“Male.”
Leif looked Niv up and down. “Before we can do anything, you need to remove those clothes.”
“What! No way,” she argued, backing up. Leif was not the gentleman she had thought.
“Those clothes are foreign. You will stick out wherever we go, and people will turn you into the elves. We will need to find you new clothes. We can purchase some. There is a town not far from here.”
“After we get the clothes, I will change,” Niv said.
“Of course,” Leif replied, looking at her strangely. “How could you change if you do not have clothing to put on?” He glanced at Sky. “Stay with Niv. I will be back before nightfall. Protect her if needed.”
Sky scurried over in front of Nivara. “You can count on me.”
“No offense, but how is a ferret going to protect me?” Niv asked, hoping she wasn’t burning any inroads she had made with Sky.
Leif laughed. “Go ahead, show her.”
Sky turned to her and took a few steps back. “Why do you keep calling me a ferret? What is a ferret?”
“Sorry, it’s just the closest animal to you that I’ve seen in my world.”
“Well, can it do this?” Sky asked as his body started shaking. As Sky shook his body grew bigger and longer, until he was roughly the size of a horse.
Niv gasped at his sudden transformation. “I thought you couldn’t shift anymore.”
“Same animal. I am in the form of a hoosula. They can shift into three different sizes. Large,” he grinned widely, “medium, as you saw before, and a small size that I don’t like to change into, for fear of being squashed.”
Niv shrugged. “No one would believe me back home.”
Leif set his hand on Nivara. “Are you satisfied?”
She gave him a thumbs up, but at his confused expression she clarified that her gesture meant yes, she was satisfied.
Leif adjusted his bow and quiver on his back. “I will return shortly.” He nodded to Sky and then strode out of the cave.
Chapter IX
The Prince closed his eyes and didn’t move. His head was spinning and there was a loud ringing in his ears. He was afraid if he moved he would lose his balance and fall.
Ajax Maxwell was a dead man. How dare he strike the Crown Prince?
After a few minutes, his head stopped swirling. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times. All around him was sand. He spun his head to the side, and that was a big mistake. A crashing pain shot through his temple. He froze for the second time and waited for the pain to recede.
When the throbbing was bearable he opened his eyes again. This time he made sure to slow his movements.
“Ajax, Nivara!” the Prince called.
He listened for a moment but no one answered. Blake assumed he was in a desert, but where was he and how had he gotten here?
I must have gone through the portal. The realization finally came to him after a few minutes of quiet. The ringing in his ears was now purely a faint whisper and his head was clear again.
The Prince stood and shielded his eyes from the light. He looked at his surroundings; he needed to get moving. The heat was beating down on him. He had no water and no idea what direction he should head.
He surveyed the area, trying to find a landmark in the distance, some point he could head towards, but all he saw was a sea of sand.
Not knowing what else to do, he closed his eyes and spun around slowly, pointing his finger. When he stopped he opened his eyes and started walking in the direction he was pointing.
Within minutes sweat was dripping from his face and his shirt was soaked through. He was glad it had been cooler back home. He took his jacket off and held it over his head, offering a little shade and protection from the heat.
The sun wasn’t anywhere to be found.
Prince Blake hiked for what seemed like hours. His throat burned. What he wouldn’t give for a few drops of water right about now. He would probably give up his kingdom for a tall, cold cup of water. He had been fooled a few times by mirages. Each instance the Prince thought he found water seemed to magnify his thirst.
After a few hours Blake just stared down at the sand in front of him, forcing himself to take step after step. The heat was sucking all the energy from his body. He couldn’t handle this for much longer. Perhaps another day at most.
Finally, the light began to recede and with it, the heat. Blake took a moment to sit down and relax now that the heat wasn’t unbearable. He looked up and in the distance, he could swear he saw some trees.
He stood up and brushed the sand from his pants. It was probably another mirage, but he didn’t have anything to lose.
The trek was slow-going. His stomach rumbled. He had never been so famished in his life. Back home, he just had a servant bring him something whenever he wanted to eat. Never in his life had he gone to bed hungry. He had a feeling tonight would be his first.
As he got closer, his hope began to grow that the trees were not a hallucination. They appeared to be getting bigger, and it looked as if there was a small building of some sort. It was dome-shaped and looked to be made from some kind of mud mingled with sticks.
But that wasn’t the most amazing thing. Blake saw a well. He picked up his speed. His feet were clumsy and he was falling in the sand, but he hurried to the well.
He grabbed the bucket and tossed it down into the darkness. Words couldn’t convey how glorious the noise of the bucket hitting water sounded to him. He pulled the bucket out slowly, not wanting to tip it over.
The Prince guzzled down the first bucket, spilling a good half down his face. He dumped the second bucket straight on top of his head. It was the most glorious feeling he had ever experienced.
As he finished pulling the bucket up a third time, he felt something sharp at his throat.
“What are you doing here?” a raspy voice asked.
The Prince released the bucket slowly. “I just needed some water.”
“Go find your own water,” the voice commanded, shoving him to the ground.
Blake blinked several times, trying to get the sand out of his eyes. He looked up to see the sword pointed at him was held by an enormous brown lizard wearing pink pants and a pink blouse with big fluffy pink lumps all over it.
He scrambled back. “Stay away from me.”
The lizard snorted. “That’s all I want. Now shoo.”
Blake held his head between his hands and closed his eyes. “This isn’t real,” he mumbled to himself. “I’m hallucinating from the heat and exhaustion.” He opened his eyes to see the lizard still standing a few feet in front of him. “I’ve got to get out of here.” He stood and started to run, but his foot got tangled in the rope attached to the bucket. As he tried desperately to untangle it, the lizard stepped forward, still pointing the sword towards him. Blake lunged backwards, tripping, and hit his head hard on the side of the well, falling into darkness.
The Prince awoke slowly, wondering why his bed was so lumpy. It was dim in his room. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he reached his hand up to feel his head. It throbbed on the side.
He felt a massive bump on the side of his head. Stars entered his vision, and he fell back into darkness.
Hours later Blake awoke again. He started to hoist himself up in the bed when he heard a voice.
“Take it slow. You banged your head pretty good back there,” advised a raspy voice.
He turned toward the voice, still a little out of it; sitting across the room in a chair was the lizard.
“Please, I’m sorry. I’ll leave,” the Prince apologized, trying not to shake.
“It’s too late tonight and you wouldn’t get far. So, it looks as if we’re stuck with each other.” The lizard stood up.
Blake pressed himself against the wall, looking for anywhere to go.
“I’m not going to hurt you. Are you hungry?” she asked.
Blake nodded hesitantly.
She went to a pot and scooped something into a bowl.
The Prince’s stomach growled as he began to smell the sustenance.
“Here.” The lizard handed him the bowl and a spoon. “I’m Linder, by the way.”
Blake sniffed at the concoction tentatively, tested a small bite and then swallowed slowly. “Pri—” he began, but didn’t suppose his title would do him much good here. “Blake,” he said, scooping another mouthful in. He was so hungry, and it was actually quite good.
“You aren’t from here, are you son?” she guessed.
Linder seemed to be pretty observant, so there was no point in denying it. “No. I don’t really know how I got here.”
“Sorry for scaring you earlier. I thought you were one of the sand men. They live out here but can’t sustain themselves so they steal my water and try to raid my pantry.” She shook her head. “If I’d known you were a portal jumper, I would have taken it easier on you.”
She knows about the portal. Maybe she can help me get home, he thought. “Do you know how I can get home?”
“No, sorry, I don’t know much about that. But I know someone who can assist you. I’ll escort you to him in the morning. Get some rest.”
“Thank you, Linder.”
He handed her the bowl and then almost immediately dozed off.
In the morning the lizard woke him gently. She fed him again and they set off for her friend.
“My apologies, it’s quite a trek. We won’t reach my acquaintance ‘til midday,” Linder explained.
“Don’t worry. I just appreciate the aid,” he smiled.
They walked for hours but it wasn’t as bad today. Linder had packed fruit and water, which made the journey much more bearable.
After hours of hiking, the lizard pointed out several structures similar to her own. There was a lake and more vegetation.
“We’re getting closer to the edge of the sands,” Linder explained.
There was no one outside when they approached the domes. The heat was intense. Blake figured everyone was staying indoors attempting to remain cool.
“Ho, Myder!” the lizard called.
A moment later a pale creature with a long white braid stepped outside.
“Linder,” the male greeted the lizard tersely. “What do you want?” he growled.
Something started to make Blake feel uneasy. Wasn’t this her associate? He wasn’t being very pleasant.
“Got a jumper for you. What’s the rate?” she enquired, smiling widely.
Myder’s eyes widened. “Let me see him. How do you know he is a jumper?”
She nudged him forward hard.
“Hey,” Blake complained, rubbing his back.
“Told me himself. Besides, look at his clothes. Pay up.”
Blake tried to run, but it was too late. Myder whistled and another pale creature emerged from inside the structure.
“Bind him. We will escort him to Striker as soon as I finish with this lowlife.”
The creature was anything but gentle. He whipped Blake around and bound his hands and feet with tight cords.
“Leave me alone,” Blake pleaded.
Myder took out a sack from one of his pockets and tossed it to Linder. The Prince could hear the sounds of coins clinking together as she caught them.
“Pleasure,” the lizard smiled, and headed for home.
“Please, let me go.”
“Take care of that,” Myder barked. “I do not want to listen to that the whole ride. As he strode back into the building, Blake heard Myder mumble, “It has been a decade since we had a portal jumper.”
The other creature tied a gag securely around Blake’s mouth and tossed him roughly into the back of a cart before disappearing back into the dome. The wagon was being pulled by two animals covered in long purple hair. They were about the size of cows, but they had long purple trunks and six legs each.
Myder came out first and took the reins. “Hurry up, Turk,” he yelled. “You are the slowest elf I have ever seen.”
Turk, the elf that had thrown Blake into the cart, hurried out of the dome, shoving something down into a pack. He climbed up next to Myder, looking bashful.
Elves, he thought. He couldn’t fathom that they were real. There were a few in the stories his mother had read him when he was younger, but they had always been smaller and nice. These elves looked fierce, and were slightly taller and bigger than the Prince.
Terrified. That was the feeling that coursed through Blake. He had never felt helpless or out of control before as he did now. No one had ever treated him this way before. Would they harm him? What did they want with him?
The ride was anything but comfortable. Having a rag tied around his mouth was worse than he could have imagined. For one thing it was tight and cut into the sides of his mouth. Second, he couldn’t close his mouth all the way, so he couldn’t keep the dust out, which made him even thirstier.
Myder and Turk seemed to have no desire to share any of their provisions and drinks with their prisoner.
He bounced up and down in the back. It was hard for him to keep his balance the way he was tied. He kept rolling around.
“Breathe it in. Home,” Myder said as they approached what Blake thought must be a city.
The buildings were bigger and there were more of them. Some were domelike, and others more rectangular. As a breeze blew, Blake smelled a wonderful aroma. He glanced around noticed that all the buildings had vines with small purple flowers growing along the edges of the roofs and windowsills.
He took another breath, trying to think of a comparable scent in his world, but could come up with none. It was intoxicating. No wonder Myder had missed it.
There were elves everywhere. Occasionally he would see another creature. None of them seemed particularly happy to be in the vicinity of the elves.
The wagon came to a stop at a tall shimmering gate. The building behind it was bigger and more extravagant than any of the structures Blake had ever seen.
An elf holding a spear was standing outside the gate. Blake assumed he was some sort of sentinel.
“State your business,” the guard demanded.
“We have come seeking an audience with Striker,” Myder beamed.
The sentinel elf snorted. “Striker is not to be bothered by the likes of you two,” he replied dismissively. “Where are you stationed anyway?” he probed, looking around the side of the wagon. “The Lonely Sands?” He turned his nose up and waved them off.
Apparently Myder and Turk’s post was not a prominent one.
“Watch it,” Myder cautioned. He gestured to Blake in the back. “Striker will send you to the Stinking Bogs if you send me away.”
The Stinking Bogs must have been an even lower assignment because the guard hesitated. “Who is he?” he enquired, glowering at the prisoner.
Myder leaned forward and whispered something in the sentinel’s ear.
The elf’s eyes widened. “This better be the real deal,” he warned, then turned and waved a hand.
The Prince didn’t see who the elf waved to, but the gate began to open.
As the wagon pulled around, Blake noticed the elves inside the gate scurrying frantically. They were whispering and pointing at the wagon.
The sense of uneasiness increased as Blake got closer to meeting Striker. He seemed to be someone powerful and important. Perhaps he was the leader of the elves and could be reasoned with.
Chapter X
“Axel!”
Niko jumped to his feet and took a protective stance. He had a long dagger in his hand. “What? What’s wrong?” he said as he scanned the area.
“Nothing,” Ajax said, realizing how his shouting must have startled them. “Everything,” he mumbled to himself.
Spots flew over and landed on Ajax’s knee. “What are you yelling about? You nearly scared the spots right off me,” he snapped.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle everyone,” he apologized.
Niko put his dagger down, huffed, and rolled back onto the ground.
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br /> Neely had sat up by this time. “You called out Axel. What’s Axel?”
Ajax still couldn’t believe his brother was here. “Axel is my brother. I didn’t realize it before, but I’m pretty sure he’s here too.”
He finally understood the dreams he was having. Having arrived on the Black Night, there had been no stars. He hadn’t realized Axel had entered the portal until he saw the pink stars, the same stars he had seen in the dream. He had thought Axel had run away and abandoned him, but that wasn’t the case.
“Maybe Nogard can see something about him too. Once we find him,” Spots offered.
“Thanks,” Ajax said. “Sorry for startling everyone.” He paused. “I guess we should get some sleep.” He could tell Spots and Neely were tired. Although, now that he had come to the realization that his brother was here, Ajax couldn’t imagine dozing off.
Tomorrow they would reach the Screeching Desert. Hopefully they would find some answers there.
Ajax looked up at the stars, reflecting on his brother and how marvelous it was going to be to see him again. Eventually, sleep found him.
Neely woke Ajax early. She provided him with some more of the stinky wax substance and he rubbed it under his nose. He gagged a few times at its pungency, but he guessed it was better than falling into an endless slumber.
She found them some fruit and pulled out some dried fish. They ate silently. The light was just beginning to emerge.
They walked for about an hour in silence. Ajax was tired and his body ached from sleeping on the hard ground.
“Neely, why are we going to the Screeching Desert? What’s there? Is that where you imagine the Seer resides?” Ajax asked.
Neely adjusted her pack on her back. “Oh no, wouldn’t that be easy. I have no idea where Nogard lives, but a friend might. Creatures here have a wide range of lifespans. So we need to talk to one that’s been around awhile.” She pointed to Spots, who was riding on Niko’s horn. “Take Spots for instance. His species’ lifespan is only about twenty-five to thirty years.”
“That’s it?” Ajax asked, surprised. He was fond of Spots. His lifecycle seemed way too short.
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