Chapter Twenty-Three
Yugi lay curled up on a blanket, the wolf as his pillow. He had just had a drink of water from the spring; it was the clearest and purest he had ever tasted.
The sun was peeking its rosy face around the curve of the earth, but it was still chilly outside. Yugi pulled his blanket over his head to shield from cold and light.
Suzuko had climbed one of the palm trees and had made a leafy nest for herself at its crown. She was now fast asleep, snoring slightly.
A little ways off from the oasis, Yugi could see Meryl and Asim chatting. Marik had made his bed and conked right out. Kaiba was standing with his hands in his pockets, staring off into the desert, the falcon on his shoulder. Mokuba, Téa and Joey had already fallen asleep.
All was peaceful. All was calm. Some frogs near the spring were singing softly into the early morning air. Water trickled over the rocks, singing a song to itself. The palm leaves waved in the breeze, tickling Yugi's face.
He blinked and sighed contentedly. All was well.
He turned over and closed his eyes, giving himself to sleep.
Seto stood very still, looking out into the seemingly endless desert, and wondering what was on the other side. What would be his fate? Here he was, stuck with Yugi's nerd herd and some psycho falcon girl, and he had actually gone along with all the plans. He was still wondering why, in a corner of his mind.
And what Samira had said about him changing… Was he? He felt different. Light as a cloud. Like he had left all his worries behind. But the thought scared him a little. Was he becoming a different person? Or was he just going back to who he had been before?
"You should be getting to sleep soon," the falcon said quietly, shifting into a different position. She ruffled her feathers and settled into the crook of his neck. It was an oddly comforting feeling.
Seto reached up and stroked the falcon's soft feathers absentmindedly. "So what is this whole Time-Cleft idea?" he asked. He was stuck with them, so he might as well know what was going to happen.
The falcon closed her eyes and replied, "5,000 years ago, a mistake was made. We are going to go back in time, to that place, where we were in Ancient Egypt. If all goes well, we will correct the mistake and thwart the Dark One."
"Dark One?" Seto almost laughed. "It sounds like some cheesy villain from a comic book."
The falcon opened one eye and looked at him in an irritated way. "The Dark One is the very embodiment of pain, suffering, chaos. You would do well not to mock his name."
Seto shrugged lightly. "Why be afraid of something just because it's evil?"
The falcon sighed. "That's how I was brought up."
Seto gave her a sidelong glance. "Whoa. You were brought up? By who?"
She looked at him coldly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Oh, is it that person you won't talk about? The one who 'sent you' or something?"
"You're a real heartbreaker, Seto."
"Sure," he snorted. But for some reason, his pulse quickened…
"I'm going to bed," the falcon murmured sleepily. She glided gracefully to the ground and waddled off towards the spring, disappearing into the tall grass.
The group slept through the hottest part of the day and started off in early evening, when the setting sun was just beginning to paint the sky purple and pink. Fourteen made up the group: Seto, Mokuba, Yugi, Joey, Téa, Ranya, Akilah, Bakura, Marik, Meryl, Samira, Ramla, Asim and Suzuko. The long line of camels strung out across the sand, throwing larger-than-life shadows into the dying light of the desert.
After awhile you got used to the rocking motion of the camel's gait, and it became a blurred lullaby, melting into a regular rhythm, like a heartbeat or the pounding of the waves on the beach. It was almost sleep inducing, the same way that mothers rock their children to sleep in cradles. Seto found his eyelids beginning to droop. The sun had left twenty minutes ago, leaving behind a dusty purple.
Even though he had already rested, the tides of night were tugging him towards sleep. He leaned up against the camel's rough, shaggy mane and closed his eyes.
The falcon, however, was wide-awake and flying among the clouds, scanning the desert below. In the distance rose the Ashbaúdi Hills, great dark shapes blotting out the horizon. They put to mind giant beasts curled up, big as mountains, deep in eternal slumber.
And thought the group of travelers did not know it yet, but trouble was stirring in those hills, trouble with a vengeance. With every undulating stride the camels took, it brought them closer to the chaos that was about to unfold.
Chaos with gleaming red eyes that shone with the fire of mercilessness.
The falcon could feel her opponent moving, closer and closer, steeped in malice, creating a web that would trap his adversaries and reel in potential allies. He could feel her too, and was wary. Very soon, two ancient foes would meet again, forced to fight to the death. And neither one looked forward to it.
Dipping on rising air pockets, she trilled a small melody to herself, a melody of sadness, of pain that stretched across centuries, and of two enemies, restrained to either side of the great war between light and darkness; two enemies with such deep hatred for each other; and yet, two enemies who would rather be two friends.
Vaneth narrowed his eyes as the camel train came into sight. It was barely a series of yellow smudges on the rosy sand, but it was drawing closer with every passing minute.
And then came the cry that always sent shivers running down his spine… he had dreamed of that noise many a night, dreading it, and at the same time, longing for it.
The falcon's pure, piercing shriek met the sunrise, and he could see a small silver figure, its body glinting in the light. Vaneth's breath became quick and shallow. His fists clenched. So, he thought. It begins again.
"Azar!" he uttered in a sharp, guttural tone.
With a graceful, limber leap, a redhead appeared on the outcrop on which Vaneth stood. She surveyed him blankly; for behind her eyes; there was no one there. Azar stood quietly, waiting for orders.
"See the caravan in the distance there?" he said, brandishing a stiltettolike finger. "It shall be here by late afternoon. They shall make camp in the cave below this hill." He narrowed his eyes and smiled mirthlessly. "All too predictable," he scoffed. "When night falls, they will sleep. That is when you shall strike."
Azar nodded and bowed. It was as if she was on strings, a puppet, and there was a giant above her controlling her actions. "I know the rest, Master. Slay them all, and take the Millennium Items."
"Yes," breathed Vaneth. He grinned and bared his fanglike teeth, fantasizing to himself. "But leave the one with golden eyes to me."
"As you wish," said Azar, and with a flick of her cape, she was gone, climbing faster than a monkey down the steep rock face.
Vaneth put his hands behind his back and sighed contentedly. All was going according to plan. And by tomorrow morning, his greatest foe would be vanquished.
And dark would rise again.
He began to descend down the hill, to tell his mistress of the caravan's approach.
Yugi looked up at the hills, which were looming ever closer. As the sun rose behind them, their shadows retreated, but the sight of such ancient rocks, so dark and ominous, sent shivers down his spine.
He frowned. "Téa, do you see anything up on that hill? The tall one?"
Téa glanced upward and shook her head. "There's nothing there, Yugi."
"What?" asked Joey from the camel behind them. "Let me see!" He squinted, looking right into the sun's face, but saw nothing unusual. "It's just some big, spooky-looking hills."
Yugi sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I'm probably so tired I'm seeing things."
But he couldn't put the thought out of his mind that there was someone up there, watching them. He was certain he had seen a shape, tall, humanoid, suspicious, looking down at them from the hill's round peak. And then it had vanished, quickly as a flash.
Yugi glanced behind him, down the line of camels. He was near the middle. Behind him was Joey, then a pack camel, Marik, and then Kaiba.
His eyes lingered on Kaiba as he considered how much his rival had changed since they came on this trip. Kaiba was quieter now. He didn't make as many snide remarks anymore. The usual air of coldness around him had faded. Why had he changed? And how?
Was he accepting his fate? They all had to if they were going to go through with this Time-Cleft thing. They would be traveling to the past, for gosh sakes! Yugi was glad Kaiba wasn't being so obstinate anymore about his destiny. And he was glad that he had Ramla to help him out.
Yet the apprehensiveness tugged at his heart…
If it failed… If something went wrong…
But he couldn't back out now. Not when people needed him. It was his destiny after all…
Nevertheless, something in the back of his mind whispered to him, a wistful thought, a wish…
A wish to be normal. To be no different than any other person. It was hard, having so much responsibility.
But he had to. He must. People's lives were at stake.
And so he would.
However grudgingly, however fearfully, however reluctantly, he had still risen to any challenge, and this one would be no different.