*
Hours passed, hours filled with nothing but the burning heat of the sands, which continued to rob Alza of strength and moisture. Miles of nondescript dunes punctuated by barren outcroppings, with only the distant green of the oasis to break up the monotony lulled Alza into a mindless trance. She walked in a daze, unaware of the dangerous world around her.
Eventually, her thoughtless march was interrupted by something quite unexpected. Before her lay a ring of withered trees and cacti, a remnant of a previous water-font, or a trap constructed by her severely dehydrated mind? Either way, this was her last and only hope. With nothing else on the horizon, if she did not find water here, she would never reach the oasis. As she drew closer, she spotted several strange, white shapes jutting forth from the sand.
Looking closer, she saw that they were bones, hundreds and hundreds of bones, arrayed in a rough circle around the grove. Perhaps they were unfortunate victims of the disappearance of the oasis? Regardless of their origin, she could waste no time on solving the mystery of their presence.
With a parched throat and failing legs, she entered the grove. She half-stumbled, half-fell towards the centre where the largest of the flora -a blackened, gnarled palm- lay. She knelt down beside its dying trunk, wishing for more shade than it was able to provide. With a deep breath, Alza began to dig amongst the exposed roots, hoping to discover a well-spring near the surface. The hard soil bloodied her fingers, and the burning sky robbed her of what energy she had left.
The sun was nearing its resting place when she finally struck water. It fountained up from the dry earth, saturating the soil with life blood. For Alza, it was her salvation in liquid form. Her cupped hands began to greedily raise the brackish water to her cracked lips, and she did not even grimace at the sedimentary taste. At that moment, it was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted.
Her relief at avoiding death was interrupted, however, by an ominous cry coming from the heavens. She glanced up; her weary eyes searching the sky for the source. There, from the West, they came, a large shadow emerging from the heart of the dying sun.
Already their hunting calls could be heard, as they spotted their long awaited prey. Their dark and violent beaks glinted in the decaying light. They were massive beasts, possessing ripping talons and beady black eyes. They filled the sky, attracted by the smell of fresh meat. They encircled her from above, eyeing her dehydrated body with unconstrained glee. When their ravenous hunger finally overcame their instinctual wariness, they landed.
“Desert vultures… 20? No, 30? Not that the numbers matter. At this rate, even one would be too much to deal with. So this is what the bones meant, a trap for any creature desperate for water… a trap that captured me completely.”
The vultures cautiously began to approach, wary of any possible danger she might present. It had been too long since they had last feasted, the desert being a poor provider of fresh carrion. In their desperation they had begun to hunt for the still-living, taking their chances after weighing in the risks. With the additional incentive of water, Alza had become an opportunity too valuable to pass up.
She knew that fighting back was futile, her powers non-existent in her weakened state. Her only option was to run, and abandon the water she had almost died to find. While searching for an opportunity to escape, a series of deafening sounds suddenly filled the air, coming from the East.
The sound was the opportunity Alza had been looking for, and without looking back, she stumbled away from the grove. Several of the vultures rose in a lazy fashion, intent on following her until she collapsed, while the others descended on the now unguarded spring, drinking happily with much squawking and feather ruffling.
Alza, oblivious to this, ran on, trying to gain as much distance as her aching legs would allow. She could hear the mocking cries behind her, as her pursuers lazily closed the distance. She raced towards the safety of the dunes, hoping to lose the birds in their maze-like structuring. Without slowing, she began to climb, her survival instinct now her only source of energy. As she reached the zenith of the dune, her exhaustion finally overtook her will to live. Crying out in agony, she felt her legs buckle, throwing her head-first down the slope.
When she finally came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, she was breathless. She lay there on her back, chest heaving, wondering if this was to be her resting place. Overhead, the sky had begun to darken, hiding the fading sun from view. The darkness steadily approached her limp body, intent on claiming it before the watching beasts.
Fittingly, Alza would die in the shade, never again touched by the light…
Moments later, the vultures arrived, eager to claim their prize. They circled once, and then, as if were one being, they dove together, a wall of claws and feathers.
“No, you will not have her!”
Through half-lidded eyes Alza watched as the world around her changed. The clouds above had grown immensely, becoming a writhing ceiling of chaos. The wind went from a peaceful, cooling breeze to a maelstrom of force, scattering the sand in every direction. A sudden jolt of cold made Alza look down in astonishment at the small patch of snow which had formed on her dress.
The vultures, thoroughly spooked, began to take wing, but whatever had summoned the storm did not seem intent on them leaving unharmed. Appearing like oversized diamonds, shards of dark blue ice began to fall from the tormented clouds. The air seemed to scream as they fell, each one bigger than a person and deadly sharp. Following them was a torrent of snow which soon blanketed the area, turning the burning desert into a frozen tundra in mere seconds.
The dagger-like hail, now travelling at terminal velocity, dove towards the bewildered birds. Soon, the cries of the vultures fell silent, as bird after bird was flung to the earth, never to take flight again. The hail lasted for less than a minute, but in that short time dozens of ice shards had fallen from the heavens. The desert had become a field of transparent spires, a frozen graveyard for the unfortunate birds. However, in all that chaos, within that death filled landscape, not a single hair on Alza’s head had been touched. Standing around her, like a guard of honour, laid a perfect ring of ice.
A few minutes after the hail stopped, the snow was replaced by a flurry of ice cold rain. The freezing water drenched Alza, washing away her fatigue and bringing much-needed moisture to her dehydrated body. Turning her face towards the heavens, Alza opened her mouth and drank from the sky.
“We meet again, daughter of none…”
The voice had come from the largest shard of ice, embedded in the frozen desert sand not five feet away. It had a musical quality, like a hundred voices speaking in almost perfect sync. The ice, which had looked unbreakable before, suddenly shattered, revealing a figure draped in blue and white. A young woman, though still a few years older than Alza, wearing a cloak which seemed to be made of ice and steam. A pair of the deepest blue eyes Alza had ever seen stared out from a fringe of midnight black hair, which trailed down to the woman’s lower back. Weaved into the shimmering locks were dozens of diamonds, patterned into snowflakes and raindrops.
Although Alza could not recall ever meeting another woman, she knew this one to be special. Her beauty would spread her name across the world, and her air of mystery would have enchanted the great kings and lords of old. Feeling foolish for thinking it, Alza wondered if she should bow, and pay homage to this Queen wreathed in ice and dew.
“You look… familiar. Have we met before?” The words appeared unbidden on her lips, but some part of her had recognized this heavenly woman. The memory of a dream, or a dreamlike memory; either way, this was not their first meeting.
“We have. Although I am surprised that you can remember, seeing as your kind was not made to walk the Dreamscape; but then again, you are not like the rest, are you?”
“What do you mean? What do you know about my past?” Alza pled, hoping that this enigmatic figure might be the one to finally shed some light on her identity.
“This is
not the place, nor is it the time for such questions. Do not fret, all will be revealed when it is meant to. Until then, do not falter, do not stop, and do not fear.”
The ice-clad woman took another step towards Alza, her pale skin almost translucent. Alza wanted to flee, to hide from this ethereal creature, but her strength had not yet returned. She could do nothing but kneel, paralyzed, and wait.
“Who are you? What are you?” Alza asked, determined to reveal at least a few of the woman’s mysteries.
“My name is Ion. And what I am is your guide out of this forsaken place. I have been appointed as your caretaker, in order to ensure that you are still alive and sane enough to face what is to come.”
“Why? Why would you help me?” Alza stood as she spoke, her legs finally strong enough to support her weight. The thought of fleeing was still there, but it had been overpowered by an insatiable curiosity to learn all of this creatures secrets.
“So many questions… Well, your kind has always been inquisitive to a fault. It is my duty to ensure that the plan succeeds, no matter what. But know this, I am not your guardian angel to rescue you from the darkness, nor am I your ally against the monsters who lie in wait. You are nothing more than a cog in a much grander machine, which needs to work for my sake. If at any point I deem you to be more a nuisance than a necessity, I will abandon you, and let the cruelties of the world devour you. And if I think that your actions might threaten the plan, then what those beasts do to you will seem like a mercy compared to my wrath… Am I understood, child?”
Alza said nothing in reply, and Ion did not press her. Instead, she walked past, beckoning her to follow. They walked in silence, one strong and confident, the other weak and wavering. The few mouthfuls of icy water had restored some of Alza’s strength, but she was reaching the limits of her endurance. She needed to rest, but out in the open, with night quickly approaching, she would be dead before dawn.
Awakening Page 73