by Alta Hensley
"Keep your eyes closed!" he yelled above the howling wind.
She tightened her eyes more and burrowed her face even deeper against his chest. The wind shook her body so hard that if it weren't for Donte holding her firm, she thought she might blow away. She remembered being told a story as a child of nomads being torn to shreds by the desert wind. The gory tale was told often to children to deter them from leaving to explore for something better. But sitting here, huddled against Donte, she couldn't help but wonder if the gruesome stories were indeed true.
He positioned his body so his covered lips were against her ear. "It’s passing! Hold on just a little longer!" He rubbed her back reassuringly.
He held her like that until the worst of the storm had passed. When it finally subsided enough, he pulled away to examine her. "Are you all right?"
She removed the fabric from her face and nodded.
He stood up and surveyed the entire group. After seeing that everyone had weathered the storm, he gave his commands. "Let us continue on. Casen is near!"
18
The sun reflected off the sand, nearly blinding Cinder as she trekked across the desert. At one point, they stopped so he could wrap more cloth around their faces to prevent a sunburn from the scorching rays. Occasionally, a gust of wind blew sand into her face, and she was forced to travel forward with her eyes shut. The only protection she had from the sand blowing in her eyes was burying her face into Donte's frame. She clung to him for support, even though she hated having to. Every time she cuddled too close, the small sword in his satchel poked through the bag and nudged Cinder's leg, reminding her that at anytime they could be attacked by Jaden.
"Are we there yet?" she whispered. She didn't know if he heard her or not, but he didn't reply.
They traveled for a long time, and Cinder tried to estimate the minutes, but the heat was slowly sinking into her skin causing her head to pound. Her wounds started to sting and she felt her body fall limp against Donte.
The next thing she knew, she was on her back with Donte hovering over her. Her face was covered in liquid that didn't feel like sweat, and she realized that he had dumped the water from his flask over her face.
"You wasted all of that water on me." Guilt flooded her senses. He helped her sit up and she winced, gripping her side in pain. Everyone was staring at her with worry on their faces, and she hated the unwanted attention.
He helped her take a drink of water, scanning her body. "How are you feeling? Do you still feel faint?"
She shook her head, even though she wasn't sure she would be able to walk if she tried. The cloth he had tied to her head hours ago—hours or days ago—stuck to her head with dried sweat.
Donte sat down on the sand next to her, their shoulders touching. Cinder felt an added warmth come to her face and she tried to swallow, but her dehydration and the lump in her throat weren't helping.
After a short time, Donte helped her up to stand. "We need to keep moving," he said with a new sense of urgency. He glanced around at everyone. “Drink water when needed, but we have to power on.”
Cinder struggled to regain balance, blinking away her dizziness.
Donte wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her next to his body for support. "Jaden's soldiers could be near. There’s no telling where they are right now. We need to reach safety."
Cinder nodded and held on to his arm. He lifted her back onto the horse but the pain in her body was excruciating. Every bruise and every cut screamed against the heat of the sun.
"How long do you think it'll be until we find Casen?" she asked, feeling the sweat drip down her face.
"We’ll reach Casen. I assure you."
She took a deep breath in through her mouth, but was greeted with sand filling every crack between her teeth. She grimaced at the gritty texture. She held her hand up to keep the dust from blowing into her eyes.
"We can do this," he said confidently. "With you by my side… we will succeed."
They rode until the sun finally reached the horizon, sinking. The moon made its appearance, and so did a cluster of stars.
"We’ll stop here," Donte announced as he lowered her off the horse. Everyone else was doing the same around them.
Cinder didn't need him to say more. She let go of his arm and collapsed on the warm sand, thankful for a rest. They had traveled the rest of the day, gnawing on bits and pieces of food from Donte's satchel. In their food search of the commune before they left, they had found an extra flask of water, and they were able to steal the water from the fallen soldiers they had killed, which they took turns drinking.
She lay back on the sand, thankful it was cooling off. But she knew that soon the desert would turn into a frigid wasteland. Despite that, she let herself rest for a brief moment.
That moment turned into a few hours. They were awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of hissing. Donte bolted upright and held out his hands defensively. Cinder sat up just as quickly. At one point or another, she had crawled to Donte's side in the night to keep warm. She had been resting with her head on his chest. When he moved, it suddenly threw her to the sand.
"Shh," Donte commanded. He carefully stood up in one place and stuck his foot out to feel for the rock on which he'd placed his satchel.
The hissing intensified. Cinder drew her hands to her chest. The hissing came from all directions and she didn't want to turn around, fearing what would be behind her.
Donte fumbled around in the darkness and found his satchel, drawing his small sword from it. He wielded the sword expertly. His hand remained steady as he glanced around in the complete blackness, no sign of fear in his expression.
The hissing sounded at his feet, and he instantly stabbed the sword down. The blade struck the sand with such an intensity that the ground shook, but he held the sword still. The blade sunk into the sand about halfway and he yanked it out.
The hissing ceased.
"Get up," he demanded of Cinder.
Cinder did as he ordered, cradling her side. The wound had opened up a little in her sleep and it stung under her hand. Pain shot up her leg and she gasped.
"Are you all right?" Donte whipped around to face her.
"What was that?" she asked, surprised to hear her own voice shaking a little.
Donte let out a long breath and dropped his arms to his sides. "A snake of some sort. I couldn’t see if it was poisonous or not."
Cinder nodded and jumped when Donte reached for her hand.
"It’s all right," Donte whispered as he grabbed her other hand. "It is just me. You’re going to be fine. I killed the snake." He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "We should wake everyone up and continue on while it’s cool."
It didn’t take long until the sun peeked over the horizon as they all rode toward Casen. She looked down at the man who chose to walk beside her. The faint light of morning colored Donte's face in pinks and yellows and oranges, and all of his sharp edges seemed softer. His usually piercing eyes were warmer, kinder.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, making eye contact with hers.
Cinder shook her head. "Nothing. I just feel safe being with you. Even now, I feel safe."
"We’re far from safe," he mumbled as he undid the cloth from around his head and ran his hand through his hair. "But I promise you that I’ll protect you. Snake or Jaden."
A gentle breeze fluttered through his hair, but nothing like the gusts of wind that had plagued them the day before. The flowing air was needed as they traveled on for miles and miles. Cinder was happy when they finally took a break from the grueling journey.
"How’s your side?" he asked as they paused near a rare tree to give the horses water. Donte reached out to lift her silks.
"I'm fine, I think," she said. She sighed, though, and winced when he helped her sit down on the heated sand. Donte scowled as he gently pulled the silks off her side. The wound had opened again and was bleeding. The blood looked almost black in the dim light.
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sp; Donte removed the silks fully and instead replaced it with the cloth he'd been wearing around his head.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Cinder said through gritted teeth. The pain hurt and she tried to not show it, but it stung just as much as it had the moment the attackers hurt her.
"Stay still," he ordered as he fastened the cloth around her side and then replaced the silks. "Not having a bandage could infect the wound. Not that this cloth is much better. We need to reach Casen and attend to this immediately."
Cinder remained silent. She sat back and looked down at her hands, rough and worn from wear and tear. She had a few calluses on her palms and fingers, and her nails were broken off.
The moment of silence expanded between them. She could hear chatter from the other soldiers and harem girls, but it all was just a murmur of sound. Cinder glanced up to see the sun rising gradually above the horizon, painting the sky in an array of colors. It looked almost like a watercolor painting, all the colors blended together with no telling of where one color ended and the next began.
"It's lovely," she murmured. It had been a long time since she had seen anything of beauty and was happy that she was still able to take a moment and appreciate what still remained good in life. She absently drew circles in the sand with the tip of her finger.
"I’m gazing at something much prettier," Donte said quietly.
Cinder froze, her heart skipping a beat. Donte stood up and walked to his satchel. When she turned to look at him, she found him wiping his sword, which was still stained with the blood of the snake he had killed in the darkness.
Cinder shook her head and carefully got to her feet.
"What do you think you’re doing?" He tucked the blade in his satchel and hurried to her, wrapping his arms around her torso.
"I feel better," she said. "We need to keep moving." Cinder didn't want her weakness to be the reason for their failure. She needed to find her strength.
"Are you sure your side is free from pain?"
Cinder paused to look at him. His angled face was covered in worry and concern.
She nodded with a weak smile. “Ride with me.”
After a few minutes of riding, she rested her head against his shoulder, allowing his strength to help carry her on.
The sun rose higher and higher, and Cinder used this to gauge what time it was. As soon as it stood overhead, she knew it was around noon.
They proceeded to walk as the sun moved across the sky. The gusts of wind grew stronger, throwing Donte and Cinder back and forth. Sand littered the sky, as well as other little bits of debris. When the wind became too strong, Donte pulled Cinder closer to keep her from falling off the horse.
Several hours later, night fell and Cinder didn't hesitate to completely collapse.
"Are you all right?" Donte asked, swooping to her side.
"Just tired," she said through a vicious yawn. "The heat really takes a lot out of you."
Donte sat down beside her. "You should have told me if you needed to rest."
In the near-darkness, the desert didn't look so threatening. The darkness brought a light breeze, not biting gusts of wind, and cooler temperatures, not scorching ones. Cinder dug her hand into the sand and found cooler grains below the surface.
Donte rummaged through his satchel. "Here, eat." When she paused and looked at the rest of the harem girls settling in, he added, “Don’t worry. Each soldier has been assigned to care for them. They’ll eat too.”
She took a scrap of dried fruit from him. He pulled out his near-empty flask. He took a small sip before handing it to Cinder.
Donte breathed in deeply before letting it out in a heavy breath. "We better find Casen soon."
"I know," she murmured. She pulled herself to Donte's side. "Can we start a fire? It's getting cold."
"No," he said flatly. "As much as I want to, we cannot. We can’t risk showcasing our location to whatever else is in this desert. Jaden is looking for us right now, and we can't draw them a map to where we are by building a fire."
Cinder nodded and buried her face in his shoulder. "But we won't get attacked by snakes tonight, will we?"
He chuckled, a noise she hadn’t heard in a long time. Laughter. "I hope not."
"If we do, you'll save us again," she said. "Hopefully."
"Hopefully?" Donte repeated with a chuckle. "I’ll risk my life for you, Cinder. Now get some sleep."
"Maybe we should continue on," Cinder protested, but a yawn escaped her lips. Despite her protests, she fell into a deep sleep against Donte.
The sound of clopping suddenly made her sit up. Two horses appeared in the distance and Donte quickly got to his feet. He scrambled for his satchel and dug out his small sword, wielding it in front of him.
When Cinder saw the sword, she gasped and turned to look where he was looking. There were two Jaden warriors.
She ran to her own satchel and pulled out another small blade, raising it and letting the faint light gleam against it.
"I'm ready to fight," she said as she pulled herself to Donte's side.
Before he could protest, more warriors approached them, weapons hanging from their belts. Without a word, one of them charged toward them, wielding a lengthy sword. All the men jumped up from their slumber prepared for battle with sleepy eyes.
As one Jaden soldier charged, Donte matched it, and the sounds of the cries of the harem and blades colliding rang through the air. Cinder jumped out of the way, only to see a Jaden warrior running at her. Her small blade didn't compare to his sword and she wished that Donte had better weapons for the harem and not just his men.
For now, all she could do was duck and avoid being stabbed. The soldier grabbed her and shoved her to the ground, knocking her small dagger out of her hand. The man pinned her to the sand, and reached for her fallen blade.
Then, Donte shoved the warrior out of the way, shoving his own blade into the warrior's neck. Cinder grimaced and turned away, only to see the first warrior rising from the ground and bolting in their direction. She rolled out of the way just as he swiped his sword at Donte.
She scrambled to her feet as Donte engaged the first in a battle of colliding blades. She stood there helpless, not sure how she could help Donte fight the remaining soldier. She closed her eyes in panic, wishing for the violence to go away. The sound of metal striking metal pierced her ears, followed by a grunt from a man.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the warrior on the ground, bleeding from a gash on the throat. Donte stood where the warrior had been moments before, his blade bloody. He was breathing heavily, scanning the two bodies that bled on the sand. He ran off to assist his men in killing the rest of Jaden, which fortunately they did successfully.
They had won another victory. Small, but still a victory.
"Did they hurt you?" Donte asked, scooping her up into his arms.
She shook her head faintly.
He held her for a moment, rocking her back and forth, kissing her on her head repeatedly. She could feel his heartbeat against his chest, his breath ragged.
When his breathing steadied, he gestured to the horses. "We need to get moving and find Casen before more Jaden soldiers come."
Cinder nodded and slipped her hand into his, heading for the horses. Donte helped her up onto her horse, and he pulled himself onto one of Jaden’s as his men did the same with the extra horses gained in their night battle. He fiddled with the pockets of the makeshift saddles, eventually finding small pouches of food.
"Open the pockets of the saddle," he said eagerly to his men. "There may be food, water, and a few weapons, as there is in mine."
The men did as he said and pulled out a few bags of dried fruit, just like what Donte had. They searched a bit more and found a few small knives, as well as canisters of clean water.
Before she could stop herself, Cinder moved her horse to where Donte was, grabbed his extended water canister and drank, letting the cool water hydrate her dry, cracked mouth and lips.
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sp; After, she turned to see Donte doing the same thing. They both grinned and shared a bag of dried fruit, knowing there was much more in the saddle pockets.
"We will definitely be able to cover some ground with these extra horses that are clearly rested and fed, and now our supplies have been replenished," Donte said cheerfully.
Cinder stroked her hand down the mane of her horse. She had never ridden before without Donte at the very least walking beside her, but she was confident she would manage.
As the sun started to peek over the horizon, they rode off.
Everyone rode quietly through the day, finding it a lot quicker than some of them walking. With the horses they were able to cover at least three times the distance than they had before.
Finally, they came to a stop when the sun started to set and let the horses rest. Cinder, despite not having to do anything physical, felt worn out and exhausted. Even Donte offered a yawn as he slid off his horse.
"I feel like we're not going to be able to find Casen," Cinder muttered as she rummaged through the pockets on the saddle. "We're going to run out of supplies sooner or later."
Donte nodded. "We will reach it. And with the horses, we’ll be able to reach it quicker. Everything will be fine. Don’t lose faith."
Cinder shrugged her shoulders tiredly and sat down on the sand. "I hope so. If we don't find it soon, I'm afraid we'll die." She hated to say the words, but couldn't resist doing so. Her spirits were as beaten as her body.
"We’ll reach it," Donte repeated stonily. He sat down next to her and held out his arms.
Cinder smiled a little to herself as she snuggled against his broad chest and watched the desert fade before her eyes as the sun sank below the horizon. Soon, she was no longer able to see anything, even things inches from her face.