The Mark of Aether

The Guardian~Part III

"So you are a shape shifter?''

"Yes.''

"You can turn to anything you want?''

"If I ever so wish, yes.''

''This is quite interesting,"said Mayra, her hands tightly wrapped around Havar's neck.

We were sitting on his expended back. A back quite large that each of us could extended both legs and sleep in complete freedom. 

"Can you transform to anything not related to fire?'' asked Carter, admiring Havar's beautiful structure.

"Yes, I can transform into a man and even a mice. Although my transformation shapes in non-fire beings do not last long, it comes in handy when the need arises. On several occasions, before hibernating, I served in stealing information from the demons themselves. But now, enough question, this is destination.''

We dismounted him in a hurry, standing in the middle of piles and dunes of smooth, golden sand. The whole place looked like a vast splash of gold underneath the setting sun. The firmament was a wash of red, orange, amber and eburnean, all harmonized together in the most picturesque of art.

I stared at the sun and swallowed hard. Not more than an hour and half.

''You will have to walk from here on. The Shadow knows the way, he will lead. I am banned to set foot, or even a claw, closer before you retrieve it.'' Havar growled twice before fire was shot out of his mouth. On the floor where the fire had died was a claw-like piece of ivory fastened with a chain. Havar raised the necklace to Leon. ''This will be my bridge to you. Whenever you wish to summon me, throw it in the air and I shall appear immediately. As of now, I must retreat to rest. My powers are feeble after being frozen all of those years. May you all rest in the ease of the gods,'' with that, he charged to the heavens, bursting into a core of flames before he eventually disappeared.

"Let's walk.''

I trekked next to Leon, sensing too clearly that something was wrong. I got the feeling that a matter was not in its place since he dismounted Havar's back.

But as I looked around, as I thought, I understood. He wasn't too friendly with deserts.

"This is the same place,'' he said in his low voice, only audible to my hearing.

For a moment, I felt shards of glass piercing through my body, peeking me from all sides. It had spun more than a decade and half, and yet I could feel the slightest traces of the fire that once drowned everything in this desert.

''If you look through the sand, you can see remaining pieces of glass.''

''I am sorry, Leon.''

''Don't be,'' he said, his lips curving a faint smile. But I knew it was forced.

''Where are we heading?''

''To the middle of Nevora.''

''How far is it?"

"Four minutes.''

''We need to act fast, I can't keep the spell for long.''

"I promise we'll do everything we can.''

*****

The four minutes passed like four hours, nothing but sheer silence coating us. We were standing in some lost point in the great desert when Leon stopped, raised one slender sword and pierced it in the sand.

''This,'' he pointed to where the weapon was pierced, ''is the exact middle of Nevora.''

"Great. But where is the key?''