Author's note: I'm back baby. The semester is killing me slowly but I'm still going strong. The chapters will continue FULL FORCE once the semester is over. I have big projects/chapters coming along for you all so stay tuned!
This was a feeling that made Inma tremble from within. It made her feel disoriented and unable to find her footing. With her usual environment, the ground was solid and stable. She was able to stabilize herself and kept her balance with ease. With this new desert environment however, there was no way to keep her balance. Due to her massive size, she was always sinking, always falling into what felt like an endless abyss.
"Did it suddenly get hotter?" Jack's muffled voice came from her bag. He poked his head out from the old woven threads and looked outside.
"What in the-" His words froze as he looked back behind him. The ground had shifted from a grassy plain to what looked like an endless sea of sand. He couldn't find the words to describe what he was seeing. Jack knew that in the back of his mind that this world was far beyond anything that he could think of. It was just too bizarre.
"All this sand." Jack said as he went back into the bag. Staying outside in this heat would only do him harm, "Are you alright Inma? Seeing you in those long sleeves is making me hot." Inma gave him a brave but trembling smile.
"I'm fine. Storm giants have lower body temperatures, remember?" Let's keep going. I want to get out of this heat as soon as possible." Inma responded with a smile as she walked looking forward. With each step she took, sand slithered down a slippery slope in what seemed to be never ending. If she wasn't cautious then the sand would absorb them both. She was careful to keep her balance and always stay at the highest point she could find. Getting the map from her bag, she scanned the map to see if there were any pillars/landmarks to help guide her.
Other than rocks there were none, the only thing written on the map was "Keep walking and don't look back". She did so to the best of her abilities, but it grew harder and harder with each step she took. Seconds felt like hours in this heat, not to mention how stressful it was on her body. She was a much bigger target than Jack and was the subject of most of the heat. Stormgiant or not, anyone would be exhausting from the amount of direct sunlight on their body.
"Inma? Can you get me out of here? It feels stuffy in here." Jack's muffled voice came from the inner fabric of her coat.
"Oh sorry about that!" Inma said as she reached into her coat to grab Jack. Immediately Jack shielded his eyes in pain as Inma placed him on her shoulder.
"Goodness Inma, This heat! I thought it was unbearable there, but out here is complete madness!" Jack uttered as he reached into his own bag to take a sip of water. He fanned himself lightly to cool himself down.
"Maybe it'd be better for you to go back in the pocket." Inma suggested with a worried smile. Jack frowned with a pout.
"I'd like to see what this 'Desert of desire' is all about too!" Jack stated as he glanced around sharply.
"So far there seems to be nothing but sand for miles." Jack continued as he looked around. Inma felt a little relieved. Despite all the heat and vast sand, she hadn't encountered any monster or danger so far. It was a peaceful journey for the most part. She hoped it continued that way for both their sakes. She walked for what felt like another hour until she found a boulder big enough to lean against.
Inma stopped in her tracks and used the boulder as support to catch her breath. Her feet felt like they were on fire and she checked them. They were red like tomatoes and had blisters. She was going to have to ask Jack to make her one of those "Shoe" things when possible. Reaching into her own bag, she grabbed a canister of water. A few swigs of it cooled her down again. The feeling of ice cold water running down her throat put her at ease. With the edge of her sleeve, she wiped away the remaining water and sat down.
Jack looked up at her with a confused face.
"Are we stopping here for the day?" He said as his body was drenched in sweat from head to toe. Jack never thought himself to be a sweater but this day proved otherwise. He tried to catch his breath but felt the air from his lungs leave with every second.
"I'm so hot and so tired." He said as he collapsed on Inma's shoulder, "Could you put me down please?" Inma did just that as she sat him down on the sand below. Thankfully, it was flat and stable enough to walk on. Jack was placed on the ground and he stumbled around in a dizzy, wobbly stupor. He looked ready to pass out any moment now.
"Oh geez." Jack muttered as his vision became dizzy. The world was spinning harder than ever before. He just wanted to lay on the ground and stay there but it was far too hot to lay comfortably. He looked around with deluded eyes and gasped.
"Mother?" Jack whispered as he looked far into the distance. He saw the image of his mother walking around in the desert, "Mother, what are you doing out here?"
Struggling to his feet, Jack got up and began to walk out into the unknown plains of the desert. Inma laid down on her bottom to catch her breath, sweat rolled down her cheeks as she looked over to the side.
"Jack...ha...ha" She asked through tired breaths of air, "Where are you going?" Jack looked at her with a smile and pointed out into the desert.
"I'm going to go see my mother! She must have been worried sick about me!" Jack responded to which Inma's brow furrowed in skepticism.
Jack's mother? Why would she be out here? Inma thought as she looked out to where Jack was walking. There was nothing but sandy desert for miles. Not another being like Jack or Inma appeared.
"Jack, Please come back!" Inma asked but Jack's mind was in disarray. With the wave of heat and lack of hydration; he was losing his mental state. Inma struggled to stand on her legs, but slowly stepped towards Jack to bend down and pick him up. With something his size going out there, it was only a matter of time before the sands consumed him.
"Please put me down Inma, I have to go see my mother!" Jack complained as he struggled in her grasp. Inma would have loved to do just that, but out here was too dangerous. Inma shook her head and refused.
"Jack, nobody is out there. I care for your wellbeing so please stay with me." Inma begged as she looked out into the distance. Jack stared out into the distance once again and the image of his mother slowly faded away.
"What theā¦" Jack muttered as he squinted, "It was just a mirage?" Inma wasn't sure what a "Mirage" was but she nodded in agreement.
"Gosh, I'm sorry Inma. I guess in my delusions, I saw the thing that I wanted the most." Jack said with a tired sigh.
Desert of Desire. Inma's mind rang with the name of the desert. It showed you what you wanted the most in your weakest moment.
"Yeah, How about we rest here?" Inma suggested as she glanced over to the sun, "The air is getting cooler, the sand is a little bit flatter, and we can use the boulder for protection." Inma prepared herself for a place to sleep. She looked around and gathered some dead leaves to pile into a possible fire. In this desert, it was sure to get cold and she didn't want Jack to freeze. Her hands were red and puffy, muscles tense and weak, but she gathered enough leaves and small rocks to make a miniature fire pit. She tried the old trick of rubbing two sticks together to make a fire, but that was a failure. Now she only had one option left.
Inma pulled out her book to study while sunlight remained. She turned quickly to the back of the book where the spells were. She looked at the first spell titled "Electric shake" and smiled. The directions were as follows, "Concentrate the energy in your hand, store it well and expand."
It was followed by two images. One of a closed fist and one of an open fist.
Looks simple enough, Inma thought. As she looked knelt down to open up her bag, Jack was fast asleep in her bag.
So cute! Inma thought, but she wouldn't dare tell that to his face. He wouldn't let her live it down.
"Concentrate the energy in your hand, store it well and expand." Inma said as she repeated the motions over and over for what felt like hours. The same open and close motion with her fist. Maybe an enchantment was needed?
"Abra kadabra!" Inma whispered, "Open sesame! Uh...Kaboom?" Inma frowned as no sparks flew from her palm. Was the magic in the back of the book a joke? A gimmick to fool gullible children like her? She tried it again and again until her hands were ready to fall off and looked up at the moon in a tired gaze. It was so full of life, so mystical, and so beautiful. It reminded Inma of her mother. A soft voice, wide open arms, and a glow that no other stormgiant had before.
"Mom, I miss you." Inma uttered softly as she wiped the incoming tears from her eyes.
No weakness. I must be strong! Inma told herself as she tried the motion a few more times before she finally felt her vision going black. She slowly felt the world falling as she fell down to her face onto the sandy desert below with her hand outstretched. The last thing she heard was the soft crackle of fire popping before she lost consciousness and her vision faded to black.
