“Over the ledge please,” I requested.

“Are... are you sure?” the older man asked, not so much me, but the other men around him.

“Noth said to do as she asked,” another whispered.

“Just toss it, we wouldn't be doing it if the boss didn't want us to,” another grumbled, bending down to grab a side of it.

The three men went into fluid motion as they lifted up the Sand-Tusk, then promptly tossed it over the side of the bridge.

I didn't go up to the ledge to see if it fell all the way down, but the men did look over. We listened to it hit against the stone wall, and then fall to the sand below.

A sandstorm would soon come and bury the bone beneath enough sand anyway, so no one would notice it being out of place.

“That all miss?” the older man asked, and I could tell he was a little annoyed at me.

Not so much that I had given him an order... but that I had given him a strange one.

“Yes. Thank you all so much,” I said with a small bow to them.

The three seemed to calm a little from my action, and smiled to each other. “Anything for the Commander's wife,” one of them said as they headed away.

Watching them go back across the bridge, to the stone wall, I smiled in content.

There. Now the danger was gone... not just the physical one, but the allure of it.

Now I wouldn't be tempted to go through with the plan.

There was indeed more Sand-Tusks to be found within the Front-Line... but it would require me to ask others to help me retrieve them again.

I doubted I could get away with it a second time.

Even the disposal of the Sand-Tusk had nearly failed... the three men I had asked to help me all had doubted the purpose of my request.

It wasn't until I had told them I had Noth's permission, and had been explicitly told to find people to help me perform the task, that they had readily assisted me.

Luckily for me, they hadn't tried to verify it. Since... after all, Noth hadn't given me permission.

Chances were Noth wouldn’t even know I had brought and then removed one of the Sand-Tusks from his room... at least; he wouldn't if he was as busy as he seemed.

Right...?

Though I doubted they knew what they were for. I had seen Noth and Yevin when they had opened the crate and saw them. They hadn't been shocked or worried. If they had known how dangerous they were... they would have thrown them away themselves.

And Noth had been in his office with it, without a care…

Surely even as powerful as he is, if he had known what the Sand-Tusks were capable of, he’d have had it removed.

When I had gone into his office, to showcase that wonderful dress… I nearly screamed when I had calmed down enough and noticed it was still there. I had completely forgotten it, once I had been wrapped up in that splendor and softness.

Standing near the bridge that connected the Front-Line to the wall around the city, I looked up to the sky. The sun was still looming over the horizon, but it wouldn't be long now until it set.

Once it did... I would have to avoid Noth.

Or at least, not get seen next to him by any House members.

When he had told me that the proper wedding had been planned, and was in motion... I had actually gotten excited.

I groaned and covered my face as I remembered, and felt, the smile that had planted itself onto my face at the time.

How gut wrenching... Not only had Noth seen it, but so had several others...

The worst part wasn't just that they had seen it... but that no one had teased me, or even Noth, over it.

Somehow the fact they had seen it, and then promptly pretended not to... was more embarrassing than any joke they could have teased me with.

Leaning against the bridges railing, I moaned and wished to burry my head into sand.

“I was supposed to fake it, not actually fall in love,” I mumbled.

No...

With my head in my arms, I knew that wasn't the truth.

Of course I was somewhat infatuated with Noth... but the fact was… I wasn't in love with him.

I was in love with the Line.

The people, the food... the freedom.

The kindness.

The fact it wasn't the House of Derri. The fact that the House of Derri had no authority here, not even a hint of it.

None of the Houses did.

Not even the almighty House of Markith, with all their weapons and warriors, could do anything here.

When Noth had ordered them to leave their goods, and go home, they had done so. And had done so while smiling.

Around Noth and his people even the greatest warriors of my city acted weak.

Not just physically either. They acted meek. Like little children.

They were scared of Noth, and his power. But they were also envious, and wished to bask in it as much as they could.

The result of such a thing made them seem... weak to me.

People who I had my whole life feared as powerful, and strong, were now weak.

But I couldn't blame them... after all...

I was the same.

I was weak.

Too weak to do what was necessary.

Because I was too weak, the evil that was the House of Derri would live on.

Yet... even still... A part of me was happy... I had proved that I wasn't completely corrupted by the House of Derri.

I had not been willing to sacrifice another innocent child, a little girl, for my own gain.

That alone proved I wasn't as bad as them.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

But at the same time...

Now the House of Derri would be safe.

Now their trading, and this stupid wedding, would continue.

What else was I going to do? What else could I do?

I only had a few days left...

Sadly, I was running out of options.

Noth wouldn't go to war over insults. Nothing I said, or did... even as a member of the House of Derri would incite his wrath.

The only thing my words could accomplish was him and his people packing up, and leaving.

Although that too was a good thing... to stop the flow of life from going back into the City of Sand, it was too late.

Too much wealth has been given already.

If that had been my goal, I should have done it from the beginning. Before even the first seed was handed over.

But I had not been in any position then to do such a thing. It had been beyond my means.

Even if I resorted to action, and attacked Noth... even if I harmed him somehow, I doubted his rage would go much farther than me.

The man was too rational. Too gentle.

He wasn't like the brutal leaders of the Houses. He wouldn't wipe out a whole bloodline over one tiny indiscretion.

Killing me, or punishing me, he'd do... but there was no guarantee his rage would keep going.

I needed him to burn the House of Derri to the ground, not a single grain of sand.

The only thing I could think of doing was the very thing I had failed to do.

He loved his people.

His people loved him.

Noth would melt this whole city into glass if he felt they were a threat to his people.

Which was why it would have worked...

The Sand-Tusk would have done it. I only had to drop the water, and then the House of Derri... maybe even the whole city, would have been set aflame.

But the cost would have been...

A painful tear slid out of my eye, and I hated the feeling of it.

Why did I have to be chosen? Why couldn't another House... another woman...

Anyone else...

Then I wouldn't have had to go through this.

I wouldn't have had to see my House get healed, and become wealthy again.

I wouldn't have had to be sold off, or sacrificed...

I would not have failed at the only task I've ever wanted to succeed at...

I wouldn't have had to fall in love with this stupid Line and its people...

I would have never experience a life outside the House of Derri. I would have never realized it was even possible.

“Telleya?”

I paused, but didn't lift my head. I didn't want whoever it was to see me crying.

Wiping my face, I took a deep breath before I looked up and found Noth's cousin before me.

“Hey Jamthi,” I said.

The young man studied me for a moment, and I could see on his face that he could tell I had been crying. I probably still was.

“Did Noth do something?” he asked.

I smiled at the young man's voice, and how stern it had been. If I said yes, he would probably march straight up to Noth and hit him.

“No. I've not seen Noth since this morning,” I said honestly.

“Then what's wrong...? What happened?” he asked, his eyes wandering along the hallway behind me.

He didn't seem to bother with the bridge we were near, and the occasional person who walked across it.

“Nothing. Nothing important, at least,” I said.

“Doesn't look like nothing.”

Since he so obviously understood, I went ahead and finished wiping my face off. No point in trying to hide it now.

“If someone did something, you need to tell me, Telleya. We have strict rules on the Front-Line, rules that are not allowed to be broken,” Jamthi said.

I smiled at that, and wondered what he thought had happened to me.

“You and the rest tease and joke with each other all the time, even making your leader the brunt of the teasing,” I argued.

“So someone said something?” Jamthi asked.

“No. I just meant, your rules are rather strange,” I said.

Jamthi didn't say anything as I sighed and went to walk around him.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I need to go to the House of Derri. I have to get prepared for the wedding,” I said.

“Alone? Does Noth know?” he asked, hurrying to walk next to me.

“Doesn't Noth know everything?” I asked.

“If he did, he'd be standing here instead of me,” Jamthi said.

I paused again, and glanced up to the young man.

He gave me a kind smile as he nodded. “He would, you know,” he said.

“Probably. He's a softie,” I said.

“Why don't we go see him? He'd probably like to know where you're going anyway,” Jamthi tried to reason.

I shook my head, and sniffed. “No. It's fine. I'll come back tomorrow. And I can't see him right now,” I said.

“Because you're crying? Here's a small secret, crying women are one of Noth's weakness. It's really effective against him,” Jamthi teased.

The way he revealed the secret was amusing, since he had whispered it... as if it really was a secret weakness.

“No... Because the wedding ceremony has begun. We're not allowed to meet one another during the night, at least until the wedding day itself,” I said.

“Oh. Customs? My people have something similar... though not specifically for the night. I'm to assume it relates to nightly activities huh?” Jamthi asked with a weird smirk on his face.

“Who knows. So I'll come back during the day. It'll be safer to just spend my nights at the House of Derri, than trying to avoid him here,” I said.

“There's no need to avoid him. Plus, none of us will tell on you if you happen to catch a peek of him at nighttime,” Jamthi said.

“I'm not too worried over that...” I said softly.

“I can blindfold him if you want. I bet that would be amusing,” he continued.

“That would be,” I agreed.

Since the sun had reached the horizon, I decided to just head back to the Household. Jamthi accompanied me as I went to walk across the bridge.

I should have known standing around the bridge that was so active would have gotten me caught so easily.

“You really don't need to go back you know,” Jamthi said.

“I do. Like I said, there are things to prepare for. Noth didn't say it when he returned, but that's probably because they knew I'd understand. There's the dresses, traditional promises to the house elders, meeting with the family,” I listed a few things that I knew would be expected of me, and wondered how much more there was that I didn't know of.

After all, this wasn't a normal wedding. Not something I should have ever been a part of.

“Telleya.”

Jamthi grabbed my arm, and I had to stop walking.

“I really am fine,” I said to him.

The young man looked at me like I was a stubborn child, but didn't scold me. Instead he reached over and grabbed me by the shoulders.

“The Front-Line has rules,” he said softly.

“So you've said.”

He shook his head a little, and looked down... and suddenly seemed troubled. It was a few seconds before he looked back up at me. “Didn't your ancestors join a Line?” he asked.

“Yes... that's why you're all here,” I said, wondering where he was going with this.

Did he also know what had happened between Noth and my ancestor then?

He nodded, and then kneeled a little so he'd be more face to face with me. “You have to be the one to ask, Telleya. No one can invite you,” he whispered.

Jamthi squeezed my shoulders a little, and his eyes bore into me as he nodded. Before I could say anything, he stood back up and released me.

“I understand you have to go home tonight, but we can't have our Commander's wife going home alone, or empty handed. Come with me; let's get you a proper escort shall we?” Jamthi then changed topics, almost too easily.

He turned around and headed back into the Front-Line. Away from my destination.

Watching him go, walking firmly as to imply I should follow... I sighed and hurried after him.

I understood what he wanted from me... but he didn't understand me.

He couldn't understand why I couldn't.

Especially now... after what I had tried to do.

Just as they had their rules… so too did the Sands.

And the sand never forgot. It never forgave.

If Noth and his people knew what I had tried to do…

Staying silent as Jamthi rambled on about some kind of meat he was having cured, for a feast tomorrow, I did my best to engage calmly.

Just because he knew something was wrong, didn’t mean I had to let him see it plainly.

It didn’t mean he actually cared.

After all… in a few days, they would leave.

And life would return to normal.

I would return to being just Telleya of the House of Derri.

A healer. A worker.

Although the House of Derri would now be wealthy and powerful… nothing would change for me.

Such was the consequence of my failure.

After all, in the end I was just another grain of sand.