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The sky lightened to a purple that had me clenching in fear. Night was coming. I needed a rock.
A scramble to my feet showed only a few spindly trees. Good thing I wasn’t a big girl.
I sprinted for the nearest one. I wanted the vibration of my feet to be long lost before the monsters woke. In my head, I imagined them following me, determined to eat the one they missed. I ignored the voice of my father that told me most animals preferred to hunt only a certain distance from their lairs.
I’d just leaped onto the base of a trunk, my arms and legs hugging the tree, when a voice from above hissed, “This one is taken.”
A glance up had shown me a freckled face framed in shorn hair that spiked upside down with her where she peeked between the wide fronds.
Before I could reply, she pointed. “That tree is free.”
I quickly scaled the one slightly over, ignoring the scrape of my skin in my haste. At the top, I had to slip through the overlapping leaves until I sat where the short, stout branches held fat fronds, the tops of them black. Sturdy looking to the unaware. They’d bend with the slightest weight. But the bowl created by the branches could cradle a person if they hugged their knees tight. I poked my butt in the hollow and wrapped my arms around my shins. It didn’t stop my shiver as the sun dipped and my damp clothes caught the night air.
“Catch.”
I glanced to see the freckled girl tossing me something. I caught a husk with a stopper. I didn’t pause to wonder if it was wise but tugged it loose and drank the bitter brew. It warmed and invigorated and made me miss home. Earth’s bounty. What they called the pod that grew in the sands, absorbing moisture as it grew, forming liquid-filled nuts. Once emptied, the shell could be cracked to get at the fibrous meat inside. It had been a long time since I’d seen one. They’d disappeared in our area.
“Who are you?” asked the girl. “I’m Palla.”
“Asharee,” was my shy reply.
“We found you in the desert. Mistress Venn thought you would die for sure.”
“I’m glad I didn’t,” I’d huffed.
“Me too. It will be nice to have someone else to talk to. I lost my best friend the day after my parents.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“Our town was hit by the plague.”
I couldn’t help but recoil.
Palla offered a sad smile. “Don’t worry. It was the kind of plague that only infected those bitten by another infected. I heard Master Ruen say it started with an artifact Kohl found in the ruins.”
A child didn’t think to wonder if Palla or the others might be contagious. My mind went right to the important part. “Ruins?”
“Old ones that were just smashed walls above ground with tunnels going under.”
My eyes widened. “Tunnels in the sand? Did you ever go inside?”
“Only one. We’re not supposed to on account they’re haunted by the dead. What about you?” Palla asked. “What happened to your family?”
My lips turned down. “Monsters.” I told her a brief version of my story, finishing with, “…ate parts of them.”
A gaping Palla exclaimed, “Wow. And I thought my having to hit my grandpa when he tried to bite me was bad. I’m glad you’re alive.”
I could truthfully reply, “Me too.”
As the stars rose, I clamped my lips shut but not before saying one more thing. “See you in the morning.”
Palla settled with one softly whispered, “Good night, Asharee.”
My hope didn’t jink it. We survived that night, and in the morning, we immediately became the best of friends. We travelled with Mistress Hiixa and the others to the town of Lokin, mostly tents atop sand. I immediately knew I couldn’t stay.
My anxiety had me eyeing the tents and feebly built houses. Did they not realize they had no protection? When I chose to leave, Palla decided she’d rather follow me than stay. We joined a new caravan and headed for Thaasky, a veritable mountain to girls who’d never seen a real city before.
The city of Thaasky covered the surface of the mountain. Pockmarked it all around, the various caves linked with walkways strung across and slanted upwards. It allowed quick passage between places.
