Conor straightened as much as he could. He lifted his chin. “Thank you,” he replied.
They stayed in Gray Hills for the night, renting rooms in a small, cramped inn near the edge of the town. Conor shared a room with Abeke, Rollan, Maya, and Kalani. Despite the fact that the five of them were all squeezed into the cramped space, the real reason Conor couldn’t sleep was because of the shifting colors in the night sky.
Sometimes it would be pure black, like a night sky should be. Other times, it would blaze scarlet, the tint of blood. As he looked on, the colors faded into blue, then an ominous brown. Conor wondered if they were visions – something only he could see. The sky didn’t seem to wake the others. Briggan, out of his dormant state for the night in order to keep watch over Conor, kept his head turned up to the sky too, silently observing.
In the morning, the bodies of red-crested birds littered the streets.
No one opened their doors to greet them as the team checked their horses and left. The entire place had turned into an eerie ghost town. Conor shivered as they filed out through the town’s exit gate and into the desert. Even though the land beyond was dry and desolate, he was still glad to leave Gray Hills.
As they rode, the land around them gradually changed from parched yellow plains to sandy red rock dotted with shrubs, the stone carved into rivulets where ancient water used to flow. Off in the distance, they could see the faint silhouette of the Red Mountains, a thin line of jagged rock running along the horizon. Their progress was sporadic, slowed down by the fact that Finn was constantly searching the maps for recognizable landmarks.
“Did your visions show you anything specific?” Abeke asked him as they rode side by side. “Nothing about the Conquerors chasing us, or the birds falling from the sky? The weird villagers?”
Conor shook his head. “The most specific thing I saw was a barren land and the trunk of some enormous tree. I know that Tellun, Kovo, and Gerathon were there. And all of us.” He paused there. “Tellun was fighting on our side. I hope that means we’ll encounter him soon.”
Abeke’s jaw tightened. “Some just prefer to stand by,” she said quietly, “until they can’t stand by anymore. Maybe Tellun’s like that too.”
“Did your visions ever tell us anything about oases in the desert?” Rollan muttered as his horse finally caught up to theirs. Sweat beaded on his brow. That’s a good sign, Conor thought. At least he’s still sweating. If he stops, that’s when he’ll be in trouble.
“Come on, Rollan,” Abeke said, rolling her eyes. “We all had a drink of water a few hours ago.”
“I know,” Rollan whined. As if in answer, Essix called out to him from high in the sky, where she was on the hunt for mice and other rodents. “Easy for you to say!” he muttered up at her.
Abeke shook her head and smiled. She looked back and forth between the two boys. “In Nilo,” she said, taking something small and smooth out of her pocket, “we suck on pebbles when the water’s scarce. Try it out. It’ll stave off some of your thirst.”
Rollan hopped off his horse, grabbed a couple of gray pebbles from the ground, then jumped back up and polished them on his tunic. He shoved them in his mouth.
“Don’t eat them,” Abeke said with a laugh. Conor sucked on a pebble and watched their antics, grateful to Rollan for bringing a smile to Abeke’s face.
“Hey,” Abeke called to where Kalani and Maya were trailing them. “You guys want some pebbles?”
Maya shook her head. Her fire salamander was out on her shoulder now, hiding in the shade that her hair created. Its gold-and-black-patterned scales gleamed in the sun. Maya usually kept Tini in his dormant state, but sometimes she’d let him out to feed. Tini would scamper down to the ground to hunt for a few insects and worms, then dart back to her and happily turn dormant again. Desert heat was no place for a fire salamander.
But it was Kalani who looked absolutely miserable this far from the ocean. Her shoulders were hunched, as if she’d wilted in the sun, and she rode on with a blank, downcast expression. Conor watched her closely. Unlike Rollan, she had no sheen of sweat dotting her brow. She looked entirely parched. And listless.
“Kalani?” Rollan asked hesitantly.
“She’s going to faint!” Conor shouted.
Right on cue, Kalani’s head lolled to one side and she swayed in her saddle. Abeke jumped down and rushed over right as Conor called out. When Kalani started to fall, Abeke caught her. Her legs buckled, and the two girls crumpled into a heap on the ground.
Their entire procession paused. Finn came hurrying up from the rear as Conor and Rollan gathered at Kalani’s side. Conor opened his canteen and poured some water into Kalani’s mouth. Her eyes still looked dazed.
“Everyone take a few minutes,” Finn called out, then frowned down at Kalani in concern. She took another drink of water. Suddenly the spark of life came back to her eyes, and she broke out in a sweat.
“Thanks,” she said weakly to everyone gathered around her. “I’m not made for this kind of heat.”
“None of us really are,” Finn replied with a sigh. He squinted up at the low sun. “We should stop for the day, anyway. Sunset’s approaching and we need to set up camp.”
Conor looked toward the waning sun too. He felt how light his canteen was now and wondered how long they could all keep this up.
THEY TRAVELED RELENTLESSLY FOR TWO DAYS.
On the third night, Abeke slept curled on her side in one corner of her tent, while Uraza lay nearby, close enough for Abeke to keep one hand in the leopard’s velvet fur. She was exhausted from the day’s journey, and so very thirsty. Her parched throat kept her from falling completely asleep, and she would constantly wake up from half-conscious dreams about waterfalls and cold streams. When they first pitched their tents, Rollan had helped Finn set up a trap of pots and pans around their meager group provisions, and situated it in the center of all their tents. Abeke wished she could have a canteen of water from that pile.
Still, sleeping on the ground in the desert felt like its own form of relief, giving her a nostalgic reminder of village life.
Her thoughts wandered to Meilin. Was she still being kept in the hold in Nilo, or on one of the Conqueror ships – or had they brought her to Stetriol by now? If they ran across Conquerors soon, Abeke hoped that Meilin would be with them – even if she were commanded to fight with the enemy. Did she know about what Shane did? She must, by now. Beside Abeke, Uraza shifted closer and swished her tail, letting a low purr vibrate through her hand.
Aside from thirst, night sounds kept her constantly awake. Unlike those in Nilo, these sounds were unfamiliar to her. There were hoots and calls that she didn’t recognize, yips and yowls, the slither of something scaly on the ground. Sometimes she stirred, looking around. Then she would settle back down.
Suddenly Uraza turned alert. Her head pointed toward the tent flap, and her purring changed to a low growl. Her tail swished faster. Abeke stiffened. She rolled into a quiet crouch, listening intently.
There. A scratching sound, and then footsteps. Something was outside.
“Uraza,” she whispered urgently. But the leopard was already on the move – she sprang out of the tent in one bound. Abeke leaped up and followed close behind.
They charged out into the open night, completely lit by the moon.
Abeke stopped abruptly, panting, her eyes darting around the camp. She didn’t see anything. Everyone still slept, and not a person was in sight. She stooped back down beside Uraza, who was still growling.
“What is it?” she whispered.
Uraza led the way. They cut a quiet path through the smattering of tents before finally reaching the center, where some of their provisions had been stacked, protected by a circle of pots and pans that were supposed to clank if anyone broke through.
But the provisions were gone.
The sacks were ripped open, their insides empty. The paper-wrapped dried meats lay strewn along the ground, and the canteens were open, some still
spilling water into the dirt. Abeke gasped out loud.
“Thief!” she called out.
Immediately, Greencloaks stirred from their tents. Finn was the first beside her, while others murmured and muttered in confusion, swords drawn. “Abeke?” he exclaimed when he saw her out there. He paused at the sight of a growling Uraza. “What’s going on?”
“Look,” Abeke said, pointing at the ruined provisions. “Somebody took our supplies.”
Finn’s gaze fell on the scattered remnants. He cursed under his breath, then motioned for the others to gather. Abeke tried to temper her anger, but her own thirst made it hard for her to see all that wasted water. Who would do this? She studied the trap closely but found that nothing had tripped it.
“Huh,” Rollan grunted as he and Conor came hurrying over from their tents.
They all paused when Uraza suddenly tensed and lunged for something in the darkness. The charge was followed by a piercing yelp. Abeke blinked in surprise, then found herself chasing instinctively after her spirit animal. “Uraza!” she called out.
But Uraza’s attention had fixed on another creature. She chased after a blurry figure that made a mad dash in front of her, zigzagging in an attempt to shake her off its tail. Uraza pounced – this time, she caught the creature and pinned it to the ground. Another piteous series of yelps punctuated the night.
Abeke ran over to her. She arrived to see her leopard snarling at what looked like a skinny little tan-colored wolf.
Conor and Rollan came skidding to a halt beside her. So did Finn. He was the first to speak. “Well,” he said. “I think we found our culprit. A dingo.”
“A what?” Rollan blurted out.
“They’re like wild dogs,” Finn said. “But native to Stetriol.”
The animal struggled in vain under Uraza’s mighty paws, but she refused to let it up. The telltale signs of its thievery were on its face – crumbs of bread still dotted its muzzle. Abeke shook her head. She hadn’t even bothered to check if the canteens had holes bitten in them, which they most certainly did.
“Uraza,” Abeke said to the leopard. “We should let it go. It’s as hungry and thirsty as we are.”
Uraza reluctantly lifted her paws and let the creature scamper to its feet. It loped across the landscape for a while, then paused to look back at them. In the night, its eyes shone like two metallic discs. Then it ran off and disappeared into the shadows.
They made their way back to the provisions. The dingo had eaten almost everything. Now the only supplies they had were the small packs they’d each kept with them in their tents. It wouldn’t be enough for another three days through the desert. And they were already short on water.
Abeke sank down onto her blanket. She tried not to think about the inevitable, but the thought refused to go away. If they couldn’t reach Muttering Rock in the next few days, they would die out here.
The next morning, they all packed up what little they had and set out again. Abeke allowed herself a few meager sips of water. It took all of her willpower to not drink every last drop in her canteen. The desert had taken on a shimmer of light that hovered just above the dry vegetation, rippling under the sun. Sometimes, she saw things in the ripples.
The others did too.
“Are those Conquerors headed in our direction?” Maya once said, startled, her finger pointed toward the horizon.
They all paused to look. As the ground continued to shimmer, Conor finally said, “No. It’s an illusion. Let’s keep going.”
Rollan swore he saw a giant elephant in the distance, as big as Dinesh, and wondered aloud how he’d gotten there. Twice, Abeke made the mistake of seeing a small stream babbling up ahead. It seemed like she could even hear it. But every time they neared, the stream would vanish and all they would see was more parched land.
Abeke kept her attention focused on the nearing expanse of mountains. Just a little farther, she thought. If they ever made it out of this desert, she would drink an entire keg of water.
The fifth day.
One of the horses perished from the harsh conditions. They all looked helplessly on when the poor creature suddenly stumbled in its steps, fell to its front knees, and collapsed onto its side with a groan. Kalani reached the horse first. But even before she could put a hand on the animal’s neck, she was shaking her head. The horse shuddered, foaming at the mouth. Then, slowly, its body settled against the earth, until it used up its last breath.
They rode in silence for a long time after that. Abeke couldn’t stop playing the horse’s death over and over in her head.
The other horses weren’t doing too well either, and the entire group had resorted to chewing on the last strips of dried jerky. Abeke traveled with Uraza in her dormant state now. The sun baked her hair and skin until they felt hot to the touch. Her canteen had already run dry. She’d sucked on so many pebbles that they no longer helped anymore. Her eyes constantly swept the shrubbery around them, searching for plants that looked like they contained water. She hadn’t seen anything yet.
Wait.
As if the mere thought had given her a clue, Abeke’s eyes fell on a small, nondescript plant a few yards away. It reminded her immediately of a plant she knew from back home in Nilo.
Conor saw her pause. “What is it?” he asked. He sounded half-delirious from thirst himself.
“There.” Abeke pointed. “That plant.”
“What about it?”
Abeke didn’t answer right away. Instead, her attention stayed on the plant. It was a short, squat, ugly little thing, with swollen leaves that looked like little green sacs. Back in Nilo, they called it a water bulb, due to moisture that the plant carried in its body. This one was covered in brightly colored spiked leaves, but otherwise, it looked fairly close. She dismounted from her horse and headed over to it. Conor followed her.
“Careful,” Conor said, but Abeke gave him an encouraging smile and stooped down to peer at the plant.
“I won’t touch the spikes,” she promised. “Look at those colors – they’re probably poisonous.”
She removed the knife at her belt and sliced one of the green bulbs off. She carved one end of it open. Wet, clear liquid dripped onto her hands. The others stopped in their procession to watch. Abeke stared at the liquid for a moment. It could be poisonous, of course – but at this point, she was so thirsty that she didn’t care. They would all die without water, anyway. Taking a deep breath, Abeke lifted it.
She sipped the clear liquid.
Then she closed her eyes and drank deeply. Water! It tasted slightly sweet and wonderfully cool – before she knew it, she’d finished drinking the entire bulb. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed that the plants grew in a large cluster hidden behind dry, prickly bushes. Conor stared at her in shock. She looked back at him with a grin, and Conor’s expression changed to one of delight as he realized what Abeke had found. They both turned and enthusiastically waved the others over.
“Water!” they called out in unison.
Everyone set about filling their canteens and watering their horses the best they could. The water from the plants wasn’t much, but it was enough, and the mere fact that they would be able to find bulbs like this in Stetriol’s barren lands gave Abeke hope that they could make it across.
“I’m going to search for more plants,” she announced, then set off up the hill to find more clusters. They seemed to grow together, and if she found a few more at the base of the hills, they would be set for another week.
“Wait for us!”
Behind her, Conor and Rollan came running. Maya stayed behind to look after Kalani, who still didn’t seem her best. Abeke waited until the boys caught up to her, and then the three of them set out together.
“I used to survive on bulbs like that when I went out hunting,” Abeke said. “The thing is, they tend to grow in lands that have some underground water or tiny streams. If we find any more clusters of them growing, then we might be able to find a bigger water source.”
>
“Bigger water source,” Rollan said, still drinking from his refilled canteen. “Music to my ears.”
They covered the short distance between the plains and the foothills. There, to Abeke’s delight, they found two more clusters of the water bulbs growing. There had to be some sort of stream around. Abeke, Conor, and Rollan climbed higher up the first hill. The wind had picked up again, and the cool breeze it brought was a welcome change from the stifling heat. Abeke breathed a sigh of relief. Thank Ninani their luck was finally turning around. At this rate, they’d be prepared when they caught up to the Conquerors. Sure enough, Abeke glanced down from the hill to see the first sign of a thin, snaking stream. She laughed as they went.
“Look!”
Conor stopped so suddenly that Abeke bumped right into his back. Rollan smashed into her in turn.
“What is it?” Abeke said. Then her eyes settled on what had captured Conor’s attention, and her words faded away into nothing.
From this vantage point on the hill, they could look down at a vast expanse of flatland, partly framed by the Red Mountains. The nearest side – the side they now stood on – was lined with narrow ravines. On the far side was a strange, shimmering red rock formation that plateaued high above the ground, looking like a giant ant mound.
And in the flatland’s center, between all of the formations … were thousands of Conquerors.
SO MANY OF THEM.
That was Conor’s first thought.
His second: We can’t fight them. We have to go around.
And his third: Olvan’s army should be here by now.
“Let’s go back,” Conor whispered, crouching lower in the grass. All thoughts of water seemed to have escaped him. “We have to warn Finn.”
“Right,” Rollan whispered. He turned abruptly around and started making his way through the tall grasses. “It’s a good thing we went searching for plants. We would’ve walked right into them. They probably have troops guarding all the passes.”
“It likely also means we’re close to Kovo’s prison,” Abeke piped up. She looked sharply at Conor. “Anything familiar to you out there? Anything from your dreams or visions?”