🐲 Dragon and Phoenix (Path of Light and Fire Book #2) (Completed) 🐲

Chapter 8

The first thing that let Yulan know they'd arrived was the heat. The oppressive, dry, soul draining heat.

The second was the ground. The soft, moist grass gave way to brittle sand. The fickle earth shifted beneath his weight, and made it impossible to run. With his fire-enhanced speed nullified, he needed his wits more than ever. He hunted the land's most dangerous predator.

The ugar.

Yulan had some knowledge on how they operated. They roamed the Wastlelands without a noticeable aim. If the border reports were accurate, they ignored beasts and even the tiniest of insects. But if a human came into range of their sight or smell, they'd go berserk and attack.

He'd known it would be difficult to lure the ugar to his land, but without his speed, he needed more of a plan.

"It is not safe," the voices in his head said. "But it is necessary."

Yulan agreed. It took someone of his fortitude to do what was necessary.

Yet standing in the Wastelands he felt a sense of wrongness. A pressure built in his head and dread clutched his heart. He knew this was where he needed to be, but in this moment he felt like a man prepared to hunt without a spear.

He was unarmed, true, but that had nothing to do with it.

Berius appeared at his side a few moments behind and didn't slow. He ran in place and kicked up sand, spraying it against the supple land behind. Yulan watched the sand change from gritty tan to an earthy brown. By the time Berius caught onto his mistake and stopped, Yulan grew curious.

On a whim, Yulan backtracked and grabbed a handful of dirt. When he reached the border, he flung it into the Wastelands. The moment it crossed the line, the clump shattered into fine particles.

​Interesting.

​​Next, he seized a handful of sand. Walking it across the line did nothing, yet when he let go it changed. The building pressure also dissipated.

It's magic of some kind. That must be what is effecting me.

"Sire, why are you playing with dirt?"

Yulan dusted his hands. "No reason. Berius, do you feel anything when you cross that line?"

"You mean the thrill of the hunt? Yes, sire, I feel it too."

"He does not feel it," the voices said. "He is not special."

"He is my Wing!" Yulan said. "Do not insult him. In doing so, you insult me."

"Or do you insult yourself?" Laughter echoed in his mind.

He felt Berius's hand touch his shoulder and his head snapped up. Yulan was always grateful of how well the man knew him.

Yulan shook his head to focus. "You are more familiar with the border reports than I. Where should we look?"

"We do not need to go too deep into the Wastelands. They roam along the borders, just out of human sight. They tend to travel alone, no more than three at once. We will need to make several trips before we have a sizable army."

Yulan nodded. "Then let us begin."

The sun beamed down on Yulan's shoulders, but his dreadlocks kept his scalp cool and most of the heat out of his face. As they traveled deeper, rusted pieces of metal jutted from the ground. Yulan watched his footing as the sand covered some, making it a dangerous walk. A single, large shard of metal caught Yulan's attention. It was a giant triangle with a smooth point at the top. On its surface small rectangular panels hung hinges like tiny doors. It was fascinating.

A religious symbol of the ugar perhaps?

His Wing tapped him on the shoulder. "Keep your eyes about you, sire. They could be anywhere."

Yulan nodded and tore his eyes away.

The sands began to swirl, hampering Yulan's vision. He could still see his Wing, trudging along, hand over his eyes. Yulan mimicked his motion, scanning the periphery. But for the occasional piece of metal, the sands stretched as far as the eye could see. He could no longer see the land from which they came. Yulan began to question if they would be successful today. They'd searched for hours and nothing had come. The sun had shown no signs of abating either, it was still in the same position it had been we they'd started.

It made him question just how deep they had gone and how long they'd been out here. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled.

"Perhaps we should turn back, Berius," Yulan said. "We can continue our search on tomorrow."

"I beg of you sire, just a few more minutes. I feel we are close."

Yulan swallowed and saliva trickled down his dry throat. "Very well."

I can acquiesce to this one request. He deserves that much.

After a few more minutes, Yulan was about to reiterate his desire to leave. Then something caught his eye.

He grabbed Berius by the scruff of the man's red and black plaited robes and pulled him close. The storm intensified and yelling over it would be futile.

Yulan pointed at the greenish white shape that moved in the distance. "There! Do you see it?"

Berius shook his head. "It looks like more than one. This could be our lucky day."

In the ever shifting sandstorm, Yulan could only take glimpses as they got closer. Two ugar stood atop a nearby sand dune. Looking straight ahead was hard enough, but upwards got sand in his nose and eyes for his efforts. They approached the creatures blind.

As if this was not dangerous enough on its face.

Yulan stepped up the hill, minding his footing. With each step, he expected some auditory clue that the two ugar were aware of their presence. The storm receded a bit and he could to make out more details. They stood about twice as tall as a normal man, shoulders hunched in the build of a bear. Their translucent skin shone with a slimy substance. It was likely what prevented it from drying in this heat. Spikes would break through its body when it prepared to fight. Yet, here he did not see any. They were as docile as the reports claimed.

Why am I involving these creatures in my vengeance?

"Because you must."

The wind died down, clearing Yulan's vision. He thanked his ancestors and held still.

One of the ugar lifted its head upwards and sniffed the air.

They have our scent.

Before Yulan could turn to run, something crashed into the back of his head. He heard a scream from Berius that chilled his blood. His Wing needed him, so he tried to fight his daze. In the end he lost the battle and fell face first into the sand, drifting into the darkness.