Wrath of the White Tigress

Chapter 23

Though near to passing out, Jaska managed to claw to the surface. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear the sand out of his eyes. He was dazed and unsure of what had happened. He put his hand to the back of his head. It returned with blood on it.

He spotted Hyrkas on all fours, coughing sand from his lungs and trying to rise. He ran over and helped him to his feet. "You all right?"

Hyrkas nodded. "The others?"

"I just crawled out."

Passing by three lifeless horses and a mostly buried camel, they found Caracyn half covered and unconscious. He was still clinging to his brother's arm. Bakulus was awake but buried deep and unable to move his limbs. Hyrkas dug him out while Jaska looked for the others. Almost immediately he found one of the other Arhrhakim struggling for breath, leaned up beside the canyon wall.

"Do you need help?"

Lharro shook his head. That was the best he could do. He barely had enough breath to cough the sand out of his throat. He had never felt so dry in his life and he longed to return to his dark, dank home.

Jaska was worried about Zyrella, but he knew she was likely far away in the desert above. First, he must find the others, who were more likely to have survived, though he refused to dwell on that thought. He spotted a silver glimmer on a freshly made dune ahead. He ran to it and found only Caracyn's broadsword. Time was running out.

"Jaska!" Hyrkas called. "We found someone!"

Jaska staggered over to where Hyrkas was digging around a hand sticking out of the sand. Ohzikar. Blood darkened the sand. They dug him out as fast as they could.

Somehow, Ohzikar had survived. There were deep gashes on his forehead and hands, but sand had stopped up the wounds. The templar rose to his knees and gasped, "Zyrella? Where?"

Jaska shook his head. The Arhrhakim and Bakulus rushed on to search for Chaolis.

"We must ... find her."

"She can't be nearby. And there are others to see to."

"Go on and look for her, Jaska!" Hyrkas shouted. "We will search here."

Jaska returned half an hour later, having scouted some way in the last direction he'd seen the Stain tugging her. Ohzikar looked up at him from where he lay, nursing his injuries. He'd taken off his chainmail, exposing deep bruises on his midsection. He probably had a few cracked ribs. Ohzikar's eyes looked desperate.

Jaska shook his head. "I couldn't find her, though I could only walk so far. And I tried the Shadowland, but I couldn't see anything because of that damn cloud."

Ohzikar cursed. Then his head sagged from exhaustion and anguish. Jaska saw Caracyn, lying unconscious but breathing deeply. The others hadn't returned. And what of the strange man who had been with them? Jaska stumbled off to help in the search. He hadn't gone twenty steps before he saw the strange man returning with a lifeless body.

~~~

With a hand pressed over the bleeding wound on his arm, Hjrun scurried back from the canyon's edge and rejoined Adynarh. "Jaska and six other men are below. Some are injured. Two are yet unconscious or dead. The rest look able."

Adynarh considered their options as he bandaged the wound on his leg. His head still ached from being struck by sand kicked up by the explosion. He looked down at the unconscious priestess he and Hjrun had found through their tracking power after using her glowing form as a beacon.

She had many scratches and a nasty bruise on her forehead and left cheek. But he knew that her main problem was sorcery fatigue. He bound her limbs and gagged her tightly.