Chronicles of Efia: Dawn of the Desert King

Chapter Nineteen

"Did I do it?" he groaned.

"Yes, yes you did," Rahnka smiled warmly.

The bridge between the mysterious realm of Light that possessed Fulbright had not quite synced to reality. His speech was slurred and incoherent. "Voices. All I heard were voices," Fulbright murmured.

Rahnka and Umar both looked at Shiou for confirmation. He nodded solemnly.

"Well, we can't risk raising suspicions with Xian authorities. Let's get Fai-sahl comfortable over there by those boulders until he returns to us," Umar sighed. "I hate to say it, but as much as he has been a great help to us, our journey has been--"

Rahnka interrupted. "Don't say it, Papa."

"Challenging from the start. And if he has managed to hear the message of the Khurag-Hetyth, then I question whether his majesty's presence is a misfortune to us all."

A low, burly hum from a distance shattered their conversation. The three looked up and saw red and gold flags flapping alongside the soft glow of toggling lanterns. Umar and Shiou lifted Fulbright's long elfin frame further up onto their shoulders as they staggered toward the cluster of boulders. His toes dragged through the dunes, leaving a pair of trenches following behind him. Rahnka came behind them, erasing his trail.

The sound of the procession grew louder, and the abysmal hum vibrated the airwaves once more. The dock patrol appeared, carrying the crimson flags with a golden emblem of the Xian province stamped in the center, along with paper lanterns lit from within. Behind them, marching in a tight formation was the aerial distress unit, known for providing aid to shipwrecked travelers, transportation and relocation of the ship, and repair of any damages.

Their presence also meant interrogation. As familiar as Umar and Shiou were with the unit, Umar was not keen on having to explain the newcomer to his crew. Umar urged Rahnka to help the others unload the ship as he and Shiou slid down the side of the dunes to meet the unit. The highest ranking official sat on the back of a black and white slothful looking bear, his gold armor gleaming against the soft hues of light emanating from the paper lanterns. Shiou and Umar extended out their left hands and slapped them across their chest.

"Good evening, General Tao-tsu," Umar replied.

The general was taken aback. "Umar? You are the last person I expected to be rescuing. What happened?"

Umar transitioned from the salute, running his hand through his hair as he scratched his head. "I am not quite sure, General. One second we were taking in the beauty of Xia, and the next second we were pounded by a fierce wind."

The general studied the large hole, partially healed by Fulbright's touch. "Are you sure it was the wind? You know Xia barely gets a breeze in the summer and this does not look to be the result of wind. This looks to have come from inside the ship."

"Like I said, I am not quite sure what happened, let alone have any time to assess the damages before your unit arrived."

General Tao-tsu raised an eyebrow. "How did you manage to avoid other damages upon impact?"

"My men jumped ship and once a few of our crew were able to slow it down, we were able to collectively stop it from crashing."

General Tao-tsu, still examining the hole, lit a fire with his hands. The small flame hovered above his palm as he scrutinized the portions of wood that had begun to knit themselves back together. He closed his palm, extinguishing the light. "Well, that is a relief. I will have the unit begin to help load your belongings onto the caravan of podami we have provided for you."

"Thank you, General Tao-tsu," Umar nodded his head respectfully.

"I will have my unit transport your ship just as soon as you have unloaded everything you wish to take with you and begin repairs immediately."