Moon Blessed

Chapter 38 ~ The Truth in the Desert

Night had fallen by the time Nastasia came across a few of the other Knights. Each bore cuts and bruises similar to the scratches on her forearm, leading her to believe that she hadn't been the only one faced with a strangely real apparition.

And it seemed like the others had struggled much longer and harder than she had. As more Knights emerged from the dunes, the amount of injuries she saw swelled. But it was those missing who held the majority of her attention.

Almost half of the Knights who had entered the dunes were missing. Nobody claimed to have seen them since arriving, and Nastasia feared they wouldn't be seen before the rest of them left. She recalled the Queen's warning about the sands dragging them down, but she hadn't believed it in a literal sense until now.

As she walked, Nastasia began to make a mental record about who was still missing. Sir Arlov, Sir Gareth, Vadik, and Volya were among them. Would it be wrong of me to wish that Sir Kamenev would remain among the missing? Nastasia wondered.

If he's one of the tournament's finalists, that puts me directly in Andrian's grasp and I don't doubt for a moment that Emperor Kazimir would find a way to put me under his thumb using Vadik. If it did come to that, she had no idea what she was going to do.

In fact, she hadn't given much thought to the end of the tournament at all, but now that Jalil's challenge was over, that only left the Andrian's before they returned to Nyctoli. Would it be wise to reveal herself when they reached Dimesa? Nastasia pursed her lips at the thought.

Mother and Father still believe Nikolai and I must've run off together. Will they call off the tournament if I haven't been found by then? She couldn't help but shake her head. No, they wouldn't risk the wrath of the other rulers by revealing how long I've been missing. They'll keep the tournament going as long as they can until they've tracked me down.

Guilt nipped at the corners of her mind as she puzzled. She hadn't really thought of the consequences her actions could have on her parents, but it was too late for that now.

I could try to tell them the truth as soon as we get to Dimesa, but if I reveal myself to them, they won't hesitate to put me under guard until the end of the tournament. If I want to make them listen to me, I'll have to remain hidden as a Knight for now.

Nastasia gave a resigned sigh and fixed her gaze on the land that was gradually leveling out before them. They were almost to the place where they'd first entered the dunes and still, there was no sign of Sir Arlov or the other missing Knights.

Nastasia perked up when a faint nicker reached her ears. The horses were still there! The other Knights took up delighted exclamations when they noticed their mounts too. Nastasia reached Moxie and greeted her with a friendly pat.

"It's good to see you," she whispered. The mare snorted, her pelt quivering beneath Nastasia's palm. "I don't like it here either."

"What should we do with the other horses?" Someone called, catching her attention. Nastasia turned to the Knights as they mounted their horses.

"We should leave them in case the others are just further behind," another Knight suggested.

"No," someone else protested. "We should take them back to Jalil. There's no guarantee the other Knights even made it and there's no need to leave horses behind for the dead."

"We can't just give up on them."

"Sir Hedwyn was sucked under the sand right in front of me. If that happened to the others, trust me, they aren't coming back."

"Enough," one of the older Knights interrupted. "We'll decide what to do with them amongst ourselves. Eldons, Blodians, Andrians, Seenanites, and Nyctolians, the mounts of your comrades are yours to handle."