Villainous [Wattys 2021 Shortlist]

19: Coils

Delilah lay on her back and stared up at the sky. It was milky white with the countless stars that glittered down at them, making the desert seem light even though it was nearly midnight. Cold wind hissed over the sand dunes around them – Dante had been surprised by how temperatures plummeted at night. That and the crackle of their tiny fire were the only sounds.

Dante loosed a sigh and joined her, settling on the sand and following her gaze.

"I always thought Annwn, my old capital, was the closest city to the sky," Dante mused, "making my people the star-born – born almost in the realm of heaven itself. But I feel very close to the stars here, too."

"Nell told me about it, but I'd never imagined it would be so beautiful." She gave Dante a quick glance. His pale skin looked almost silver, and his awed expression made him appear exceptionally handsome. For a moment she could almost forget who he was and think of him as a fellow traveller, struck by the simple beauty of the nature around him.

He tucked a hand behind his head. She looked away. He was a warrior, born and bred to be vicious, and she couldn't believe he was anything else.

This was their seventh night in the desert, and just yesterday they'd had to resort to tracking down, stealing from and killing a group of travellers – their own supplies had run dangerously low. Delilah had felt a pang as she killed them, her own people, and hoped the Sun Warriors wouldn't turn against her when she was queen. She would have Nell to vouch for her. Hopefully.

"It shouldn't be long now before we reach the Landian Sea," she said.

"Good. Before we know it, our journey will be over and we can be back in Irkalla again." He sounded wistful and homesick, although Delilah couldn't imagine ever longing to be back in those caves.

"What about Vale's Sky Opal?" she asked. The thought had been nagging at her for a while.

"The Council took it from us when they signed the Treaty and forced us underground," he growled, and that familiar murderous look burned on his face once again. "I've tortured countless men, sent out my best spies, and I still can't find out where they've hidden it. But I'll find it one day, even if I have to tear this world apart."

Delilah shuddered. She didn't doubt that he would.

*

The next morning, after a dull breakfast of water and smoked camel meat, they trudged on through the dunes, their feet sliding on the ever-shifting desert sand. They'd learned early on to cover every patch of skin they could, and they sweated buckets under the blistering sun. Delilah trained her eyes on the next dune they had to cross and told herself, after that one. Then we'll be there. Then we can dive in the sea. She'd been making these empty promises all week, trying to force herself to keep going.

Dante halted and flung out an arm, catching her chest. She snarled but he was pointing south. A dune in the distance, looking very red, and...

Delilah's heart dropped to her boots. Soldiers riding camels. They were like specks in the distance, but that wouldn't stop them from seeing.

"Run!" Dante hissed. "Let's get around the other side of this dune!"

They took off, kicking sand everywhere as they sprinted. The dune towered above them like a giant creature who'd gone to sleep and been covered by the desert. Delilah panted, feeling weak from the water and minerals she was losing through sweat. They had a block of salt to lick, but sometimes it didn't feel like enough.

The sun shimmered above in a heat haze. Delilah felt like she was burning from the inside out.

They staggered around a rise of sand and skidded to a halt in surprise. They'd found a ruin, half-buried in the dune, its stones cracked and crumbled. An entrance to some unknown building gaped at them, a passage leading inside.