We sssshow them." They what? Is every member of the Shu'sakir an artist in the making? "We see their Shala."
"Shala?" Hasari nods again before turning to look upon the rest of the caravan. She follows her gaze, and can see some children running around laughing and playing. A bronze skinned girl falls while giggling all the while, filling her ears with a sound she did not know she missed until then. A Shu'sakir boy laughs and helps the girl up, then they run off into the mess of the caravan, the sound of their mirth trailing behind them.
"Our eyes can see the shala." The shala? Can Shu'sakir perceive things that other races cannot? "My people can see the fog."
"Fog?" If anything, it is way too bright in these lands. "I don't see any fog."
"Yessss." Hasari nods as if she asked a question. "Your people do not possessss the sight, but they have the touch."
Sight? Touch? What is this woman talking about? Is it really this hard to describe something to someone that has never seen it? Apparently she can touch it, and she is not the only one that can. According to Hasari, her people have the touch as well. What could that mean though? Every living thing can feel what they put their hands on. Hasari says that they can see this shala, and they seem to imply that they can see it now.
"Where is this shala?" Hasari looks down at her with a strange look on her face. Is that bemusement?
"Why, it issss inside all if ussss." She spreads her thin arms wide gesturing before them. "I can see you using the touch right now."
"I'm not touching anything though." The only thing she can feel at the moment is this scorching heat, and the uncomfortable wetness in places she did not know she could sweat.
"Whether you know it or not." Hasari lowers their head to peer into her eyes. "You are. You are parting the fog assss we speak."
"This fog…" She pauses. She looks from Hasari to the caravan around them. The sasa'shuree in the caravan take no notice of the people around them, and continue their march pulling sleds across the sands. The sasa'shuree have white exoskeletons and if they were to simply stand still one would believe them to be stones of marble. Wooden guides are attached to their claws connecting them to the sleds carrying supplies and the frail across the red sand. "...Is it in all living things?"
"Yessss." She turns her gaze back to look at Hasari. Hasari was no longer looking at her, and can see through the reflection in Hasari's eyes that the lithe woman was staring at the back of the brilliant Shu'sakir leading the caravan. "No two are alike."
"What does his shala look like?" She watches as Hasari's eyes soften upon hearing the question.
"A brilliant flame." The words escape the woman's mouth like a breath of fresh air. Frida could not help but smile upon hearing the endearing tone of voice Hasari is using. "A warmth that protectssss and nuturessss, a star that walkssss among ussss."
"So that is your husband?" Hasari blinks before looking back down at her. Is Hasari blushing?
"My mate, yessss." Hasari says before her expression changes to one of pity. "Whom I love dearly, which issss why I must reject your advancessss."
She felt her face scrunch up in confusion. Her what? Does this woman still believe her to be vying for her attention? Hasari is…pretty? Hard to say, but she can honestly say she is not attracted to the Shu'sakir. Not to mention the fact that she is already in love with another, or that Hasari is a woman.
"I'm not trying to court you." The words leave her lips with a hint of exasperation. Hasari stares long, but Hasari does not seem to be looking at her. It is almost like the reptile woman is looking inside her. A moment passes, and Hasari smiles once again.
"So it appearssss." Hasari looks into her eyes. "Your shala issss unchanging."
"What?" Her eyes widened and her face paled once the words registered in her head. Hasari nodded.
"Your shala swayed like water in a glassss when you mentioned being mated." Frida swallowed nothing and tried to ignore the hammering of her heart. "As well assss when you introduced yourself assss Frida."
"But…I…" What could she say? How does she recover from this? This is one of her first missions alone as a full fledged mage. She has been working as a mage for less than a year, and she is already about to fail? No no no no, there has to be a way to fix this, some way for her to-
"It issss not my place to pry." What? Is Hasari going to let this go? "Your people…what issss the word again?...Lie? Yessss, your people lie. It issss in your nature."
"I…Yes." She might as well be truthful, well, as truthful as she can be. "I lied about being married and my name."
"Allssss well." She reaches up to wipe some sweat from her forehead, and is unsure if the sweat is from the heat or the fear of being compromised. "They sent you to watch the Solostiel hunt?"
"I…Yes." How does Hasari know this? "How do you know?"
"Every so often around this time of year your people send an observer." Hasari looks away to stare ahead for a moment. "A fresh facccce, a hatchling unready for the dangerssss in the world."
"My people?" Does Hasari know about WISE?
"Yessss." Hasari looks back towards her. "They send a hatchling every couple of river cyclessss to me."
"Why?" What purpose could WISE possibly have in sending new recruits out here in these barren lands?
"To teach." To teach? Is she not already a full fledged mage? What could she possibly learn from Hasari that her mentor has not already shown her?
"Teach me what?" Several light hisses escape from Hasari as she laughs lightly.
"Why, to lie of coursssse." To…To lie? From a woman that forgot the word not two minutes ago? "You have doubtssss."
"Yes." Is she that obvious to read?
"All'ssss well." Hasari smiles down at her again. "I will show you how to hide from the sight."
"Sight…" That is right. Hasari can see through her lies, quite literally. If anyone can show her how to lie properly, it would be her. How can you possibly lie to someone that can see your shala? From what she understands, everyones is different, and it…changes? When you are lying. How can someone possibly lie in the presence of a Shu'sakir?
"Come." She blinks as Hasari interrupts her thoughts. "We will practice in the comfort of my wagon."
Hasari does not wait for a reply, and simply slithers away leaving Frida to increase her pace across the uneven sand. She follows Hasari as the scaled woman slithers deftly between several other people and sleds. She however has no such skill moving across this unforgiving land, and finds herself muttering many apologies as she bumps into several people. Everyone smiled and accepted her apologies in good spirits, and if she had to make a guess, everyone was simply amused watching her struggle across the sand. The adults managed a soft smile for her as she passed, but the children would snicker watching her stumble about like some drunk. She had to constantly look up ahead to see where Hasari was, as she found herself instinctually looking at her feet for proper footing. She watches as Hasari slithers up a ramp attached to the back of the sled, then disappears through a white clothed canopy hiding the interior. Frida moves past some more sleds just now noticing that the one Hasari entered is larger than the others. Was this another symbol of rank or wealth? Or is it simply that the leaders are trusted to carry more of the supplies? She steps onto the wooden ramp and smiles, finally feeling something firm to place her feet upon. She adores the sound of her boots impacting the wood as she slowly saunters up to the cloth flap covering the wagon. She reaches out to grab the cloth, but stops mere inches away.
Can she really trust Hasari?
The woman seemed keen on training her, and has apparently trained other agents in the past. Is any of this true? She claims to be able to see this fog, this shala, but this could all be a ruse for her to lower her guard. If what she says is true, then why would WISE conceal this information from her? Why would they have one of their many mages come here to this land and be taught how to lie? She has gone through months of training to perfect the art of subterfuge, and years of practicing her spellcrafting in order to assist her in said skills of skullduggery. Hasari could very well be a mage of the empire, and on a mission to simply gather as much info from her as possible.
"All'ssss well, Frida." She hears Hasari say through the canopy. "You have doubtssss, which issss wisssse."
"How can I trust you?" She stares at the white cloth separating her from what could be certain doom.
"You can't." Those words do not alleviate her apprehension. "That issss why it issss wisssse."
"I see…" did Hasari think that complimenting her would help, if anything it only made her more suspicious.
"You are not the first to have doubtssss." She glares into the white cloth gently swaying with the steps of the sasa'shuree. "Another much like you wassss the same."
"Was?" The unmistakable hisses of laughter stun Frida for a moment.
"He livessss." Another lie? Hard to say. "The mage, Twilight livessss, yessss?"
"You know Twilight?" Could she actually be telling the truth? No, not yet. Twilight is renowned in the empire as a mage. Many could know the mage, but not the man. "What does he look like?"
"He issss tall for a human, and with hair like the sun." Hasari says with a lilt to her voice. "His eyessss are blue like the waterssss of an oasissss, but they are cold."
"And his name?" She froze outside the white canopy. A trickle of sweat ran down her back causing her to shiver. Why would Twilight tell this woman his true name? "What name did he tell you?"
"I believe he said…Roland?." His first field name! Only a scant amount of people know that. Namely herself, and Handler. She grabbed the warm cloth and pulled the flap to the side, and stepped into the cool wagon. Cool being relative, it was still hot inside, but much better than out in the sun. She looked around, appraising the abode for any threats. Some crates and barrels littered around the edge of the wagon, making some sort of makeshift wall. Her leather boots no longer impacted wood, but a plush red rug that covered the floor. Along the length of the rug were several pillows and cushions that looked incredibly soft and varied in bright beautiful colors. In the center of the rug, atop many cushions, lay Hasari looking much like a queen upon the rich silks and cloth.
"All'ssss well?" She found herself nodding at the question. "Wonderful, come lay with me."
She blushed at the mere implication that sentence held, but she still sauntered over before sitting down on a lush purple cushion. She straightened the white cloth of her robe as she sat down with her legs to the side. Even though Hasari said to lay down, and she knew that Hasari was innocent with her words, she could not help but feel such things would be improper. Perhaps such things were normal here for the Shu'sakir? Hasari turns away from her to fiddle with something out of sight. The clinking of glass rings throughout the wagon along with the sound of a pouring liquid. After a moment, Hasari turns back around to face her, with a golden goblet in each hand. She extends one violet scaled arm, and Frida reaches her hand out to grasp the cool metal in her warm hands. She watches as Hasari takes a sip, so Frida allows herself to do the same.
The water was divine.
The soothing liquid chilled her parched waiting lips and she almost moaned from the wonderful feeling. She let the cool liquid linger in her mouth for a moment before finally allowing herself to swallow it down. The icy water washed through her body and enveloped her in a wonderful chill leaving her reminiscent of...home. Skies gray from the constant overcast, and the sun a mere glimmer of light to indicate day has come. Frigid wind blows against her rosy cheeks and snow crunches underfoot as she walks down a cobblestone road.
"All'ssss well?" The slight lilt in her voice helped ease her worries.
"This water…" well, she probably would not know what fraxia is. "Is chilled with magic ice."
"Fraxxxia, yessss." Hmm, Hasari just keeps surprising her. "It issss a wonderful gift to these landssss."
"A gift?" Are the Shu'sakir somehow trading with Fralise? It is quite a ways from these lands, practically on opposite ends of the empire.
"A mutual friend." Is Hasari teasing her? "He hassss become a merchant from Fralise."
"A mage?" Hasari takes a long pull from the goblet in her hands. The beautiful reptile either did not hear her, or more than likely, chose to ignore her question. Hasari finishes the contents of the goblet, most likely chilled water like her own goblet. Frida simply stares as the other woman places their now empty goblet behind them and out of sight. She, on the other hand, is savoring the chilly water sloshing around in the frigid metal between her fingers.
"What do you know of shala?"Is she joking? Was it not obvious outside that she has no clue what shala is? Other than She can touch it, while Hasari can somehow see it.
"Other than what you've told me?" Hasari nods at the question. "Nothing."
"All'ssss well." It did not sound like all was well. Well, Hasari is not the only one exasperated with the situation. "Perhapssss from the beginning…"
She watched as Hasari trailed off mumbling incoherently, assumingly about shala and how to explain it. All the while she simply sat there among the lush cushions enjoying her icy drink. Is this how royalty feels? Surely it must be similar, laying among foreign silks and pillows, with a wonderful drink swirling in their hands. She even has an attractive tutor, Hasari is considered attractive amongst her people, right? Either way, it is something that princes and princesses surely have as royalty. Granted, she would rather the tutor be Twilight.
"Your shala issss unique." Hasari said, snapping her out of her wayward thoughts. "But, the stella is shared among many."
"Stella?" First it was shala, which she still does not have a grasp of, and now it is stella.
"Yessss." Hasari says while outstretching a hand towards her. She simply watched as Hasari slowly grabbed the goblet from her hands. Suddenly the room was sweltering once again, and she could already feel perspiration on the back of her neck. "You call for the water."
"Yes." As did every other living thing in this gods forsaken land. Hasari nods again, unaware of her annoyance, or maybe she is aware. Hasari seems to read her mind anyway. She watches as the corners of Hasari's mouth move upward into a grin.
"You're frustrated." Why even bother with mages when WISE could simply hire the shu'sakir. It would surely save her the headache. "No matter, your stella issss like water."
"So…it's a liquid." Hasari merely blinked at her. She sighs and shakes her head. "Liquid is a word for things like water."
"Ahhhh." Hasari nods and smiles at the explanation. "Yessss, your stella issss a liquid."
"I see." Well, it would seem that now they were getting somewhere. "So my shala is a liquid?"
"In a sensssse." She sighed again, and Hasari giggled a chorus of hisses. "Your shala issss you, it issss a mirror of you."
"Like…my soul?" Hasari tilts her head to the side. "My spirit, my essence, who I am."
"All'ssss well." Hasari says with a smile. "Yessss, your shala defines you."
"I see." She did not, but at least now they were getting somewhere. "And my stella?"
"Stella is what defines the shala." Alright, so she still has no idea what Hasari is talking about. How is any of this relevant to teaching her how to lie? "You do not understand?"
"I'm sorry." She really feels helpless here. "But it just sounds like stella and shala are the same."
"They are, and they are not." Why is this woman talking in circles? First they are not the same, and now apparently they are the same and not the same. She wanted to pull her hair out, but settled for an exasperated sigh instead. "Stella issss the power from the shala, what your shala releasessss when you touch the fog."
"Alright." Now she is talking about the fog again, that only the shu'sakir can perceive. Did she somehow upset Handler? Is this some sort of elaborate retribution for a misdeed she committed?
"You are a mage, yessss?" Just recently trained, but yes, she is a full fledged mage. She nods her head in response to the question, then Hasari nods in return. "So you have ussssed your shala before, yessss?"
"My shala…" if this is not some sort of joke at her expense, then has she forgotten about shala? No, it was never brought up in her training. Twilight was an excellent teacher, and she has committed every last word of his to memory. Shala and stella have never been uttered in any conversation they shared. "…Has never been spoken about in training."
"That I doubt." Hasari said with a breath of amusement.
"This is the first I've ever heard of shala!" She said with exasperation in her voice.
"Well, perhapssss we-" The words were cut short when the wagon stopped abruptly. The two of them were jolted slightly from the unusual break in the steady pace. The goblet still in Hasari's hand spilled some water down the side and moistened the scales of the woman's hand. They both paused for a moment, to just simply stare at one another. Both of their faces mirrored one another, each showing bewilderment at the situation. From outside the wagon shadows ran past the white cloth performing an abstract show for the two occupants inside. Screams of terror filled the air along with roars of defiance playing a horrible duet for the caravan. Following the duet, an ear piercing screech followed, Frida flinched from the sudden cry. The sound resembled the tip of a blade scratching against the armor of a soldier, but at a deafening intensity. She could not help but cover her ears until the horrible sound subsided. She looked towards Hasari, and could see the teal eyes of hers widen considerably. They were displaying to her a mix of confusion, shock, and worst of all…
Panic.
"We must leave!" Hasari yelled across the cushions to her. The violet scaled woman dropped the goblet she was holding, letting the water spill out onto the lush cushions. Hasari slithered past her towards the white cloth covering the exit. She placed her hands flat against the cushions, and pushed herself to her feet. She took one step onto the carpet of the wagon, and felt the wood below suddenly lurch causing her to stumble. The carpet did little to dull the impact of falling face first onto the now shaking wagon below her. She placed her hands down under herself again and attempted to push herself up, but the wagon lurched again knocking her flat on her chest. From her position flat against the carpet she could feel how the wagon was shaking uncontrollably. Almost as if the whole world itself was a wet dog shaking in some vain attempt to dry itself. She heard Hasari yell from somewhere in front of her, and soon felt the smooth coolness of her scaly skin wrap around one of her wrists. She cried out in pain as the muscles from the larger woman's tail constricted around her wrist, nearly breaking it. Her cry was cut short when Hasari pulled her across the carpet threatening to dislocate her shoulder. A sound of splintering wood drowned out the yell from Hasari, but did nothing to deafen the ear piercing screech from behind her.
Then the world flipped upside down.
Or she supposed she did, and was now airborne with her feet pointed up towards the sky. The constricting tension on her wrist slackens, and her body is soon free from the grip of the stronger woman below her. She flies through the air with all the grace of a falling rock, and crashes into the woman who nearly broke her wrist. Hasari yells as she lands unceremoniously atop the scaly woman. Frida glances back to where she was a second prior, trying to see what caused such a strong attack.
All she could see was the red of the sands.
Where the other half of the cart was, and where she should be looking at the cushions and crates inside, was now nothing but scattered cloth and broken wood. The opposite end of the wagon just simply was no longer there, and the thought of her being there but a moment ago caused her to shudder. She should have seen the back end of a sasa'shuree, but only could see the sands slowly being dyed a horrendous green color. Half of the large crustacean was gone, as if something simply ripped it apart like a piece of jerky. The wind carried cries of the damned to her already sensitive ears, leaving her to shudder against the large woman she still lay upon. The wind carried the horrid metallic smell that could only be the blood of people dying all around them.
"Frida!" The sharpness of the voice next to her ear snaps her to attention. She looks back into Hasari's eyes, and is surprised to no longer see the panic that was once there. She now only sees resolution. "Can you move?"
She almost did not hear the question from the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. She swallows nothing, and nods up at the woman who she still was atop of. Hasari nods in return, then simply lifts her as if she was a small child and sets her on her feet. She had to balance herself, as the slight decline in the now broken wood almost had her stumbling right out of the gaping wreck of a wagon. Hasari turned away from her and moved through the now pointless cloth entrance and out into what sounded like absolute chaos. She watched as the cloth fluttered closed leaving her alone for a moment. She took a deep breath, breathing in the hot desert air, and steeled her nerves before moving through the white cloth after Hasari.
The sight alone almost had her releasing the contents of her stomach.
Bodies laid strewn all around her, looking like disorganized puzzle pieces horrendously ripped apart. The puzzle painted a grim picture, and some were still twitching desperately clinging to their last breaths. The red sands did well to hide the crimson flow spreading over the ground. She stepped off the ramp of the wagon, almost in a trance. The usual soft sound of her steps in the sand was replaced with an ugly wet sound that could only be from the blood spilling over the sands. A breeze decided to blow through the carnage, unaware and uncaring to those once considered to be among the living. The metallic smell hit her nostrils and she reeled back from the sudden sting of it. Not even the air was safe from the spilling of life this day. She had an urge to breathe through her mouth in order to avoid the stench of the fallen, but decided she would rather smell the blood instead of tasting it. Another scream ripped through the air causing her to whip her head to the direction it came from.
"Hasari!?" Oh no. She has to at least protect her, if the woman is truly working with WISE. She dashed through the remains of the caravan, ignoring the way her boots now stuck to the wet sand. Her hood fell back from her head, and she winced at the sudden heat the sun directed onto her. Her footfalls sprayed sand all around her, and a few times she stumbled from the uneven ground. As she ran through the carnage, bodies became scarce and the sound of yelling became louder. The same ear piercing wail rang out among the roars of anger and anguish. She leapt over a fallen cart, and ran through a mess of white cloth hanging from the wreck of the caravan into a clearing before her.
The monster was enormous.
Her eyes fell onto what seemed to be a giant beast of obsidian stone. What was above the sand and on the surface was three meters overhead the closest shu'sakir and at least five arm lengths around. She could only pray to the gods that this monster was not much larger below the surface. One solid red gem glowed brightly in the center of the beast, and many shu'sakir were using long spear-like weapons to try and strike at it. The blades on the weapons were various in color, and reflected brilliantly in the sunlight creating a kaleidoscope effect. The large crescent shaped blades cut deeply into the obsidian body of the creature, but the beast seemed unfazed. The creature reared back causing a grinding sound of stone on stone and swung its massive body down onto the warriors, like a smithy hammering a blade flat. The force exceeded what she thought possible from such minimal movement. All but one of the shu'sakir warriors avoided the tremendous attack, and nothing remained of him but another puddle in the sand.
"Frida!" She risked turning away from the mayhem to see Hasari hovered over a small group of children crying against her. She rushed over to the shu'sakir woman looking over her shoulder to the fighting, too afraid to keep her eyes off the beast for long. One of the warriors struck their blade into the red gem, and the monster screeched in what sounded like pain, then a burst of red sand exploded from around it. Sand pelted her face painfully, causing her to flinch away. Thankfully nothing seemed to get in her eyes and she chanced to look back to where the monster was.
It was gone!
What remained was a hole quickly filling with sand, and the warriors backing away from the sinkhole. She stopped a few paces from Hasari and the children, who looked no worse for wear. Tears were streaming down the faces of the children, shu'sakir and humans alike. All clung to Hasari like their lives depended on it, and for all she knew they probably did. She attempted to step closer.
"Don't move!" She stopped with her foot in mid air, and simply stared stupefied at Hasari. Hasari and the children sat like statues, some who were still crying fanned their clothes out to catch the tears falling from them. Frida chanced a glance back over her shoulder to the warriors and could see once they cleared the area around the sinkhole they stood still as well. She stood with one foot in the air, feeling like a fool as the sun beat down on her exposed face. "The Xen'tissss can feel you move."
The monster can feel us through the ground? That explains all the carnage to the caravan then, all the sasa'shuree and carts were not subtle nor delicate. Where does that leave them now? Her legs were burning up, and not from the heat either. Her leg was beginning to feel heavy, like she had put on some excess weight in the span of a minute. All this walking and running through the sand did little to alleviate her muscles, and she often woke up sore and cramped in the morning. Needless to say, her legs have been working overtime for the past week, and now just so happened to be the time she needed all her strength.
Her life hung in the balance, quite literally.
"I…can't hold this…much longer." She said in between ragged breaths.
"You musssst!" Hasari hissed at her, desperation clear in her voice. "It knowssss stepssss."
Does it know steps? So, the monster understands what footfalls are like. How clear of a picture does the beast have? Will it attack anything moving in the sand? She reached awkwardly to her belt tied around her waist. She grabbed her waterskin, which she still had about half the water remaining. She pulled her arm back, and threw the waterskin as far as she could. The leather canteen flew through the air spinning and flipping every which way. From this position on one foot, it did not travel very far. It landed in the red sand making a small trail as it slid and parted the sand. They all waited with baited breath looking upon the simple waterskin as the last lifeline in this barren land. A breeze blew through the air, providing little help to her quickly burning face. She could see some of the contents of the canteen spilling onto the sands around it.
Nothing happened.
Not a tremor, not even a slight rumble in the ground. She looked to Hasari, and could still see her and the children like statues, refusing to move an inch. Was it not heavy enough? Her legs were screaming at her, and her breaths were ragged. She licked the sweat from around her lips, and brought a hand up to wipe her forehead. The sun was baking her alive, and she was beginning to feel light headed. She could not do this for much longer. Maybe she could run from it? No, even if her muscles were rested, how do you avoid something that can see you but you can not see it? No matter what she did to move away, the monster would be able to discern her presence. Almost like Hasari seeing through her lies, the woman can see the truth clearly for what it is. She just wished she could see Twilight one last time, to tell him how sorry she was for failing here where he succeeded. To tell him how much he means to her.
The best lies told, have a grain of truth to them.
Those words…how could she forget them. It was one of the first things he taught her as a mage. In order to hold a cover, you needed to become them. Irrevocably convincing everyone around you, and yourself that this is who you are. She was lying, but she was not in a cover. There were many things she could have said to convince Hasari that she was not attracted to her. The one most convincing, that she is in love with another. Not a lie, but not giving away any information either. Is that not the point of a mage? To gather information while giving up as little as possible? She was only a mage in name, and it showed the moment she entered these sands.
And now she was going to perish here.
No, Not yet! Not when she finally has some understanding of what being a mage means. If all lies hold some truth, then she just needs to convince the monster. She reaches deep inside, searching for the power she needs. She touches the spark inside, and powers floods through her being. Her lungs constrict tightly, and her breathing stops all together. It feels like her chest was being crushed, and all she could do was slowly suffocate. She reached a hand out before her, pleading with the gods to let this work. Her vision began to darken as she began moving her fingers in the direction of the water slowly spilling onto the ground from her canteen. She felt the wet sand through a web of magic from her finger tips. Her fingers tightened, and the wet sand rose slowly into the air several meters away. With two fingers she began walking them through the air, and her leg wobbled one last time. With the little sight she still had, she looked upon the wet sand slowly moving over the ground like a child's footsteps. She fell back onto the red sand, drawing slow breaths as her vision slowly blackened. She could feel the trembling from below, and felt a single tear drop fall from the futility of her efforts. The ground quaked and the last thing she saw was the sun high in the sky burning bright in her eyes, then all was black.
Something was warm next to her. A fire, no a hearth. She was home in Fralise. Her mother just finished making hot chocolate, and she decided to lay by the fire. Yes, and the warm rug always felt the best after a long day playing outside. Just her, the fire, and her mother in the kitchen. She looks to the side at a small window in their cabin, and can see that the sun has already set. Snow still fell slowly outside, letting her know that tomorrow will be filled with more fun. The sound of footfalls caught her attention, so she turned away from the window and looked towards the kitchen. Her mother was walking across the cold wood of the floor barefoot relishing in it. Well, her mother loved the frigid cold of Fralise. In the woman's hands was a plate with a steaming cup. She stepped onto the plush rug, and crouched down before her.
"Here you go, sweetie." She smiled brightly at the cup presented to her. "Rest up, so you have more energy for tomorrow."
"I'll be fine, Mommy." She reached her small hands out from under her pink blanket, and grabbed the cup of hot cocoa.
"You scared me today dear." She looked up at her mother confused. She never got scared before when she had snowball fights. "Just try to be more careful, we don't want you coming in earlier than you have to."
"Okay!" She definitely wanted to stay outside playing as long as she could. Her mother sat before her on the rug, just watching her drink her cocoa. She grinned at her mother, and was surprised to see a single tear fall. "Mommy, are you okay?"
"Yes, sweetie." Her mother said with a sniff wiping her arm against her eyes. "Just happy to be here with you, if only for a moment."
"I'll stay forever!" Her mother laughed and cried. It seemed out of place, but her mother looked happy.
"Not yet, sweetie." Her mother then took the empty cup from her small hands. "You still have much to do."
"Mommy?" Tears were falling freely from her mother, and it was scaring her.
"Goodbye." A bright smile. "Stay safe."
"Mommy!" She sat upright letting the blanket pool around her hips. The night air greeted her, and a cold wind bit at her neck causing her to shiver. She heard a crackling sound next to her, and saw the flames of a fire going. The warmth of the fire felt wonderful, but left her hollow all the same.
"Frida!" She turned away from the fire to see Hasari moving across the sands towards her. The woman was bundled up in several layers of clothing to keep warm in these chilly desert nights. Once the woman was a step away, Hasari leaned down and embraced her.
"Hasari?" She simply sat there as the larger woman hugged her tightly. Hasari released several hisses in short order, which were probably laughs. After a moment the woman pulled away smiling down at her. "What happened?"
"You ussssed your shala!" What? Oh no, not this again. "You said you never have!"
"What?" Hasari hugged her again, and she only sat there listening to the fire and the hisses of several other shu'sakir nearby laughing.
"When you made water walk!" She tilted her head trying to recall what the woman was referring to.
"My spark?" Hasari pulled away again, and looked upon her confused. "My magic?"
"Ahhh!" Was that just the fire reflecting off her scales, or was the woman blushing? "Yessss! Those wordssss."
"I've been able to use magic for years now." She watched as Hasari turned away.
"I've forgotten thosssse wordssss." Ahh. Now it was all starting to make sense. "It has been some time since I've had usssse for them."
"So…shala is your word for our spark?" Hasari nodded at her question. "Then stella is the magic?"
"All'ssss well." Hasari smiled brightly at her. "So it issss."
"Now I understand." In hindsight, she should have been able to put it together. Maybe if she was not so tired and hot yesterday. No, she needs to be prepared for all situations. She simply failed yesterday at her most important job as a mage, gathering information. Or was it earlier today? "How long was I asleep for?"
"Some hourssss." She nodded at Hasari.
"What happened with the…" she paused, forgetting the same of the horrible beast.
"Xen'tisss." Hasari supplied for her.
"Yes." She looked around and could see several tents and fires in the distance. "Did you kill it?"
"The warriorssss finished it off." She nodded upon hearing the words. "But it issss troubling."
"Yes." So many lives lost. "I'm sorry for all the destruction."
"That issss troubling." Hasari said with a questioning tone. "But it should not have happened."
"What do you mean?" Hasari sighed at the question. The woman was clearly exhausted.
"The xen'tissss mating groundssss were still dayssss away." Yes, that was the whole point of this hunt. To thin growing xen'tis numbers they have a yearly hunt, usually while the xen'tis are weak from mating. "Something changed."
"How so?" She watched Hasari curl her tail and sit next to her by the fire. She looked around and could see that most of the other people that were still lingering, decided to take this moment to become scarce. Many retired to tents for the night, or lay by other fires some distance away.
"The Xen'tissss have never been thissss far wesssst." Well, if what she is saying is true, then that certainly is strange. "They travel to the munissss river every cycle."
"So every year?" Hasari nods at the question. They were still some days away from the river. "What caused this?"
"I do not know." Hasari just stared at the fire, while she looked up at the twin moons. "But, it doessss not bode well for ussss."
"Excuse me?" Hasari stared unwavering from the flames crackling before them.
"They move west, yessss?" Hasari finally looked away from the fire to stare at her. She stared back into her teal eyes, not really knowing what she was looking for.
"Yes." Hasari nodded, almost as if she asked the question and not the other way around.
"Then the munissss dried up." What? She gaped stupidly at Hasari sitting beside her. How has she come to that conclusion?
"How do you know?" Hasari sighed again.
"They are searching." Searching? Searching for…
"For water." The realization hit her like it was poured on her head.
"Tomorrow we will travel north." Hasari said it with utmost certainty.
"What's north?" She hated having to ask so many questions.
"An oasissss." Oh good, they can probably get some water there. "A town assss well."
"Will we need to worry about the xen'tis?" Hasari turned to look at her, then turned to look back at the fire. A moment passed where the only sounds were the crackle of fire and the sand blowing in the wind.
"For a time." What does that mean? "We must crossss the sundered."
"Ah." Certainly the xen'tis can not cross the ravine. How will they cross it? "Is there a bridge?"
"Of sortssss." Well, as long as they can get across. "I have worriessss."
"Naturally." They lost so much in such a short amount of time. "A lot has happened today."
"Not for today." She turned to look at Hasari again. "For dayssss to come."
"Our supplies have dwindled." But so have the mouths who needed said supplies. She will not say that, but the analytical part of her mind noticed.
"Not here." Hasari turned to look at her again. She recognized the apprehension in those teal eyes. "But for what it meanssss."
"We have enough to make it." She only saw a couple barrels lying around. But surely the oasis is not far.
"The xen'tissss have spread west." Hasari says with absolute certainty. "Thissss happened oncccce before."
Hasari paused to sigh before looking back towards the fire. Once before? So this is extremely unusual behavior then.
"So the river has run dry before?" She asked with a hint of trepidation of what is to come.
"No, well, yessss." Please, no more talking in circles. "It wassss diverted."
"When did this happen?" Hasari simply looked up at the sky.
"During the war." Hasari said with resignation. "The empire stopped the river from flowing. The xen'tissss tore through my people for weekssss before we surrendered."
"I'm sorry." She bowed her head feeling remorseful even if she had no hand in the terrible act.
"That issss why I work with your people." She looked up and saw Hasari was looking back at her. "I can not forgive the empire for what they have done, and why we musssst head north."
"For supplies?" Hasari actually smiled at her.
"Yessss, for suppliessss." She smiled back at the woman whom she is considering a potential friend. "And to send a warning."
"A warning to who?" She planned on relaying a message to Handler once they got to the oasis, but who could they be warning?
"To the empire." She reared back in surprise.
"To the empire?" Hasari nodded.
"The xen'tissss travel west, hunting all in their path." Frida could imagine that. Just remembering the carnage one xen'tis caused sent a chill down her spine. "They will stop at the desert'ssss edge, the rootssss of the jungle will stop their advance. But their presence will scare other animalssss to do the same."
"And more predators will follow after the prey westward through the jungle." Hasari nodded as she realized what the natural outcome would be. Predators will continue to follow their prey for miles, migration patterns will change because of this. The eastern side of the kasadil jungle is a safari, where many adventurous and daring people seek thrills. Most do not return from such treks through the rough land, and the ones that do are often changed. It is why she had to first travel south and go around the jungle to get here in the sha'kar desert. The western edge of the jungle is a large forest that can still be dangerous, but expeditions are constantly taking place. The forest is mapped out, and it is a perfect testing ground for wizards and soldiers looking to test their skills. If beasts from kasadil keep pushing westward then who knows what will happen! Will they even stop? Could they keep pushing into the heart of the empire? "How long will it take to get to the oasis?"
"A couple dayssss." Hasari said before looking around. "Perhapssss longer now that we are walking."
"Will we be alright?" Supplies certainly looked scarce. Hasari had the nerve to laugh at her question. The chorus of hisses stupefied her.
"All'ssss well." Hasari smiled at her. "We have more than enough supplies remaining."
"Good." She suddenly felt as if a weight got taken off her shoulders. No water would have been terrible. "You think the river was diverted again?"
"Perhapssss." Hasari considered. "I do not believe it issss work of the empire."
"What makes you say that?" She watched as Hasari grabbed a piece of wood and threw it upon the fire. Embers danced in the night air before being blown away.
"Pointlessss." Hasari said without looking away from the fire. "They control ussss. We supply xen'tissss hearts for them, it issss pointlessss."
"Alright." Assuming that Hasari is correct. "Then who would do this?"
"Who indeed?" The question hung in the air before being blown away in the cold night.
AN: Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. Here is the first interlude of the story, with more to come scarcely between chapters. If it was not obvious, here we have Nightfall appearing as a rookie mage. Nightfall just so happens to be one of my favorite characters in spy family, and I wish we could see much more of her. In regards to my fourth story I was writing, I am sorry to say that I will not be writing any crossover for my hero and spy family. The concept of the story was great, but I could not get past feeling like it was becoming work for me. I love writing, and find much enjoyment from writing this story and red herring. Around the end of September I tried writing the crossover, but in the span of a few weeks I could only get about half way through the first chapter. I felt it was best to drop the story, as it was beginning to feel like work instead of a passion of mine. After that, I took a small break for the remainder of October, and would like to apologize for having an unannounced hiatus. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you in the next one. Ciao!