The Chronicles of Guertanna: The Sword of Light and Shadow

Chapter XIX

I forgot to tell you, you can only get out using the three Dandelions' magic to open the portal, Dia said at the last minute, right before going into the portal. Now they both knew they were stuck in the middle of nowhere—literally—and the only way out was doing their work. The winds in the desert didn't cease, the heat rising every minute. Both carriers walked through the isolated sand storm, without any instructions or help.

Portals were like black holes; they sucked their energy in and there was no exit. However, portals were made by white magic, and this magic could manipulate them. That was an important discovery when Dia made the black hole that sucked the Shadowland. Her magic influenced future generations, creating different other ways to open portals. These undoubtedly were the perfect hideouts for the key to open the Shadowland. Six portals to open one black hole.

Rinna and Kenor walked, they didn't even know how long. No matter how much they advanced, the surroundings looked the same. It despaired them; looking at the same isolated and lonely place, without anyone to guide them. They felt lost, tired and annoyed by the sand storm.

"Do we even know how the creature looks like?" Kenor asked, putting an arm in front of his face to not let the sand get into his mouth. Rinna couldn't answer, she just kept following him, "Ugh, this is annoying! We're walking in circles!" He said and snapped his arm away, trying to look around. The same unchanged desert.

"Can you calm down? I don't think yelling is going to make any difference..." Rinna suggested, trying to stay in her peaceful calmed mind.

"That's easy for you to say..." He sighed loudly.

She stopped and looked at his back puzzled, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Kenor was turning to start the argument, but Rinna's foot sunk in the sand and slipped down the hill. Her arms were thrown in the air and Kenor grabbed her hand quickly. The sand was so deep that it dragged them both down. Kenor fell down sitting while Rinna appeared to be slipping down a slide. He groaned while she felt the rush of the sand pouring in her face. She kept her mouth and eyes closed to not her the sand in. Once they were on the floor she sat up next to Kenor, who didn't seem to be at all happy for that.

"Is there any time you can be calmed, just for a moment?" He said rubbing his forehead.

She opened her mouth but shut it close gritting her teeth. She wasn't going to argue, not in here, not when they had their lives hanging of a thread. They both needed each other for this mission, and there wasn't quite effort by Kenor's part. But that didn't mean she was going to be provoked. Not again. She was sick of fighting and she was saying the truth. Everything since Level I, when she first met Kenor was fight over argument over fight. She believed it was fate that put them both in that situation. Someone was telling her that they weren't to be enemies. Maybe not friends either.

He stood up, and trying to not stay angrily crossing her arms, she stood up too. She followed him a gain walking. "I don't even know why we bother; the place is the same no matter how much we walk. I hate this." He said, rubbing his hair, moving around.

"The heat is affecting you," Rinna mumbled, fighting against the stormy sand.

"Oh, shut up..." He growled angrily.

It was true that the heat was agonizing; it was true that it made you mad; it may be true that it can make people do something they don't want to do. But after almost an hour of listening to Kenor's complains, Rinna wouldn't accept his meanness. "Don't shut me up." She replied, crossing her arms on her chest.

He stopped and turned to her, a drip of sweat rolling down of his forehead. "Oh, now you're angry? Finally, it was time to react already..." He snapped his head away.