The vibrant flora around the riverbed was more stunning in person than she ever imagined. Leafy trees swayed in the cool breeze as the river meandered to the kingdom proper. Little creatures with feathers bobbed on the surface. Saule pointed to a herd of larger animals she called Nasodax. The four-legged beasts had short sandy fur over their bodies.
White markings decorated their necks long faces. She admired their curved horns resting on top of their head. The younger hornless ones jumped and tapped their cloven feet on the ground as they played. The mortal called them wild, but Kelani had seen them pulling carts on the market streets. It was a desert creature the mortals must've domesticated long ago.
The orange flowers were her favourite. Soft wide petals stretched from the green stems, smiling at the sun. The orange faded to magenta as it reached the center with tall golden Staman dancing in the breeze. It gave off a sweet light scent that refreshed her tired spirit. Saule plucked one from the bundle. Her touch was delicate, like a bee landing on a petal, as placed the flower between her braided strands.
“Kelani, you look so pretty. Janus don’t you think so?”
“I’m sure the ants won’t mind a new spot to nest,” he chuckled.
“Ants!” She knew of them, the tiny little creatures with too many legs that crawl over everything.
“There’s no ants on it, he’s just being a jerk.” She directed the last part to him.
They changed course, leaving the frolicking riverbed behind. Her heart waved farewell to the plants, fish and rocky shore. She made a mental note to return and add more additions to Jhee later. Without her pristine map, she had to follow Saule through the brush and rocks. The worn road they were following vanished under sand and sparse trees. Janus shared a concerned glance with her, before approaching Saule. After some whispering, he fell in line, and they walked towards the cliffs.
The sheer rock face invoked something in her that made her body freeze on the spot. Layers of stripes ripped through the stone, creating horizontal patterns of grey and orange. If she had seen the image in a book, she would have considered it beautiful. But staring at it, how it climbed high into the sky. How it overshadowed the trees around them made her think otherwise. At any moment it could collapse on her, burying her under mountains of rock. It was hard to believe something could make her feel small and insignificant. She didn’t like it, and she pushed the thought from her mind.
Focusing instead on Saule shuffling around the base of the canyon, crawling around trees like a furry rodent. Janus stood beside her sharing a similar posture. After a moment his expression slipped from confused to bored. The sun bore down on them, and even in the shade of the tree, it caused sweat to roll over her skin. Then an excited gasp drew her attention to the mortal.
“Over here! Guys I think I found it!”
They followed her voice, searching between the brush and cacti until they found her. Standing on a narrow path behind a group of palm trees. From where Kelani stood, she didn’t understand what she was pointing too. If anything, it looked like the same canyon wall they’ve been staring at all along. Janus let out a long whistle, before ushering her to their side. There, adjusting her angle, she saw it. A path, barely a ledge, cut into the rock leading to the top. Whoever designed it, made sure it was only visible to someone who knew how to look for it. But how did Saule know where to look?
Clumps of dirt slipped from the edge as they hiked upwards. She watched her feet, ensuring she stepped where her companions did. Their footing was so certain, never hesitating which spot was solid or on the verge of crumbling. She wondered if it had anything to do with the colour of the dirt. Or the distance it was from the wall and whether there was a plant near it. She knew they had a secret knowledge to traverse the terrain. Knowledge that only came from growing up in the desert.
Beads of sweat rolled down the base of her neck. It clung to her skin, making it glisten in the afternoon sun. She didn’t know if she would ever grow accustomed to the heat. But she reminded herself to have patience. Once she was a member of the pantheon, with access to her full abilities, sweating in the desert wouldn't seem so terrible.
Osana dreamed of friendships with the mortals. She hated being lonely as much as she hated being hungry. But the one thing Osana didn’t realise, or more likely forgot, was they weren’t full goddesses. They had abilities the mortals only dreamed of, but it was only a fraction of their full potential. Joining the Pantheon granted them everything they deserved. She dreamed of that day; imagining what the future had in store for her.
Would she control the waves like Sherseas? Have skills of the great Forge like Haddak. Or will she have something different? It was an endless boundless dream. It was why, when she thought of Saule’s problem, she had to act. Her limitations were out of her control, but Saule wasn’t stuck like she was. She was going to ensure Saule became the top Mage at the Academy. Even if the sun burned her skin off.
“Look down there Kelani, see how small everything looks.” Janus pointed to the trees, which seemed no higher than a hearty bush from where she stood.
“The river is so thin from here,”
She didn’t want to go too close to the edge, in case it crumbled under her vessel’s weight. He pointed to a spot in the distance, explaining the kingdom they left was on the other side of the pointed rocks. It became clear that they weren’t returning before dark.
Sand fell from above, smacking her braid as it tumbled to the ground below. Before her mind told her, Janus had pointed upwards to the canyon ledge. A large boulder rolled itself into view. Teetering as it contemplated its fate. She didn’t hear her friend scream, or Janus’s directions. All she saw was the rock tumble over, bouncing against the canyon wall as it headed for them.
Saule grabbed Janus’s arm pulling him from the rock’s path. It brushed against Kelani, knocking her backwards. Her foot slipped on the dirt and the path gave way. As she fell, she saw more boulders tumble over the cliff.
Above her Janus was using his staff to yank shards of rock from the canyon. They acted as stairs for him and Saule to climb. As they got smaller, she realized how fast she was falling to the bottom. And she would be dammed if she had to start over and climb the whole path again.
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Her magic shuddered over her body as she came to a complete stop above the trees. But her respite was short lived. A boulder crashed beside her. The force tossed her out of the way. Another tumbled toward her flinging her into the unwelcoming branches of a palm tree. The threatening thorns jab into her hand, already it was starting to sting and swell. Pushing herself free, her flower dropped from her hair. It vanished into the debris below while the chaos above ensued.
The last of the boulders fell and she spied Saule and Janus climb over the top of the canyon to safety. Pushing herself upward she soared into the air feeling the wind tickle her face. As she neared the cliff, she saw Saule’s flames. A threatening fire whip lashed into the sky.
An attack?
Wasting no time, she scaled the rest of the canyon, nicking the sharp rocks as she brushed passed. A wave of sand washed over her; no doubt Janus had joined the fight. Clenching her jaw, she pushed through it, emerging above the fighting. What she saw was unexpected.
Her Mages were facing a group of people shooting arrows and spears. Janus summoned more sand unto them. A ferocious wave splashed over the armed group. But they held their ground, refusing to break their defensive formation. Another round of arrows took flight, but Saule’s flames made matchsticks of them in no time.
She glanced at the cliff, where several more boulders were precariously placed near the edge. Her stomach dropped, when she realised it only took two of them to push them over. The newcomers weren't passing by. The boulders, the events playing out before her, was part of their plan. Her brain tried to calculate the rhyme or reason for any of it. Then sand brushed her feet, drawing her attention to Janus.
He was pushing himself too hard. His magic fluctuated between strong bursts to push the sand forward to wobbling effort to drag it backwards. That was when she noticed it. It was usually harder to notice the absence of something amid the chaos. While she sensed the magic burning through her mortals, she didn’t with the others. Their beige clothes concealed their gender and identity. Made them almost invisible in the desert landscape. But the one thing they couldn’t hide from her was their magic. Which meant one thing: they didn’t have any.
They’re attacking Innocents! She swooped down, behind Saule and got close to her ear.
“Stop. They’re Innocents, you mustn’t use magic against them.”
“I know Kelani, I’m a bit busy at the moment.” The heat from her attack kissed her skin.
“You know, and you’re still attacking?”
“They started it!” Janus called over the rushing sand. “And we’re going to finish it.”
His words hit her like a brick wall. The world around her slowed to a crawl as she floated backwards to the edge of the cliff. She kept watching them, fighting with such intensity it seemed cruel. The Innocents didn’t seem to be willing to surrender. Their tactics, although not effective against magic, was sound.
She reviewed strategies written by masters of war. One way to gain a victory against a Mage was to tire them out. Magic was infinite, but the body was not. These Innocents weren’t stupid. They were either going to wear her mortals down and kill them or force the Mages to destroy themselves for a victory.
Her chest hardened, like cooling steel, before the blacksmith’s hammer. She wasn’t going to let the Innocents trick her Mages into disobeying Papa. She took to the sky, speeding over the flames and sand. If her Mages weren’t going to keep to their Oath, then she needed to step in.
As Janus summoned another wave, she shot downwards; dodging the whipping flames. Steadying herself on the volatile ground she clasped her hands in front of her chest. Her magic prickled her skin, the long spindly threads stretched from her form. Ahead of her the sand was mounting for another attack. Gathering its resolve like a python about to strike. The arrows shot overhead and snapped against the streams of fire.
Their power was building; each thread made their critical connection with the other. Larger than life transparent panels expand over her head; stretching high above her. She felt the sand thunder in her chest. The panels snapped together with a click, and she made a motion with her hand to lock them in place. They shuddered with a deafening thud as Janus’s sand engulfed the sky.
Swirling winds, sand and debris accumulate like an ocean storm. Her hair whipped her face, stinging the already sunburn skin. The world around her rumbled, vibrating in her chest. She pushed her palms out, bracing her shield to impact as the sand blocked out the sun.
It smashed with the weight of an exploding star. The force rang through her ears. Her feet slid against the sand as she braced the barrier. Then she heard it, the sound of glass cracking. But a scream from the other side signalled something worse.
The sand collapsed to her feet, and when the dust cleared, she saw it. Saule falling through the air, and over the canyon edge. Janus spurred into action. She was about to teleport to her side when something grabbed her arm. His forceful grasp drew her eyes to his. They’re men. His brown eyes glared into hers, while shouting something her brain didn’t translate. But she saw the blade in his free hand told her everything she needed to know.
“You die!” He screamed and held the knife above her.
“Brother, stop!” Another came to her side. A taller man grabbed the wrist with the knife and steps between her and the other man.
“Why hesitate, we’ll get her when she is weak. Get them while distracted. It’s time to act!”
“Enough, our brothers are wounded. We must retreat and fight another day. The Gods smile upon us, let’s not spit on their blessing by harming her.”
She glanced over their shoulders and saw the extent of the damage the Mages caused. Some leaned on their spears for support. Others clutched wounds and their burnt clothes. Their faces painted an image she saw of soldiers returning from war.
The man replaced his blade in its sheath and stormed towards the others without a word. The other turned to her, looking down at her with deep brown eyes. His head covered in the same beige as the others. His skin stained by the sun and sand which made him look older than he sounded.
“Take yourself and your companions far away from here.”
“I am afraid I must decline. I am on a quest, and I must not stray from the path set before me.”
“I will not save you next time,”
“Then I pray to the Goddess that our paths shall never cross again.”
He seemed pleased, but she saw a sense of concern behind his eyes as he returned to his men. The others followed, some glaring at her, some nodding as they left. She rushed to Saule, who was safely on solid ground once more. She laid over the sand catching her breath. Tired and panting, she gave her a weary smile. Which put her heart at ease. Then she heard Janus behind her followed by two strong hands against her back.
“What do you think you’re doing!” He shouted with a rage she hadn’t heard from him before. “You could’ve killed her!”
He moved to shove her again. But she wasn’t going to let it happen a second time.