Half Magic | Book 2

Twelve: Forward

Kai was right, the dust and sand had settled around us as we slept, opening the skies once more. After our somber night of reflection on the dead, I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to an invigorating night air sweeping across the oasis. I stretched, rubbing an ache from my back from sleeping in a bad position and I crept away to relieve myself behind the trees and touch brush that grew on the far side of the water.

Kai was pulling together some of our supplies for breakfast and Nassir was with him, asking more questions about the desert people. Puko was on Kai's shoulder, begging shamelessly for scraps and Schula was at our gear making sure everything was packed up. I yawned and headed to the food, the last one awake once again.

While I walked, I touched the high and tight braid that Schula had put my hair in last night. I smiled a little, it was invigorating to show off my ears for once, and I enjoyed styling it similar to Schula. When my stomach growled, I dropped my hand to over my naval with a blush, just as I arrived to the cooking spot.

"Evening, Wren," Nassir smiled as I approached. "How are you feeling?" 

I nodded and sat down next to Nassir in the sand.

"Well enough, I think." I shrugged. "It's behind me now, I want to look forward."

Kai grunted hi approval from over a tray of cut up meat and dried fruit selections. "Don't let the bad aoyi'ka aura get under your skin. She's dead now anyway."

I grimaced at the image of her body, twisted and left in the sand.

"Should we have done something with her? I mean, what happens when you leave... something like that, out in the sun?" I asked.

Kai shook his head and offered me food off the tray. I took a few favorite items as the tray was then passed to Nassir. 

"Don't worry about that," Kai said. "The sands will take care of it. That aoyi'ka isn't the only thing living out there. When almost nothing grows in the desert, you aren't picky about what feeds you."

I shivered at Kai's implications and a cool hand touched my back. "Hey, what have I missed?"

I turned to look up at Schula as she sat by me. Kai offered her some of the food and she took a handful of dried apples.

"Schula, I don't believe for one second that you didn't hear everything that has been said." Nassir chuckled.

"Hm." She bit off a piece of fruit. "I was blocking you guys out so I could concentrate on the task at hand. Speaking of which, Kai, I'm done packing everything up."

I looked up at the sky overhead. The stars danced in the blanket of blue overhead. The wedge of moon that could be seen was bright. "Then, we move on tonight?"

"Yes, we do." Kai took the last of the food on the tray for himself, and put the tray away. "Actually, we can go on as soon as we are done eating. The water skins are all topped off, our things are packed. All there is to do now, is to follow our feet under Lon's Jar."

Kai pointed to a cluster of stars overhead. I'd take his word that it was supposed to be a jar. Mila had tried to teach me the names of the stars over the mountains but I was never very good at it.

I popped the last of my meal in my mouth at the same time as Nassir and the two of us silently walked over and took our share of the bags. It was pretty routine for us by now, having traveled weeks from the Wyldes to Sulls together. Adding Kai to our party to cross the desert surprisingly didn't disrupt us much at all. 

By the time were were situated, Shula and Kai were coming over to take their share. Puko pestered Nassir for the nuts he could smell in his pocket, landing on his shoulder while Nassir laughed.