章 44: The Eye in the Desert
As the sun had journeyed three-fourths of the way across the sky, King Akdan, accompanied by Vera the Sorceress and his minions, arrived at the location where they had spotted the peculiar boat a few days earlier. To their astonishment, there was no trace of the humans or the boat.
King Akdan, in his half-human, half-scorpion form, paced the area, bewildered by the mysterious disappearance of the strange-looking boat that had appeared in the same spot. "How could it be? I am absolutely sure that this is the place where that strange-looking boat appeared. How could it disappear into thin air?"
"It appears that they have departed, Your Majesty," Vera reported. She then closed her eyes, as if trying to perceive something. "They have headed north. Additionally, I sense a great disruption in the mana here. There seems to be something of immense significance buried beneath the desert sands." She crouched, placed her hand on the sand, and concentrated.
"Is it possible that they buried the boat in this very spot? But it was enormous — it seems implausible that just a few ordinary individuals could have managed to bury it." King Akdan ordered his warriors to start digging, and with time and effort, they revealed sections of the buried boat. "For something of this scale to be buried beneath the sand, only someone or something powerful could have done it."
Vera, the Sorceress, squinted as she spoke, "Send some slaves to excavate this boat. There may be some valuable items waiting to be discovered."
Her delicate fingers reached into the pocket of her flowing robe and retrieved a slender bamboo flute. As she brought it to her lips and blew, a haunting melody filled the air. Suddenly, a majestic raven swooped down and alighted gracefully on her shoulder, its glossy black feathers catching the sunlight. With a gentle movement, she extended her hand, and the raven hopped onto it, regarding her with intelligent eyes. After a moment of silent communication, she released the magnificent bird, watching it soar majestically toward the northern horizon.
King Akdan urged the warriors who accompanied him to dig. He also sent his messenger to fetch more slaves so they could dig faster. A few of his people assembled a makeshift tent, providing a temporary shelter for King Akdan and Vera as they watched the digging in the sandy, barren landscape.
After some time, Vera's eyes glazed. She saw a mysterious object near the dunes, in the northern part of the desert.
"I saw something," she blurted out. King Akdan glanced at her sharply. What she had seen was the vehicle that lay in ruins after a big snake smashed into it.
"King Akdan looked into Vera's eyes, which suddenly turned white. He realized that Vera was seeing everything through the eyes of her raven."
"What are you seeing?" he asked, not surprised by the change in her eyes.
"It is a carriage made of iron with two huge wheels on one side and another two on the other side. It was smashed to pieces probably by the giant snakes."
"How about those people? Do you see any of them?" the scorpion king asked. He was getting impatient. He wished that he had the same power as the sorceress.
Vera's head shook resolutely. Over time, the rich pigment of her iris gradually returned to its natural, deep brown hue.
"They are remarkable. They traveled such a long distance in the harsh environment of Barasan." She commented after making herself comfortable in a makeshift wooden chair.
"Do you want to chase them? We won't be able to catch up on foot. The only way to catch them is to travel by air. You can ride Raveno, and I'll take my eagle. However, we can only bring a maximum of five warriors with us, as the other birds can't travel that quickly and will be burned by the hot sun.
As King Akdan pondered, he gazed at the sun that was about to sink in an hour below the horizon. He contemplated and realized that they still had plenty of time. He took solace in the knowledge that the emerging stars would soon illuminate the night sky, and would provide them guiding light for their journey.
King Akdan whistled a piercing, shrill whistle, and soon, seven majestic eagle-like black birds appeared in the sky and landed on the sand beside them.
The Scorpion King wasted no time and mounted the black bald-headed eagle he called Raveno. The sorceress did the same and climbed onto the back of a black eagle with a beautiful crown on its head. The crown was made of golden feathers sticking up at the top of the bird.
King Akdan signaled to five of his best warriors, and they mounted the five remaining birds the size of a pony.
Vera, the enigmatic sorceress, led the group as they soared through the endless sky, casting a long shadow upon the vast expanse of desert sand below.
As the big birds soared through the sky at speeds of more than 80 kilometers per hour, their powerful wings carried them effortlessly over the barren desert landscape. Below them, the vast expanse of sand dunes stretched out endlessly, interrupted only by the occasional solitary cactus. Despite their swift and tireless flight, the birds found little else to capture their attention on the desolate desert floor.
"I can see them," Vera exclaimed as she slowed down with her bird, Sonora. "This is amazing; I've never seen anything like it before."
"What are you seeing?" King Akdan was full of curiosity.
"The strangest carriage I have ever seen. It is running on its own without being pulled by a horse or any other beast. There are four of them."
"Can you see the people inside?"
"No, the carriage is covered. We will catch up with them at sunset."
Vera's iris remained as white as the snow. With her black pupils that narrowed into a vertical slit, she looked scary.
The vehicles exuded a powerful aura of mana, giving the impression that they were accompanied by a significant presence.
"Can you defeat the phari?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued. "You are the most powerful sorceress in the entire Astralis after all. You should be able to do that." King Akdan looked at the beautiful woman wearing a white robe and riding on a blackbird.
If a child from the earth's realm could look at her, she would think she was an angel that descended from heaven.
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