THE MONARCH

CHAPTER THREE

The winds howled in anguish, curling themselves around the group, watching as they made their way across the dessert. The stars gazed at them in gentle caress, persisting though they must give way for the sun as it turned its gaze onto the sands. Slowly, the stars disappeared as the first rays of sunlight peeked above the horizon.

The soft rays fell upon her sombre face. Peering, curious as to the cause of the frown on the face of the young warrior princess.

It watched captivated as her eyes closed and she sighed deeply. She opened them and it turned its gaze away in sorrow, unable to look at the intensity in those deep brown orbs.

* * * *

Makiya watched as the sun rose, marking yet again the start of another day since the night they'd fled from Biram. They had crept across the trade routes leading to the city, gathering as much food and water as they could find and made their way deep into the desert.

Now a sennight later, another dawn saw them crossing yet another dune in the seemingly endless sea of sand. With no mounts, little food and even less water, progress was slow. Silence enveloped them, only broken by the shuffling of feet, the inhale and exhale of air and the soft sounds of the early morning breeze.

Soon though, the scorching heat of the sun upon their backs and the answering heat of sand beneath their feet would wake them from their reprieve.

As the sky brightened, they stopped as they had done since the first day. They rationed the little food they had among one another and had few sips of water. Quickly, they packed up and continued on. They covered as much distance as possible but by noon the sun was too hot to walk any faster than a few paces at a time.

Makiya's feet burned. The heat of the sand was intense and with the barely there shoes she was wearing, it became harder and harder to keep walking each day. Her feet were blistered from the heat, the skin flaky. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, her lips were dry and cracking, her throat was parched and it hurt to swallow. She embraced it all, welcomed the pain, hunger and thirst, it kept her distracted from her raging mind. She'd succeeded in pushing all thoughts of her home to the back of her mind, focusing instead on staying alive. She had vowed to avenge them, a promise she intended to uphold but to do that she'd need to survive.

Makiya took in her surroundings, the entire landscape was sand and more sand, dune after dune. It seemed to mock her, sought to overwhelm her as it would a simple drifter, a wretch, hopelessly wandering these vast lands, destined to perish in them and become soil and dust.

And truly am i not? A wanderer whose sole purpose was revenge. Would i even live long enough...

No! She screamed to herself.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her hands fisted at her sides. She wouldn't think like that. She'd lived a life of luxury, wanted for nothing. It had been ripped away cruelly but this would not be her end. Her father had not died so she could waste away in the sand. She would live, rise and one day she would return with an army of her own. She turned to look in the direction of Bilma, the city had been beyond their sight since the third day but she could see it in her mind. Her home, the only place she'd ever known.

I will not forsake you, she thought. I have vowed to avenge you mother, father. Now I make another. I shall return one day and when I do, I will take back what was yours, what is rightfully mine. Before the sun, the sky, the earth and the wind, I make this vow. I shall uphold it or I shall die.

Makiya simply stood there for a while, watching. She sighed as she heard footsteps approaching behind her. With one last look, she finally turned and walked back to the group. Yuram met her halfway, forehead slightly creased, he asked if she was well.

"Not yet Yuram but, soon." She answered with a small smile. Up ahead, the sands greeted her once again, this time she would meet its gaze head on. It's mockery would serve a pillar to remind her of a future she must fight for.

"Let's go, we have a long way to walk still." She said and walked away.

They kept at the slow pace sharing gulps of water in between until the evening, when they once again stopped for another ration of food and some sips of water. They rested and slept until the sun began to set.

"We've spent roughly seven days in this sea of sand, how far do you think we've gone Yuram? " Makiya asked, breaking the silence. She was eager to leave the scorching heat but, for her own reasons. She'd made a vow and she would uphold it. Everything else would have to come second.

" The distance between N'jimi and Bilma by camel takes at least a moon under normal conditions, mâiràm. I cannot say what distance we have covered. However, by watching the stars I am certain we are on the right path. There is an oasis on the route, that is where I hope we will refill our water satchels. Perhaps we can get food as well, how long it will take to reach there, I do not know." he replied.

Silence engulfed them once again, neither making an effort to break it. And what need there be? When the wind's howl and the insects' songs and the hoot of night birds was music enough.

Soon, the moon rose casting it's cool gaze upon them, soft yet firm, lulling them awake as though imploring them to move on.

They started once again, moving more energetically in the absence of the scorching heat. The motion would keep them warm and protect them from the freezing cold of the desert night.

Dune after dune they crossed, each bringing them closer to their haven.

The moon bid it's goodbye at dawn leaving them in the harsh yet certain care of the sun and so it would be for many more days until they reached their abode.

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