The Desert Incident

Chapter 1 - The Camels

We were trudging along the deserted expanse.

The sun was brutally hot overhead blurring the air the farther one tried to peer into the distance. The wind was mild, yet the day was unbearably hot.

Sweat was sliding down my spine uncomfortably as I held onto the reins of my ride. I had opted to walk for the last couple of hours, since riding a camel was no easy, sore-less feat. I welcomed the burn of my muscles as it meant my blood was circulating freely once more.

Of course, this also meant that our progress had gotten slower, but none of my companions complained when I asked if we could walk the rest of the way; I suspected they too had wanted to stretch their legs for some time now but were uncertain as to whether the leader of our group would agree with the slower pace.

Fortunately, said leader had readily agreed with me.

The fuzzy, wet snout of my camel – Goldie as I had named her, was warm against my right shoulder blade. She kept nuzzling me, asking for treats I long since run out of. When her reins were first handed over to me, I had eyed them with suspicion, unsure of whether the animal would ever follow my direction.

That was until I found out her weakness for all kinds of treats.

I had been liberal with giving her all sorts of things now and then. She had been so grateful for them that she would constantly stick by my side patiently waiting for more. Now that I had run out, I hoped she wouldn't take it to heart.

I rolled my neck trying to release the tension that had built up over the past four days. I eyed our companions' backs walking ahead of me. I had not been able to bribe them with treats, but they seemed to not mind my need to take things slower. Though I suspected that was only because the leader of our small group more often agreed with me than not.

I couldn't see him as he walked behind me, but I could somehow feel his gaze darting from my back to the backs of those walking ahead of us, to the surrounding, barren landscape. His eyes had a way of marking anything they regarded that one would have to be incredibly dense not to feel his aura radiating from his flashing gaze.

The closer we got to our destination, the more intense his demeanour grew, but, so far, it had been an uninterrupted trek across the vast expanse of desert.

Glancing briefly behind me, meeting Nys' pensive, deeply set gaze, I couldn't quite figure out what had him so tense. It wasn't often that the Dying God incarnated on earth, but I imagined that whatever threat he was wary of wouldn't pose a serious challenge for him.

Before returning his gaze to our companions, he nodded curtly, almost reassuringly. I returned his nod even though he had averted his attention and faced forwards once more.

Goldie nudged me softly for the umpteenth time and I sighed. I wished I had more treats for her. Instead, I scratched her snout enjoying the feeling of her short fur against my nails.

Everything was silent except for the wind which had started to pick up slightly. Nobody spoke for a long time as we continued on.

After a while, we crested a small hill and the Charred Keep came into view, a distant speck of beige. The Keep was an enormous structure situated on the edge of a cliff which overlooked the glittering Sea of Storms. The beige of the Keep's buildings and fortifications did little to camouflage it but must have kept most of the heat from the sun out of the interior.

The entire image it presented, the main building standing tall and proud against the surrounding craggy mountains with the waves crashing in the coves and caves underneath the cliff edge succeeded in momentarily taking my breath away. The briny air was refreshing and I lowered my mouth cover to feel it blowing against my face.