Lands of Dust (The Dying World Book 1)

by John Triptych

  Devos was exhausted, but his faith in the telling stones was once again rewarded. “This is the final desert. Beyond lies the Black Redoubt. It is exactly as what the stories have told us.”

  Nyx sat down along the edge of the cave entrance and wept.

  Chapter 17

  When night fell once more, the four of them began to make their way across the twilit sands. Miri figured it would take at least two days of walking before they reached the foot of the Black Redoubt. Nyx had been in a sullen mood, and she refused to eat the remaining scraps of food. When Devos said a prayer to thank the gods as well as Jinn for his heroic sacrifice, Nyx merely walked off to the far end of the cliff wall, not wanting to be part of the ritual. Miri knew that the teen girl was hurting inside, and she did not want to press the issue.

  Just before they set out, Miri took stock of their equipment. She still had her black spear, but Nyx had lost hers and all she had was a dagger. Devos had a knife of his own but that was the extent of their existing weaponry. Miri ran her hand along the sides of her torso. It seemed that her leather cuirass had been bitten into, but the orla’s attack didn’t penetrate the thick armor. They used up one of the waterskins during the day’s rest, leaving one full. What little scraps of food they had were now gone as well. Miri had assumed that there would be some sort of nourishment that they could find when they finally set foot in the Black Redoubt, but a gnawing feeling gave her an impression that they might find nothing at all. Jinn’s death weighed heavily on her, but she knew that she couldn’t second guess her actions, lest it would lead to even more bad decisions. All she could do now was to keep trying her best and move forward.

  As the moon was high above them, Miri noticed that Devos was lagging behind. The old man seemed to be limping. Silently gesturing at Rion and Nyx to go ahead, she slowed her walk until she was moving side by side with the teller. “You seem to be slower than usual, Elder Devos,” she said. “Is something wrong?”

  Devos glanced at her while drawing his cloak closer to his body. She could see his teeth grinning at her. “Oh, I think I twisted my ankle in that last battle we had,” he said softly. “Do not concern yourself about me, I can keep up.”

  “That is one less worry on my mind then,” Miri said wistfully. “For I have many more worries still.”

  Devos nodded. “Nyx is still in mourning, but I am sure she will move on. Even though I am not a Striga, I can already sense that.”

  “What happened in the caverns was hard on all of us,” Miri said. “It was I who made the decision to venture into the lightless tunnels.”

  “Look around you,” Devos said. “The Valley of Stone is several dozen leagues behind us. If we had journeyed on the surface, it would have taken more days, and we would be dead from the heat. You chose the right path. Do not let Jinn’s sacrifice be in vain.”

  “We no longer have any food and very little water,” Miri said. “If the Black Redoubt is but a barren ruin, we shall die before we get to the last city.”

  “Do not fear, the gods have brought us this far. I am sure that fortune will smile upon us again,” Devos said.

  Despite everything that had happened, the teller’s optimism was infectious. Miri couldn’t help but smile. “You seem to believe that we will make this journey in spite of all these trials that we have endured so far. What makes you seem so confident?”

  Devos reached underneath his tunic and took out a telling stone. He handed it to Miri. “I had Rion with me when we translated all of the telling stones I had in my possession. That one I had kept from you all this time. The reason I never discussed it with you was because it holds a very special tale.”

  Miri was intrigued. “What tale is that?”

  “It tells the story of Kaelr’s last words, just before he died,” Devos said. “As he met his death upon seeing the gates of Lethe, he was reputed to have said that someone else would come and fulfill the task that he was set out to do.”

  “Someone else was fated to go to Lethe after him? Who?”

  “Kaelr said it would be a boy and her mother,” Devos said. “The mother was fated to be a powerful Striga …and the boy was a Magus.”

  Miri turned her head in surprise. “That cannot be true! Are you saying you believe that the story on the telling stone I am holding right now is about us? Impossible!”

  “I used to think that these tales were nothing more than old stories myself,” Devos said. “Not any longer. This is why I believe that you and Rion are destined to make it to Lethe.”

  “But I am not the boy’s mother.”

  Devos nodded. “The word can mean a great many things, it does not have to mean that the boy was born from your loins, it could signify a guardian, or protector as well.”

  Miri shook her head. “You seem to be stretching the truth in order for the story to make sense. Can you not see that?”

  “Perhaps,” Devos said. “Or it may also mean that all stories have a certain truth in them that can be adapted to serve as prophecy.”

  Miri handed the stone back to him. “I thank you for providing a bit of hope with this tale. It would be of great benefit if it came true.”

  Devos refused to take the stone from her hand. “Keep the stone. There is another story in it that may be of some use for you.”

  Miri held the carved rock in front of her face. The moonlight reflected off the carvings on its surface, it seemed to glow with its own phosphorescence. “I have not much use for this telling stone. I do not know how to read the glyphs.”

  “In time you will learn, let the boy teach you,” Devos said.

  “I have much greater worries right now,” Miri pointed to a cluster of rocks out in the distance as she increased her gait, slowly moving past him. “We need to get to those boulders by dawn so we can rest in the shade. Do not lag behind too far, teller.”

  As Miri moved on ahead, making her way towards Nyx and the boy. Devos gritted his teeth and used all of his willpower to keep up.

  They were able to make it to the cluster of boulders, just an hour after dawn finally broke. Miri took the first watch and kept a lookout while the others slept. She could clearly see some details of the gigantic pyramid, for it seemed to be less than a day’s journey away from where they were. She wondered as to how many huge slabs of blackened stones were needed to create such a gargantuan structure, for the top of Black Redoubt seemed to stretch upwards towards the misty sky. It must have taken thousands of cycles and an endless supply of manpower to construct such a grand edifice. If that monolith was but an outpost of the last city, she wondered what other wonders to the eye could possibly lay after it. From a distance, she noticed that there were huge openings along its side, indicating that the massive structure itself was hollow. Miri didn’t see any signs of movement, but she figured that it was still too far to tell whether it was inhabited or not. What worried her most was the lack of beasts wandering the area and the absence of telltale algae blooms in the sand dunes beyond. If there were inhabitants still living within the Black Redoubt, then there surely must be indications of where they grew and harvested their food. As the sun blazed down onto the sands, Miri wondered if they had stumbled into another dead settlement.

  A few hours had passed and the lazy afternoon sun had begun to wane. Miri woke up from her much needed rest and looked around. Nyx was situated near the top of the boulder, keeping watch while still underneath some shade. Devos and the boy slept side by side, using their packs as pillows for their heads. Miri got up, stretched her back and walked over to where the waterskin was. She held the bladder up, testing its weight. There were only a few sips left, and the cluster of rocks that they were resting in had nothing. She looked up at the younger Striga. Nyx noticed her and their eyes met. Miri gave her a faint smile, but Nyx turned her head back to look across the horizon. It was clear that the teen girl still had not gotten over her brother’s death. Nyx’s enthusiasm had dissolved into a quiet sullenness, her once inquisitive demeanor had been transformed into a
heart of stone.

  Miri decided not to bother her any further, so she sat down beside the sleeping boy and pulled out the telling stone from her pack. It was but a flat piece of black granite that was the size of her palm. Carved glyphs indicated that it told some kind of story, but until Rion could teach her how to read them, they were nothing more than scratches on a rock’s surface to her. Miri ran her fingers along the grooves, marveling at what secrets still lay hidden in its writings. When they had found a bit of safety from the harshness of the land, then she would have the time to learn how to read.

  Devos had awoken. The old man pushed himself up into a sitting position. He turned his head and noticed that Miri was looking intently at the telling stone he had given her. “Once you learn how to read, you will want to get your hands on every single telling stone you can find,” he said.

  Miri glanced at him and smiled. “I hope to the gods that it will be soon, for I am tired of wandering in these wastes.”

  “The Black Redoubt is but a few walks away,” Devos said. “I sense that you will indeed find safety therein.”

  Miri was tempted to laugh, but she didn’t. “So you can sense things now? I never knew you had the power of Vis within you.”

  Devos just grinned and shook his head. “No, not Vis, but the power of dreams. Just now, I had dreamt that I saw you sitting by a fire pit, being counseled by someone wearing a red robe. The room that you were in had walls of carved black rock. It was evidently within the Black Redoubt, I am sure of it.”

  Miri arched her thin eyebrows. She remembered Nyx telling her about the very same person, dressed in the same robe. “You dreamt of a man in red as well? That is strange indeed. Nyx had told me the same thing. I am surprised. I have dreamt of him too, but only vague visions.”

  “The dream that I had was so vivid, it seemed almost like I was scrying into the future,” the old man said. “This is why I am telling you that you are indeed fated to make it into that pyramid we see before us.”

  Nyx climbed down from the top boulder and made her way over to them. “The sun is now beginning to wane. We should be moving out soon.”

  Miri leaned over her side and shook Rion awake. The boy sat up, rubbed his eyes and looked around. Miri gave him the waterskin and Rion took a sip before placing the tooth stopper back into place. She could sense that the boy was still thirsty, but Rion did not want to finish the nourishing liquid and leave the others without something to drink. The boy stood up and offered the waterskin to the others, but Nyx merely ignored him as she went over to pick up her backpack. Devos just smiled and shook his head.

  Another hour passed and the sun had begun its final descent over the horizon. As Nyx and the boy walked to the edge of the rock walls to put on their boots, Miri noticed that Devos continued to just sit where he was. The old man was clearly up to something, but what it was she couldn’t be sure.

  Miri walked over to the teller and stood in front of him. She adjusted the leather straps of her pack in order to prevent them from digging too deeply into her shoulder. “Come on, teller. It is like you said, merely one more walk until we get to the base of the Black Redoubt.”

  Devos gave a faint smile as he looked up at her. “I am afraid that my journey ends here, Miri.”

  Miri was confused. “What? I do not understand.”

  The old man shifted his torso sideways and pulled back his cloak, revealing two bite marks on his upper leg and thigh. The orlas had evidently taken a fair bit of flesh. Devos had placed a leather bandage on them to prevent bleeding, but it was clear that they had become infected, the skin around the open wounds had turned black. Miri gasped.

  Devos gritted his teeth as he eased himself into a more comfortable position, drawing his cloak back around his body to hide his injuries once more. “It took all of my effort to make it this far. I thought I was going to collapse while we made our way here last eventide. The pain has now given way to a feeling of numbness. I believe the orlas must have had some sort of poison in their jaws, much like the norpions do, only their venom is somewhat weaker, but in the end it leads down the same path.”

  Miri knelt down beside him as she pulled her backpack down. “I may still have some of that poultice that Zedne had given me for the wound in my arm. My arm is fully healed now so I am sure it will be of some use to you.”

  Devos placed a hand on her trembling forearm. “The poultice is for healing wounds, not for poisons. It is better that you keep your supplies, for you will need them. The journey does not end at the Black Redoubt.”

  Despite her dehydration, tears began to well in Miri’s eyes. “There must be something I could do!”

  Devos continued to smile. “You have done well. You have gotten the boy this far. Help him go on to the last city. As for myself, I have lived a long life full of knowledge, and I will take that with me when I at last reunite with my wife in the spirit lands.”

  The boy and Nyx made their way back and noticed the foreboding scene. Miri wiped away her tears, as she turned and faced the two younglings. “Devos will not be going with us,” she said softly. “He will be staying here.”

  Nyx immediately sensed what had just occurred because of her Vis. She held out a hand of greeting to Devos, and the old man held up his own hand in return along with a smile, indicating that he understood. Nyx gave a snort, then turned around and walked away, her hands over her eyes. She had already lost someone she loved dearly, and could no longer bear it a second time. The young Striga rounded the side of the boulder and was gone. Miri sensed that she stood nearby, but didn’t want to be seen.

  Rion had noticed the somber mood. When Nyx walked off, he realized the full gravity of the situation. The boy let out a cry as he ran over to Devos and cradled the old man’s head. “No, you cannot stay here! You must go with us, we will carry you!”

  Devos smiled as his hands lightly gripped the crying boy’s forearms. “Worry not, Rion. You are almost at your journey’s end. I will stay here, and my spirit will watch over you, always.”

  Tears ran down the boy’s cheeks as he desperately looked up at Miri. “He cannot die here! Not when we are so close. We must seek help at that place and return here with a healer.”

  Devos knew that it was better to lie to the boy in order to give him some sense of hope. He could no longer feel his legs and he sensed that his time was near. “Alright, Rion. I shall stay here and await the healer from the Black Redoubt.”

  The boy stood up as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He turned to look at Miri, a sense of desperation in his eyes. “Let us go forth now. We must not tarry. Elder Devos will still be here when we return with a healer.”

  Miri nodded. “Go and stay with Nyx. I will speak with Devos one last time before we start our journey.”

  As the boy eagerly ran off, Miri turned to look back at the old man. “Can you truly wait? Perhaps the boy is right, there may be a healer in the Black Redoubt. We can return as soon as possible.”

  Devos smiled and shook his head. The old man held up a small leather pouch that he had been bringing along. “I can already feel the numbness in my stomach, I can no longer feel anything below my arms. Soon, I shall not be able to breathe. This pouch contains some yellow algae, and I will swallow a bit of it when you leave.”

  Miri bit her lip. Yellow algae was a fast acting poison. “Why did you bring some of that along this journey? Was it for this very instance?”

  Devos shrugged. “I had a sense that I might end up being an unnecessary burden to you and the young ones. I am an old man, and I knew this would be my final trek. There is no need for you to return to this place. Go find the last city. Take care of Nyx and the boy.”

  Miri placed a hand on his shoulder, then she stood up. “I understand, Devos. Of all the tellers I knew in the tribe, you were the greatest one. I shall not forget you. Farewell.”

  The old man placed a hand on her boot. “Farewell, Protector Miri. May we meet again in the spirit world some day to tell new tales of our travels
as we drink the flowing waters of the gods.”

  Miri turned around and walked away, out of sight. Devos could hear a distant argument, before silence fell once more. He was now alone. The old man smiled as he breathed in the sights for one final time. Right at that moment, he grew to love the dusty ground around him, the unmoving boulders and the desert air. Life was so precious, existence was but a temporary phase, before passing away in the inevitable sea of time. When the feeling in his fingers began to tingle away, Devos opened the pouch, took out a pinch of the dried yellow algae, and put it in his mouth. That taste was bitter at first, but then his tongue gradually become numb. His body shook and he gave out one last wheeze, then he closed his eyes and was gone.

  Chapter 18

  Dawn had begun to break when they finally made it to the outskirts of the Black Redoubt. Miri could see that the base of the gigantic pyramid was honeycombed with numerous open entryways. A number of areas had been covered up by the shifting sands and the whole place seemed deserted. Miri chose the closest opening and walked towards it, followed by Nyx and Rion. Whether the citadel portals were once sealed with doors, she could not be sure, but Miri did notice grooves near the sides that might have held massive hinges for them. She estimated that the doors must have been at least ten yards high and twenty yards across, if such constructs ever existed at one time. Her mindsense failed to detect anything, so she gestured at the others to follow her as she stepped through the entryway and into what looked like a massive hall.

  The rays of morning light cast bright columns through the numerous holes along the wall, giving them ample illumination. The floor beneath them was of polished black stone, occasionally topped by mounds of ash that had seeped in from the outside. They could see a few stone tables set along the dimly lit sides of the hall, with numerous corridor entrances at the far side of the area. The interior ceiling must have been at least thirty yards above them, with circular holes that allowed the light and wind to pass through. The place seemed like an old ruin.