Harun did not recognize where he was. He seemed to be at the bottom of a large pit. It wasn't dark, however. He could see a bright blue sky far overhead, and the spiraling pathway along the walls leading up out of the pit was lined with green grass, the likes of which he had never seen in his homeland. But there was something dark at the center of the pit. A circular rune was sprawled across the ground a few feet away from him, decorated with unrecognizable black symbols. A small white pedestal stuck up out of the center of the rune. Shadowy mist plumed out of it like it was leaking black smoke. Harun knew there was something evil contained within. However, the curiosity was irresistible. He felt drawn to it for some reason. Tentatively, he stepped towards it, wondering what it could be. But as soon as he set foot inside the runic circle, he heard a noise. Darkness spread from the pedestal, covering the entire ground in a solid black shadow. The sky darkened and the grass withered. Harun looked down and saw he now hovered over an endless void, and there was the Beast, rising upwards, its jaws open wide.
Harun awoke suddenly, as he often did in recent days. He screamed this time, the terror he'd felt in the dream following him into the waking world for a brief moment. He heard a gasp from beside him as Katta pulled back the sheets.
"What? What's wrong? Harun?" she asked, the worry in her voice quite clear. From the way he had screamed, she probably expected there to be some sort of intruder in the bedroom.
"It's nothing," Harun claimed after a moment, trying to steady his breathing. He leaned forward and rubbed his temple, and Katta placed a hand on his back.
"Another nightmare?"
Harun nodded.
"Don't worry," Katta assured him. "We leave for the Spirit Temple this morning. This will all be over soon."
"Yes," Harun said hopefully. "I shall have faith that the Sage of Spirit will rid me of this curse." He wasn't nearly as certain as he sounded, but he didn't want her to worry.
"My belongings are in the barracks," Katta said as they both climbed out of bed to dress themselves. "I'll meet you outside with everyone else." Harun nodded, his mind elsewhere. Katta stepped in front of him, put her hands on his face, and pulled him into a kiss. "You shouldn't worry so much," she said after pulling back.
"Yes," Harun said, more attentive now. "You're right." Katta smirked, then sauntered out of the room, casually waving goodbye to him. Afterwards, Harun finished packing his bags and headed out.
Queen Urballa had put together a large travel party the previous day. Not only were he and the queen herself going, but the queen insisted on also bringing her daughter along, preferring to have her close by at all times. Additionally, Harun's teachers, Averla and Kobami, would be joining them. Naturally, a large number of guards and servants would have to accompany them as well, which meant a lot of supplies to bring and many beasts to carry them.
They would be heading for the Arbiter's Grounds, stopping at the Southern Oasis along the way. The oasis was slightly out of their way, but it had an abundant water supply and was conveniently located at an equal distance from both Naboris and the Arbiter's Grounds. Due to this, it was common practice to make a stop there halfway through the journey when going either direction. Both the oasis and their destination were populated with numerous Gerudo, but the expanse of desert between them was a harsh, barren wasteland. They would have to constantly worry about heat stroke during the day, frostbite at night, dehydration, unexpected sandstorms and thunderstorms, and attacks from all sorts of predatory monsters.
All these people… in danger… for my sake…
Harun stumbled as he walked, nearly dropping his bags. It made him almost sick with fear when he imagined something terrible happening to someone on this journey.
Perhaps I should call this whole thing off. I could find another solution on my own somehow.
"Sav'otta, young voe." Averla was the first to greet him as he stepped out of the palace into the walled-off area beside the stables. She was dressed in light clothing to prepare for the journey through the scorching desert, but despite wearing no armor, a pair of twin scimitars hung at her sides, still ready to fight if need be.
"Sav'otta, my lady," Harun said in return. He himself had no weapons other than the trident he used to aid in his spellcasting. As his safety was a priority, he had been instructed to avoid direct conflict should they be attacked by monsters or Hylianite extremists along the way. "How are the preparations going?" Several camels had been brought into the open, so as he spoke with Averla, he found an unladen pack beast and began loading his supplies onto its back.
"Everything is proceeding well," Averla said. "We should be ready to leave as soon as the last of our party arrives."
Harun glanced around. The queen and the princess were not in sight, but there were many guards and servants, as well as some spirit priestesses who had chosen to join them in order to make their pilgrimage to the Spirit Temple. The guards were all dressed in a similar fashion to Averla. Even Commander Bularis and the other Iron Knuckles had been stripped of their heavy armor, although they appeared to have loaded entire sets of it onto some of the pack sleighs.
"Katta is not here yet," Averla remarked. "Was she not with you?"
Harun scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly avoiding eye contact at that remark. "She had to get her belongings from the barracks," he said.
Averla nodded. "So long as she arrives before we depart. We will leave her behind if she is late."
"Can she…" Harun wasn't sure if he should make this request, but he continued. "Can she be in my guard for the journey?" He had been informed previously that he, Sabah, and Urballa would be spread out while they were traveling in order to minimize the chance of all of them getting harmed at once. Each of them would have their own guard detail.
The mistress-at-arms regarded him for a moment, considering his request. "I will allow this," she said eventually. "Although I feel I must remind you - you cannot allow yourself to become too attached to this young vai. You have an obligation to the princess that you must fulfill one day, remember."
"Yes, of course," Harun said, trying to mask his lack of enthusiasm. "I understand, my lady."
Just then, there was a commotion as a large sand seal barrelled through the gate, spooking some of the camels. It had a harness strapped to it pulling a sleigh, and riding upon that sleigh was Princess Sabah, laughing with glee.
"Careful, my princess!" Averla shouted, rushing over to her.
Harun smiled and followed his teacher. He could see other sleighs pulling in through the gate, each one loaded with supplies or passengers. When he got close to Sabah's big blue sand seal, it started happily barking and flapping a flipper at him. The prince ran his hand along the crest of hair that rose up along the creature's back, which seemed to make it happy.
Sand seals were strange animals. They were slow, lumbering globs of blubber when sliding across the ground, yet they were considerably faster than camels when they buried themselves in the sand, swimming as if they were in water. Harun had once read a book by some Hylian explorer who had sailed north of Akkala along the coast of the Outer Continent. He claimed to have observed similar creatures, which he called walruses, that swam in the icy waters rather than in the sand. Unlike other water seals, these walruses apparently had the same tusks and bushy mustaches that sand seals had, but they lacked the crest on their upper back and had much less fur in general. It made Harun wonder how the same creatures could end up so different just from living in different parts of the world. After all, there had only ever been a small mountain range separating the Gerudo and the Hylians, and they had ended up quite different as well.
"He likes you," Princess Sabah said as her sand seal barked for joy at Harun's pets.
Harun chuckled. "He is a fine beast." Taking a few steps closer to the princess, Harun patted her on the shoulder good-naturedly. "I'm glad he'll be protecting you on our journey." Princess Sabah laughed.
She's supposed to be your betrothed.
Harun pulled his hand back suddenly, embarrassed. He knew he was supposed to see her the way he saw Katta, but he just couldn't. She was so much younger than he was, and he was her mother's ward. It just seemed odd, no matter how he looked at it.
Harun cleared his throat, becoming more formal. "Is the queen on her way, Princess?" he asked her.
"Yes," she nodded, seemingly adopting his formality. "Elder Kobami was with her as well, my prince."
"Good," Lady Averla said, joining in on the conversation. "Preparations are nearly complete. We should leave soon if we wish to make it to the Southern Oasis as scheduled."
Harun glanced around, looking for Katta.
Please don't be late…
He went back to loading his belongings atop his pack camel, then harnessed the beast to his riding camel. Just as he finished preparing the saddle, Queen Urballa arrived with her escort. She did not look as royal as she usually did since she was dressed for traveling like everyone else, but she carried with her the same presence she always did. Everyone who wasn't accompanying her took a knee as she entered, so Harun did the same. However, she soon waved her hand to signal for everyone to be at ease.
Urballa had a scimitar and a shield strapped to her back. Harun did not often imagine the queen fighting for herself as she was usually surrounded by guards who could do it for her, but he knew she was a capable warrior, just as she wanted him to be. Strangely, she did not seem to wish that her daughter be trained with sword or spear, although the princess had a beautiful golden bow that Harun had seen her shooting targets with.
Aside from her guards and servants, Urballa was also accompanied by Elder Kobami. The witch was sitting atop a carpet that hovered above the ground, gently rocking back and forth on account of the wind magic that supported it from below. The sight was comical enough to make Sabah laugh. Kobami turned her gaze upon the princess and cackled along with her, although the witch's laugh never made Harun think of anything fun.
"Sav'otta, young voe," Urballa greeted Harun.
"Sav'otta, my queen."
"Are you feeling well this morning?" she asked him. She was not explicit about it, but he knew she was asking about his visions.
"I had another dream last night," he admitted. "But I am not afraid."
"Good. You have nothing to fear," Urballa assured him. "In a few days time, we will have the answers you seek."
Harun nodded, although he was not entirely convinced of that.
"Shall we be off?" she asked.
Katta was still not there. Harun was about to say something to try to stall for time, but just then, he spotted her bursting out through one of the palace doors. She had a rucksack slung over her shoulders and she carried her spear in hand. When she looked in his direction, she made eye contact and smiled triumphantly at him.
Good. She made it.
"Yes, I believe we are well prepared," Harun answered. Urballa looked over her shoulder, following Harun's gaze. He froze up when she spotted Katta, feeling guilty all of a sudden, but the queen said nothing about it.
"Very good." The queen excused herself and began giving orders to her subordinates. Everyone else climbed atop their camels or aboard their sand seal sleighs and got into formation. Harun spotted Averla speaking to Katta, who nodded happily before heading over to join up with his escort.
"Ready to go, my prince?" Katta asked with a smirk, walking her camel up next to Harun's.
"Nice of you to show up," Harun said. "I was just about to leave you behind."
"Doubtful. I know you were hoping for someone to tag along and help you keep warm on those cold desert nights."
"Shh!" Harun ducked his head and looked around nervously, embarrassed to hear Katta say something like that out loud with so many people around. It was especially egregious considering his betrothed was so close by. A few nearby girls around their age gave them some side-eyes and laughed quietly, but luckily no one else seemed to notice or care enough to say anything about it.
"You worry too much," Katta assured him. "It's not like anybody doesn't know."
"That doesn't really make it better," Harun argued. "The Hylianites have enough reason to think ill of me without being reminded of such things." Now that he was thinking about it, Harun noticed there were no strict Hylianites assigned to his guard detail, only Ganonites and moderates like Katta.
Averla must have done this on purpose.
He was thankful for that. Lady Averla may have been a Hylianite, but she was cautious enough to consider the potential risk to his safety presented by others in her camp. He wasn't particularly eager to be surrounded by yes-women who thought of him as some sort of savior, but at least they'd be happy to protect him.
From the head of the caravan, Queen Urballa gave the order to move out. Dozens of camels and sand seals all headed for the gate, clustered in three separate groups centered around the queen, the princess, and the prince-in-waiting. As they moved away from the camel pens, Harun could see a crowd of people gathered beyond the outer wall of the palace. This excursion had only been decided upon the day before, but already word seemed to have spread to the entire city. Many people cheered for them, and many of them called out kind words to Harun in particular. However, for every praise and every wish of good fortune he received, he heard calls of "Demon child!" and "Don't come back!" He was glad to have a wall and a row of armed guards standing between him and them.
The gate on the outer wall of the palace opened directly into the desert, so they did not need to brave the crowd in order to exit the city. As he rode his camel past the threshold, he realized this was his first time truly venturing into the outside world. He prayed it would not be his last.
The journey was uneventful to start with. There was nothing but barren desert between Naboris and the Southern Oasis, which meant miles and miles of trudging across the sandy dunes underneath a scorching hot sun. They had left early in the morning before the sun was high in the sky, but within a few hours, it became practically unbearable. Harun and the others had brought as much water as they could to keep themselves hydrated. Other than a few patches of hyrdomelons scattered throughout the desert, there would be no way to refill their water supplies until they reached the oasis.
Harun loosened his grip on his camel's reins, reaching for his waterskin. "Careful, my lord," Laine warned him as he took a few large gulps. She, along with several of Averla's other pupils, had been chosen to be a part of his guard detail along with Katta. "Lady Averla warned us to ration our water."
"Is Harun running low on water?" Kyra inquired, riding up alongside them. "Here, take mine," she offered, thrusting her waterskin towards him.
"Um, you can have some of mine as well, if you want..." Emri offered, her camel attempting to squeeze between his and Katta's.
"No, no, that is not necessary," Harun said, holding out his arms defensively. "I have plenty of water left, I assure you. Please save yours for yourselves." The two girls nodded dejectedly, then steered their camels back into formation.
Katta had an amused look on her face. "What?" Harun asked.
"Please, my lord! Oh, please, take my water! And take me while you're at it!" Katta said in a mocking voice.
"Ugh," Harun groaned. "By the gods. If it isn't the thirst or the heat, I fear it might be these vai that finally claim me."
Katta laughed. "Fear not, O Great Dark Lord. No ill shall befall you while your loyal minions still draw breath."
Harun exhaled deeply, but smiled softly at Katta's antics. Leaning back and stretching, he glanced at the convoy ahead of him. Princess Sabah was in the very center, riding her sleigh beside two other young noble girls her age. They were surrounded on all sides by guards, including Commander Bularis. Further in front was Queen Urballa and her escort, along with Elder Kobami hovering beside her on a flying carpet. In between the three groups were servants and priestesses, along with extra sleighs and camels carrying supplies. A column of guards on either side of them ran between the three groups. Behind Harun was Lady Averla, who was many paces away, occasionally giving directions to his other guards. However, Harun was beginning to feel as though all this security was unnecessary. Other than a few cacti and some desert birds, they hadn't seen anything alive since they left Naboris.
I hope we brought enough water for everyone. I would hate to see someone die out here in the desert, protecting me from nothing…
Towards the center of the caravan, Harun saw the camels surrounding Princess Sabah spread out. He watched as her sand seal and the two others beside her suddenly sped up, diving and swimming through the sand with surprising grace. At first he was afraid, thinking they were fleeing an attack of some sort. But then, the seals turned, circling back within the safety of the convoy. They did a figure eight between her guards and her mother's, then turned and swam towards Harun. As the princess and her friends raced by him, Harun could see the look of joy on their faces.
Katta poked him with the back end of her spear. "You wanna race?" she asked, patting the back of her camel's neck encouragingly.
"I do not think that's wise," Harun said. It was probably risky enough for one of the VIPs to break formation for the sake of fun and games, let alone two of them.
"Aw, you're no fun," Katta complained. However, Harun wasn't listening to her. In the distance, beyond the caravan and off to the side, he thought he saw something. It was difficult to tell, but it looked like there was some movement beneath the sand.
More sand seals?
That was probably the most optimistic guess, but Harun knew there were many other creatures that swam in the sand sea. However, as he was wondering what else it might be, the mystery was answered for him. Further down the line, a creature burst from the sand, jumping into the air. The monster was a large, reptilian humanoid with bulbous eyes and a horn on its head. He'd never seen one in person before, but he knew what it was - a Lizalfos. More specifically, it was a Chameleofos, a particularly devious species of monster known to change color in order to camouflage itself.
The breaching monster landed on one of the camels, knocking it and its rider to the ground. It was the color of sand at first, but its scales quickly shifted, revealing a greenish hue. Before the rider had time to react, the Lizalfos raised its spear and stabbed it downwards into her chest. Somebody blew the warhorn, and then chaos erupted all around them. More Lizalfos were popping up from all sides while the guards scrambled to meet the threat.
"We're under attack!"
"Monsters!"
"Stay in formation!"
"Princess! Return to me!"
"Protect the queen!"
The blood drained from Harun's face as he watched the fighting begin.
It is just as I feared…
"Form up around the prince!" he heard Averla shout from behind him. The nearest guards brought their camels closer to his, forming a protective circle around him. A few Lizalfos leapt out of the sand nearby. One of them came near Katta, but she drove her spear through its neck. The monster wriggled on the tip of her spear until the guard next to her stabbed it as well, finishing it off.
On the other side, Averla rode past with her scimitars drawn and cut down two more of them on her way. "Prince, get away from the battle. You, you, and you, with me," she ordered. Most of the fighting was happening further down the line, so she took a few guards and went to back them up.
"What should we do, Prince Harun?" Emri asked him, clutching her spear against her chest nervously.
Harun's first thought was to do as Averla commanded. There were not many monsters near him yet. He could take his escort and get farther away, then rejoin the others once the fighting had died down. But as he looked over the battle, he saw Sabah and her young friends huddled together in the center of a ring of guards. All around her, more people were being attacked.
Because of me.
"Prepare for battle!" Harun shouted, sounding braver than he felt. Averla and the guards she'd taken with her were riding in to join the fight on the left, so they would go the other way. "Stay to the right. Move out!"
"Yes, my prince!" Laine replied, and many of his other guards shouted their acceptance as well. This was one time he was glad that these Ganonites were so devoted to him. Together, they rode their camels forward to join the battle.
Commander Bularis was leading the defense of Princess Sabah. She and many others had dismounted at this point. Harun watched her swing her massive battleaxe and cleave a Lizalfos in two. The monster next to it leapt back and screeched at her before taking an arrow through its horned head.
Harun led the charge into another large group of the Lizalfos. They were successful at first, scimitars swinging and spears thrusting. Although the monsters were fast, the camels were still able to trample some of them. But then, several of the monsters crouched down all at once and raised their spears defensively. The camels at the front of the group ran right into them. Their riders were thrown off, and the rest of them stumbled back.
"Turn back!" Harun shouted, pulling on his camel's reins. More monsters closed in around them. Harun raised his trident, calling forth a lightning spell and launching it at the nearest Lizalfos. As he turned to target another one, a boomerang flew past his face, slicing his left cheek. The shock of the sudden pain made him panic. He lost his balance and fell off the back of his mount.
"Harun!" Katta shouted from nearby, leaping down to the ground and rushing towards him. The Lizalfos that had thrown the boomerang caught it and soon approached him. Katta took notice and chucked her spear straight at it. The spear collided with the monster's scaly torso, and that was enough to knock it down. Harun scrambled to his feet and thrust his trident downwards to finish it off. He then collected Katta's spear and tossed it back to her.
"Thanks for that," Harun said gratefully.
"Don't mention it. But praise me more after we're done here."
The fighting continued with the two of them staying close, standing almost back to back. A peculiar-looking Lizalfos approached Harun, holding out its spear and looking at him with some scrutiny. Most of the Lizalfos he'd seen so far were colored green, blue, or black, but this one was striped with yellow and grey scales. There was something off-putting about the way the creature stared at him, too. Harun had always been told that monsters were little more than beasts, but seeing one up close now, he saw cunning in those eyes. These were not animals. The monster looking at him right now was thinking, planning, scheming.
"Don't fight with abandon," he said to Katta without taking his eyes off his opponent. "These things are smarter than they appear."
"Ah, so like you, then."
"You are still calling me smart, so I shall accept that statement." Moving quickly, Harun feinted to the left, then went right, thrusting his trident towards his foe. With astounding agility, the Lizalfos leapt back several feet, dodging his attack completely. Then, just as quickly, it sprinted back over to him for a counterattack, stabbing at him with its spear. Harun managed to get over his initial shock just in time to dodge the blow.
It's fast.
He suddenly doubted he could match the creature in a fair fight, especially since his weapon was shorter and not really designed for actual combat. So, he raised his trident into the air and summoned another lightning spell. However, when he unleashed it, the lightning did not go where he directed it to. Instead, it went straight to the Lizalfos's horn. The last Lizalfos he had hit with lightning had died instantly, but this one did not seem harmed at all. Instead, its horn began to spark with electrical discharge.
What the…?
Harun wasn't sure if reptiles could smirk, but the Lizalfos certainly looked like it did so. It opened its mouth and emitted a noise that sounded almost taunting, then ducked forward. Its horn glowed brightly, and before Harun knew what was happening, a bubble of electrical discharge spread out around the Lizalfos. The trident flew out of his hands when it hit him. He felt pain shooting through his entire body. His muscles tensed and he fell to the ground, helplessly seizing. He saw Katta fall to the ground beside him. The Lizalfos she had been fighting growled, approaching its now helpless victims.
No…
Trying desperately to move, to get up, to do something, Harun struggled uselessly in the desert sand. The electric Lizalfos looked as devious as ever as it came closer and raised its spear, ready to finish him off. But before it did, a massive axe blade swung at it from the side, chopping its head clean off.
Commander!
Bularis turned to the other Lizalfos and leapt over Harun and Katta. She was surprisingly nimble without her plate armor on, even with such a heavy weapon. Facing her enemy, she swung her axe downwards, attempting to cleave the monster down the middle, but it jumped back several feet in fear. It shrieked angrily at the commander, but it ran away without a second look.
"Prince Harun! Are you harmed?" Commander Bularis asked, standing over him.
The pain was still there, but Harun's muscles were starting to relax. "I will be fine," he stated, but made no effort to get up. "Katta? Are you well?" he asked, turning his head to the side.
"Mwmmhmm…" Katta rolled over onto her side. She blinked rapidly a few times, coming out of a daze. "Well-ish," she replied.
Commander Bularis planted the end of her axe into the sand, then reached out a hand to Harun. "Get up, my prince. The area is not safe yet."
Harun took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. He then turned and gave the same assistance to Katta. Scanning the area, he spotted his trident on the ground, then held out his hand. The trident shook for a moment, then flew off of the ground and into his grasp.
"Show off," Katta said, bending over to retrieve her spear.
"Come with me. We must get you to safety," Bularis insisted.
The three of them made their way over to the circular defensive formation of guards that had formed around Princess Sabah. At the commander's request, Harun joined the princess and the civilians in the middle, while Bularis and Katta joined the outer line of defense. There was still a bit of fighting going on around them, but most of the surviving Lizalfos were now over by the queen. Harun did not feel great about letting the others fight while he remained safe, but he decided it would be best not to disobey his elders a second time.
"I'm glad you're okay," Princess Sabah said to him when he arrived.
"I'm glad you are as well." Harun smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Fear not. This will all be over soon."
As she looked up at him, Sabah's eyes went wide. "You're hurt!" she said, sounding worried.
"Hm?" Harun put a hand to his cheek. He was bleeding where the Lizalfos's boomerang had grazed him. "It is only a scratch. There is no cause for alarm."
Returning his attention to the battle, Harun glanced over to the other end of the convoy. Queen Urballa was fighting alongside her guards, shield and scimitar drawn. The way she moved while she fought was striking. She looked like a graceful dancer. After blocking a blow with her shield, she would spin, slicing her attacker with her scimitar. Occasionally, she would charge up a lightning spell of her own, empowering her blade with electricity that shocked her enemies as she struck them.
Lady Averla had joined the battle alongside the queen. Her movements were equally as graceful, and just as impressive. Fighting with dual scimitars, she regularly fought against two opponents at once, blocking one and striking the other, or blocking them both before delivering two deadly counters at once.
Soaring through the air above them was Elder Kobami, cackling maniacally while raining down orbs of dark purple flame. Several Lizalfos tried to take her down with arrows and boomerangs, but she deflected them all with wind magic, sometimes redirecting the projectiles to hit other Lizalfos.
Before long, the last of the monsters began to flee, apparently realizing they had massively underestimated their prey. Once the battle was over, the queen and her escort remounted on their remaining camels and rode over to rejoin Harun's group.
"Where is my daughter?" was the first thing Urballa said when she reached them, climbing down from her camel.
"Here, my queen," Harun answered. The guards parted, opening the way for their queen. She stepped past them hurriedly.
"Mother!" Sabah said. She ran into her mother's arms, and Urballa knelt down to embrace her.
"I'm glad you're safe," the queen said. After hugging her daughter, she stood up and looked at Harun. "You're hurt," she said, sounding strangely like her daughter.
"It is no cause for alarm," Harun repeated, wiping the blood from his cheek again.
Urballa nodded. "Good. Prince Harun, Commander Bularis, come with me."
Harun and Bularis followed the queen outside of the defensive circle of guards. The three of them joined up with Lady Averla and Elder Kobami and walked a little further, giving them some privacy.
"How many casualties?" Urballa asked, directing the question to Bularis.
"Fairly light, all things considered," the commander answered.
"We greatly outnumbered them, Hylia be praised," Averla added gratefully. "Once the Lizalfos lost the element of surprise, the odds quickly shifted in our favor."
"We seem to have lost a number of our camels, however," Harun observed. "They did not stand up well against the enemy spears."
"Damn. That will slow us down," the queen said, swearing under her breath. "But if we get moving soon, we can still reach the Southern Oasis by the anticipated time. How many wounded do we have?"
"Many. Mostly civilians," Averla said. "If we had allowed some healers from the Temple of Hylia to join us…"
"Heathen magic is not needed," Elder Kobami rasped. "We have healing herbs and potions, assuming none of the monsters made off with them."
The queen took a moment to survey the area. "Get the wounded on camels and sleighs," she ordered. "Dump some supplies to make room if you have to. Have the spirit priestesses perform the last rites for the fallen, but we haven't enough time to bury them. We'll be traveling in two groups this time. I want to be with my daughter for the rest of the journey."
"As you command," Kobami said. She, Averla, Bularis, and Harun all bowed curtly, then set off to deliver her orders.
Night had fallen an hour before they reached the Southern Oasis. The entire party had needed to stop briefly to don warmer clothes in order to combat the sudden drop in temperature. Whereas Harun had feared heatstroke during the day, he now kept his gloved hands tucked under his arms for fear of losing fingers to frostbite.
I would trade this desert for the fields of Hyrule any day.
He had never been to Hyrule, but Harun had heard the weather there was always beautiful. Never too hot, never too cold. Enough rain for crops to grow, yet plenty of pleasant sunlight that wasn't intense enough to burn one's skin.
It must be a magical place...
The camels came to a stop. The Southern Oasis was located atop a rocky mesa jutting up out of the sand. He could see trees and wooden structures at the top. Harun suddenly realized he didn't need to worry about rationing his water anymore, so he quickly took numerous thirsty gulps from his waterskin.
Several Gerudo atop the mesa stood by the cliff's edge, peering down at them. "Who approaches the oasis?" one of them called out.
"Your queen," Urballa called back. "I have many wounded. Lower the lifts at once."
Chatter could be heard amongst the oasis guards. Having had no time to send a message ahead of them to inform the people of the oasis that they were coming, the queen and her party were not expected. However, any doubt that Urballa was who she claimed to be seemed to fade soon enough. "At once, my queen," came the answer from above.
Several wooden platforms extended from the top of the mesa, like bridges leading to nowhere, or docks meant for ships in a dried up sea. At the ends of those platforms were large crane-operated rope lifts. The operators at the top soon lowered them down, allowing the people on the ground to climb aboard the platforms to be lifted upwards. Urballa sent the wounded up first, and then the rest of the civilians. When it was his turn, Harun stepped onto one of the lifts, his escort crowding in with him.
"Phew! Finally," Katta said, letting out an exhausted exhale. "I need a bath and some sleep. And as much food as we can get our hands on before heading back out into the desert tomorrow morning."
"Hmm," Harun grunted in response. Nothing she said was really processing for him. His mind was still on the battlefield, and on those who hadn't been fortunate enough to make it this far. He took some solace in the fact that their spirits had been properly sent to the afterlife by the priestesses in their party. There was always talk of Poes roaming the haunted wastelands at night. He would hate for any of those who had fallen today to be trapped in this world, unable to pass on.
When the lift reached the top, Harun and his guards stepped onto the dock. The night was dark, but plenty of lit torches decorated the area, allowing them to see the oasis clearly. As expected of any good source of water in the desert, a town had sprung up around it. Between the trees, many tents and proper buildings had been erected. He could tell the mesa town would be a bustling marketplace come morning, filled with nomadic tradeswomen from around the desert passing through to buy and sell goods, as well as people who had chosen the oasis as their home.
Queen Urballa and Princess Sabah walked hand in hand off of another lift. When they reached the mesa, a dark-skinned woman in fine silks was there to meet them. "My queen, it is always an honor to host you," the woman said with a bow.
"Thank you, Chief Dina," Urballa replied. "I apologize for coming with such a large group without sending a message first, but our need to travel this way came rather suddenly."
"No apologies necessary, my queen. We shall have suitable accommodations prepared for you and all of your companions," Chief Dina said. She stopped and turned to Harun as he approached her. Harun chose to remain silent at first. He was always cautious when meeting new people. If this Chief Dina was a Hylianite, he did not want to risk saying anything that might make her angry.
"Chief Dina, this is my ward, Harun," the queen said, introducing him. Not that he required any introduction. There were no other male Gerudo for him to be confused with.
Dina gave a short bow. "It is an honor to host you as well, Prince Harun," she said.
"Your hospitality is much appreciated." Harun could not tell what the woman thought of him, if anything at all. She was polite, but there was always the possibility that she simply wished to keep up appearances in front of the queen.
"Come, allow me to show you to your accommodations for the night." Chief Dina turned and bid them to follow her. "You will have the finest rooms in our finest inns. Please feel free to make use of our bathhouses as well. I'm sure your journey from the Northern Oasis has made you weary. We shall have a great feast prepared for you by the time you are settled."
"No feast," Urballa said, holding up her hand. "A meal will be appreciated, but no festivities. Tonight is a night of mourning."
"As you wish," Dina said with a nod. She set off down the path towards the oasis, with Queen Urballa and Princess Sabah following her. Harun held back for a moment, looking over his shoulder until Katta rejoined him.
"Darn. I could've gone for a feast," Katta said. "And some wine, too, gods permitting."
Harun smiled weakly. He would've thought everyone would be as solemn as he was after the day's events, but Katta seemed to be trying hard to act like her usual self.
She's probably trying to cheer me up.
"Come. Let us find our belongings and see where we shall be staying for the night," Harun said, following after the queen.
"They better have a double bed for us, then." Katta elbowed him lightly in the side.
"Shh," Harun shushed her. But truth be told, he did not want to spend the night alone.
Later that night, after Harun had bathed and changed into fresh clothing, he joined the others for their evening meal. Those who had been wounded enough to be bedridden were not in attendance, but everyone else in their party was there, along with many of the oasis villagers. They would be dining next to the famous Southern Oasis itself. Several long dining tables covered with food had been placed along the water's edge, providing them with a gorgeous moonlit view of the village's lifeblood.
Unfortunately, Katta had been seated with the other guards her age, whereas Harun was sitting with the higher ups. The prince was worried that the queen had separated them on purpose, but he knew he was just being paranoid. These seating arrangements were common enough. Queen Urballa sat at the head of the table, with Harun to her right and Princess Sabah to her left. Chief Dina sat across from her at the other end of the table. Elder Kobami, Lady Averla, and Commander Bularis were there as well, plus a few other nobles of the queen's court.
As Harun picked at his food, he looked around the table at the immense spread of dishes. He knit his brow as a thought came to him.
"Something troubling you, young voe?" Averla asked him, taking a bite out of a piece of hydromelon.
"Why did the Lizalfos attack us?" Harun asked. He lifted up a piece of fish at the end of his fork. "For food?"
"Most likely," Averla answered. "The rations we were transporting, our camels and seals, even us. Monsters will eat it all. They rely on nothing but base instinct, same as any animal."
That doesn't sound right.
The creatures Harun had fought that day were at least somewhat intelligent. They attacked in an ambush, fought with skill, and wielded weapons of forged metal. Surely animals were not capable of that. "Is it true that Lizalfos fought for Ganondorf in the Twilight War?" he asked, although he wasn't sure why he felt the need to pursue this matter.
"Indeed," Elder Kobami joined in from the other side of the table. "The Great Ganondorf commanded vast legions of monsters. Lizalfos, Blins, Chilfos, Darknuts…"
"So they have intelligence," Harun said. "They can be negotiated with, and take sides in a war."
Kobami cackled. "Monsters can be useful tools, yes, but they are not people like you and me. The Gerudo and the Twili followed the Great Ganondorf for many reasons. Honor, loyalty, faith. But monsters will never serve anyone but themselves unless it is out of fear or greed. They follow the strongest side. That is all they know." Averla nodded, which was a bad sign to Harun.
Since when do the two of them agree on anything?
"Why, though?" Harun asked, still not understanding. "What makes them different from humans and Rito and all the other Children of Nayru?"
"After Din created the Earth, and Farore created life," Averla began. "Nayru created civilization and offered it to all beings clever enough to speak. Those of us who are now known as her children accepted her teachings. All those who rejected civilization became monsters."
Something about that didn't sit right with Harun. How could anyone know what happened thousands of years ago? And even if the monsters back then truly did reject civilization, why should their descendants be bound by that?
"Shouldn't the gods give them another chance?" Harun asked. "It doesn't seem fair to condemn them forever."
"They were given another chance," Averla insisted. "After Nayru came Hylia, whom the Golden Goddesses entrusted to continue their work after they departed from this world. Hylia wanted to unite all peoples, but the monsters rejected this offer as well, instead choosing to follow the Demon King Demise."
Something strange happened as Harun listened to Averla. When she spoke the name Demise, it was as if Harun could hear a second voice saying it at the same time - a voice very different from hers. Harun blinked, and for a moment, all he saw was fire - fire and the Beast. When he blinked again, it was gone, but he felt very lightheaded. He leaned forward, putting his hand over his face and exhaling with exhaustion.
"Harun? Are you okay?" Princess Sabah asked him. "Are you hurt?" She must have still been worried that he'd been injured in the battle earlier that day.
"I'm fine," Harun insisted, feeling his cheek to make sure he wasn't bleeding again. "Only tired."
"Perhaps you should turn in for the night," Queen Urballa suggested. "We still have a long ride ahead of us."
"Yes, I think that is wise," Harun agreed. He stood up, feeling woozy. "Please excuse me, my queen." He then turned to Chief Dina. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said with a slight bow. Having excused himself, he started back toward the inn where his belongings had been stored for the night. Before he realized it, four of his guards had gotten up from their table to join him. Katta was among them, the others being Laine, Emri, and Kyra.
"Let us escort you, my prince," Laine offered. Too tired and too disturbed by his latest vision to argue, Harun simply nodded and kept walking.
After entering the inn, rounding the corner, and walking down the hallway, they came to his door. "Thank you for the escort, ladies. I bid you goodnight," he said, hoping to dismiss his guards quickly before they got any ideas. That is, except for Katta. He was hoping she'd be too stubborn to leave.
"You want us to stand guard at the door, then?" Kyra offered, with Emri nodding in agreement.
"That will not be necessary," Harun insisted. "We are safe enough here." Nodding, three of the girls turned and walked away. But, as he'd hoped, Katta lingered.
"Are you alright?" she asked him seriously. "Did you have another vision just then?"
"I did," Harun confirmed. "But I'm tired. I don't want to think about it right now. I just want to sleep."
"Alright," Katta agreed. Stepping forward, she opened the door and went inside, then gestured with her hand to invite Harun in as well. He chuckled softly at her presumptuousness, but he was glad she had chosen to stay.
Harun had a strange dream that night, though not the kind he normally had. He forgot a lot of the details within the first few minutes of waking up, but some of it stuck with him. In the dream, he'd been walking through a hallway. He didn't recognize the building he was in. In fact, the architecture was completely foreign to him. It must have been Hylian, since everyone he saw was short and fair-skinned, and many of them were men.
At the end of the hallway, two Hylians wearing elaborate gilded armor allowed him to pass into the next room. He appeared to have entered some sort of throne room, which was lined with many more Hylian knights holding spears. A man wearing a crown sat on a throne at the end of the room. Harun walked closer to the crowned man, then got down on one knee and bowed to him. However, despite demonstrating such respect for the man, he could feel nothing but repressed rage and contempt for this Hylian stranger.
All of a sudden, he had a feeling like he was being watched. Turning his head to the right, he saw a window. A young boy had his face pressed up against the glass, peering in at him. When he realized he'd been seen, the boy looked frightened and backed away out of sight. That was when Harun had woken up.
A strange dream, but much better than seeing the Beast again.
The castle he'd walked through must have been Hyrule Castle. Harun had never been there, but he'd heard stories of it. Some said it put the Gerudo Palace to shame and was as large as the entire city of Naboris. From how grand and royal the dream castle appeared, it seemed to fit the description. The man on the throne was probably the King of Hyrule. However, he'd heard the Hylian king was an older man with greyed hair. The king in his dream was younger. Perhaps he'd seen a vision of the past. Even so, he wasn't sure why he'd felt such anger and resentment towards the man. Yet, despite this intriguing mystery, the king wasn't what Harun was most concerned with.
Who was that boy in the window?
He'd only caught a brief glimpse of the child. He'd looked to have been about ten to twelve years old. Most of the Hylians Harun had met were diplomats - grown men and women. However, sometimes they brought their children with them. The youngest Hylian princess had even visited once, and she had gotten along well with Princess Sabah. But he had never seen that boy before. He had never seen anything in that dream before, so he wasn't sure why it mattered, but something about that boy stood out to him. The sight of him hadn't bothered Harun in the dream, but now, he just couldn't shake the feeling that it was a bad omen or something.
Nevertheless, Harun was able to wake up and prepare to embark on the next day of their journey without dwelling on the dream for too long. After loading their belongings onto their camels, Harun and Katta walked down to the cliff docks together. There, they found Lady Averla overseeing things as the oasis guards helped lower people and supplies down to the ground.
"Sav'otta," Katta greeted Averla as they approached.
"Sav'otta," she returned, nodding to Katta and then to Harun. "Are you doing well this morning?"
"We are," Harun answered. He did not go into detail about his dream, but he hoped his somewhat positive attitude would tell her he did not see the Beast again after he left the dinner table the night before.
Katta stepped to the end of the dock and peered over the edge while they waited for the lift to return. "Not many people down there yet," she remarked. "Are we early?"
Averla shook her head. "Those who were wounded yesterday will be staying here to recover, along with some guards and attendants to look after them."
Harun felt his heart sink. He'd wanted to put the events of the previous day behind him as much as he could. Being reminded of what had happened was going to make him regret ever agreeing to this journey, and he could only imagine what the Hylianites would say about him now.
I could've handled the visions for a few extra days. This is senseless.
The rational part of his brain told him that if they hadn't decided to travel to the Sage of Spirit, then the sage and her followers would have had to travel to him instead, so someone would've been in danger either way. But that didn't make him feel any better.
If only I'd said nothing about the visions...
After a moment of self-loathing, he told himself there was no point in dwelling on that now. Perhaps it would be safer to travel in a smaller group, and the second part of their journey would be a bit shorter than the first. They could easily make it the rest of the way without any more harm coming to anyone else.
The lift creaked into place as it reached the top again. Harun and Katta carefully led their camels onto it. "Will you be coming down soon?" Harun asked Averla.
"Yes. I merely wish to collect the remaining stragglers," she replied. "The queen and the princess are already on the ground. I shall join you shortly."
Harun nodded, then signalled to the lift operator. As they began to descend, Katta gripped his hand in hers. "Today will be different," she assured him. "I won't let anyone else get hurt."
Harun looked her in the eyes. She must have been able to tell what he'd been thinking earlier. He also realized she was probably feeling as guilty as he was. It was mostly her comrades and other people she was supposed to protect who had been hurt, after all. "I know," Harun said. "Thank you, Katta."
Looking into his eyes, her lips curled into a smile. "You better not let yourself get hurt, either," she warned him. "If you do, I'll kill you."
Harun laughed. "You just can't be serious, can you?"
"Course I can. I'm serious when I'm killin' stuff, aren't I?" She reached over her shoulder and tapped her knuckles against the side of her spear, which was strapped to the back of her camel.
"Let us hope you have no need to be serious today, then," Harun declared.
"Now you're gettin' it."
When the lift reached the ground, Harun and Katta stepped off of it, leading their camels by the reins. As they walked across the desert sand to join the group, several seal sleighs raced past them. Some onlookers were cheering them on, rooting for one or the other to win. Harun stopped and furrowed his brow.
Have they already forgotten yesterday's events?
Katta tugged on his sleeve. "Come on," she urged him, pointing at a group of his guards that were gathered a little further away.
Harun looked around until he spotted Queen Urballa. She stood by her camel watching over everything, with Elder Kobami and Commander Bularis by her side. "In a moment," Harun said to Katta. "I wish to speak with the queen first."
Katta shrugged. "Alright. Don't take forever," she said before moving along.
Harun made his way over to Urballa. Kobami was the first to notice him. She was sitting cross legged on her carpet, although it was not hovering at the moment. "Sav'otta, young one," she greeted him. Urballa and Bularis offered their greetings as well.
"Are we prepared to leave?" he asked after returning their greetings. As far as he was concerned, leaving sooner would be better. He would rather get this over with. Every second they were in this horrible desert was another moment someone could be harmed.
"We were just taking a headcount," Bularis said. "Is Lady Averla still atop the mesa?"
"She is," Harun confirmed. He turned to look back up at the lifts. Averla was visible at the end of one of the docks. When he looked away, he again noticed that several members of the party were talking jovially, playing games, and generally carrying on a light mood. He spotted a few sullen looks here and there, but for most of them, it was as if they were leaving all their sadness behind with the injured. He didn't like it.
"Something troubling you?" the queen asked.
Harun turned to him. "Why are they-?" He cut himself off when he noticed he was raising his voice. He hadn't realized he was getting angry. "Why are they not still mourning?" he continued, speaking less loudly.
Urballa nodded gravely, as if she understood completely. "I forget this is your first time truly leaving the city," she said.
Harun was confused. "What do you mean?"
"What happened yesterday was not unexpected," the queen explained. "They all knew the risks. That is life in the desert. But do not take their attitude as a lack of grieving. They are simply trying to keep their spirits up."
Harun was silent. He felt like he understood it better now, but he still didn't like it.
They're used to this?
That thought alone was tragic.
"You should return to your escort, young voe," Commander Bularis suggested. "We shall be departing shortly."
Harun turned around. Averla and a few others were descending on the lift, presumably the last of their party who would be going on the second leg of their journey. There were more people in attendance than he'd first thought, but it was still quite a bit fewer than the previous day.
Urballa and Bularis dismissed themselves and went to join the queen's escort. Kobami lingered for a moment. "Hold on to that anger, young one," she told him. "Our people suffer. You must let that motivate you."
"I am not angry," Harun said in denial.
Kobami held his gaze for a moment. "Then you do not yet understand." With that, her carpet lifted into the air, and she rode a gust of wind over to join the queen.
The second part of the journey was a lot like the first. Scorching heat, constant risk of dehydration, overbearing guards, fear of monster attacks, and the endless boredom of sitting on a camel's back for hours and hours on end. There were times when Harun wished he'd taken a sand seal sleigh like the princess, although Urballa did not allow her daughter to go off and play this time around. The queen and the princess were surrounded by their guards in a pack several meters ahead of Harun, while he and his guards stayed clustered further back.
Luckily, they had managed to avoid any conflict with monsters and animals so far. They'd seen plenty of Leevers spinning by as well as some Hroks flying overhead, but every creature they saw seemed to keep their distance or not even notice them. Harun was rather happy with that. The last thing he needed was a second Lizalfos attack weighing on his conscience.
Harun had a mini heart attack when he heard someone up ahead in the queen's group blowing a signal horn. However, it was not to signal danger. Way ahead of them, past what was certainly a few more miles of desert, they could see the head of the Desert Colossus peeking out over the horizon. The colossus was a massive stone statue of the Goddess of the Sand, Nephysis. It appeared as a woman sitting crossed legged, holding her hands out palm up, with a cobra twisting around her waist and neck. The cobra was meant to depict the most loyal servant of Nephysis, Alkawbra, the Goddess of Spirit. The statue itself was carved into the rockface that served as the entrance to the Spirit Temple, one of the most prominent structures within the Arbiter's Grounds.
We're almost there.
Many people around him and up ahead in the queen's group cheered victoriously. Soon they could get out of the hot desert sun and enjoy the comforts of water and shelter again.
"Thank Nephysis," Harun expressed. He didn't usually specify which god he was referring to when he praised the gods. He never knew which one of them was watching over him, if any. But seeing that statue of the Gerudo goddess watching them from across the desert, it was easy to imagine her actually looking down on them from the Sacred Realm.
Perhaps it was her that protected us from monsters today.
Harun smiled. All around him, his guards were praying and offering their thanks to the desert goddess. There were a few exceptions, however. Averla seemed glad that their journey was nearing its end, but she was not praying.
Oh. That's right.
Averla was a Hylianite. She prayed to Hylia, and perhaps sometimes the Golden Goddesses, but not to Nephysis. She probably did not view the statue as anything particularly holy.
He turned to Katta next. She was staring ahead intently, facing the statue. "Pleased to see her?" Harun asked.
"I wanna climb it," she said with an excited look on her face.
Harun furrowed his brow. "Excuse me?"
"The Desert Colossus. I wanna climb it."
"Is that not… I don't know… blasphemy?"
"I dunno, but it sounds fun."
Harun chuckled.
I'll just have to pray for Nephysis to keep her eyes closed for a bit, then.
However, despite the light mood, their momentary reprieve did not last much longer. There was another horn blast from the lead group. At first, Harun thought it was just repeating the celebratory signal of spotting their destination. But then the sound was repeated, and Harun realized it wasn't the same horn as earlier. It was the warhorn. Harun felt all the happiness drain out of him.
No! Not now! We were so close!
The queen and her escort suddenly changed course and picked up their speed, making a sharp turn to the right. Harun glanced to the left. In the distance, he could see something moving towards Urballa's group beneath the sand. Something much bigger than a Lizalfos. The guards and servants around him began to panic, screaming in terror or nervously asking what the dust clouds were.
"Go! Now! Get moving! Full speed!" Averla ordered Harun's group frantically. "To the cliffs! Move!" Harun and everyone around him began whipping their camels, setting them off at a full sprint. They turned to head for where Urballa's group seemed to be going. There was a cliff several meters away. It was off course, but it was much closer than the Arbiter's Grounds.
Heading for a cliff was a smart move. A rocky formation like that would likely run deep under the sand to a layer of bedrock that sand-swimming monsters could not move through easily, especially large ones. Harun couldn't tell what the monster was, but that was one of the scary things about the desert. It could be any number of things. Perhaps it was a Malgyorg, although the sand sharks did not grow as big as whatever this monster was. It could be a Lanmola, but the giant centipedes weren't that fast. It was more likely a Moldorm or its flying cousin, the Molgera. Harun had seen some of the giant worms off in the distance while standing atop the palace walls back home. He'd hoped to never have to see one up close.
Up ahead, Urballa's group reached the cliff. They ran up around the sides of it, gathering atop an overhanging ledge, minimizing the possibility of the sand-bound monster reaching them. Of course, that wouldn't protect them from a Molgera, but they had to hope it was something else.
Harun looked toward the monster. It was still kicking up dust clouds as it sped along beneath the surface of the sand. All of a sudden, it stopped, as if sensing the vibrations of its prey had disappeared. Then, after a moment, the dust clouds resumed, moving towards Harun's group instead.
"It's coming for us!" Harun shouted.
"Keep going!" Averla ordered.
The camels were running as fast as they could, likely just as scared as they were. Katta rode up alongside Harun's left. They locked eyes, sharing a look of mutual fear.
"If we have to fight it, you keep moving," Katta ordered him.
Harun furrowed his brow. "Never," he declared. "If we fight, we fight together."
Katta turned and looked at the approaching dust cloud, then turned back to him. She nodded grimly with determination. Harun hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. The monster was fast approaching, but they were almost to the cliff.
Just a little further.
"Spread out!" Averla ordered. Without breaking pace, the riders in Harun's company fanned outwards. It took Harun a second to figure out why. The monster would soon be on them, and this way, it wouldn't kill them all at once.
Please. Nephysis. Alkawbra. Hylia. Ganon. Don't let anyone die today.
But it seemed Harun's prayers would go unheeded. A moment later, he heard the sound of something large bursting out from beneath the sand, followed by the screams of camels and their riders. Harun chanced a look over his shoulder.
The monster that had breached the surface was not a worm, but something more like a gigantic fish. It was astonishingly fat, colored dark brown on its back and white on its belly, with spiky, ridged fins on its back and tail. Its head sported a strange diamond-shaped crest, and an unusual protrusion from its lower jaw gave it the appearance of having an oversized chin. Perhaps most strangely, despite its fish-like appearance, it had four useless, stubby legs, which made it look somewhat like an obese newt. Despite the monster's size, it managed to launch itself a dozen feet into the air. Its horrid jaws were open, filled with rows of misaligned, jagged teeth. For a moment, he saw a vision of the Beast from his dreams overlaying the monster before him. He managed to tear his gaze away from the creature, which shattered the vision, but made him feel suddenly lightheaded.
Focus! Think! What do I do?
Harun looked back at the monster. After its initial breach, the monster's jaws snapped shut, swallowing whichever unfortunate rider it had caught. Then it crashed back down to the ground, crushing another camel and its rider as it did. The creature moaned, as if its landing had been painful, but soon it began thrashing around, kicking up another dust cloud as it burrowed back into the sand. As it did, it knocked over two more camels, sending their riders flying.
While Harun desperately tried to decide whether or not to go back and help his comrades, Katta turned around and headed back for them immediately. "Katta! Don't!" Harun shouted.
"Keep moving!" Lady Averla ordered her.
But Katta did not listen. Harun yanked the reins and went after her. He immediately felt his terror intensify. The monster was beneath the sand again, but it could pop back up at any moment, and he was charging right towards it. Ahead of him, he saw Katta hop off of her camel to help one of the fallen riders stand up. Harun headed for the other one, intending to do the same.
However, he did not reach her. He felt something grab him from behind and yank him off of his camel. He yelped in surprise, struggling to break free.
"Stop!" he heard Averla scream in his ear. "Stay still!" She laid him in front of her on her camel's back, keeping one hand pressing him down as she turned her camel to put them back on the path to the cliffs.
"No!" Harun shouted. "Wait! Stop! We have to go back! They'll be killed!"
"And so will we!" Averla countered.
Lying on his stomach, Harun turned his head to the side to watch as Katta and the fallen riders got farther and farther away from him. They were moving to Katta's camel, but they were not fast enough. Harun could see the monster moving beneath the sand, heading straight for them.
"Katta!" Harun shouted.
Katta turned her head. She had time to make eye contact with him for only a split second before she was swallowed up by the monster breaching the surface of the sand.
In Harun's vision, the monster became the Dark Beast again, and the surrounding area shifted to a burning field. He closed his eyes and screamed, suddenly feeling a piercing pain shooting through his head.
"Silence!" Averla ordered him. She began to say something else, but her voice sounded deep and slurred, and Harun soon blacked out.
