Casandra held the man's gaze with her own. She could sense that he was not hostile toward her and her friends out of hate or anger but out of a sense of duty. This man was a soldier under the command of someone else. Glancing across his mind she could see that he followed orders well and did not shy away from them, no matter what they were. She had hoped to persuade him to not attack but she was discovering that his sense of duty would be difficult to overcome.

Off to the side, Elmar battled against Durn. His attacks pained the masked man but that only infuriated him and made him more dangerous. He swung his axe in great sweeps, the wind of its passing tossing sand into the air. Elmar dodged and avoided the attacks, knowing full well that if he tried to block them with his shield he'd only injure himself. Durn was relentless, his chops and sweeps coming in with great speed and no sign of weariness. Elmar needed more range thus he rejoined his shield and sword into the staff form.

Durn's axe came down with rage and fury and sunk deep into the sand, less than inch from where Elmar had been. During the brief moment it took for Durn to pull his axe out of the ground and swing it again Elmar acted. He tapped Durn's axe with his staff and increased its weight by a hundred times. Durn pulled and tugged but could not lift it. Elmar lunged and went to tap Durn's body, hoping to pin him to the ground.

Instead, Durn smacked Elmar's staff aside and slammed a fist into the short man's face.

Atlas thrust his spear ahead at the small armoured woman before him. She was fast and agile, despite her armour, and was proving to be a most frustrating opponent. She had rolled in underneath one of his swings and cut a deep gash across one of his legs and he could feel the hot blood leaking down his skin and drip on the sand. It angered him that she had shed blood first and the anger fueled the demon with him, giving it strength and tempting it to come out. He wanted this kill for himself, though, and would not release The Hunter unless he needed to.

She lunged in for another attack, her axe held at her side, and Atlas raised his spear high, tip down, and opened his body for her. She didn't take the bait, though, and backed away instead. Atlas had hoped she would, and stabbed his spear into the ground anyway, acting as if he had misjudged her actions. This time she returned, hoping to catch him while he pulled his spear out. He leapt at her, letting go of his spear and tackling her to the ground. He wrenched the axe out of her hand and tossed it aside. She fought back but she was greatly overpowered and could do little. Atlas stood up, grabbing her by one arm, and swung her around like a doll. He released her and she flew through the air and slammed into the pile of boulders with a violent thud. Her armour shattered and she fell to the ground in a heap, dazed and on the edge of consciousness. Atlas retrieved his spear and marched toward her, a hungry grin on his face.

Durn held Elmar with one hand around his neck. His staff was on the ground at his feet and he had no weapon to attack him with. He could feel the cold fingers tighten their grip on his throat and he kicked the air, hoping to land a strike on Durn's face. Every movement and action robbed him of energy and breath and black dots began to flash in his vision. His head pounded and his face burned. He looked down at Durn's white mask and could see his reflection on it. He never remembered ever seeing his face so blue.

He also never remembered seeing a giant eagle soaring overhead.

Casandra had tried to wordlessly persuade the armed man to relent and put down his weapon. She had succeeded to make him reconsider his actions but her progress had been robbed from her when Ivory's body had been thrown against the boulders. It had reminded him of his duty and before she had a chance to try again his weapon had let out a loud bang.

She could feel the blood leaking down the hole in her chest and placed a hand on it. She could heal it and try again.

There were three more bangs and three more holes in her body.

She managed to heal two of them before her vision blurred and she fell, the soft sand cushioning her fall.

She heard the sound of wings before everything went black.

****

Graham backed away, cold fear gripping his bones, as Boog charged at him, his face etched in an expression of fury. His fists were clenched and his muscles were bulging. This was no farce. He was coming for him and he was coming to kill him. Thinking quickly, Graham shot a gust of wind at the ground a few feet ahead of Boog. The sand kicked up and flew into his face, blinding him. Boog stopped his charge and, growling, brushed the sand out of his eyes. Graham, surprised at his attack's effectiveness, created a larger gust which flung more sand into him, keeping him at bay. It worked for about a minute before the sand started to go right through the large man.

With Boog now ethereal, Graham was out of options. He backed away as the transparent form of Boog approached, hate in its eyes. He glanced to his left and saw Celestia running toward the scene.

"No!" he shouted at her. "Celestia stand back!"

She didn't listen. She reached the men and stood in Boog's way, stretching her arms wide. "Boog! This is not you! That witch has you under some spell or something. Fight it! We are not your enemies! You said you'd protect me, remember? You are going against your own word!"

Boog ignored her. He walked directly through her on his way to Graham. Once he had reached the frightened young man he became corporeal and snapped a hand around his neck. Before he could squeeze, Celestia was on him, her small arms wrapped around his neck and squeezing as tightly as she could. He let Graham go and focused his attention on Celestia, grabbing her arms and squeezing them forcefully. She screamed in pain and her grip on his neck loosened considerably. He pulled her arms away from him and then swung her over his head and slammed her to the ground.

The sand was soft and Celestia didn't feel too much pain when she hit it but now she lay on her back and was looking up at a most furious Boog. Graham rushed in and tried to fight Boog with his fists, desperate to save her. Boog let go of Celestia's arms and delivered two solid hits to Graham's face, his brass knuckles cracking bone. With Graham disposed of, he looked down at her once more and, grinning wickedly, lifted a foot.

Celestia looked up fearfully, icy fingers of terror crawling along her body, chilling her despite the hot desert sun.

High above, in the blue sky, she saw a winged form grow larger and larger as it descended quickly.

****

Durn tossed Elmar aside as a huge eagle landed atop the pile of boulders and spread its wings, its wingspan stretching at least sixty feet. It screeched loudly and then lowered its head to reveal that there was something on its back. It was a rider.

Durn grabbed his axe, Elmar's enchantment on it dispelled due to his weakness, and held it at the ready. The rider climbed off the eagle and stood beside it as the massive bird folded its wings and reared up to its full height. The rider was dressed in silk wraps that covered most of its body and its face. It wore no leggings or boots.

It was also clearly not human.

Its legs were covered in tan-coloured scales and its feet ended in claws. A long tail swayed from behind it, tiny spikes running along the top of it. Its scaled arms ended in clawed fingers that held on to a large bow made of smooth wood. Horns poked out from the wraps around its face and its reptilian eyes stared at Durn through narrowed lids.

"You are trespassing on sacred land, masked one," it said in a hissing and scratchy voice. Its gaze went to Atlas, who had stopped advancing on Ivory, and then to Victor, who had his weapon aimed at the rider. "All of you are not supposed to be here. What is your purpose?"

"Following orders, is all," Victor said, looking through the sights of his rifle. This lizard-man thing was difficult to believe but there it was, alongside an eagle the size of a fighter jet. He could shoot the both of them but he could see other huge eagles soaring overhead and knew that they were being watched. If he attacked he would be killed and that wasn't part of the mission. Eventually, he lowered his weapon and gestured for Atlas and Durn to do the same.

To no surprise, they didn't listen.

"This one shows some respect," the lizard man said, pointing to Victor. "I suggest the rest of you lower your weapons as well. You are fortunate you have not been killed already simply for having them here."

"Enough talk!" Atlas cried out as he charged the eagle rider. He wasn't going to surrender his weapon for anyone. He bounded up the pile of boulders in great leaps and once at the top he thrust his spear at the rider with great speed and power. The bipedal reptilian hopped back and stood still, its bow lowered with no arrow notched to its string. Atlas lunged and stabbed again, but missed, and then spun around, sweeping his spear in a wide arc. It sliced through the air with great force.

But it missed.

The rider made a clicking sound and before Atlas could act again a massive beak clamped down over his body, its curved end stabbing into him, and he felt himself get lifted and then thrown as the beak opened at the apex of the swing of the bird's head. He flew high into the air, screaming in frustrated fury, and soared for several hundred feet before landing against the side of a sand dune. He rolled down in rough tumbles and bounces but stood up quickly when he reached the bottom.

His spear was nowhere in sight and he found himself surrounded by three more eagles and riders.

Durn used the distraction as his chance to attack. He was up the pile of boulders quickly and with a swing of his axe scored a deep chop into the bird's chest. It screeched in pain and leapt back as blood leaked from the wound in its body. The rider snapped its head at Durn and pulled back on its bow. An arrow of light appeared and as Durn advanced on the reptilian archer it was released. It struck him where his heart should be and though it made him grunt in pain it did not stop him. The reptilian humanoid launched another arrow next to the first but Durn did not cease his attack.

Elmar, recovering from Durn's stranglehold, sat up and watched the battle on the pile of boulders as he gently rubbed his aching neck. His eyes widened when a second eagle swooped down toward the boulders. It turned aside at the last minute and Elmar saw its rider leap off of it and land behind Durn. The masked man turned around to face the new eagle rider but it acted quickly and grabbed his mask in both hands. With a twist and pull it removed the white mask from Durn's face and tossed it aside. As soon as the mask was removed Durn crumpled in a heap as if dead. The newest rider turned its head and eyed Elmar.

'A fox?' Elmar thought to himself, wondering if he had fully recovered from Durn's choke. This rider, unlike the first, had the head and face of a fox, as well as the large pointed ears, furred legs and arms and even a bushy tail. It leapt off the pile of boulders with grace and skill and landed in the sand twenty paces away. It then walked toward him with a swing its step and a bounce in its hips. Its body shape was one of a woman, had the fox been human.

"On a pilgrimage, holy man?" the fox asked in fluid voice. One of its eyebrows was raised and its dark eyes studied Elmar closely.

Elmar tried to speak but was unable to utter a word, his throat damaged and in pain.

"No matter," the female fox woman creature said. "Come with me. We will see what the King has to say about this."

"Cas..." Elmar tried to say, his voice barely above a whisper.

One of the fox's ears twitched. "Cas?"

Elmar pointed to where the body of Casandra lay in the sand. He hoped it was not too late to save her.

The fox followed his finger and gaze and upon seeing Casandra hurried to her side. She bent down and inspected her wounds. "Grig! This one is injured and terribly so. I need your healing talents."

The reptilian rider was soon beside her. It put its bow aside and then placed its scaled fingers on Casandra's body and closed its eyes. Elmar struggled to his feet and headed over to them. He picked up his staff as he passed it and leaned on it heavily as he walked. He witnessed green light escaping the palms of the reptilian's hands and breathed a great sigh of relief when he saw Casandra's chest begin to rise and fall. Off to the side, Ivory was regaining her senses.

The blonde captain blinked her eyes several times and set them on Casandra as she lay motionless on the sand. A strange reptilian humanoid was placing its clawed hands on her body and what looked like a bipedal human-sized fox stood at its side. Grabbing her axe as quickly as she could and bursting into action, Ivory charged.

"Get your claws off of her!" she cried as she ran toward the reptile, axe raised high.

"Ivory!"

She glanced to the side and saw Elmar urging her to stop. She saw no sign of Durn or the tall blond. The third man with the strange weapons stood off to the side, wordlessly watching the scene with a bewildered expression on his face. She stopped running and lowered her weapon, noticing how the fox was stealthily sheathing hidden daggers. "What is going on here?"

"You are trespassing," the fox answered, its voice feminine. "This area of the great Mohara desert is strictly forbidden to walk upon."

"We didn't know," Elmar said to her as he supported himself on his staff. "We sort of just appeared all of a sudden and we were here."

The fox rolled its eyes. "Do you think anyone would believe that?"

"We're here to cleanse the anchor," Ivory explained. "We aren't here to cause any trouble with you but if you want some you found it!"

The fox narrowed her eyes. "Anchor? Where do you expect to find an anchor in the desert?"

"Not a ship's anchor," said Elmar. "It's an anchor that is keeping a dark force that threatens all life everywhere stuck on this world. If we don't cleanse it the dark force will escape and be impossible to stop."

The fox nudged the reptile kneeled on the ground with a tap of her foot. "Do you know anything about this, Grig? Are these strangers as strange as they sound?"

Grig shrugged. "I have not heard anything about an anchor. It is possible the High Inquisitor will know. He has travelled to many places and may have come across this anchor they speak of. Their sudden appearance would explain how they bypassed the Watchmen."

The fox nodded. "Then they go to High Inquisitor Nil. He'll know what to do with them."

"These three are injured and in need of some rest," Grig said. He then pointed to Victor. "What of him?"

The fox eyed Elmar and Ivory. "A companion of yours?"

"Like hell he is!" Ivory growled.

The fox smiled. "To the tombs with him."

****

Celestia rolled out of the way of Boog's falling foot and got to her feet as quickly as she could. She glanced to the side and noticed the dark-haired woman and the young man Boog had fought walk toward the scene. With a glance to her other side she saw Athena approaching with great speed. She backed away, her face white with fear and her heart racing as her enemies closed in around her.

"Boog!" she called out to him, desperately trying to reach him somehow. "Why are you doing this? Snap out of it! It's Celestia! You know me! We arrived in this place together! You said you'd always look out for me!"

Instead of speaking Boog charged, his powerful legs digging into the sand and propelling him forward with amazing speed. He pulled a fist back, his rage-filled eyes boring holes into her soul. Celestia tried to back away faster but slipped and fell on her backside. With nothing else to do she raised her arms and screamed.

There was a screech and a great thud and Celestia lowered her arms to see an absolutely gigantic eagle standing on top of Boog, its claws pushing him deep into the sand. A second eagle had landed its clawed feet on the woman and the young man, pressing them deep into the ground. Celestia glanced to where she had last seen Athena and saw her flying about as a huge eagle chased her, closing the gap between them with every flap of its great wings.

"There is great power within you," said a voice coming from the eagle standing before her. She looked at the bird with wide eyes, shocked that it could talk.

"You...talk?" she asked it.

"I do." Then, shocking her further, a form detached from the top of the eagle and landed on the ground beside it. She imagined the heat was affecting her mind as what she saw before her was something that resembled a bipedal cheetah dressed in golden armour and silken wraps. It raised its hand-like paws to show it meant no harm. "These eagles guided us to you. They felt your distress and came to your aid."

So it wasn't the eagle that had talked. But wait, what? "Felt my distress?" she asked, utterly confused.

"They were incredibly restless and wanted nothing more than to fly away so I assembled as many riders as I could and went along for the ride. There were two other groups, one in an old town and another group further north of here. Yet the eagles brought us here first, to you."

"You're a talking cheetah," Celestia said, her head overwhelmed by the strangeness and utter ridiculousness of what she was seeing and hearing. "And giant eagles came to my rescue. I am dreaming, am I not?"

The cheetah laughed, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs. "I am Captain Habon. I command King Mevon's Eagle Riders and though I am pleased to arrive in time to save you I must warn you that you are all trespassing on sacred land."

"Graham," Celestia breathed, suddenly remembering about him. She looked around and saw his body on the ground about fifty feet away. "Graham!"

Captain Habon noticed where she was staring and whistled loudly. A third eagle suddenly landed beside Graham's body and another rider appeared, sliding down the eagle's back. "Take him with us. See to his injuries." The rider, resembling a lizard, nodded and picked Graham up in its arms and carried him up on the eagle's back. A moment later the eagle was airborne and gone from sight.

"I suggest you ride with me," the captain said, gesturing to the eagle that still stood on top of Boog. "Do not concern yourself with these enemies of yours. They will be dealt with harshly. These eagles came to you for a reason and perhaps the king will have answers. You must come with me before we disturb this sacred place any more than we already have."

"No."

Captain Habon cocked his head and twitched his round ears, a curious expression coming across his face.

"No," Celestia continued, pointing down at Boog. "He is a friend. He was just...under some spell or something. I don't care what you do to the others but take him with us too. He didn't mean to attack us..."

Captain Habon glanced at Boog's unconscious form and paused to consider her request. Within a few moments he nodded his head. "He will be kept under close watch but I will take him with us." He looked up at his eagle and uttered a sharp but short yelp. The eagle's talons then curled and wrapped around Boog's body, holding him tightly but not impaling him. The cheetah captain settled his golden eyes on Celestia once more and reached a furred hand her way. "Let us not tarry."

Celestia, still not entirely certain that she was awake and that all of this wasn't just some strange dream, stood up and walked to the eagle-riding cheetah captain. She let him take her hand and helped her up on top of the huge bird. She was placed in front of him, which she found odd, and tried to quell her discomfort as he settled behind her.

"I wouldn't want you sitting on my tail," he said to her with a wink, noticing her uneasiness.

With another yelp, this one at a higher pitch, the eagle spread its wings and took to the skies. Celestia cried out in shock and grabbed clumps of its feathers in her hands, clutching them tightly, as the bird of prey flapped its wings and climbed higher and higher into the sky.

"Lean lower!" Captain Habon instructed. "Sit up too high and you'll fall off."

What a pleasant image, Celestia thought to herself. She pressed her head and chest against the eagle's back and held on to its feathers as it continued to fly. It was frightening at first to see the ground around her get smaller but when she was surrounded by sky she found it rather peaceful and quiet. The eagle soon reached a height where it could glide and when there was silence around her Celestia could actually hear the bird's heartbeat. It was steady and strong and somewhat hypnotic. She found herself sitting up and looking around at the world around her with a pleasant smile on her face. An ocean of sand surrounded her and in the distance she saw what looked like two long rows of huge curved spikes poking up from the ground. They curved inward, nearly touching one another at the tip.

"What is that?" she asked loudly over the rush of air.

"That is the reason this land is sacred," Captain Habon answered. "That is the rib cage of the mighty serpent Nilepyt. Many centuries ago it rose from the ground and threatened to devour all life in this world. Armies from every nation banded together and fought it but even their combined might could not stop it. The world's most powerful sorcerers and sorceresses used every magical spell at their disposal but they too failed to stop it. Beneath all this sand is the bones of all those that perished in the many battles fought in hopes of stopping it."

Celestia followed the rows of bones and searched for the serpent's head but the bones ended without one. "How was it stopped and where is its head?"

"It was by the grace of the Phoenix that we were rid of it. It descended from the sky like a fireball, as if sent from the gods, and Nilepyt and the Phoenix battled for thirty days and thirty nights until the both of them fell. The Phoenix's body turned to ash and was blown away in the wind but Nilepyt's bones remain as a stark reminder that we are not as powerful as we assume we are. Many of the priests and priestess believe Nilepyt's arrival was a sign of the gods that we had become too prideful and neglectful of their gifts. They sent Nilepyt to punish us and then sent the Phoenix to stop it when they thought we had suffered enough.

"As for Nilepyt's head, it was stolen long ago, most likely by treasure hunters."

"They stole the head of that thing? How?!"

Captain Habon shrugged. "No one really knows except that in the span of one night it had disappeared completely. It has been missing for over two hundred years already and believed to have been ground up into tiny bits and pieces and sold all over the world."

Celestia glanced back at the disappearing skeleton of the mountain-sized serpent and then looked ahead. Her breath caught in her throat as she witnessed a most wondrous sight. Before her was a shining city of gold, silver, ruby, sapphire, emerald and fire opal. Its high walls were the color of red clay and several feet thick. Along the corners of the square city and along the walls at intervals were square towers. Within the massive city were buildings made of clay. The smaller, squatter ones acting as homes lined the edge of the wall and at one end of the city was an open area full of tents, open shops, and tables of items and food. Long, rectangular buildings sat at another end with thick black smoke rising from their chimneys. In the center of the city were statues of gold lining a pathway of white stone that lead up to a great pyramidal structure with silver and gold sides so large it was at least half the size of the city. At its peak a bright light shone, as if a small star had decided to settle there. This pyramid, however, resembled two that had been placed one against another with their bases touching, giving it a diamond shape. It also floated in the air, held to the ground by massive chains that connected to the four corners of the city's walls. It cast a great shadow over a section of the city as it stood over it like a protective guardian.

"That is King Mevon's Jewel of Fire. It is his seat of power as well as the greatest library of history and spells in all of Mahara. It also acts as a sanctuary to all of the city's inhabitants were another serpent like Nilepyt to arise. The chains would be detached and the Jewel would float high into the sky, out of harm's way, guided by the combined efforts of all sorcerers and sorceresses aboard."

"How do you get into it?" Celestia asked as the eagle she rode on flew toward the floating structure.

"There are sorcerers that live beneath it. If a simple laborer wished an audience with the king he or she would need to find a sorcerer or sorceress that could cast a teleportation spell to send them up. For us, however, there are openings in its sides to allow the eagles to fly through."

Celestia, awestruck and at a loss for words, could only watch as the eagle guided her through one of the openings and landed on a hard marble floor, its talons clicking loudly as they tapped its smooth surface. Boog was deposited on the ground and the eagle turned and flew back into the sky after she and Captain Habon had disembarked.

Celestia eyed Boog's motionless body and bent down beside him, placing a hand on his back. His skin was warm and he was breathing but she hoped he wasn't hurt too much. She knew it hadn't been his fault that he had attacked her and Graham. She had seen that women whisper into his ear and turn him against them. At least she would be dealt with, Celestia thought with some bit of relief. She bent down and gave Boog a kiss on his head. "I forgive you," she whispered to him before she stood up.

"My lady," Captain Habon called. "If you would follow me, I will take you to King Mevon."

"What about Graham? Where is he?"

"Your companion is being tended to in the healing quarter. He will return to you when he is well enough to stand."

Celestia nodded. She supposed Graham's medical attention was more important than him being with her. She glanced back at Boog. "Is he going to be all right?"

"As I've mentioned before, he will be placed in a cell and under guard until he is determined safe enough to be let out. The spell you said he was under may still be active."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Celestia said vacantly, still uncertain of what she was getting herself into. Everything was happening so fast. She felt overwhelmed and found herself twirling her hair around a finger and tugging it painfully. She didn't know where the rest of her friends were and now she was surrounded by talking and standing animals and was about to see their king for whatever reason. She could feel her heart beating against her ribs and her face flushed with heat.

"Please," Captain Habon urged, "come now. The king will be eager to meet you."

Celestia nodded and followed the talking cheetah deeper into the floating diamond-shaped pyramid. She tugged on her hair harder, bringing tears to her eyes.

She could wake up anytime now....