Page 59 of Blood of the Sands

All that stretched around me was golden sand. No indentations marked this as a place dozens of riders may have camped last night. None of the others were in sight. Absent was the comforting wicker of horses nearby, and I couldn’t make out any sort of irregularity on the horizon that could signal the mountains. Even Daiti was gone, my first real friend in a decade.

Hot sand scraped my palms, but I didn’t remember falling to my hands and knees. One word echoed in my head in time with the pounding of my heart.

Alone. Alone.

Fear rose like bile in my throat, choking me even as I swallowed rapidly, hard won survival habits resurfacing. I’d had a taste of companionship in Kelvadan, and even if I hadn’t quite found my place among others yet, it still made the renewed threat of exile worse in my heart. I couldn’t go back to living like that.

I was startled from my panic by a shifting of sands too rhythmic to be from wind alone. I whipped around, rolling from my hands and knees into a crouch. I squinted at the shimmering heat over the next dune, which formed itself into a man. The first thing I recognized was a green sash.

“Axlan?”

I had fallen asleep next to his tent last night, and although the camp was gone, now he stumbled over the dunes toward me. A look of relief crossed his face, and he quickened his pace toward me as I stared in confusion. He stopped just before where I sat.

“Not how you expected to wake up either?” was his greeting.

I shook my head, hand drifting to my own sash warily, only to find my weapons had abandoned me too.

Axlan raised his hand in a gesture of peace. “I’m not here to harm you. I think this is the next challenge. A test of our survival skills.”

I glanced around. If Axlan had woken up the same way I had, it seemed likely that the other riders had too.

“The stew,” I thought out loud. We had all eaten from the same pots, and never before had I fallen asleep so quickly I hadn’t even remembered it. “They must have drugged us.”

Axlan rubbed the heel of his hand against his forehead. “It would explain the hangover.”

“So, what do you think we are meant to do?”

He peered around, squinting in every direction. “I would guess we’re meant to make our way back to the city.”

I nodded while contemplating the task. Not knowing how far out we might be, and with those who abandoned us not sure how long of a journey it would be for us either, my first priority needed to be supplies. Water was my first need. As well fed as I was these days, I could likely make it a couple days before hunger overwhelmed me. I wouldn’t say no to a weapon either. The sash around my waist and a few stones would be a passable makeshift sling.

Axlan’s feet shuffling in the sand reminded me that I had been staring sightlessly at the horizon for a while now.

“I’m going to pick a direction and start walking.” He cleared his throat awkwardly and his meaning was clear. I was still his competitor, even though we had been on the same team in the last challenge. He was hesitant to ally with me, and as much as I had feared the isolation just a moment ago, I wasn’t anxious to put trust in a near stranger. I had survived a decade on my own—I could do a few days.

“Good luck.” I nodded to Axlan as I stood, brushing off my clothes as best I could.

He hesitated. “There is a hidden spring just over that rise.” He pointed toward the direction he’d come. “I just drank from it, but it might be a good place to start.”

I tapped my knuckles to my brow in a heartfelt thank you. He returned the gesture, and we walked our separate ways, me toward the rising sun, and him away. I would likely follow in that direction, considering the sun normally rose in the direction of the sea, not the city, but water was my priority now.

The acrid stickiness in my mouth took over my thoughts as I trudged in the direction Axlan had indicated. It served as a reminder that I was still working whatever drug had made me blind to the world out of my system. Any potential side effects would also be a concern in surviving the next few days.

Cresting the rise, I caught sight of a patch of green scrub, signaling I had found my target. I hurried toward it, finding a sluggish spring bubbling up from beneath the earth giving the plant life the moisture it needed.

I bent, using my cupped hands to gulp down water. I grimaced at the sulfuric taste that coated my tongue, but only hesitated a moment before swallowing another mouthful. While I had been lucky that the oasis where I resided was relatively free of the minerals that laced water from underground wells, it was not uncommon for desert springs to have a distinct taste.

Despite the mineral taste of this water being cloying strong, I downed steady sips that wouldn’t make me sick but would keep me well hydrated for the miles to come. I couldn’t afford to be picky.

I stood from the spring, taking a moment to take stock of my surroundings. Some small stones scattered around the edges of the small, bubbling pool. I toed through them, looking for some that might fit my makeshift sling. It wouldn’t seriously injure any larger predators, but a well-placed stone could serve as a persuasive deterrent. Once I had a suitable collection, I shoved them into my pockets.

Turning to the barren shrubbery, I put my hands on my hips in contemplation. While the wizened plants didn’t appear to bear any edible fruit, I was loathe to turn down any possible advantage. Perhaps if I could hack off one of the larger branches it could be used as a club or a small walking stick.

With a sigh, I set to work, yanking at the waist height bushes. After a minute of fruitless tugging, I pulled off my long leather vest and wrapped it around my hands, my palms already raw from my efforts.

A splintering sound signaled my progress. With pride, I observed a split at the base of the thickest branch. A few more solid tugs and it would come free. Then it would only be a matter of cleaning off the prickly twigs so I could hold it more comfortably.

Before I continued though, I paused to rub at my chest. Despite the heat of the sun suffusing my whole body, the skin there was filled with an awful burning. I clawed my hands, using my nails to scratch at it more determinedly. Still, the itch did not abate.