The Quorin Saga: WattALegend 2021

Sahara'Eden

The desert did not welcome us as I hoped it would.

Both Alosia and I stood with our hands up, surrounded by at least a dozen people pointing spears directly at our faces.

"Trespassers!" A man, who was dressed in loose clothes, shouted, "State your business!" Sable began to growl angrily. With a gentle foot, I nudged Sable in the side with a quiet command to stand down.

"My name is Alosia," she said, "My kingdom is under siege and I was instructed to seek refuge here. My uncle, Erden, lives here and I was supposed to show you," she slowly lowered her hand to her pocket, pulling out her royal seal, "this as proof."

His eyes widened at the sight, then flicked his spear towards me, "And who is this?"

"He's my bodyguard of sorts. He flew me here," and with a nod towards my puppy, she added, "And that's Sable. He's almost completely harmless."

The soldiers stood at ease, lowering their spears. "Well," the apparent leader said, "follow us."

They turned and began to walk towards the sandy hill they had appeared from. As we trudged through the sand, I began to quickly realize that this place was very different from the islands. On Zauthean, the weather was warm and there was a perfect balance of sand and water. Here, there was no water in sight but an infinite amount of sand. The uncomfortable heat rose off of the sand and I felt sweat drip down my forehead.

Just when I felt ready to lie down and not get up, we reached the peak of a sand dune and stared down at a large oasis. Acacia trees towered over buildings made of pale bricks. Aloe and agave plants sprouted along the barrier and pools of water glittered in the sun.

The warriors ushered us through the arched front gate. As we passed, the people's faces morphed from casual to surprised, some even horrified. Alosia seemed to notice the same thing and leaned over to me, "Why do they look so scared?"

A soldier responded for me. "We apologize for the gawking. We only have visitors every few decades and they usually don't make it past the front gate. Our city thrives on a very special magic, very powerful and ancient, and it's supposed to be kept secret. We try not to let anyone inside that doesn't need to be."

We nodded in understanding and continued to walk down the dusty streets. The trees provided a nice layer of shade, but it was still incredibly hot. The buildings around us changed from sand-brick huts to tents. Our group stopped in front of a large, rusty brown tent. It was pulled taut with thick ropes nailed to the sandy ground.

"This is where Erden is staying. He is our general, so please, be respectful," With that, he tugged the flap open. Inside was a man somewhere in his thirties sitting at a desk covered with papers. He had a hand planted in his caramel brown hair with his eyes staring down at the papers in front of him.

"General Erden," the soldier said, "We have visitors."

His head shot up. He looked Alosia and I up and down before recognition dawned in his eyes. He walked towards us and said, "Alosia? What are you doing here?"

"Not a 'hello' to spare, Uncle?" She quipped, stepping forward and embracing him.

"Always for you, Alosia," he said, "Hello. Now, what are you doing here?"

She sighed, "It's a long, long story, but I was told to come here. Clover," she nodded towards me, "brought me here since he was headed to the desert anyway."

Erden looked at me, taking in my messy appearance. I was covered in sand and sweat, as well as wearing generally beat up clothing. I probably wasn't the ideal chauffeur for his niece. "Well then, we have much to discuss. Alosia, how about we get you settled in and, Clover, was it?" I nodded, "We can sort out your situation as well."

Alosia was whisked away by a few women Erden had called to the tent. Once she was out of earshot, he began to speak. "So, Clover, what is your business in Sahara'Eden."

"I've been on a quest for the past couple of weeks. I've completed it, only to realize that I need to destroy what I was looking for. Instead of bringing everything back with me to Zauthean, I was wondering if there was any way I could destroy them here," He sported a blank look, so I added, "Everything is in close quarters back on the islands, but there's a ton of open space and sand here. It would be the ideal place to do the job."

He looked to be contemplating the statement, steepling his fingers in front of his lips. Finally, he said, "This evening, I'll help you with your task." I thanked him and he sent me away. A soldier guided me to a smaller tent where I sat with Sable until he came to retrieve me.

When the sun had started falling, Erden and I wandered back out into the sands towards where I had left my flier. I had a few of the amulets on my person, but the air pendant and cube were still in the storage trunk. The desert was cooler as the sun went down, which was nice in comparison to the excruciating heat from earlier.

When we reached the contraption, I unpacked the cube and popped the air pendant off of the bottom of the cart. "We should walk a bit further away," Erden said, "My method of destruction needs some room."

We wandered even further from the city, until we were surrounded only by sand and the sunset. I placed the cube in the sand, as well as five of the amulets around it. I gripped the air pendant in my hands and suddenly felt very against destroying it. It was one of the only things I had left of my mother, after all. It held her free-spirited personality and her love for fresh air. It held memories of her and I, sharing secrets about magic and the sea. As much as it was evil, it was dear to me, and it was hard to let it go.

"This is your price to pay, boy," the dagger murmured, "The sacrifice is these memories you hold in your hands. Are you willing to pay the price?"

I stared into the milky white of the pendant one last time before placing it next to all of the other amulets. "I am," I responded, stepping back and waiting for Erden's instructions.

He had us back away from the items until we could no longer see their details. Then, he raised a hand in front of him and asked, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

I nodded and said, "Yes. It needs to be done."

With a finalizing huff, he breathed deeply and the palm of his hand began to glow. It wasn't like white light or dark magic, but similar to the center of an ember. His hand glowed with an orange heat, slowly seeping through his fingers and up his wrist. Then, it was as if his hand began to melt into tendrils, sending the heat through the air in strings. They curled around each other, racing through the air towards the objects. I watched in awe as they attacked the items. The magic he wielded was beautiful and frightening at the same time, melting and cracking the items. He pushed a final burst of energy through his hand, completely obliterating the results of my mission.

When he had finished, nothing remained but small, melted and charred pieces of metal and stone. The sand surrounding them had changed into rough glass, reflecting the stars.

"It is finished," he said quietly before leading me back to the city.

The next morning, Erden had allowed me to take a small boat, which some soldiers helped me drag towards the nearest shore. Alosia insisted on coming along, so she carried Sable when he no longer wanted to walk or helped push the boat across the sand. The glimmering ocean came into view many long, hot hours later.

"Would you..." Alosia said with some hesitation, "Would you consider exchanging letters every once in a while?"

I smiled with a blush on my face that could easily be mistaken for a sunburn, "Sure. I hope things work out for you here."

I settled myself in the boat with Sable at my side and began the journey of paddling back to Zauthean. Even though I wouldn't be returning home with the cube, I would finally get a chance to be home. It felt...odd returning after so long, but it was a welcomed change; I missed Gloria and Father. I waved goodbye to those on the shore and breathed the fresh ocean air as I headed home towards Zauthean.

Word count- 1,498

Thanks for reading!

-Gracel :)