The Priestess' Affair [Books 1 &2]

Book 2: Chapter 25

-HER-

The next day was the same. We were slowly falling into a routine. We woke up before the sun and started travelling immediately, moving through the dunes in that irregular fashion to avoid the sandworms.

For the most day, my eyes remained on the horizon, looking out for one of those giant creatures that were now becoming a subject of my nightmares. But apart from that, there was something else.... I couldn't put a finger on it yet, but something felt out of place.

That unsettling feeling inside me seemed to grow worse with each day.

"It feels hotter," I whispered to Alex as we moved. Even though we were fully clothed to avoid sunburn, it felt brutal.

"It's going to get worse," He whispered, offering me water. I was mindful to take only one sip. There were no signs of any waterbody in the desert. However, I had noticed one of Alex's men using a huge basin-like apparatus in the early mornings to collect the dew in the air and purify it. Still, it was just enough to get by if rationed correctly.

Alex's answer fuelled the unsettling feeling, butt I didn't say it out loud yet. I didn't want to make the situation tenser than it already was.

"Why can't we travel at night?" I couldn't help but ask him. It seemed like moving at night and settling somewhere with some cool shade in the morning seemed much easier. However, I could be wrong. I didn't know much about deserts; this was my first time in a situation like this.

"Sandworms," He answered. "They predominantly hunt at night because it's cooler, and more creatures come out at night," He explained.

"We saw one that day," I reminded him.

"Yes, they sometimes surface during the day either to get some fresh air or if they feel something moving on the surface," He muttered, focusing on the horizon. I was about to ask him another question when he stopped abruptly.

I thought he was about to make another turn, but instead, he whipped the horse, and it broke off in a run. I felt his chest vibrating with a growl behind me. I didn't have to ask what this was all about.

I could hear my heart pounding in my chest when I saw sand flying past us. Abnormal level of sand. It wasn't just a normal breeze. And then I heard the noise— an eerie shrill, making the whole desert shiver. It made my blood run cold.

"Don't look back," Alex muttered as he whipped the horse repeatedly again, making it run faster. I had always wondered why he preferred the horses over the camels in the desert, but I understood why as the creature under us sped up. It wasn't an average horse.

I felt one of Alex's arms go around my waist protectively as the horse ran at full speed, almost gliding. It didn't slow down until the sand in the air had virtually disappeared. But even after that, it didn't stop. We kept on going and going even though the sun was about to set.

"We took a wrong turn," Alex explained as we rode into the darkness. For the rest of the journey, I was quiet and alert. Many questions were still buzzing in my head, but I didn't feel like asking them after what he had almost encountered.

When we reached the campsite, everyone was already there, and dinner was being cooked.

Alex helped me dismount from the horse. As soon as I was on my feet, I instantly felt a stab of pain in my lower back. My body felt so tense from the close encounter in the morning.

I stepped away from the men as they discussed about the day. Meanwhile, I stretched a bit before stepping into a tent and wiping my whole body clean with a damp towel. I went to join the others for dinner after that.

The air around the fire was somewhat tense tonight. I ate silently as I listened to them discussing their plans for the upcoming days. From all their talk, it was clear that things were going to get brutal from here, and this fuelled the unsettled feeling inside me even more.

I retired to the tent almost immediately after dinner, finding it hard to keep my eyes open. I lay down in my bed and almost went to sleep immediately. But my eyes fluttered open when Alex stepped inside the tent, his eyes focused on me intently after he closed the tent flap.

I could see that he was tired as well. He laid down beside me quietly before pulling me against his body. The drop in temperature instantly made me curl up against his warmth while his arms went around me in a protective embrace.

I sighed deeply when both of us settled in.

"I wish to talk to you so much, but tonight we must sleep. We're planning to get up earlier tomorrow," He whispered before stealing a gentle kiss. I nodded, already half asleep. As I felt his breaths even out, I descended deeper and deeper into my sleep.

My eyes snapped open abruptly sometime in the middle of the night—the dream I had been seeing immediately disappeared from my eyelids until I couldn't recall it. I groaned, feeling more tired, but all of a sudden, I felt this urge.

That unsettling feeling grew more intense until I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. I got up slowly and glanced at Alex. He was sleeping right beside me, one of his arms lightly draped over my waist. His eyeballs moved side to side under his eyelids. He was deep asleep.

I wondered if I should wake him up... but then, what would I say to him exactly? I didn't feel like waking him up. He was more tired than me, and he needed that sleep more than me. So, I took it upon myself to figure out what was happening to me.

Slowly, I moved his arm from around me and got up. Just when I was doing so, I heard a noise right outside our tent. It sounded like a low hiss. I immediately knew that it wasn't an animal but something else.

Gathering some courage, I stepped out and looked around. No one was there to be seen, but for some reason, goosebumps appeared all over my skin. In the distance, I saw one of Alex's men, who was supposed to be on watch, sleeping.

I frowned and headed towards him. I didn't feel like sleeping anymore. If he wanted to sleep, then I could stay on watch, I decided. Just when I was about to wake him up, I felt a presence behind me. In the next moment, a hand clasped over my mouth, and I was being dragged away from the camp— into the dark desert.

~

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