Sky Forever

Chapter 13: The Dunelands

That night I had a dream. I was standing on the top floor of the Beehive tower, leaning over the balcony. The City of Ashes and Gold was sprawled out below me. Hanging off the balcony was none other than Emperor Jasper Homunculus. The wind was howling and there was fire everywhere. Homunculus said something but I didn't hear it. Then he reached up and grabbed my shirt. And we were falling...falling...falling...And he was shouting my name...Jared!...Jared!...Jared!

I was awoken abruptly by a loud knocking sound. I noticed it was coming from my door.

"Jared!" Came Ryder's voice, "Get out here!"

"Just a minute!" I called back.

I slid out of bed and pulled on some clothes quickly. I opened my door.

"We need everyone in the control room." Ryder said.

He then left down the corridor. I followed him.

Amber and Lonely Soul were already in the control room.

"Right, guys." Ryder said, "We're approaching the Dunelands. This means I'm going to need everyone's help with driving and navigating the ship. It's too difficult of a job to do on my own."

"I have no idea how to work any of these controls!" I said.

"That's why you'll be navigating." Ryder replied.

He beckoned me over to a screen on the right side of the panels.

"This screen shows outside activity. Things like radiation, life forms, weather" He explained, "We'll just be concentrating on weather for now because that's probably our only enemy at this point."

He flipped a switch and the colours and shapes on the screen changed.

"This shows wind levels." He said, pointing, "If it turns red and gets up to this corner, that's pretty bad. So, your job is to keep telling us if we're on the right track."

"Right." I said.

He walked back over to the driver's panel with Amber.

"Lonely Soul...you can help Jared..." Ryder said to the ghost.

Lonely wandered over and stood next to me.

I won't go into detail about this next bit as it was mostly "Keep going...hang on...try going left...it's turned orange, is that bad?..."

Eventually, we made it through the Dunelands unscathed. I don't know what I was so worried about.

After another hour or so, Sandstone City was in site. Ryder landed the ship about half a kilometre away.

"Lonely Soul," Ryder said, "You should probably stay here. It might freak people out if we're walking with a ghost."

"But, I can be invisible." Lonely Soul argued.

"No, we don't want to risk anyone seeing you." Ryder said, "We're trying to persuade them to join a revolution, not give them nightmares."

"He's not that scary to be honest..." I said.

"Why, thank you, Jared!" Lonely Soul said, smiling.

"You were terrified when you first saw him in the engine room!" Ryder said.

"I wasn't the one who fainted." I retorted.

Ryder fell silent.

"Maybe it's best if you just stay here, Lonely Soul" Amber said to him.

"Alright, I'll stay" He said.

For some reason, he agreed to Amber but not Ryder. I don't blame him.

Once the ghost disappeared through the wall, we got off the ship.

It was time to start a revolution. Again.