Desert Siren

Four

Despite her earlier protests, Jayza was secretly glad to be out of the wagon. While it kept her safe from the General's barbs and knowing glances, it was also hot and stuffy. The heavy fabric didn't breathe, and the desert sun heated the interior to almost unbearable levels. Being outside, even with the sun beating down unmercifully and the wind hurling grains of sand that abraded any exposed skin, was still better than being cooped up where she couldn't see anything and where she took a hit to her tailbone every time the wagon lurched. Being on the General's horse allowed her to at least feel less like a prisoner and more like a free woman making her first excursion outside of her town. She knew she was probably being silly and that her thoughts were more like those of a very young girl, but she couldn't help herself. She was traveling outside of Kif Aljar for only the second time in her life and while she knew her destination wasn't going to be somewhere pleasant, she could at least enjoy the journey. Besides, she was Ta'njar, a child of the desert. This was her home and she loved it, despite its ability to kill in an instant.

General Enyo had helped her onto his massive horse, then vaulted up behind her. He had removed the saddle since it couldn't seat two comfortably, and instead rode with just a thick fleece pad laid over a blanket that separated them from the horse's back. Jayza had ridden before but the horses she was used to were smaller and more fine-boned. Built for speed, their legs were daintier and their nostrils wider. The war-horses the Raptors rode were huge, their heads towering well over hers when she stood alongside one. But their size made riding double much more comfortable, and she soon found herself relaxing, gazing at her surroundings with interest. This was still the Glajik Desert, but the landscape looked nothing like the area around Kif Aljar. Her home had been surrounded by towering dunes of loose, golden sand with short, squat cliffs south of the oasis. The landscape here was far different and to her eye, much more forbidding. The ground was more level and much harder, covered in only a thin layer of dirt, and scraggly trees and bushes dotted the landscape. The overall color was a dirty gray, although streaks of brown and darker grey could be seen. Sharp rocks poked above the ground and Jayza now saw where the material to build the road they were on had come from. Despite the drab color, Jayza felt it still held an austere beauty and she continued to look at everything with interest. The General remained silent, content to let her be.

Jayza's head swirled with a million questions. She had never been further than a few miles outside Kif Aljar in her entire life. Except once, when she traveled with Mehma to a neighboring village in search of a new goat. That village, the name escaping her, had been much smaller than her town, and she had spent a minimal amount of time looking around, impatient to get home. Kif Aljar was large, vibrant, and exiting. The small town was quiet, dull, and to Jayza, lifeless. To this day, she never understood why someone would choose to live in such a dreary place when something so exciting was just down the road. However, the small village was still nestled in the dunes, the landscape the same as Kif Aljar's. The sights that greeted her now were very different than what she knew, and she wanted to learn as much as she could. She had always been curious, eager to learn something new whenever she could. But now, she had a different reason for learning about her environment. She was beginning to think about escape and if she did, she needed to know how to survive in this harsh land.

"Are there any oasis around here?" Her question was phrased in such a way she hoped the General took it as mere curiosity. "If not, how do you plan on getting water?"

"No oasis today, little one." The General didn't seem suspicious and answered her readily. "And you will see when we stop before midday. But I hope you enjoyed your bath. Because you won't get another one for a few days at least."

"I'm used to that," she replied absently. "If there's no oasis, then how do the plants and animals survive?" She was presently watching a bird that they had startled. A beautiful golden color, it had taken flight, revealing black and white feathers on its wings. Small lizards darted out of the way at their passing, and she thought she saw a snake, although it blended in with the ground so well, she couldn't be absolutely sure. She rarely saw animals outside of Kif Aljar, although once in a while, she would see the tawny cats that inhabited the hills. And often, birds soared high above, seeking carrion or easy prey. But most animals in her part of the desert were nocturnal and since she was rarely outside the town after Last Meal, she really had no idea what kinds of animals inhabited the desert. Nor how they actually managed to survive. The sight of so many different animals was a little surprising. And fascinating. She began to feel like she had been missing out by deciding never to travel further than the limits of her town.