Stormchild: Emeline and the Forest Mage

18 Ocean of Sand

    They rushed forward at a great speed. The sand was rolling under their feet in a forward circular motion. It made Färin extremely nauseous, and he closed his eyes more than a few times. A few minutes of the rhythmic rolling of the sand beneath their feet passed and Färin's motion sickness began to subside.

    He noticed the stars appearing in the darkening sky to the east, as the sun set to their left. It looked to him like liquid was being poured very slowly over the expanse of the sky, blotting out the horrid sun with cool darkness and beauty. He was mesmerized, and forgot about the rolling sand beneath his feet for a while as he gazed up at it.

    A sudden feeling of companionship floated into his heart as he stood there, and he realized that this child meant more to him than he would have admitted to. Färin looked at her, seeing mostly hair because of the wild wind and her being so tiny, and pondered their strange relationship.

    He was not her father but was to protect her. He was not her brother, but they shared a kind of brotherly affection. He was not her lover, but. He squeezed her hand, and she smiled up at him for a split second. The beauty of their surroundings and her dazzling smile squeezed sentiment out of him... But, he loved her anyways.

    That moment would stay with him for the rest of his life, and would colour many of his dreamscapes with love and hope. Färin absorbed the beauty around him as the sky darkened completely, and the light of millions of stars shone down on them. At that moment, he remembered the Father of time and his great majesty.

    Färin was not a religious man, but he did consider himself of great import. Enough so that, despite his vast humility, he uttered a prayer to the great Fathers of time, creation and life. He was usually of the mind that men such as he were too insignificant to assume arrogantly that the great Fathers would hear their prayers. He had scoffed at many ranting holy men in the streets, and simpering ladies rambling prayers nervously in the temple corners. In that precious moment, however, the Fathers did not seem so harsh and distant. They seemed to be very near to him, waiting to hear what he had to say. It sounded proud to his own ears, but the feeling did not go away, and he surrendered to the lovely notion of communing with the divine.

    As Färin whispered prayers into the wind, he imagined that the Father of time smiled, and even spoke an answer or two. Sheyå was focused on her task and did not notice what he would later refer to as his temporary insanity.

    A few hours flew by. Färin realized he would never have made it to the forest alive without Sheyå, and thanked the Fathers. He pointed ahead of them, feeling woozy.

    'There's the Dyker!' The river gleamed in the moonlight from a distance, and its rushing waters rumbled soothingly.

    Färin's aching body screamed, but he told himself that the river was near. A few minutes more of this standing, and then heavenly water would quench the drought in his throat. Sheyå breathed out heavily beside him. Maybe she was also tired. 'Are you ok?'

    She looked up at him for a few seconds, and he saw dark shadows under her eyes. Exhaustion was written all across her face.

    'Färin? Can we stop now? My arm is sore.'

    'Yes, Sheyå. There is the river we needed to reach. We can rest for a few minutes then walk over and get a drink of water.'

    Sheyå sighed in relief. The sand sank down to its natural state of uneven dunes, and within seconds, the surface on which they stood was as flat as one could find in the Sheia.

    Both of them stood there, a bit dazed. Their legs were unaccustomed to the static desert sand, and consequently felt like jelly. Sheyå promptly collapsed into the sand, lying on her back with her arms stretched out wide. Färin couldn't hold back his smile as he watched her. He fell down beside her, and they lay there in silence under the stars. He was not supposed to fall asleep, but he did. Färin's last thought was that he should go fill up his water skin.