THE MONARCH

CHAPTER EIGHT

The sun rose over the horizon, casting its gaze onto the sands. It gave off a magnificent glow shining in the distance like liquid gold.

Inviting.

Mesmerizing.

Makiya watched it slowly ascend the sky. The start of another day. She lay on the ground, relishing the feel of the sand beneath her, still cool from the night before. Makiya found it intriguing how the sand could be cool, even comfortable at night and the early morning but, during the day it was almost torture to walk upon it.

Makiya looked around her. Everyone else was still asleep. She smiled as she remembered waking up almost two moons before to the sight of them preparing to leave with her. She'd hoped and prayed they would until she'd fallen asleep. She was relieved to find her words had been heard.

She heard shuffling to her left. She turned and met Yuram's eyes. He must have been awake awhile for his eyes were too sharp for someone who only just awoke.

"Bárkà bárgànəmnin" he greeted as he rose.

"Bárkà Yuram." She replied.

He walked some distance to relieve himself. When he returned a few others were awake as well.

"Wake them, Borom. We should be on the move soon before the sun gets too hot. Our water supply is dwindling" Yuram said to Borom as he too woke. Makiya stood and went to perform her morning rituals. She walked a much further distance than he did. When she finished, Makiya sat down for a bit. Her gaze swept over the sands extended before her.

The desert is peaceful.

She never thought she would see the expanse as anything but cruel. As she looked around her though, from the sand that seemed to have no end to the sun as it glistened in the distance, the slight wind that kissed her skin, to the few birds that flew in the sky, peaceful was the only word that came to mind.

The desert seemed to bristle at the thought. It glared at her. Fear me, it seemed to say.

She smiled as she met its glare with her own.

You no longer scare me, she replied.

Slowly, she felt it turn its gaze away admitting defeat. The desert yielded, a truce was called, a companion gained.

*****

The group trudged on with the heat of the sun battering their backs. They'd set out later than usual but it did not hinder their progress. The desert had begun to give way to flatter lands with the dunes being more and more farther apart. They saw hints of fertile lands as they came across few scattered bushes everyday. They were still quite some distance from any settlement. Yet they felt relieved, reassured that a refuge was close.

Yuram led the group at the front along with Arðò, one of the àskər, behind them were the twin boys and their father and another man she knew to be Modubynnbbb. Trailing behind were Mara and Fojji, the only other women besides Makiya. The two of them had forged a bond over time. They were almost inseparable, walking side by side and sitting, even eating together. Makiya followed with Borom and Massa, the last of the àskər, a step behind her.

Time passed quickly and soon the sun was dipping below the dunes at their backs. They walked until the night was too dark before stopping to set up camp. They passed the water to one another and took a few sips each. The barely half filled gourd was all they had left. Makiya hoped they'd reach a settlement soon. They each ate out of their share of dried meat and prepared themselves for sleep.

The desert was far too cold to sleep without covering. They'd learnt that in the first few nights after they left the cave. Without any animal skins or good clothes they'd been tempted to travel at night as they had done in the past but, that left very little time for sleep. Lighting a fire was out of the question. Not only would it draw attention -though highly unlikely- to them, it would take too much time and effort to gather enough camel droppings. It was Modu who'd finally come up with the idea to sleep under the sand after observing a lizard do the same. Though they'd been hesitant at first, it proved to be an effective solution. The sand, when piled up to cover the body was just enough to keep the biting cold at bay. It very quickly became natural to sleep under  it.

The girls lay side-by-side in the same burrow. The others also shared among one another while Yuram slept alone. The sleeping arrangement had been agreed upon when it became too much of a hassle to dig so many burrows every night. Instead, two or three would dig together and share. It was faster and provided much more warmth for everyone. Soon they were lost to the world, each in their own bubble of dreams.

*****

Night turned to day and day into night. The sun rose and fell with each rotation and still the desert stretched on. Its peace remained, the quiet, companionable yet, water was nearly depleted and food was scarce. The group had begun to slow in their pace to preserve their body moisture but, what they were unwilling to give, the desert took by force with the unrelenting heat of the sun.

They sat on the dunes, the sun setting at their backs. The sight must have beautiful as the enormous burning ball sank deeper beneath the earth. They paid it no mind though, for they had more important matters to contend with.

Borom took a single sip of water and passed it to the next person. The same was repeated and when the last person drank from the gourd, not one drop was left in it. Silence fell upon them. No one broke it for what words were there to be said? They did not bother to dig either. They simply sat there, shivering slightly as the night wore on.

Makiya sat apart from the rest. Sombre brown orbs stared forward into the dark. Her eyes scanned the little she could see but, her mind was far away.

Until...

She blinked twice, her eyes zeroing on something in the distance. It was too far to tell exactly what she saw but, for a second, just one, she saw a flicker. And that was all she needed. Her breath hitched in her throat. Her mind went through every possible explanation but the truth was clear.

"Yuram!" her voice, barely above a whisper, danced on the wind until it reached his ears.

"Yuram! Come, you must see this."

She calls out once again, louder this time. He stood immediately, sensing the urgency in her voice. His eyebrows furrowed, he opened his mouth to speak but, she beat him to it

"Sit!" she urged. "Look there, exactly where my hand points. What do you see? Tell me so I know I haven't lost my mind."

His frown deepened but he obliged. He looked in the direction she pointed but saw nothing except darkness. He told her so.

"Look closer, Yuram. It is barely a flicker but it's there."

And to reassure herself, she checked again but, it was still there. He looked again, this time with the focus of a soldier waiting to strike. Slowly, they rove over the dunes and stopped. His eyes widened and he understood, the urgency, the need to be certain. It was faint and barely a flicker, as she'd said but, without a doubt it was there. Firelight burning in the distance.