Sand & Shadow

Chapter 1

Sehl stalked around the dune in the cool morning light. Every one of his senses strained to catch any shifting in the sand, or worse; the throaty growl that would precede an attack. He had followed the moon's path for the last two days hoping to catch a glimpse of the tale-tell glimmer of an iron-sand dune. He thought he had seen something in this direction earlier in the night but he had lost sight of it as the landscape dipped into the shadowy crags and ravines that ran all through the iron sand desert.

Tssst

The almost imperceptible sound of sand cascading up near the crest interrupted Sehl's thoughts. His quiet, slow breathing hitched in his throat as he tilted his head up and crouched down deeper into the shade of the steep slope. There! Disappearing over the crest of the dune was a barbed tail that had struck fear into every guide this desert had seen since Shem himself.

"If Iron spines are here, the dunes can't be far..." Sehl muttered.

He continued to creep around the base of the dune that had become his shelter, not for the first time wishing he could melt into the shadows like his father. Sehl narrowed his eyes in concentration, making sure his movement over the sand was nearly silent and put away thoughts that couldn't help him in his current situation anyway.

After what seemed like hours he finally had a clear line of sight past the dune, towards that part of the horizon that had just welcomed the moon's touch. Sapha was always going on about how the moon had never led him wrong when it came to finding the best Iron sand deposits;

"The moon and the treasure of the desert are old friends! Find one and the other won-" Sapha's voice was tapered off from Sehl's musings as he caught a glimpse of the light dancing up and down the dune in front of him like a young girl on her name day. Sehl had to fight down the laugh that almost burst out of his chest.

He had done it! Not yet sixteen and he had found his first deposit of Iron sand! Just a handful of the dust and the sworn testimony of one already in the guild and he would be well on his way to being a full desert guide!

TSSST....

All of the giddiness that Sehl felt glowing in his chest, sunk like a rock into the pit of his stomach as he looked up towards the crest of the dune he had been circumnavigating for the last hundred breaths. There looking down at him with smoldering coals for eyes was not just one, but three Ironspines. Almost as if by agreement they all began that rumbling growl that every child of the desert heard around the campfire to scare them into good behavior before bed. The bone-like protrusions flecked with metal vibrated along with their warning, sending vibrations down through the sand and alerting the others of their pack to the presence of prey.

The one in the center continued to stalk down in a straight line towards Sehl, as his two brood mates split in either direction to cut off his escape. Sehl immediately straightened from his crouch and started backing away with a slow measured step, trying not to break the spell of the moment as the hateful creatures continued to move towards him with implacable confidence.

It was as if each of the creatures and Sehl had arranged a dance before this chance meeting. But this was no caravan festival and Sehl's knuckles turned white as his left hand attempted to break the bone handle of his guide's knife. He knew he couldn't outrun them, nothing could over open sand, and it seemed like they knew it too.

"Alright, you slimy sacks of yak dung, we both know I'm not going to run... so let's see this through!" He suddenly exclaimed, casually gesturing at them with his now bare knife.

Just as he had hoped, their heads whipped towards his left hand and he finally gained a secure hold on the ring of the bola. Quick as a snake, he whipped it around and released the whirlwind of leather and stone towards the Ironspine in the center. Letting the momentum of the throw turn his body, Sehl burst into a sprint, noting with satisfaction the solid thunk of stone on flesh that follows a successful release.