Thirteen #2
There was no shelter out on the sands. No trees, buildings, or bushes to provide the slightest bit of shade from the twins.
While Kysa bullied Halek into setting up the tent with her, Raithe and I worked to get a shelter erected for the rock beetles
before the brunt of Demon Hour arrived. It wasn’t fancy—just a canvas overhang on four poles that would give Rhyne and Ratuk
some shade from the suns—but it was far better than leaving them out in the open to bake. The rock beetles were hardy and
could endure the harshest environments, even out here, but they would certainly appreciate the shelter.
The twins joined each other in the sky, and the temperature soared to unbearable heights. Even beneath the tent, the air felt
like an oven; heavy and dry. I sat next to Raithe, half dozing against his arm, while we waited for Solasti to move on.
There was a snort outside, causing me to jerk up. I could recognize the different rock beetle voices now, and knew that the sound had come from Ratuk. Rhyne’s indignant bellow followed a half second later, and I leaped to my feet.
“Sparrow, wait,” Raithe said, stopping me before I could rush outside. He rose with Kysa and Halek and grabbed his sword from
where it sat next to him on the ground. “No one goes anywhere alone,” he went on, as Kysa gave a firm nod of agreement. “We
don’t know what’s out there.”
“Well, except a huge abomination scouring the desert for us,” Halek added as Raithe motioned us all to the door. “Probably
not something we want to run into alone. Or ever.”
Pushing open the tent flap, I stepped through, and the searing heat of Demon Hour blazed down on me. The top of my head instantly
felt cooked even through my hood, and the sands shimmered relentlessly under the suns. Shading my eyes, I peered at the rock
beetles and saw them standing together beneath their shelter. Both were on their feet, and Rhyne was tossing his head up and
down in obvious agitation. Alarmed, I looked around for the cause of their distress, but I didn’t see anything.
“Rhyne.” Kysa started forward, and I followed, hurrying to Ratuk. “What’s wrong?” the insect rider asked her mount, who turned
with a huff that sounded almost outraged. I reached Ratuk, who turned and gently nudged his head into my chest. I patted his
shell, then noticed something glittering in the sands beneath him.
Frowning, I bent down to pick it up. It was one of our canteens, still full of water, lying half buried in the sand.
Moisture leaked from beneath the metal cap, which had been loosened.
My eyes narrowed. All the supplies, including our precious water rations, had been tucked safely away in the rock beetles’ saddlebags or secured in trunks that were tied shut with rope. It wouldn’t have simply fallen out.
“There’s a thief nearby,” I muttered, as Halek peered over my shoulder. I felt the Fatechaser frown in confusion.
“A thief? Where? There’s no one around for miles.”
I looked at Ratuk’s saddle and saw what I’d feared: One of the cords hanging from the rings had been severed. Cut with something
sharp. Or . . . chewed?
Raithe appeared on my other side. He touched the cut line, and his mouth tightened. “Sparrow is right. Something was in the
saddlebags.”
“Yes.” Kysa stepped around Rhyne. She had succeeded in calming the agitated rock beetle and now gestured to the sands where
the canteen had been lying. “There are tracks, if you look closely. Something small and very light was crawling around the
rock beetles.”
I crouched down beside Ratuk. There were faint impressions in the sand that might’ve been from very light feet. I could just
make out four toes, similar to a rabbit, but also a long, straight track between them.
“I haven’t seen this kind of print before,” Kysa said. “It’s definitely some sort of animal, most likely a large rodent, judging
from the tail mark.”
“Oh, great, now we have to worry about rats stealing our stuff?” Halek said, also squinting down at the prints. “Giant desert rats? As if it’s not enough that we have a massive undead dragon out there looking for us, now we have to worry about rats.”
“Where did they come from?” Raithe wondered, looking around. “There is nothing out here. Even rats have to have a lair somewhere.”
“Yes,” Kysa agreed. “But you’re right—there are no buildings, at least none on the surface, no vegetation, no rocks for them
to hide under. Where do these creatures make their lairs?”
“They’re coming up from beneath us,” I said.
Everyone looked at me. “We’re standing on the bones of a huge civilization,” I went on, gesturing around the desert. “Like
the undercity beneath Kovass. The sands have covered it, but the city ruins are still there. We’ve seen glimpses of them,
when the sands blow. Who knows what’s scurrying around beneath our feet? There might be millions of creatures down there.”
Halek made a face. “And now I’m not going to sleep for the rest of the journey,” he sighed. “Thanks for that, Fateless.”
“Unfortunately, I think she is right,” Kysa said. She observed Rhyne and Ratuk. “We’re going to have to make sure nothing
can get to our supplies. If too much of our food and water is taken, it is going to be impossible to survive out here.”
“Someone should probably stand guard with the rock beetles, then,” Raithe said. “Just in case the thieves return. I doubt
they would attempt to steal from us if someone is there watching, though it takes courage to dig into a strange rock beetle’s
saddlebag.”
Rhyne gave a snort and tossed his head, appearing to agree with Raithe. Kysa glanced back at him and nodded.
“Agreed. I will stay with them, then. At least until Demon Hour is over.”
I winced. Sweat gathered beneath my clothes as the twins beat down on the sands, radiating heat from every direction, even
beneath the shelter. “I’ll stay, too,” I said. “Ratuk is my responsibility, after all.”
“No, Fateless.” Kysa shook her head. “There is no need for two of us. Return to the tent. I will keep watch here, and make
sure we do not lose anything else.”
“Are you sure, Kysa? What if they come back?”
She smiled faintly. “I am certain I will be able to handle a few large rodents. Should they return, they will find stealing
our supplies much more difficult.”
Raithe gently touched the back of my arm. We had turned to go back to the tent, but as we did, I suddenly spotted a tiny figure
watching us from atop a dune. It was barely noticeable, a black speck against the blue horizon, but I thought I saw large
oval ears and a long, tufted tail. It was just a split-second glance before the creature, whatever it was, seemed to dive
nose-first into the sand and vanish.
“Raithe, did you see . . . ?”
He nodded. “At least we know what they are. It didn’t look dangerous, but looks can be deceptive. Let’s hope it’s just the
local wildlife and not something more sinister.”
“Aw,” Halek said. “It was kind of cute, actually. Of course, that’s not to say it’s not dangerous,” he added, as both Raithe and I looked at him.
“Some of the cutest things in the world are the most dangerous. Sand wolf cubs, for instance. And flower girls from the city of Markenth. Don’t trust those big brown eyes they flash you—you’ll find yourself waking up in an alley before you can say ‘where’s my pants? ’ ”
Demon Hour finally came to an end, though the temperatures dropped slowly. The air over the sands continued to shimmer as
Raithe and Kysa packed up the tent, and I made sure the rock beetles were ready to go. I didn’t think Kysa had missed anything
but, just to be certain, I checked all the saddlebags and tie-downs, making sure none of them looked chewed or tampered with.
I wondered what kind of creature would be bold enough to climb onto a giant rock beetle’s back and rifle through its saddlebags.
Or were they desperate, living in as desolate a place as this?
Ratuk huffed softly as I walked around to his saddle. I untied one of the saddlebags and reached inside for my canteen, still
half full of water. I slung it over my shoulder, then rooted around in the bag until I found one of the small clay bowls we
used for food.
Walking away from the rock beetles, I found a flat place in the sands and knelt, setting down the bowl and filling it halfway
with our precious water. Namaia would certainly boil the liquid within soon enough, but I hoped the little rodent creatures
would be able to get a few sips before it evaporated into nothing.
A shadow fell over the water bowl. I looked up to see Raithe gazing down at it, and me, an unreadable look on his face.
I swallowed. “I know,” I said before the iylvahn could say anything. Closing the canteen, I stared at the water bowl, watching the light shimmer off the surface. “This is probably a waste,” I admitted, “but it has to be hard to survive out here. I thought . . .”
“You don’t have to justify sympathy, Sparrow,” Raithe said. I glanced up at him, and he was smiling. “Not with me. Kysa, perhaps,
but I doubt she would begrudge you showing mercy to smaller creatures.” He held out a hand and pulled me to my feet. We mounted
the rock beetles with barely a glance from Kysa, and continued our journey across the desert.
As Ratuk plodded forward, I looked back to the spot where I’d set down the bowl, only to see that it was gone.
For two more days, we continued across the desert. I didn’t see any more of the little rodent creatures, either on the dunes
or when it was my turn to stand guard with the rock beetles. The sands stretched on, eternal and unchanging. The wind continued
to scour and build up the desert, occasionally revealing tiny glimpses of the mysterious civilization that had been here before.
Thankfully, we didn’t spot any sign of the huge abomination. The skies remained painfully clear and blue, the suns unhindered
as they blazed down upon us.
On the morning of the third day, a fierce, hot wind blew across the desert, and an ominous red tinge appeared against the
horizon in front of us.