We entered the Wastelands, something I would never have considered. Echoes of fearsome stories reverberated in my mind, those of monsters and shadowy doom told in eerie hushed tones around campfires. But it actually seemed not so frightful.

We descended from the ridge through a scrubby forest, weaving around tumbled piles of boulders and steep-sided washes until we reached the desert floor. Hardly as desolate as the rumors suggested, life abounded. Clumps of grasses, thorny cacti, and gnarled trees crowded the landscape, each perfectly adapted to the dry conditions. Songbirds warbled from what high perches they could find. The days were gratefully warmer, such that we needed our wool blankets only for bedding.

A dry riverbed became our guide, winding between squat mesas artistically painted in red and yellow hues. In spots where the bedrock rose above the sands, pools of water appeared where we could refill our jugs and the horses may drink their fill.

As we made camp beneath a riparian willow next to a small red-rock cliff, I perched on a boulder and became lost in thought.

Aria had not contacted me for almost a week. But time somehow moved slower for her in the magic prison, so it was not so long for her. I tried to convince myself silence was a good sign, but my gut still twisted with apprehension whenever I thought of her. Which was often.

Then there were the other feelings, an attraction that grew more with each time our minds connected. When I held her, if only in my dreams, a warm sense of completeness swept over me as if we were meant to be. But in the real world, would there ever be a chance for us together? I was only a simple blacksmith from a poor village, and she, well, a powerful mage and the savior of the world. I tried to push away such unlikely fantasies, since they would likely lead only to heartbreak, but they kept returning.

"Tomas!" Obeus grunted, waving a hand in my face.

So abruptly pulled from my thoughts, the only response I could utter was "Uhh..."

He rolled his eyes. "Have you misplaced what few wits you possess? Gather some firewood before nightfall."

A startling thought made me shudder. If Aria would ever become my wife, Obeus would then become my father-in-law. I blew out a long breath. Best rescue Aria first before I think of such things.

I jumped up. "Right. Wood."

Just around a bend, I noticed a tangled mass of driftwood some past flood deposited among a boulder pile. That should do. I scrambled up a sandy embankment and pried loose pieces of dry wood, stacking them in a disorganized pile.

A rumbling growl set the hairs on my neck on end. I looked up into hell-red eyes set in a broad, twisted face, blazing directly at me. The massive monster, half man and half beast, stood high before me, clothed only in coarse, tangled dark hair. Long muscular arms ended in stout hands featuring sharp, curved claws. It snarled, baring pointed yellow teeth. Foul odor like rotting meat assaulted my nose.

Chort, I presume.

In a single motion, the monster crouched and leaped, reaching out with snatching claws. I jumped backwards, avoiding a swipe by a mere finger width, and tumbled end-over-end down the sandy embankment to the stream bed.

The chort stood full upright, claws extended by its side, and howled with indignation to the sky. Coming to my feet, I grabbed a smooth, fist-sized rock and hurled it at the beast. But it merely bounced off its barrel-like chest. Annoyed, it turned its red eyes back to me.

There seemed only one practical course of action now. Run!

My heart pounded as I sprinted, kicking up sand and pebbles in my wake. The monster jumped down the embankment in a single leap and loped after me, grunting with each lumbered step. Fortunately, the deep sand hindered its progress enough that I put some distance between us.

"Obeus!" I shouted, rounding the bend. "Chort!"

Busied with unsaddling the horses, Obeus snapped his head around. His eyes flew wide open as the beast came into view. Standing upright, he lifted his hands high and formed a glowing orb of magic. With a wrist snap, he flung it. The orb smashed against the chort's chest, flashing in blue sparks, upending the beast, landing with a hollow thump.

Dazed, the chort staggered to its feet. I grabbed my bow and quiver, notching an arrow. Holding my breath to steady my aim, I let the arrow fly, striking the monster in its gut. It howled in pain, and with a swipe, snapped off the arrow shaft. The second arrow found its throat. The chort hacked in airy wheezes, spitting dark blood on the sands, and finally, collapsed to the stream bed.

Obeus narrowed his eyes at me. "You were to find firewood, not chort."

Really? I flung my arms out. "I didn't look for it. It found me!" My eyes scanned the horizon. "Could there be more near?"

"No. Without Naamah to guide them, they hunt alone, more likely to fight among themselves than coordinate an attack."

My eyes widened as five massive figures appeared in the distance, perched above on a nearby rocky rise and silhouetted against the western sun. "Umm," I stammered, pointing. "Then what are those?"

The beasts leaped from the rise, half running and half sliding down the steep slope across the riverbed. Shards of dislodged loose rock preceded them, tumbling down. Obeus' face paled as his eyes widened. "More Chort. This is not good."

"So what now, mister insightful?"

Gazing at the threat, he lowered his bushy eyebrows. "Hold on to something."

Staff in one hand, Obeus held up the other and twirled it in a circle. Fibrous blue threads shot out, swirling around him, faster and faster. The air moved, circling with the magic, lifting dust from the ground. The breeze turned to a roar, tossing my hair and pelting me with grit. As I realized his intent, I jumped to the willow tree that shaded our campsite and wrapped my arms around the trunk, holding fast.

With a thrust of hands, Obeus propelled the whirlwind across the riverbed. It grew into a monster of its own, twisting and spinning, dark with debris. The wind hissed as it scrambled up the rise, striking at its targets. Dislodged by the wind from the rise face, the chort tumbled down, bouncing off boulders and ledges to smash against the rocky ground below. A shower of loose rock followed, pelting the beasts.

I held my breath. Three of the monsters laid motionless, but two did not, jumping up on hairy feet and roaring at the insult. Baring jagged teeth, they charged across the sands, weaving back and forth.

Halfway across the river bed, Obeus fired a blue orb, knocking back one monster. As it stood stunned, I notched an arrow and fired, once and again, piercing the monster's chest with both. It fell backwards.

Obeus and I glanced at one another. This seemed like a good strategy. But before we could implement it again, the remaining chort was upon us. I jumped to the side, avoiding a viscous swipe. Shouting a battle cry, Obeus lowered his wooden staff, the end glowing bright blue, and jumped into the fray. When he prodded the beast, the magic exploded, propelling the chort backward onto its back. I leaped up, drawing my long knife in a single motion, and sunk the blade into its neck. The chort gurgled, trembling in death throes until it stilled.

Breathing hard, I rolled onto my back and gazed up into Obeus' wrinkled face. Apparently, he had not planned for this. "Well, that was fun. I thought you said the chort only worked alone, and wouldn't coordinate an attack?"

Obeus grabbed my wrist and helped me stand. He drew in his eyebrows and spoke in a deepened voice. "That concerns me greatly. It could only be by Naamah's influence that they worked together. The barrier that holds her weakens. And I fear for Aria."