Chapter 39: The burning sand
Zaelia took the direction of the town. She raised her fist to the sky and yelled. She roared like she never did before. All the frustration of the past years, all the rage she had, all the fear, all the doubts, she vented everything at this moment and she was joined by the fifty. They left quickly, their howling accompanying them to give them courage. They were good runners and she knew her team could stand for a long distance. They were running for part of the day and she planned to do one small break before keeping back to their rhythm. This way they would reach the high rocks of the desert. She knew there were grottos there where they could establish a camp for the night but to be successful they couldn't be late. It would be impossible to find the entrances to the shelters by night, these grottos were hard to find.
The fifty were good Men, she had no problems keeping them going this way. It was a long journey but she had total trust in the people around her. They took their first short break in the middle of the day to drink a bit of water and eat something. She sat on the floor and took the map she did earlier. The group was silent, they were all scared by the situation and honestly, she was scared too. She had no words for them, they would know it was just a lie anyway. Nobody ever did what they were doing now.
The travel was dangerous by itself but the destination was even worse. They kept in mind that the scout could have been spotted even if he was a good guy and efficient, they simply didn't know what technology this town could have. If it was the case then they were waiting for them and this was in the mind of everyone around.
Zaelia watched the sun and placed a hand on her eyes. She thought to herself: "I hope you enjoy the show I am offering to you and I hope you see us because I am seriously freaking out."
What she didn't know is that he was watching. Archanium had a great interest in this expedition in his honor and, from his Golden city, he was smiling.
After the break ended they continued their run, they reached the grottos as they planned. She was content that everything was ok. Everyone had a task and the camp was mounted very fast. They started a few firecamps just outside of the entrances. Everything was so calm, they felt very fine at this moment and they had great confidence that their raid would be successful. The morale was very high and she lay on the floor content about herself. She was laughing at the idea that she would be a much greater leader for the tribe than the elder council who was ruling actually and that her dream was about to become true. She was the best, she believed it. She slept with a smile this night while the fifty organized themselves for the night patrols.
The grotto was easy to defend and the ambiance was very relaxing that night. She had a wonderful idea to come here. She slept peacefully that night. The conditions were hard due to the cold of the desert and the noise of the wind but everything was going according to plan and that made her feel good.
She awakened in the early morning, she started to pack her material and the fifty were slowly preparing to continue the journey to the mysterious town outside their land. She planned another night further, at the border just before entering the enemy territory. There was supposed to be a clear area around an oasis, they should be able to rest there. They didn't need a lot of time to get ready and start to run again. The heat of the desert was not much of a problem to them, she placed a sand color fabric on her head and face and they took back their running.
The fifty were moving, carried by their hopes. By the faith to make their people better, to prove their value to Archanium, and return in glory. They were silent, all of them had different thoughts but in the end, they all had heavy hearts and a ball in their throats. Were they running to a useless death? Were they running to eternal glory in the Golden City?
It was already the middle of the day and the sun was high. Zaelia didn't plan that it would be so hot today, they were slowed down by the intensity of the weather. They never explored this part of the desert and the scout was alone with very little material when he traveled. She turned her head to her men and she understood that they had a problem. She was increasingly tense, she also started to feel tired and the sun was going to be warmer and warmer. She felt the sweat on her skin under her clothes, it was drying immediately which was not good.
Some of them already needed a break to drink, and since she didn't know if the oasis would have drinkable water she didn't want to grant them this break but they simply couldn't continue this way anymore.
They stopped for a minute, during which time she checked the map for a solution. They would not reach the oasis by night and if they didn't it meant they would have to spend the night walking in the winds that come with the shadows.
There was a path. Something in between two enormous rocks, they could rest there. After a few calculations, she managed to make a new plan, the total trip would be longer but this potential shelter was closer to them and they could reach it before the night. The problem was the water. She turned to them and said in a hoarse voice.
"Do not drink anymore, not before we stop this evening."
They stopped, listening to her. She had pain in her throat from breathing the sand, then she made a sign with her hand to continue. They were slower but they were moving. She was determined to reach this passage, if not they would not make it alive.
She pushed them a bit far as she tensed. The sun was moving faster than them and by the beginning of the evening, they were still far. She had no force to yell at them, some of the fifty were so exhausted that they were walking.
They were stuck. She panicked, she tried to speak with a strong voice to motivate them.
"Move!"
She was horrified to see her failure. The wind started to rise in the desert, and in a flash, she thought about all her conversations with the scout. She remembered everything, every detail. How could she miss something as important as the possible weather? Was all of this her fault? The wind brought a sand wave high of a good ten meters on the horizon. She found the force to yell as much as she could.
"Run!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone