I take a long swig from the half-empty flask. The cold water slides down my dry throat and cools in my chest before finding its way to my stomach. I stare down at that open lid, begging for more, but Renit takes it from my hand before I can manage another drink.

"We're almost out of water," he grunts before taking a small sip of his own. To prove I'm done and can't have any more, he screws on the cap and places the flask in one of the saddle bags. I try to avoid pouting.

"If we're to find more water, we can't be here for long," I growl.

Renit frowns, unsettled, but he doesn't seem to care. The Blood Desert spreads out before us, one of the deadliest and most forgotten spaces in this kingdom. A brisk wind stirs up the red sand as bright as the sun and as matching to the color of blood as one might get. Our horses tuck their heads low to avoid the elements and I find myself doing the same.

I have to force myself not to lick my lips, otherwise I'll find sand waiting for me and with so much dust in my throat, I can't waste any other inconvenience.

Renit squints into the distance. The sand has coated his hair, leaving the near-black strands in a disarray of red clumps. His skin is the same, from what he hasn't rubbed off with his fingers. He reaches down, shaking the sand from his shirt and sends a cloud of it into the air. Before it can reach me, the particles are caught in the wind and sent north.

"Ashtomb is long behind us," I sigh. I grab onto the saddle and hoist myself back up. We only stopped to stretch our legs for a few moments. I've never wanted to walk more in my life. "It's likely we won't see another witch for days."

Renit mounts and shakes more sand from his hair. This time, the cloud hits me and I wipe it away with my sleeve, finding more sand left behind. "Robbers do find their way around the dunes. From what I remember, there's a small market located somewhere. They sell illegal goods to the kingdom. The rare medicine, gold and silver, goods sworn to belong to the king. Things that if you're caught with—you'll be killed."

The desert crunches underneath the hooves of the horses. Although there isn't much of a trail, much of the land is wind-blown, there's enough for a solid foundation to walk on. Whoever was out here last is about a day out, heading this way or the other. I don't know. But I don't want to find myself face to face with one of these robbers.

A few of them found their way to Arego from time to time. They figured the village would be a perfect hideout with guards on their tails and my father always shooed them away—promising death if they remained. Many were more than robbers, not only did they steal but they were highly trained to fight and kill those that got in their way.

Often times, the robbers were dead before they stepped foot outside of Arego. Not because my father wanted to kill them but because when they charged at his loyal subjects with a knife angled in their grip, he had no choice. No one spoke of the robbers after that.

"So what you're saying is that we shouldn't...find the market?" I ask, cringing against the hot wind. I've never felt so suffocated in my life, even after having fire shoved down my throat.

Renit pulls a cloth over the bottom half of his face. "If we do, it's not smart to approach. We go around, never through. But the tomb is around here somewhere, we should be coming up on it soon."

"Do you have any idea what it looks like?"

"If there's anything left of it, it's likely sand-blown. Look for tips of stone or pieces of a structure that might have been damaged by robbers. That might mean—"

"There!" I shout, pointing along the trail. Renit frowns, disappointed that I found something first, again.

Over one of the dunes, along that trail, a tip of stone sticks from the sand. Wind blows over the top, not a dune at all, and my stomach leaps into my throat. I kick the flank of my horse, ignoring Renit's warning to be careful, and trudge through the sand towards it.

Years ago, the stone might have been white. Now, it's crusted red and stained with what appears to be the long-ago remnants of someone's residence. That doesn't bode well for what might be on the inside. If someone used this as their hideout or home, all the belongings could long be sold. We could find ourselves in that market, after all.

I begin digging through the sand to find the door. Renit does the same with the book underneath his arm. We'll need that to find where the box is located, housing the second treasure. Two out of four. We're making great time. Before long, we'll be back at the castle and Celestine will be waiting for me.

I dread the thought of another mission after this one.

Although the sand clogs my throat and makes it difficult to breathe, I dig down until my hands are burning from the heat and I can barely blink without crying. I've never been to such a horrid place as the Blood Desert and I hope to never return.

My nails scrape against something wood and Renit reaches down, fiddling for a handle, and pushes. From the desert build-up, the door doesn't budge. And I can't find the strength to be hopeful.

"Kick the door," Renit grunts while continuing to push.

I sit back, bracing my feet against the wood, and push. Renit continues to do the same, pushing with his palm and turning the handle to open the door. With all my might, I push harder and harder until my hands are slipping in the sand and I can't keep myself upright.

"It's not working," I pant.

Renit swears underneath his breath. "You give up so easily." He slides back, taking a mountain of sand with him. I move towards the handle, already aware of what he wants to do, and push as hard as I can on the hot metal.

The prince takes my spot and with his boots, shoves his strength in the ideal way. The door creaks, scraping against sand, but doesn't budge. "It wasn't just me," I snap.

"Be quiet," Renit urges. He pulls back both of his legs against his chest and slams them against the wood. Something cracks and then I'm falling with the sand into the cold tomb with my hand still wrapped around the handle.

I fall onto the dried, cold stone and look back up at Renit who slides down, a look of accomplishment on his face. Not bothering with helping me up, he creates a small orb of lightning in his palm to shed light on what we've stumbled into.

The tomb isn't very large, both of us could stand with our arms stretched wide and we would barely touch either end. At one point, this was a storage place for one of Renit's ancestors. The sarcophagus in the middle of the room is empty, the stone lid resting on the ground, and whoever was inside has long been removed. Is the king aware that the robbers have laid destruction to his blood?

Renit shines the crackling lightning orb along the stone walls and completely ignores what is in the center of the room. The box wasn't placed there, the original witches wouldn't have made it that easy for someone to take. And housing it with a dead body of the royal family is a recipe for disaster. There has to be something else to this tomb, even if there appears to be nothing at all.

"There's nothing in here," Renit snaps. "Look through the book."

He tosses it to me, angered, and I avoid scowling at him at a time like this. He still has the authority to leave me in the desert with no horse and no protection other than my power. But the power of ground isn't much when surrounded by sand. Still useful but not as strong.

On the page labeled 'Desert' I squint at the faded lettering. Renit stands over my shoulder with the lightning orb in his hand, crackling close to my ear. But I ignore it, his power doesn't scare me anymore as it once did. He almost killed me with it, tried to do so, but I've grown to accept our past. If I don't, there's no shot of me having a future.

"Marron blood," I read out. At least that's I hope it says. "Stone unturned, Marron blood." I glance around the dark tomb, searching for anything that might hold answers. Then I turn to the sarcophagus. The answer has to be there.

"It's underneath," Renit clarifies. "We'll try moving it."

He moves to one end of the tomb and braces both his hands against the dusted stone surface. The lightning orb is gone, leaving us in the dark, so I take careful steps until I'm at his side, bracing my hands against the stone as well.

My boots scrape against the floor as we push with all our might. There are other options than using our muscle, my power being one of them. But, along with the uncertainty of the power of ground comes the possibility of tearing this tomb apart. This strength, brute strength that Renit has, is something I don't carry.

Renit grunts, straining his muscles until something breaks loose and the stone budges. "Keep pushing!" He orders.

I dip my head low, bracing my boots against the dropped lid, and my arms begin to burn. My teeth grit together but slowly, that stone moves until the floor underneath is revealed—even dustier than what we've been standing on.

I collapse onto my knees, immediately searching for what we're supposed to be looking for. That lightning orb returns and in the middle of the stone, a hollowed-out tile sets itself apart from the rest.

Through the sand in my throat and the exhaustion in my lungs, I pant, "The only way to get the box is to use your blood. That's the key."

Renit scrunches up his nose in disappointment. "That can't be right. There's no such thing as that sort of spell."

"Maybe not anymore," I object. "But back then, it's possible. Try it or we'll be here for longer than we should. Someone could have seen us."

Renit clicks his tongue and drags a knife along his palm. Squeezing it shut, he drips some onto that hollowed out tile and we wait. His blood soaks in, power recognizing royalty, and the tile clicks. Furrowing his brows, Renit peels up the corner of the tile that had been held shut until this moment. The moment the ancient witches had been waiting for.

Hidden underneath, in a small compartment barely big enough to hold anything, another petite box waits. I breathe a sigh of relief and pull it out, brushing off the cobwebs and dust as I go. "We did it!" I exclaim, holding up the box to light.

That's when I see it, a shadow moving in the corner. And I can't move fast enough, nor can I warn Renit in time as someone places a dagger against his throat and presses firm.