Up on my mount, I relished the vista before me. In the time I had spent under the earth, the desert had bloomed. Expanding from beyond the banks of the straight river was an explosion of life. The bleached sands had given way to a lush carpet of grass, and large horsetails that rivaled trees had sprung up. The land was so vibrant with life and raw vitality that every glance revealed movement. Animals had awoken from their annual slumber, frolicking among the greenery. Were it not for the endless expanse of barren sand at the edge of my vision, it would have made a mockery of the name, ‘The Whispering Wastes’.

Cordelia and Elwin rode ahead of us, and I rode alongside Kidu and Pakum on their Xaruar. Behind the large proto-dragon, Larynda rode on Patches, a big smile on her face. Pakum had erected a large covering over the Xaruar, supported by poles attached to the saddle or howdah of the creature. This provided both him and our Hunter a measure of refuge against the sun.

Curious to the reasons for my salvation, I decided to ask Pakum a question, “Why did you not search for me while riding? Surely, that would have been the best way to go about it? And, just how were you able to find me anyways?”

It was then that the Xaruar decided to pause for a moment as if it was considering my question before chomping down on some new greenery. Pakum, annoyed, idly tapped his riding cane against the large creature's head, causing it to give up its snack.

“With all respect, Honored One, the sands where they found you, in that direction from the Samasutum, are treacherous. Not flat and hard like they are along the river. Uncle Abas says it is because of the roots of the old growth that the sand is different there. The sands beyond the river’s claim is different. Some is soft, some hard. Rocky in places, others not. The mounts would be more a liability than anything in the Wastes proper. In the Wastes, the sands are always shifting, making it difficult for horses to maintain their footing, exhausting them, or leading them to injury. Let alone one with a rider. Ramal here, more so,” he answered, pointing affectionately to the big lizard. “Your people would have been forced to walk them. Also, I would be beaten for risking the animals so. I hope that answers your first question to your satisfaction. It was a miracle that we were able to find you. I prayed for you every day,” he added with complete earnestness.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I had suspected something along those lines. Walking across the sands had indeed been a slog. The undulating dunes, rocky and gravelly at times, had been difficult, even for me, to traverse. This sort of terrain would have been difficult for the horses.

“And to your second question. Lady Dazerac, she had a revelation that you were alive and well. She told us where to look for you. Not that I doubted, of course. Ankhset’s apprentice would also have been able to sense you, too, of this I am sure,” he answered with a straightforward solemnity.

I found myself liking the kid. He answered directly, and there was nary a hint of deception or obfuscation about his manner. However, his answer to my second question was troubling, confirming Cordelia’s ramblings to be more than the exclamation of a believer going through a religious experience. It was indeed worrying that my “salvation” had been due to powers outside of my control. But, had it been more Cordelia or Larynda? Larynda, at the cost of some of my pride, I could stomach. Cordelia, on the other hand, meant that still, the goddess was pulling invisible strings as part of some inscrutable plan.

For a moment, it looked as though Larynda had something to add, but I turned away, pretending not to notice... I simply could not deal with anything else at the moment. I needed time to unwind and decompress. Also, I was sure that she would find a way to tell me whatever was on her mind later anyway, as was the annoying nature of children.