Bodanen: Cobalt War

Chapter 29: Reunion

By the end of the next day, the travellers had made it to the great city in the sand; Alssahra, the city of knowledge. At the city's north entrance, they marvelled at the towering buildings of sandstone and marble covered in a myriad of coloured tiles in a wide variety of patterns. As they all stared on in awe, they were greeted by a familiar pair; Fadil and Sarnai Kerim. Once Boris pulled their car to the side of the road, the seven travellers got out to meet their welcoming party. Before anyone got a chance to speak, Garele rushed forward and practically tackled Sarnai, causing the pair to fall to the ground. Once Talib reached Fadil, the pair tightly embraced each other. Garele, Talib, Fadil, and Sarnai were ecstatic to see their family members again.

"Good to see you again, dad. Bit unexpected, but I'm not complaining." As Fadil and Talib let each other go, Fadil looked over the others that stood before him. "There are more of you than there was when you left the outpost. Oh, and it's great to see you, Garele; it feels like it's been forever since we last saw each other."

Getting up from atop Sarnai, and then helping her back up, Garele was beaming ear to ear as she turned to Fadil. "It's good to see you too, bro. By the way, you have been treating Sarnai right, haven't you? If not, so help me...." Garele jokingly pointed a finger at Fadil in a threatening manner.

"I'm fine, sis. You always worry too much. What would be a better question is what you're doing here with Talib and everyone. The last time I heard from you, you were still in Tenghar; what are you doing in An-ox?" Sarnai happily embraced her sister in a normal manner compared to the earlier tackle.

Not wanting to worry Sarnai, Garele tried to avert her eyes from her sister and back away slightly. "It's a...long story. I'll tell you about it later, but right now, it's getting late, isn't it?"

"Oh no, you don't. I know what it means when you avoid my eyes; you got into trouble, didn't you." Garele cowered before her younger sister, shrinking back from her. With a sigh, Sarnai could only shake her head. "Just...make sure to explain properly later, okay?" Garele perked up and hugged her sister, happy at having avoided the topic for the moment.

"Well, have you all got your greetings out of your system?" Siegfried clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "We've travelled far to make it here, so how about we relax for the rest of the day, seeing as the suns are already starting to set. We can then plan our next moves tomorrow. How's that sound to everyone?"

After a mummer of agreement from everyone, Fadil spoke up to share his idea. "If that's the case, then why don't you all come over to our place? We have enough room for everyone, though; I suppose you'll be staying in your car tonight. If nothing else, let us offer you dinner for the evening."

After the travellers exchanged looks, Boris spoke up for them. "That sounds fantastic; how about everyone hops into the car, and you can direct us to your home, okay?"

"Perfect; we live near the centre of the city, on the edge of the oasis. We have quite the view of the Tower of Knowledge; I think you'll love it."

With that, the seven travellers and their two guides entered the car and headed into the city. After an hour of travel, they came upon a beach that starched as far as the eye could see. They had found their way to the edge of the Janan Oasis, the heart of the city and one of the great bastions for life in the unforgiving extremes that was the Fajr Desert. They turned down a long stretch of road that followed the water's edge; it was lined with homes and businesses that thrived thanks to the water's blessing. The road ended just before a channel for boats, but it also gave way to a short dirt path leading to a large white house of stone and wood on the edge of the water. With a large central structure with a wooden dome with spacious bays on its sides and a continuous row of low windows in those bays that allowed cool breezes to blow through the entire building, it was ideal for beating the heat of the desert and welcoming family and friends.