Shadows of Avarice - Book #1 (BxB)

Chapter 26

The desert sun continued to shine down on Xia as he ran through the sand as far away from his captors as he could get. In this heat, they would be fools to chase after him. It was dangerous enough for Xia to venture out without any water, but it was either dehydrate or stay with those bandits. Xia would take his chances with the desert.

When he felt as though he was far enough away from the bandit's hideout, Xia finally came to a halt. He glanced around him in a vain hope that there was something, anything, that could point him in the direction of Rasea. However, all he saw around him was sand. There were no landmarks, no temples, no oasis. There was nothing for as far as he could see. This was why a guide was needed to traverse the desert. Without one, you were as good as dead. Xia needed to find some sort of shelter. If he didn't, then the heat would surely kill him. He didn't plan on dying yet.

All he could do was pick a direction and hope for the best. Xia tore part of the dress skirt to wrap around his head and face. It wasn't the best protection from the sun, but it was something. He wished he would have asked the bandit for water while he was on his good side. He could have stolen his canteen and then traversing the desert wouldn't have been as scary. He wouldn't have to fear that he would dehydrate out there.

He kept walking, even though there didn't seem to be anything around him for miles. Xia glanced in every direction the farther he walked, but there was still nothing. The more he walked, the more Xia began to fear that he wouldn't make it back to Rasea. He would end up as another corpse that the sands would claim. He could have lived longer if he had stayed with the bandits, but he feared taking that chance. He didn't want to end up as someone's slave or whore.

Thoughts of his family began to surface. What would happen to them if he never returned home? They would be heartbroken and back at square one. Without Xia, his siblings would have to go back to stealing. Despite all the gifts the sultan gave them, it wouldn't be enough to get them out of Rasea. A guide was expensive, and they needed enough money to settle in one of the other kingdoms. If they couldn't leave Rasea, then his grandmother would continue to suffer. He didn't want her to suffer anymore in her old age. She deserved to have a peaceful life after everything she did for her grandchildren.

He also thought about Osiris. After last night, the sultan might believe that Xia ran away. If that were the case and it angered him, then Osiris could always take it out of Xia's family. Xia doubted Osiris would take things that far, but he wasn't positive. After all, there were two sides to the sultan. One of them was the sweet side that Xia was beginning to fall for, while the other was a monster. Xia needed to return to make sure his family would be safe.

Plus, he couldn't deny wanting to make up with Osiris. He had to apologize.

He pushed forward and eventually, Xia thought he could see a temple in the distance. He was exhausted and the heat was starting to get to him, so he hoped the temple was real and not a hallucination. If it was real, he could hide there until the sun went down. The desert would become cold once night hit, but that was better than him dying from the heat. If he climbed the temple, then perhaps he could make out his surroundings. Maybe he could find the way back home.

It took a while. The temple was far, and Xia struggled not to collapse in the sand. He felt weak. He was almost there, but he didn't know how much farther he could go. Each step became harder. He was starting to feel like he couldn't breathe in this heat. It was tempting to fall in the sand and give up. He wanted to rest.

But he kept going and didn't stop until he reached the temple. Part of him hoped that there would be the sultan's guards at the temple, but he was only disappointed. There was no one. Xia entered the temple and collapsed in the shade. The stone against his skin was cool, which was a huge relief. He was exhausted and sore after running away. His feet ached, and he felt as though he might pass out. It was tempting to fall asleep right then and there, but he couldn't yet. He needed to assess his situation first. He decided to rest for a little bit before trying to figure out his location.

After traveling through the desert for hours, the sun was beginning to set. Once it was dark, Xia would climb to the top of the tower. From there, he should be able to see the lights of Rasea unless he was too far away. He hoped that wouldn't be the case. The bandits couldn't have taken him that far.

As the moon shined through the windows and cracks of the temple, Xia carefully and slowly made his way up the temple. From what he could see, this temple wasn't anything special. There was no treasure, so Xia didn't know what its purpose was. He didn't stop to check any of the rooms as he walked up the temple steps. There was nothing to see anyway.

Upon reaching the top, Xia located the nearest window. He prayed for any sign of Rasea, but he couldn't see anything. There were no lights or any signs of life anywhere. With a sigh, Xia checked the next window on the other side of the tower. When he saw nothing once more, he started to panic. Without anything to guide him, Xia would never make it back to Rasea. If he chose a direction and started walking, then he could be stranded in the desert until he died. He didn't want to die out here. He couldn't leave his family like this.

He was about to lose hope until he saw a light in the distance. It wasn't from the city, but from a fire someone built in the desert. A traveler was setting up camp for the night. It might not have been what Xia hoped for, but he would take any help he could obtain. If he was lucky, then whoever it was might be a guide for Rasea. He hoped for some sort of break as he ran down the temple steps. Since they were only setting up camp for the night, they would be there for a while, but he didn't want to miss this opportunity.

He was still sore but that didn't stop Xia from running in the direction he saw the camp. It was too far away to see who the travelers were, but Xia did pray that he wasn't running straight back to the bandits. If it was them, then he might just give up. He wouldn't have the energy to run away from them again.

As he neared the camp, he was relieved to see that it wasn't the bandits after all. Instead, he saw a group of four. The group consisted of a woman and a man, a girl who couldn't have been much younger than Xia, and a young boy. They were sitting around the fire, each of them with a bowl in hand. He was more relieved to see them with camels. If they were willing, he hoped that they would help him back to Rasea.

"Help!" Xia called out. When he saw them quickly turn to look at him, Xia waved his hands to get their attention. His body couldn't take much more. He couldn't run anymore as he collapsed in the sand.

The girl stood up after putting her bowl down. There was worry in her eyes as she ran up to him. Her family wasn't far behind as they followed after. She knelt beside him and touched his face. He was burning up. She reached to her side, grabbing a pouch filled with water. She unscrewed the cap, then placed the pouch against his lips. Receiving a bit of water was a blessing. She let him drink until he had his fill.

"What happened to you?" Her voice was soft as she asked.

"B-bandits kidnapped me. Please . . . I need to return to Rasea." It was hard to speak. His throat hurt and he could barely keep his eyes open. He felt as though he would faint at any minute.

"Poor thing . . . Why would bandits do this to you?" The woman, most likely the mother, asked.

The man, who appeared to be the father, shook his head. "It doesn't matter why. She's exhausted and injured. Let's help her into one of the tents and when she regains her strength, she needs food and water."

Without hesitating, the man picked up Xia with ease. He couldn't help feeling relaxed knowing he didn't have to run anymore. Xia rested in the man's arms, his eyes closing before they reached the tent. He couldn't stay awake any longer as Xia drifted off.