Enter the Desert

[Gildor]

Gildor awoke very late the next afternoon. Yes... the next afternoon. He had slept for almost a solid twenty hours without stirring, and the only reason why he woke up was because of of a hungry stomachache. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he pushed himself up and extended a bit of magic in the form of a single vibration to feel out his surroundings. To his delight, he found his sensory magic was working properly again, and that he was alone. The others had left their bags with him in the tiny inn room and went out for whatever reason - maybe for supper. Gildor got up and decided to have his own dinner right out of his travel bag, which he found laid on the floor at the base of his staff. Half a loaf of partly stale poppy-seed cheese bread, and an overly ripe pear. It wasn't much after a day of eating nothing, but it was wasn't anything a swig of faelnirv from his wineskin couldn't help.

He took bites of the bread and fruit in between washing up, dressing, and repacking, and was down to the core of the pear by the time he was finished pulling his boots on. Not really caring where it landed, he tossed the core out an open window when he was finished and picked up this satchel, (he either didn't notice or pointedly ignored the, "OW! @#$%!" which came from the street below when the core hit someone passing by). After throwing his tattered cloak on and picking up his staff, he swung the single strap over his shoulder and headed out the door and down the inn hall. He pulled out a blindfold from his pocket and tied it over his eyes and the tips of his ears as he descended the rickety stairs to the bar.

Like most small bars and inns throughout the Empire, this one was quite old, small, and more than a bit shabby. It was overpriced as well, but that was to be expected with the way His Royal Craziness had been raising taxes lately. After briefly conversing with the tavern owner, Gildor haggled the price of the room down from twenty gold pieces to fifteen and two silver pieces... that being fifteen gold pieces for the room, and two silver pieces for the mead he decided to order. He was halfway finished with the mug almost as soon as he got it; he didn't want to stay very long. The sound of several pairs of sturdy boots walking up behind him didn't even phase him, even though he figured they were soldiers and knew they were something to be wary of. However, the barkeep speaking from across the counter certainly caught his attention...

"Aha! How wonderful to see you again in our humble tavern, Captain Gillette!"

Gildor was in mid-gulp when the name hit his ears. He choked in surprise and spit the mead in his mouth back in the mug, patting his chest and coughing lightly. Had he heard that correctly? Captain Gillette? As in the Gillette? The man who was raised in Kuasta and was the most superstitious gullible coward to ever achieve the title of Captain in the King's army? The man was a laughing stock amongst Varden spies because of the information he allowed to slip from his mouth whenever one of them caught him unaware. Apparently he had been able to maintain his title despite some major mishaps and being demoted to the simple task of watching over stationed troops in little Furnost. Gildor was ready to bet that would change by the time he was finished working here.

Lady Luck certainly seemed to be smiling on him today, sending him this all too easy information target. Well, she smiled on him a lot of the time, actually. And whenever she didn't, he'd learned to simply hold a dagger to her throat until she did.

He waited patiently and finished his mead while Gillette and his two handymen sat down at the bar and ordered. It wasn't until the captain had received his scotch that Gildor dared to make his first move. He left the empty mug on the counter and got up from the stool, pulling the hood of his cloak up over his head and grabbing his staff as if he were leaving. He took two steps past the captain, heading for the exit, seemingly fine... but he suddenly stumbled on his third step and nearly fell to the floor. He only managed to catch himself by grabbing Gillette's shoulder, nearly pulling him down as well.

"Oh gods! Forgive me, good sir!" Gildor exclaimed dramatically, steadying himself on his staff. Was that... a northern seaside accent in his voice? "Honest to heaven, i'twas the strength I sensed in your aura that knocked me over, strange though it sounds."

The captain had turned around and was staring at Gildor now. He could feel a pair of confused eyes boring into him. "Are you blind, sir?" Gillette asked, curiosity replacing courtesy.

"Why yes... and no," Gildor answered mystically, and smiled as he leaned on his staff. However, his smile was quickly replaced with an expression of upmost seriousness soon after. "I am a what many call a... Blind Seer," he explained gravely. Without wasting another moment, he then sprang into the act he just set up for himself...

"Your aura sir, tis simply... powerful," he went on, sounding awed. "Very powerful, very authoritative. Hm..." He paused dramatically and scratched his chin in thought, then extended his long-nailed hand. "Would you... would you do me the honor of allowing me to read your palm, sir? No charge, not for you sir, never."

There was a moment of hesitation before the captain pulled off his glove and placed his right hand palm-up in Gildor's, but he did so nonetheless. Although he appeared to be perfectly calm and serious, Gildor was biting his tongue to keep his excitement bottled up. This was going to be all too simple! It wasn't even fair! He spent some time running his fingers delicately over the contours of the captain's palm, examining every line carefully. After a tense minute, he halted over a particular line, then gasped dramatically.

"Wh-what? What is it?!" Gillette demanded, sounding nervous at first. He didn't dare move his hand away.

"My gods! Tis an honor sir, a complete honor!" Gildor exclaimed, elated. He shook Gillette's hand vigorously, then bowed with the upmost respect. "You, sir... you are destined to become the Empire's next and greatest Rider! The Good King's own right-hand-man! Good fortune smiles on your bright future, sir! Tis such an honor to be in the presence of one so great!"

"I... I-I-I what?" Gillette finally stuttered, sounding astounded. "But... where am I to find a my dragon? All of the eggs are gone!" ...his dragon? Gildor hadn't expected him to be convinced so soon.

"No sir, there is still one left in this world, I am sure of it," he promised with a very assuring nod.

"But where?! The Empire completely combed through every inch of its land in search of lost eggs! Even the Beors where explored where the dwarves weren't, as well as every island off the coast! And the depths of the Spine!" He seemed to be very anxious to find his egg... which was exactly was Gildor wanted. Gillette had just unknowingly revealed the exact information Gildor set out to find: where the Empire had already searched for the egg. "That means it'd have to be in Surda, the Hadarac, or the d**ned elf-forest," the captain continued, tapping each place off on one of his fingers. "I certainly hope it's not in any of those places..."

Gildor was secretly hoping it wasn't in any of those places either. He knew it wasn't in Surda, because like the Empire every inch of the country had been thoroughly searched. He also knew it wasn't in Du Weldenvarden, because the elves also searched their territory and would have notified the Varden had anything been found. He now knew the vast lands of the Empire had already been combed, as well as their islands and parts of the Beors... That left only one other place the egg could be... and Gildor was not about to be the least bit honest with the captain as to it's true whereabouts.

"The ocean."

"What?"

"I... sense the presence of your dragon somewhere dark, watery, salty..." he went on, pressing a hand to his head as though something were hurting him to feel this out. "The bond between dragon and Rider has already formed between the two of you... yes, yes, because this is your destiny! You must search the oceans!"

"How in the world am I supposed to do that?!" Gillette exclaimed, suddenly frustrated.

"I felt it in your palm," Gildor swiftly explained, "You are destined to resign in the army and take up a position in the King's navy. From there, you will gather a powerful fleet and a group of loyal magicians. They will help you to discover the egg," he finished with a mystic wave of his long-nailed hand. Like before, the captain completely ate every last one of Gildor's completely made-up words. Captain Gillette... Captain Gullible was more like it.

"Yes, I see... I was thinking of taking up a higher post in the navy," he admitted, and Gildor bit back a smirk rolled his sightless eyes behind his blindfold. "No wonder I was. Destiny is calling!"

"Indeed she is, sir!" Gildor agreed quickly and enthusiastically, "And there's nothing more rude than keeping a lady waiting, especially one so fine as Destiny!"

"Yes! Yes, you're right!" Gillette exclaimed and stood up with a start. "Men, ready my horse and belongings, and send word to His Majesty. I'm going to Teirm as soon as possible." The men hesitated. Surely he didn't really mean he was actually going to believe anything this blind old freak was say- "THAT'S AN ORDER!"

Startled, the soldiers shot up and marched out the door. Gillette was about to follow them when he suddenly turned and took Gildor's hand. "Thank you, kind sir," he said quietly, shaking it. When he let go, Gildor realized he had placed a small bag of crowns into his palm. "You and your abilities are truly amazing."

Unable to hide his smile any longer, Gildor took the bag and bowed deeply. "Not as amazing or powerful as yours are destined to be, future Rider," he said flatteringly. He didn't stand up again until he was sure Gillette had exited the bar.

Well... what an eventful evening. He figured he might as well top it off with a brilliant disappearance. Yes, disappearance. Even before he found Gillette and easily weaseled the information he wanted out of him, he had planned on leaving without any of the others knowing. It wasn't that he didn't care about them, because he had indeed grown fond of their company, (save for Farid's). It was just that this was his punishment mission. This was his chance to regain his honor and rebuild his reputation, not theirs. He swore he would allow Amerylis to come along with him, but he never promised anything about leaving her or anyone else once they were journeying together. He could have left them all a long time ago... but now seemed to be the most appropriate time to do it. He was heading into dangerous, unpredictable terrain to continue his search now. He didn't want anyone hurt because of where he had to go... even Farid, (maybe).

After purchasing a hefty bottle of pumpkin spiced ale to go, Gildor pulled up his hood and exited the bar through the same door the captain had left through moments earlier. He then turned down an alley and headed east... intending to go far, far east... into the desert.

[Amerylis]

Amerylis paid for her meal while she looked over a map silently for the thousandth time. She sat back and went to run her hand through her hair, but stopped herself, remembering her ears were veiled by her long locks. A long frustrated sigh escaped her throat. She closed her eyes and turned the map a few times then placed a finger on a random spot on the map. She peeked through her lids down at the map. The vast expanses of the desert lay beneath her finger. She shrugged and wrapped up the map. The chair scrapped the ground as she pushed away from the table and stood.

Amerylis made her way through the crowds, back to the inn, just as the sun was setting. She climbed up the staircase and pushed open the door. Gildor was gone, as where his bags. She left the room and went down to the barkeep. “Have you seen a man in here with a blindfold. He probably ordered a lot of mead or something of that sort?” She asked urgently.

The barkeep nodded. “The blind seer, ya’ mean?”

Amerylis couldn’t help but smile. “Aye that would be him.” Leave it to Gildor to think of something so farfetched. She thought.

“He left jus’ a few hours ago.”

“Hours?! What time?”

“’Bout mid-day miss.” The barkeep said , then went off to take orders.

Amerylis cursed and went upstairs to gather everyone’s bags. She hauled them to the stables and ‘borrowed’ four horses and Arsen then fled to find the others.

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Farid was eating with Cirtolthiel in a local pub. He looked back as he saw Amerylis burst through the door. She rushed to them. “Gildor’s missing. We have to go. I've stolen a horse for each of you. We have to hurry. Now!” She said turning on her heel to leave.

Farid cast Cirtolthiel a confused glance. He had no idea why Amerylis was so worried. Gildor was a grown man. He could obviously take care of himself. He shrugged of the subject and followed his sister. "Rilly I'm sure he's fine. Just calm down, okay?"

Amerylis spun on her heel once more. "Stay or come along. It's up to you. But I don't have much time." She said looking to the door urgently.

Farid looked to Cirtolthiel. I'm with you. He told her with a reasuring smile.

[Cirtolthiel]

Cirtolthiel and Farid were eating lunch in the pub, both looking like typical residents of the city. It was nice staying here, Cirtolthiel had to admit. Though, they were scheduled to leave in the next day or two. Cirtolthiel reached for her tea and took a lengthy sip, set it back down and smiled at Farid. She picked up her fork again, and was about to stab into a vegetable when Amerylis burst through the pub door.

Both Farid and Cirtolthiel looked up, along with a few other people. Amerylis strode over to them, looking frazzled. Cirtolthiel tilted her head inquiringly. “Gildor’s missing. We have to go. I've stolen a horse for each of you. We have to hurry. Now!” she panted. Cirtolthiel's eyebrows shot up. She and Farid exchanged glances.

"What's all this about, now?" she asked calmly, reaching for her tea again. She stretched slightly and looked back up at Amerylis. Farid shrugged.

"Rilly, I'm sure he's fine. Just calm down, okay?" Farid said easily. Cirtolthiel nodded in agreement. Amerylis seemed so excited to go...nowhere. There was no telling where Gildor would be, after all. Amerylis looked at door then back to them.

"Stay or come along. It's up to you. But I don't have much time," she continued urgently. Cirtolthiel observed her for a moment. What did she mean, she didn't have much time? Cirtolthiel picked up her napkin and patted her mouth, then looked back to Farid. I'm with you, he told her. Cirtolthiel nodded and sighed, then stretched and stood up.

"Well, let's go then. I'm not about to let Amerylis go out there by herself and get killed," she said, smiling. She slung her pack over her shoulder and nudged Farid. "So, he's gone eh?" she asked Amerylis. "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me." Gildor had been sleeping in his room for the past two days, so he probably finally decided to get up and move around. The guy was blind, right? He couldn't be that far.

But oh, how Cirtolthiel was wrong...she didn't realize it, obviously.

She followed Amerylis out of the pub, Farid trailing behind, and was lead to her horse. "Stolen horses. Wonderful," she muttered. Cirtolthiel was an honest person, and this clearly went against her morals. However, Amerylis was taking this quite seriously. "Were his bags gone or what? I don't understand how...vital it is to get moving..." Cirtolthiel said, gesturing cluelessly to the horses. She watched Amerylis mount hers. Well, Cirtolthiel had said she was going to follow. Might as well.

Following suit, she mounted her own steed and adjusted herself. "Let's go. If you know where to go..." she added under her breath. For a fleeting second, she recalled the night they arrived here, when they were all gathered around the table, sipping meads. Except for Gildor, though. The only thing he had done was mutter something brief about finding the egg north and was soon hauled up to bed by Farid. Hmm.

North, Cirtolthiel thought. So that's where we're going.

[Koloblicin]

Arabelle had been out and about in Furnost looking throughout different streets window shopping all the while. Furnost was definetly not the most fair city she had seen, but it was still adequate. The outermost areas weren't so nice, but the surroundings grew easier on the eyes, and ears, closer to the center.

After she grew bored of that she decded to return to the inn. And not too late, it seemed that only a moment ago Amerylis had checked out of the room and had gone in the direction of the stables with everyones bags. Arabelle quickly ran to the stables only to find that she had already gone with Arsen, and it seemed that she had taken 4 horses as well. It seemed Amerylis had an unending supply of audacity.

She asked some people off the street which way she had gone and she was pointed back to the pub. She had thought that one of the people she passed had looked familiar. She only hoped that they hadn't left without her.

She shortly reached the pub once againg and after seeing that Arsen and the other horses were in front of it she stopped to regain her breath. About a minute later Cirtolthiel, Amerylis and Farid came out and mounted thier horses. "Forgetting someone?" Arabelle said. She made sure her things were there and said, "I'm coming too." With that Arabelle mounted the remaining horse and waited for one of te others to lead on.

[Kaala]

Her chest heaved as her lungs labored to keep up with the pace. It seemed as though no matter how many she killed, there were always two more to take their place. She snarled as her blade slashed the face of a dark-skinned Hadrac Native, shuddering as blood splashed on her now filthy tunic. Looking about she took note of the group she had once been a part of, their scattered bodies littering the ground. With a muttered curse she turned and fled, her hair tangling about her face as she stumbled over the sandy ground.

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Kaala’s ears perked as she recognized the slightly melodious voice of Amerylis drifting up the stairs. She rose from her pallet and looked around to see that the others hadn’t bothered to wake her when they left. She sighed and pushed the palm of her hand onto her left eye, hoping to relieve some of the pressure that had built up after last night, not that she remembered much of it. All she could remember was sitting at the bar and drinking the night away. She did remember tossing some human across the room for hitting on her before heading up to bed.

She moved to her haversacks and pulled out her traveling clothes and throwing them on. Kneeling down, she began the process of lacing up her boots when she heard the bar door slamming and what sounded like a couple of shouts. She grabbed her bags and made her way down stairs in time to see Amerylis bust back into the tavern. She followed her, keeping a safe distance behind and leaning against a wall when she stopped at a table where Farid and Cirtothiel were eating.

“Gildor’s missing. We have to go. I've stolen a horse for each of you. We have to hurry. Now!”

Rilly I'm sure he's fine. Just calm down, okay?"

"Stay or come along. It's up to you. But I don't have much time." She said looking to the door urgently.

Kaala looked confused for a moment before she finally realized what was going on. She looked up sharply as Cirtothiel spoke.

"Well, let's go then. I'm not about to let Amerylis go out there by herself and get killed," she said, smiling. She slung her pack over her shoulder and nudged Farid. "So, he's gone eh?" she asked Amerylis. "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me."

Kaala nodded her head slightly in agreement but one look at Amerylis told her that, for some odd reason, she needed to do this. She shifted her bags and was about to speak when the she saw the small group rise and make their way outside. She sighed and walked over to the barkeep, asking him what he had seen concerning Gildor. She smothered a laugh at the tale before placing a few coins on the bar and making her way outside, just in time to see Arabelle mount one of the two remaining horses. She walked to the group and half-projected her voice at them. “You weren’t intending to leave little ol’ me behind were you?” she asked, her eyes winking mischievously. “How could you leave without asking where he went. I spoke to the barkeep and he said that a couple that wandered in saw him heading for the desert after his little show. Apparently Gildor made quite the impression this morning by telling some empire commander that he should join the navy so he could search the sea because he was going to be the next rider.” She tied her haversacks to the fourth horse before turning back to the others.

“Mirror and I will fly on ahead and see what I can find out. If there’s a problem the I’ll send you word, Amerylis.” she said, pointing at the eagle around Amerylis’ neck and smiling. “I’ll see you guys soon.” With that she rounded the building and made her way out of the village to a small outcrop where Mirror was laying, chewing on what appeared to be the remnants of a stag. She paled and swallowed down the bile in her throat.

“We need to head to the desert.” She told him, projecting her thoughts. “It seems as though Gildor has left to go find this egg of his. We need to find him for Amerylis’ sake.”

“You seem worried.” he said matter-of-factly, crunching the bone in his claw, causing her to flinch.

“How can I not be? I’m worried for Amerylis. Even more so for Gildor. I’ve been worried about him ever since he returned from his last egg hunt. If he was exhausted just from a few hours, I’d hate to seem him if he’s stuck by himself for days…” With that she made her way to the outcrop and mounted the saddle on Mirror’s back. He tossed his head before launching himself in the air, ignoring the cries from the city now falling behind them.

[Amerylis]

“You weren’t intending to leave little ol’ me behind were you? How could you leave without asking where he went. I spoke to the barkeep and he said that a couple that wandered in saw him heading for the desert after his little show. Apparently Gildor made quite the impression this morning by telling some empire commander that he should join the navy so he could search the sea because he was going to be the next rider.” Amerylis watched as Kaala tied her bags down.

"Now now. How would I ever be able to forget you? There has to be someone there to save me from drowning, or any other disaster I get myself into." She said with an awkward grin.

“Mirror and I will fly on ahead and see what I can find out. If there’s a problem the I’ll send you word, Amerylis. I’ll see you guys soon.” She nodded silently and dug her heels into Arsen's side. The white stallion reared up, then galloped away towards the gate.

Farid shot Cirtolthiel a wild grin and followed his sister's example. The chestnut mare below him shook her head, whinnied, and followed after Arsen down the cobblestone street.

The guards made an attempt to stop the caravan of horses that paraded through the busy streets. Amerylis mumbled a few words in the ancient language, and their bodies were cast aside, leaving only a few seconds for all of the horses to make it through before the guards could stop them.

Farid looked up at the archers along the wall as they notched their arrows. He held up his hand and stopped the arrows as they shot through the air, almost hitting Arabelle and Cirtolthiel. He winked to the two of them, then turned back in the saddle and rode after his sister, grinning madly.

Amerylis followed the large white dragon through the country side, non-stop till the horses grew thirsty and tired. When this occurred she let the horse's drink and rest, then they were off again.

As night fell, Amerylis contacted Kaala. "The horses are tired. We should set up camp and talk over what to do next." She said, turning her horse into the cover of the trees. After finding a clearing surrounded by trees, (which happens to occur more than you think >>; she slid off of her horse, and pulled her bags off of him. She pet him on the head a few times then pulled a carrot out of her bags and fed it to him.

Farid barely saw his sister veer left into the shadows of the large trees. He pointed to the woods, looking back to Arabelle and Cirt with a small smile. "A break finally." He yelled to them. He came into their new camp and slid to the ground. He pulled the bags off of the mare and grabbed his bed roll and his sister's and began laying them around.

Amerylis began to fix a camp fire, slightly preoccupied. When she had finished she looked back to find that Farid had laid out their bed rolls. "Thank you." She mumbled gratefully as she slid it closer to the fire.

"So what next?" Farid asked, rummaging through his bags. He pulled out some vegetables and grinned to her. "Who's cooking?"

Amerylis grinned and took the food away. "Kaala should. She has all along. So why stop now?" She set the vegetables down and went to the mare and fed her some oats from Arsen's bag. "We will have to travel quickly tomorrow. Gildor doesn't sleep much, so he'll not need make camp. Meaning he'll be traveling longer than we will. We also don't know where exactly he's going." She gave Avalon a pat on the head, then the falcon flew off to find prey for the night.

Farid finished laying out his bed roll then turned back to the horse that carried Kaala's things. He pulled a pot out of her bag and filled it with water, then put it over the fire.

[Cirtolthiel]

Kaala joined them shortly, and after a brief comment about riding with Mirror, she dropped her bags off to the horse and took off. Cirtolthiel nodded and tapped her heels to the horse's ribs, following after the others down the street.

Momentarily, they were nearly stopped by the guards closing the town's gates. But rather abruptly, soldiers' bodies flew to the sides of the street, yelping in confusion. They rode quickly out, back into the outside world. Cirtolthiel sensed Farid turning on his saddle, though her eyes were focused on the rather random path before them. A few seconds later, she heard the rattling of arrows drop to the ground. Cirtolthiel glanced down, but was hardly paying attention.

Farid winked at the two of them, then rode ahead and caught up with Amerylis. Cirtolthiel gripped her black mare's reins tighter. They rode for quite some time, only stopping shortly for a quick rest. Amerylis certainly seemed to be rooted to the idea of finding Gildor. Cirtolthiel could understand; out of the females in their group, Amerylis was the one who probably felt the most compassion for him. She made no comment about this (or about anything, really), but simply agreed to go on.

Eventually, they stopped for the night. Cirtolthiel was exhausted from being in the sun and from all the hard riding. Cirtolthiel stumbled off her horse but swiftly caught onto the saddle for support. Farid and Amerylis were already setting up camp and dinner. Cirtolthiel pulled out her bedroll as well, then tossed it onto the ground.

The scent of cooking vegetables soon smoldered the air, and Cirtolthiel lay spread-eagled on her bedroll, her eyes closed. She vaguely heard Farid offer some dinner to her, and forcing herself to open her eyes, she gratefully reached for the bowl and thanked him, not knowing who had cooked the food. But one bite into it told her it was Kaala's good cooking, and she smiled appreciatively to her. She took a few bites, not quite that hungry, and sighed slowly. Seconds later, she was out like a light.

[Koloblicin]

Kaala strolled up and grinned and said that she was going to and telling them where she had heard Gildor was headed to. Kaala's dragon, Mirror, flew into the city and Kaala hoped on him telling them she would see what was ahead. With that she took off leaving the city in absolute awe. Arabelle was in awe herself, she had never been that close to a dragon before. Being so close she could feel the power of Mirror's presence, she wondered if thats the feeling all dragon's gave, but she didn't have time to wonder.

Amerylis urged her horse into a gallop to the main gate, Farid followed suit and then Cirtolthiel. Arabelle had very little if any skill in riding horses, she hoped her little knowledge would get her by, plus how hard could it be? With that thought she urged her horse to a gallop a mere half-second behind Cirtolthiel. Arabelle steeled herself against the impending danger of thier exit from Furnost, although with the company she had she doubted anything the city could throw at them would trouble them too much.

Amerylis cast aside several guards that had jumped into thier path and she led the way from the city. After they had left, more guards that had gone to the battlement fired a small volley of arrows at the companions, Farid stopped the arrows and the winked at Arabelle and Cirtolthiel.

The group took few breaks through the countryside as they followed Kaala and Mirror, although the breaks they took were much needed for Arabelle. Before even thier first break Arabelle's legs had begun to cramp and her bottom had gotten very sore. Not only that but Arabelle's sides burned from trying to constantly stay balanced. However, Arabelle kept the pace up and refused to complain, she had endured worse than this and she would endure this as well even if the next day would hurt all the more. Arabelle thought forward to it and grimaced at the thought. I've got no one I can blame but myself, they didn't force me into this... she thought.

By the time they stopped for the night Arabelle was doubly sore than she had been earlier. every move hurt at least a little. She was thankful that her life in the desert had taught her how to avoid dehydration, in fact she kept a pebble to suck on on occasions like this. Exhausted, Arabelle set up her bedroll and laid down staring at the night sky searching for the constellations her father and mother had taught her about hoping that the search would help her forget her pain if but for a moment. The physical pain left her if but for a little while, but the emotional pain washed over her in waves. Fate had been cruel to take most of her village and leave her and the remaining members of her tribe alive.

The soothing scent of cooking let Arabelle push beyond her past. She lifted her head and inhaled deeply. Usually Arabelle would have a meager cold meal, she was glad she was in the company of someone who could cook. Arabelle saw Farid give a bowl of food to Cirtolthiel then he came to her and gave her a bowl as well. She thanked him gratiously and asked him to thank whoever had cooked as well. Arabelle dug into her bowl devouring the delectable dish gratefully. How long had it been since Arabelle had had a "home" cooked meal? A month perhaps? She didn't really care but was extremely thankful for the delightful treat. With that she bid her companions good night and drifted lightly into sleeps warm and welcoming arms.

[Kaala]

Kaala doubled back after noticing the group was no longer in sight. She sighed in relief as she noticed them setting up camp in a small clearing. “We should land.” she told Mirror, her eyes burning from the wind that had been rushing past all day. Mirror nodded his big head and began to descend, stirring up dust and leaves from the ground. She carefully removed his saddle and gave him a loving stroke. “What would I do without you, friend of my heart?”

“Who knows, Rain. You probably would have locked your heart to the world and secluded yourself in Ellesmèra.” He nudged her gently with his nose, urging her to join the others at camp. “Go, I need to hunt, that stag won’t last me long.”

She blanched but gave him another gentle pat before making her way to the clearing. She grinned as she noticed that someone had taken her pot and put some water on to boil. “Nice to know my cooking is enjoyed by someone.” she muttered as she reached into her saddlebags and retrieved her spices. She took the vegetables that had been left out and began to make one of her vegetable stews. A little later she began to spoon their dinner into bowls and gave Farid two bowls, telling him to give them to Cirt and Arabelle. She scooped three more bowls and handed one to Farid, taking the other two and sitting next to Amerylis.

She passed one of the bowls to Amerylis and began to gently blow on her stew. She sent a thought to Mirror. “Be sure to save me a portion of meat.” She told him, shivering at the thought. His only response was confusion but he agreed to save her a small portion. “For Arabelle and Farid.” She told him. “I want to make sure that they get the nourishment they need. We can’t have them falling out of their saddles.”

She turned to look at Amerylis, noting she seemed rather quiet. She stood, brushed off her clothes, and told Amerylis good night. She walked over to the mare and pulled her sleep roll from it’s back. She soon felt herself drifting off to sleep.
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The shifting sands kept tripping her and it seemed as though there were thousands of the natives though there could only have been twenty. She gasped for breath, her lungs feeling as though they were going to burst through her chest. She stumbled, her staff slipping from her hand as her face hit the scorching sands. She gasped at the heat and jumped to her feet a moment too late. She cried out as a spear found her shoulder before jerking away, the blood mingling with the dirt on her tunic, causing it to stick to her wound. She ran once more, her hand clasping her wounded shoulder. She couldn’t remember how long she ran but it seemed as if she were going in circles.

[Amerylis]

Amerylis watched silently as everyone got settled down. They all ate talking among themselves. Well it was mostly Farid tring to make smalltalk with Cirtolthiel to make up for blowing her off earlier. She ate then nodded as Kaala said her goodnights and went to sleep. After she finished her meal, she slid into her bedroll beside Kaala and drifted off to sleep.

After handing the girls their bowls, Farid began to eat as well. The hot meal, along with a days worth of traveling, began to make him feel tired. He yawned and streched then put his and Amerylis bowls away.

Mirror returned from his hunting and dropped a carcass near him and Arabelle. Farid's eyes gew large in disgust. He cringed and pushed himself to his feet. "You expect me to eat that?!" He said making a foul face. He pulled his bedroll away from the dead creature and found a spot near Cirtolthiel. "Mind if I sleep here?" He asked putting it down.

------------------------------------------------------------
Amerylis woke upa few hours before dawn. She streched and examined the camp. Everyone appeared to be sleeping. She packed her things as silently as she could then grabbed her sword.

She came to a clearing by a small creek and pulled the sword from it's shealth, making a soft humming sound. The familiar sound brought a small grin to her lips.

For a few hours she practiced till the first light of day peeked over the trees. Amerylis made her way back to the camp, this time finding Kaala and Farid sitting by the fire. "Ready to go?" She asked, holding her sword by her side.

Farid rubbed his eyes and grinned sleepily. "As ready as I'll ever be." He said, drowsiness coated his words.

[Kaala]

Kaala snuggled deeper into the warmth of her bedroll, shivering from the cold. She shifted slightly and listened, trying to discern what had awakened her. She tensed as she heard rustling from the camp. She cracked her eyes and watched Amerylis gather her things before wandering off a ways from camp. Kaala rose and silently followed her. She wasn’t going to let her get away that easily. She followed Amerylis into the woods until they were a ways from camp. She finally stopped in a small clearing with a small creek that gurgled at spat at her. Kaala stayed as Amerylis drew her sword and began to train, her focus only on the blade in her hands. After a few hours Kaala rose from her position on the ground and made her way back to the encampment.

She entered the camp and quickly noted Mirror’s absence. She sighed and sat by the fire, her eyes watching the coals as their red light dance before her. With a sigh she got up and began to gather more wood to rebuild the glowing coals. After a few minutes she had a small fire going, crackling and throwing sparks into the air. Watching the sun begin to rise over the horizon, Kaala went around the fire to stand over Farid. With a slight cough, she tried to wake him. When he did nothing more than stir slightly she crouched next to him and began to shake him. When he jumped slightly and began to sight up she covered his mouth and motioned for him to be silent. When she got a nod of acceptance she rose and whispered, “Gather your things. We’ll be leaving as soon as Amerylis gets back.” When Farid nodded and moved to the other ladies to wake them she grabbed his arm, shaking her head to let him know that they wouldn’t be joining them until later on.

With that she turned her back to him and began to gather their things. With a light whistle two of the horses and Arsen came trotting into view. She sent a quick though toward Arson, filling his head with the need to be quiet. Walking over to him she gathered Amerylis’ things and placed them on his back. She did the same with Farid and her own things . When everything was set she sat by the fire, jumping slightly when Farid sat next to her. A few moments later Amerylis came into view through the trees.

Ready to go?" She asked, holding her sword by her side.

Farid rubbed his eyes and grinned sleepily. "As ready as I'll ever be." He said, drowsiness coated his words.

“We’ll need to leave soon if we’re to get a good start.” She told them, her voice sounding slightly guilty about leaving the others behind., but the sooner we get to Gildor the better. ‘There are still two horses. They’ll catch up to us soon enough…’ she thought to herself firmly, chasing the doubts from her mind, with that she mounted her horse, raising her eyebrows at the two still standing on the ground. “Aren’t you on your horses yet?” She asked teasingly, trying to relieve some of the tension in the air.

[Koloblicin]

Arabelle cast a hal-lidded gaze into the not-yet-light sky. From the way that the moon seemed to have fadded slightly and the very little pre-dawn light let Arabelle guess that it was several hours before the sun would peek over the horizon. Nonetheless she heard the soft sounds of someone moving around, seemingly packing up. Her very first thought was that whoever it was was absolutely crazy to have gotten up this early. Her second thought was that she would only have about an hour or so before she to would have to prepare to set out around dawn. The mere thought of it nearly brought on pain knowing that she would have to suffer another day's hard ride. She knew she had to get as much rest as possible so she let her worries slip from her mind so she could rest and be ready for the difficult day ahead.

Arabelle woke once again several hours later just to hear the slight patter of a horse, however the sound was merely noted in Arabelle's half-concious mind. A short time after that Arabelle fully woke.

She sat up stretching her sore muscles before she decided that she had to open her eyes. She first noticed that the camp was entirely empty aside form a withering fire and Cirtolthiel dreaming a short distance away, this alaramed her greatly. Second she noticed the sun's positition in the early morning sky. From where it sat and the rather moderate temperature Arabelle judged that the time was around one hour after sunrise. This was rather distressing considering that she would have to catch up now. She worried silently: she had barely been able to keep up the day before, how would she be able to catch up?

Desperation speeding her mind and actions she was about to wake Cirtolthiel when she decided that she should calm herself and think before she jumped to conclusions. She calmed herself and then decided that waking Cirtolthiel first would be the best course of action. She gently shook her trying to rouse her from her sleep. "Cirtolthiel!" she said in a harsh whisper not wanting to startle her. Arabelle had found that people frightened from sleep would sometimes lash out in defense, with Cirtothiel being an elf and all Arabelle didn't want to be on the receiving end of a strike made by an elf.

" The others started off without us" she said, louder this time. After that Arabelle quickly gathered her things and put them in her pack. Slinging it over her back she then mounted her horse. "We can leave whenever your ready." she said. Arabelle turned forward and inhaled deeply and slowly let out the breath assuring herself that she would be able to do this, after all she had been learning yesterday...right?

[Cirtolthiel]

"Cirtolthiel!"

A harsh whisper cut to Cirtolthiel's ear. She stirred slightly, slowly drifting from her rather unconsciouslike sleeping. Her hand flexed, her nails gripping into her bedroll. A deep haze lingered over Cirtolthiel's mind, she inhaled lengthily and released it as a long sigh. She could feel the sun's glowing warmth on her cheek, and after bringing herself to finally open her eyes, she was a little startled by how bright it was.

"The others started off without us," said Arabelle's voice, louder than her last call. It took quite a moment for Cirtolthiel to register this. She blinked and looked up, eyes sharp and alert. Arabelle was already up and packing away her things.

Arabelle had been right, too. The camp was deserted except for them and their horses. Cirtolthiel felt her mouth go dry, and she opened her mouth. "What?" she said, finding her voice somewhat broken and hoarse. Had she really been that...deathly asleep? She surveyed the scene again, seeing the horse tracks leading away. It took less than a second for Cirtolthiel to become infuriated.

She leapt to her feet and threw her belongings together quickly (she hadn't exactly unpacked much, however). "Why did they do this?" she muttered angrily. "They just always have to take off without a care in the world." She went on, mumbling like this for another minute or so. At least they didn't leave me by myself, she then reminded herself, seeing that Arabelle was in the same situation.

"We can leave whenever you're ready," Arabelle said, sounding quite calm. Cirtolthiel threw a glance at her before launching herself up on her horse. She jabbed her heels hard on the ribs of her horse.

"Let's get moving," was all she said to Arabelle before their horses took off. She supposed they would just have to follow the trails of the horses, which couldn't be too hard. But her doubts were rising, because one look at the sun told her that the others had probably left...hours ago. She swallowed and gripped her reigns tighter. I suppose it would be alright if we didn't find them. After all, it's not as if we agreed to stay together...

[Gildor]

...it's not as if we agreed to stay together...

This was exactly (one of) the excuse(s) Gildor planned on using should the others ever catch up to him, (which he doubted, since he could run faster than their horses and had been running for the past day and a half). Well, technically he had agreed to let Amerylis and Kaala accompany him, but he never said anything about ditching them later on. Besides, the desert was a dangerous place to travel in. Someone would undoubtedly get hurt.

He hadn't expected that someone to be himself.

Gildor had already traveled through the Hadarac once before, though that time he was being chased out of Urû'baen by a pack of Urgals. By cutting southeast through the desert he forced them to give up and leave him for dead, but he made it to the edge of Beors alive. He still couldn't remember exactly how.

A week's worth of trudging through sand later, he really wished he could.

He was, at least, being smart about the desert weather. Instead of traveling during the scorching day, Gildor pulled out his cloak and searched for the egg at night when the temperatures dropped. By about mid-morning he would find a sand dune to rest under and wouldn't begin searching again until he felt the air turn cool at sunset. He was mostly running on faelnirv, since he needed to make the rest of his rations lasted. It was enough to keep him going physically... but not magically.

Thanks to his accursed blindness and the shifty sand, Gildor's magic was running at an all-time low, (and as a result, so was his sanity). No matter how much magic he poured into the ground he could barely feel any vibrations in the ever-changing desert sands, and it was slowly driving him (more) mad. Without the heat of the sun and occasional wind to guide him, he'd have been walking around in circles for the past seven days. It wasn't the navigation troubles that were bothering him most, though; it was the thought that he could have already passed the egg buried deep in the sand without ever knowing. The egg would have to be either on top of the sand or right below his feet for him to find it, and there was a fat chance of that happening. He'd found a great many egg-shaped rocks, though. Maybe if he hallucinated hard enough, the next one he found would turn into the egg.

"I hate dragons, I hate dragons, I hate dragons. Oh, did I mention I happen to hate dragons?" Gildor muttered to himself as he stumbled along one early morning. He'd been having a lot of conversations with himself lately, more and more so with each passing day. The combination of heat, starvation, magic, and sleep deprivation was starting to get to the elf.

"Why is it that you loath dragons so, Mr. Helyanwë? Wait... Mr. Helyanwë is my father! Gah... Meathead nincompoops, the lot of them dragons. Meat for brains, meat for innards, meat for meat. Meat, meat, meat. Bleh. What would you give for an apple right now, Mr... erm... whutsyername? Hm... Perhaps my liver. Or maybe my father's kidney. Ol' Dad always was a bit of a floppin' codpiece... whatever that is. Well then, we'll just have a lovely garden party out here, and we'll not invite him. Heheheeeh. Now why would I do that? Because I'm a cow-hearted lummox, aren't I? Not to mention a yeasty imbecile? Cirtolthiel and Amerylis and Kaala and Whats'erface and that meaty meat-dragon have all been scorned by you and may react with fury the likes of which Nature hath no. No? No what? No energy? That would be because of the no nothing but bleeding sand, now wouldn't it? But oh? What be this? Another-"

With a sudden trip and fall, Gildor's short (yes, that was short) rant was brought to a premature end because of another-

"...rock. Another bloomin' rock." He pushed himself up from the ground, his clothes dripping with hot white sand. After spitting out the mouthful of sand he nearly swallowed and wiping his mouth, he sat on his knees in front of the rock he just fell over. He was suddenly content on sitting here for a very long time with this rock. After all, he had fallen right into the shade of a tall sand dune and he was dead tired. Tired enough to actually sleep for a while.

"C'mere, friend rock," Gildor said merrily as he picked the (strangely polished) stone up and hugged it to his chest. He then flopped over on his side with an exhausted sigh, half-asleep already. It took him only ten minutes later for him to completely pass out, which was unusual even in his current condition. Gildor didn't know it yet, but it was the faint sound of an excited little heartbeat coming from inside his rock friend that lulled him to sleep...

[Amerylis]

Amerylis looked down at the two that still seemed to be asleep. Leaving them behind was not exactly a bad idea but far from a good one. She pulled herself onto Arsen and looked to her brother, expecting him to do the same.

Farid shook his head. “I think I shall stay behind. Help them to catch up with you. Arabelle needs all the help she can get…” He said smiling half-heartedly to his sister. He pulled out his map and pointed to small lake a days ride away from the desert. “I’ll meet you there in a week.” He said, then turned away from her and put his map away.

Amerylis tightened her grip on the reins, but kept her cool. “Fine.” She said, turning away. She dug her heels into Arsen’s flanks. He reared up and galloped away.

*****************Few Hours Later********************

"Let's get moving,"

Farid entered the camp on his horse as the two girls sped away. He let out a growl of frustration. “Couldn’t you have waited for a few more seconds.” He mumbled to himself as he rode after them.

He pushed his horse till she had completely caught up with the two woman. He stopped her when she was in front of them. He turned in the saddle to face them. “Oh come on. You aren’t going to leave me behind are you. So rude.” He said with a smile. “How would you know where to go without your most handsome guide?” He smirked. “I’ll lead the way.” He said turning on his horse and galloping away before they could say anything more.

*********************A Week Later****************

Amerylis stopped by the lake they were supposed to meet with the others. She slid off the saddle and walked to the edge of the water to let Arsen drink. She looked out to the horizion, seeing the vast expanse of the desert. She sighed and turned back to the camp that had been set up earlier. She returned to the fire and sat down beside Kaala. “They should be here in a few hours. One of us should make them something to eat. They must be starving.” She said leaning back on her elbows.


((I had to time skip to catch up with Gildor's time.))

[Cirtolthiel]

Cirtolthiel's horse slowed down from running so fast, even for such the short distance. She sighed, having no idea where they were headed to. The horse tracks had long disappeared by now. She heard a horse galloping close behind her, assuming that it was Arabelle. But she was surprised when Farid pulled up. forcing Cirtolthiel to halt.

“Oh, come on. You aren’t going to leave me behind, are you? So rude," he said, grinning. Cirtolthiel stared at him.

"I'm sorry...I could have sworn that were the only ones-" she spluttered. She, and probably Arabelle as well, had no idea that he had still been there.

“How would you know where to go without your most handsome guide? I’ll lead the way,” he went on briskly, a smirk playing on his lips. He was gone before Cirtolthiel or Arabelle could even think to speak. Cirtolthiel looked over at Arabelle and shrugged, then followed Farid, finally relieved that they now had some mind of direction.


A week later, after long quiet riding, Farid lead them to where Amerylis and Kaala were posted. She was surprised that had bother to leave early, since they were going to wait for Farid, Cirtolthiel, and Arabelle anyways. The trees became more dispersed and soon all was left were bushes and scrub left, except for the little lake to the side. And she could see the incredibly large Hadarac Desert ahead to the west, the sand's glare burning her eyes. Cirtolthiel cringed slightly. Were they really going to travel through that?

She hoped that Gildor, Amerylis, and Kaala had enough sense to stay out of there. She assumed that the heat would certainly drive Gildor mad, seeing how he been complaining in Surda. Cirtolthiel lowerd her eyes, giving them a break from the painful glare, only glancing up so often to steer her horse to follow Farid. Her legs ached slightly from the days of hard riding. However, she could just barely make out the sight of a camp nearby the lake, exactly the direction they were going. She smiled. Only a little more riding now.