Chapter 56
Sage
W e had reached the desert two days ago, although, in truth, it felt more like five.
If the intense desert heat bothered my mate, he didn’t let on.
I had my arm wrapped around his neck as his powerful wings flew us over the barren lands.
It was like a golden sea, forged from sand, stretching on and on.
No civilization or vegetation in sight.
Only scalding-hot sand and a relentless, boiling sun.
My tongue swept over my lips, dry and cracked.
“Do you need water?” Von asked.
“I’m alright,” I assured him. “I wish I could fly so I would be less of a burden to you.”
“You, Kitten, will never be a burden. When I get a chance, I’ll start working on a new prosthetic wing for you,” he responded in a deep, soothing tone.
“Thank you,” I said, my heart brimming at the promise of being able to fly again.
Like a knife, Von’s gaze cut ahead. His pupils narrowed—his tell.
I looked to my left, over my shoulder, toward what he was looking at.
There. A swell of sand shot up toward the sky like a backwards waterfall. It was a wall of pale orange, cutting off the rest of the horizon.
“That must be it,” I whispered under my breath, and Von nodded.
The closer we got, the more powerful the winds became. Bits of sand flew at us, pelting us with tiny rocks. Von held me close to him, his one wing arching down to protect me. Still, like that, he managed to fly, his hair whipping around violently.
“This is terrible,” Kaleb groaned, his wings flapping swiftly as he tried to keep up. Every once in a while, a gust of wind would send him careening to the side.
“Von, can you do something about the wind?” Folkoln shouted as he flew closer beside us, Artemesia in his arms. She held her hand over her face, trying to protect her eyes.
A muscle kicked in Von’s clenched jaw. “I can’t. They will not listen to me.”
Folkoln said something, but the howling wind made it hard to hear.
It was growing worse by the second. Folkoln must have repeated himself through his private channel with Von, because Von nodded at him, and we began to descend to the ground.
When we reached it, we landed about fifty feet from the beastly storm.
Von set me down, his wing still curled protectively around me.
Kaleb landed beside the four of us, shifting into his human form.
We walked the remainder of the way on foot, fighting against the wind.
Reaching the monstrous wall of swirling sand, Von held out a hand in front of his torso, flipping his palm skyward.
Tendrils of shadow poured out from it, plunging toward the sand.
They sectioned off, moving in front of each one of us, producing five lanterns before they retreated to Von’s palm.
The lanterns had a metal frame surrounding five clear glass panels.
Artemesia had purchased them in the last city we stopped in, and Von had so graciously agreed to store them for us.
Von rolled his wrist, and a flame emitted inside each one.
While the others reached down to pick theirs up, Von’s shadows lifted ours to us.
Thank you , I said through the bridge that linked our minds as I took the lantern.
The handle was slender, the metal surprisingly cool against my skin.
I didn’t understand the mechanics of how Von’s shadows worked or how they just magically stored things, but judging by the cool metal, it seemed a bit like a cellar.
“Hopefully, Helga was telling the truth,” Artemesia yelled over the roar of the wind.
We all looked ahead to the wall of swirling sand, impossible to see through.
“Should one of us test things first?” Kaleb asked, voice raised.
Folkoln stepped forward, placing his hand, which had the lantern in it, inside the storm. He pulled it back. “Flame is still there. Hand is still there. Is that a good enough test for you?”
“I guess,” Kaleb stated, his expression telling an entirely different story—he was not convinced.
“Come on,” Folkoln said then stepped inside, disappearing before us. Artemesia joined him.
Kaleb sighed then followed them.
Von gave me a look, one that seemed to ask, Ready?
I nodded.
His fingers intertwined with mine, and we walked into the sandstorm.
The moment I stepped inside the raging storm, Von’s hand disappeared from mine. He was swallowed up by the beastly winds, vanishing, just like the others.
“Von!” I screamed, thrusting the lantern ahead of me, the flame still lit inside.
I sheltered my eyes, trying to protect them from the blasts of sand while I looked for the others.
Thousands of tiny, violent stones pelted against me.
Any skin that was unprotected, they chewed into, as if the storm were determined to eat me alive.
I spun around, swinging the lantern from side to side as I called out for my mate.
When no answer came, I tried through our bond. Von?
I waited.
Nothing.
Shit. I was lost in the sands. I was lost !
My chest grew painfully taut, like a monstrous hand had wrapped around it, squeezing the oxygen from my lungs. Warning alarms started to blare inside my head as panic grappled for the helm—
No! Breathe, Sage, breathe, I told myself, again and again, until the message stuck, until I was able to focus again and search for the others.
“Kaleb?” I yelled, my hair whipping wildly around me, lashing at my face.
Still, no answer.
“Artemesia? Fol—”
The winds grew in ferocity, sending a barrage of sand to assault my mouth—cutting me off.
It stuck to the inside of my cheeks, coating my tongue and the back of my throat.
I choked on it, gagged on it. My mouth turned exceedingly dry.
It was a terrible feeling, like drowning in sand.
I gathered what little saliva I could and spat, and spat, and spat.
It helped some, but not completely. I could feel the sand everywhere—in my mouth, my nose, my hair, my ears, under my clothes. It was relentless, constantly assaulting me.
Still, I trekked ahead—or at least I thought I was.
For all I knew, I could very well be walking in a circle.
Sometimes, the storm became so powerful, I couldn’t see anything, and I was forced to close my eyes, waiting until the moment passed.
When I could, I called out for the others.
I did not know how long I continued like that.
Had I been wrong about the riddle ?
I’m there at the beginning of life and I’m there at the end. You can see me in the water, but I never get wet. I have no voice, but I’m faster than sound. I am a symbol of hope, especially in darkness. What am I?
Light. It was the only thing I could think of.
The light from the fire should work. So then why wasn’t it?
I churned the riddle over and over again, looking to see if I had missed something.
What else could it be?
Time?
Time was there at the beginning of life and at the end. But could you see it in water? In a poetic sense, maybe—when clouds passed over top—but still, that didn’t feel right.
What else could you see in water?
Your reflection? Fish?
Neither of those worked for the rest of the riddle. It had to be light, that was all I could—
Von’s flame burnt out as the storm unleashed itself. With the force of a spooked horse, it railed into me, sending me flying. I landed on my side, an involuntary oomph! escaping my mouth. The lantern came to a rolling stop—glass shattering.
No!
Shooting onto my fours, I scramble-crawled toward the lantern as fast as my limbs would allow.
A second before I reached it, the handle tugged upwards, and the lantern rose into the air, as if plucked up by an invisible hand.
For a second, it floated there, and then it was tossed into the storm, disappearing instantly.
I smashed my fist against the ground, growling, “Damn it!”
The sandstorm was sentient, looking for ways to keep me stuck there, and so far, it was succeeding.
I allowed myself to sit in my frustration for a brief moment before I shoved off from the ground.
I stood then blew out a breath of air, unclenched my jaw, and tried to focus on what my next steps were.
Getting out of here and finding the others was my top priority.
But how? My voice was no match for the winds.
I couldn’t see more than ten feet ahead of me, sometimes less.
I didn’t even know what direction I was going in.
I looked down at the shards of glass broken in the sand—all that remained from the lantern. They jumped at the wind’s call, but for some reason, it left them there. Apparently, broken glass wasn’t a threat, but it had sure taken the lantern awfully fast.
My eyes narrowed.
That was it!
The second Von’s flame had gone out, the storm intensified, which meant light was the right answer. It just wasn’t enough to assuage the tempest beast.
I reached down deep, stroking my powers with a loving hand, rousing them from their slumber.
They stretched and stirred, a loyal pet, rubbing against my hand, eager to do my bidding.
Like the crescent of a building wave about to broach shore, I felt it swell, and then I unleashed it with a mighty roar .
Silver light coiled around my skin until I was glowing as bright as the moon. I thrust my hands up into the air, and light poured from my palms, so bright, I nearly had to close my eyes. It scattered the sand and governed the winds, clearing a path before me, leading straight up to . . .
A monumental palace ripe with ancient architecture.
The behemoth had to be over thousands of square meters wide.
Spanning its great walls were various symbols, images, and dialects.
Stone-carved figures—comprised of animal heads attached to human-like bodies—stood vertically, side by side, weapons in hand.
They stood in front of the entrance, guarding it from newcomers.
Forcing a breath of air into my benumbed lungs, I started toward it.