The creature stood motionless facing our direction atop a dune. Its posture was familiar, upright, almost regal with its head angled slightly upwards as it observed silently from afar. Its red eyes pierced through the deep purple of the night sky, as the moonlight shone above, illuminating hints of its twisted form. Gramps stood still, clutching his curved blade while in a stance, his breaths rapid and shallow, exposed by the rigid, plummeting temperature of the once-searing golden sea. For a moment, I turned my head, glancing at the other passengers as some stood equally motionless while others attempted to run through the sand, stumbling and falling as if the sand were glued to their ragged shoes.

I quickly snap out of my trance, grabbing onto Gramps for a third time in an attempt to get him to move, but his resolve to protect me or perhaps his fear kept him firmly planted. I shiver, as I slowly make eye contact with the beast again. Despite the distance, I feel as though its penetrating gaze fixated solely on me, sending a chill down my spine.

Abruptly, that eerily familiar sloshing noise that initially announced the creature's arrival broke the silence, signaling the arrival of several more beasts. Small hills of sand emerged around us, indicating that more Jinn were making their way to the surface. Before any of us could react, the goat-like Jinn atop the sand dune was several feet in front of us, towering over us both. In an instant, the creature, with a great bound, closed the distance between us. Its tall, lanky frame cast a shadow over us, blocking the moonlight, reminding us just how out of our depth we were. Its smell was that of something rotten, repugnant, and of death.

The other passengers began to scream louder, mothers clutching their children, running frantically, men with weapons turning tail.

As they continued to move away from the goat Jinn, several different appendages burst from the various small sand hills as more Jinn dug their way to the surface. In seconds, all of us were surrounded in a ring of Jinn. Those farther away from the goat Jinn were forced to slowly make their way back to our direction as the realization set in that there was no escape.

Gramps, with one arm outstretched shielding me and the other clutching his blade, slowly backed away from the goat, and soon we were all huddled together back to back, in the middle of a ring of otherworldy beasts.

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"It's said that when an evil-doer meets their end, their angry spirit, vengeful and unable to rest, succumbs to the cold, frozen in hatred and transformed into beasts of their sin."

"When the cold adversary is at its fullest, our warm protector is at his weakest, allowing these sinners to manifest and bring harm to us."

"But brothers and sisters, only with the authority of his majesty's warmth, can we burn their sin away and singe the world of evil!"

Another boring service. I don't understand why they clap after everything he says... And why is this priest so worked up about all of this?

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I yawn before looking up at Father who seems to be absorbing everything with the utmost seriousness, even nodding after every sentence. As I observe, I feel a tiny pinch on my ear. Mother caught me dozing off again, why is Gramps allowed to doze off but not me? And why do I even need to attend these dumb services? It's not like I'll ever leave this palace.

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The Jinn stand motionless around us as if savoring every second of the situation. Their red eyes stuck out like blood on a silk cloth in the dead of night and their hideous forms were partially illuminated by the moonlight. The goat Jinn stands front and center, observing us, however, I still can't help but feel like its gaze is fixated on me. Despite its disturbing appearance, its demeanor is familiar still.

A woman's shriek is heard from behind our huddled group as a Jinn rushes towards our group.

Several men attempt to parry the creature's blow but to no avail, as it lunges its arm through the woman's torso.

Everyone is panicked, stumbling away as the woman is hoisted in the air by the Jinn, with its arm impaling her torso. Her body undergoes rapid change, as her skin becomes pale and grayish, and her eyes lifeless and cold. Her joints become instantaneously stiff, as though her body skipped all stages of death and headed straight to rigor mortis. The beast then tosses her body aside and she lands in the sand, stiff and cold, as if frozen in time.

With no room to process what occurred, several more Jinn rush in, and a desperate struggle ensues.

Pumped full of adrenaline after what just occurred, the physical limits of the human body are stretched to its breaking point as warriors of varying degrees of experience clash with otherworldly creatures to protect their own. The sound of iron blades clashing with sharp claws fills the air, man fighting beast toe-to-toe.

Several more passengers succumb to the same fate as that woman, dwindling our numbers slowly but surely. We can't sustain ourselves at this rate, and our greatest ally is away for a cycle while the night rules.

Gramps yanks my shoulder in the commotion, sprinting towards an opening as the Jinn are engaged with the passengers, slowly wearing down their resolve. I look back as we run up a dune, watching as those who are my subjects, who were supposed to be under my rule as I grew to be a king, are slaughtered mercilessly.

"You can't die, Prince! Who will rebuild our great Sakya if you, the only heir is dead?" Gramps yells while pulling me. I have no rebuttal. I'm no leader, fighter, or anything useful to my people. I wonder what my Father would've done right now.

Gramps continues sprinting while holding onto me, practically dragging me along as I struggle to place the palm of my foot squarely on the ground. We make it over a couple of dunes, gradually hearing the sounds of clashing and battle fade. Well, I suppose their deaths were necessary for my safe escape. I'll make sure to honor them and their relatives when I rebuild my kingdom.

Just as we made it over another dune, a familiar shadow was cast over us, moving beyond us in a great bound before landing in the direction we were running. There, atop the dune, was the goat Jinn. Gramps stands in front of me once again, clutching his blade with two hands as it approaches.