Crossover

Chapter 3: Hills of Sand

The dunes continued for as far as my eyes could see in the dark. Orange ripples reminded me of the endless ocean in Luala. I now knew why I loved that place; it reminded me of home.

I sat in the sand on the peak of a dune, eating dried fruit and watching the sunrise. Deressa's night sky bled in to morning as the sun slowly rose, crimson tinting the horizon and staining the clouds. I could feel the heat almost immediately. It warmed my cold soul, and gave me energy to get up and walk towards the city.

I was still exhausted though, nearly tripping over my own feet in the soft sand on the other side of the crest. The sand slid down the slope threatening to take me with it. I hadn’t eaten much. I hadn’t slept. I felt the fine sand slip in to my shoes, through the tiniest cracks and holes. I needed to stop. I needed to rest.

I needed to find Alia.

I walked as the sun rose higher and higher. In order to not be seen, I had crossed over too far out in the desert. It felt like it was taking forever. I could cross to another point closer, but the sun was up and it was far too risky now.

Deressa was the most likely place to hold her. And I didn’t entirely believe Tobin’s information about the base on Oria. I knew this place better though, and I had friends in the base here. But I first had to get equipment from Dune City.

As I climbed the next crest, I saw the city come into view. The red-brown bricks walls and straw roofs were caked with the same orange sand that covered all of Deressa, almost camouflaging them in with the surrounding terrain. I remembered when they were newly built, standing proudly for all the citizens to be proud of. There were fields too, but decade long drought as removed them from the landscape. I could see the hotel and the market square, with the water pump in the center. The people were lined up to get a drink of water, for Deressa’s heat was parching. 

The sun had risen high enough that mirages began to form; lakes of blue clear water that taunted me with promises they wouldn’t keep. I was tempted. But I had made a promise to Alia, the day she was born. I was going to protect her even if it took everything I had.

Lost in thought, I stumbled on the down slope of the dune and rolled all the way to the bottom. I was really losing it now.

But I wasn’t giving up that easily.

I pulled myself up the hill, only to tumble down moments later. Crawling up, I was fighting against gravity. The sand gave way under my knees and I slid down for one final time.

Laying there under the hot sun, I felt ashamed. I hadn’t chosen to give up. I wanted to keep going but my body resisted. I let my eyelids flutter closed.

What was going to happen to Alia now?

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The memory played over in my dreaming mind.

Her golden brown hair just reaching past her shoulders in lovely relaxed waves. She turned to me, fixing her blue eyes on my brown ones, and smiled. She sat in the white sand on the beach, with the clear blue waves lapping at her feet. Too young to be able walk away from sea herself, she curled up her toes and yelled.

“MAMA!” she cried. Even her cry seemed to bring light to the world.

I stood up to go to her, but was thrown to the ground. My face was pressed into the sand, knees dug into my back holding me there.

I strained to lift my head above the small ripples in the beach’s sand so I could see her. But all I saw was blue. Blue sky, blue sea.

Then black.

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I awoke with a start. It was dark again, and I had no clue how long I’d been out for. To be honest, I was surprised to still be alive.

I sat up, and the scratchy wool blanket that someone had tucked around me became scrunched up at my waist. My shoulders became cold, and found I wasn’t wearing my suit, only the tank top and shorts from underneath. Looking around for them, I noticed that I couldn’t see any stars.

From there I quickly figured out that I wasn’t out in the dunes anymore. But where was I?

There was a thin mattress under me, just barely enough cushion to hide the rough wood floor from touch. It was shoved up against a wall on two sides, and by the small amount of detail that I could make out from the dark, there was a door on the far wall by my feet.  I stood up quickly, and smacked my head against the low ceiling.

“Tera sec’rt!” I cursed in Novan, sitting down again. It was a small room then, at least height wise. I sat there, for a moment, trying to think up a next move, when the door opened, and light streamed in.

“Hello?” said a voice. I pegged it as male, early 20s. “Is everything okay?” he asked. He stuck his head in through the opened door. I could see by the look of him that I got it right.

“Yes.” I said, rubbing my head. “I uh… stood up.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, it was hard for me to get you in here in the first place.”

“Where is here?” I asked, anxious to get going. I stood, stooping this time.

“You’re in the Dune City, just a couple hundred kilometers from both Oasis city and Komali.” He said, not really answering my question.

He opened the door wider, standing to one side so as to let me out.

“I meant here. Where am I in Dune city?” I asked, squinting, for the sun’s disk was already sinking in the sky.

“My home.” he said. “Well… sort of.”

I walked towards the door, and looked out. I was in a carriage, a good two feet off the ground. I suddenly understood why it was so small. I hopped out; barefoot on the dusty road.

We were on a small road, just off the market square. The large tires on the carriage made it look more like a misshapen dune buggy, but it still had a place to attach it to a camel or other large animal.

He was staring at me as I paced around, looking at everything. “You aren’t from here, are you?” he asked. 

“Just haven’t been back in a while.” I said, nostalgic.

He ran his fingers though his short hair. “I’m Zedron.” He said. “You got a name?”

“Kefira.” I said, continuing to look around. “Where are my clothes?” I asked him.

“This is how I found you.” he said, gesturing to me with a wave of his hand. “No more, no less”

“Nezaku!” I swore, throwing my hands into the air.  “When I find the ijou that took my clothes, I swear…” I trailed off, angry at myself mostly for not being able to keep going.

Zedron smiled. “So you are from here.” He said. “You know the tongue.”

I gave him a glare, and he stopped laughing pretty quick.

 “Look,” Zedron said. “You seem like you’ve had a rough day. I’ll get you something to wear, some food and stuff, and then I can take you to the hotel or the police or something.”

“I’m fine.” I said. “I don’t need your help.”

He raised an eyebrow.

I stood there in the dusty city streets for a moment before I realized what I looked like. Enraged, cursing and wearing nothing but my underclothes, I wasn’t going to get very far at this rate.

“Fine.” I said. “But no dresses.”