Chapter 28

Standing in the middle of a desert with nothing else in sight isn't exactly how I like to spend my days, but I'll take what I can get. My roiling stomach doesn't do much to help my nerves and fear, but again, it's not the worst thing that could be happening to me. I faintly remember one of my first deaths.

I was twelve, maybe. I had been at a ball with Irene, and had promised her I would be on my best that night. I had had to leave early. No one but me knew why, even though Irene asked me a thousand times after the whole affair was over.

She had been angry at me for leaving her to fend for herself on such an important night. She was seeing Myra Ashton for the first time since their separation and I wish I could've been there to make sure Irene was alright.

Myra Ashton and her were back together two weeks later, so I hadn't thought much of it at the time. Leander tugs at the edge of his fighting leathers as he uncomfortably shifts around, the sands blowing at him.

The winds were unusually high today and my hair had been whipping around me ever since we had landed here just a few moments ago. Sand was burning my eyes and invading every inch of my skin.

It feels like small insects are crawling over my skin, trying to break through, to torment me.

I should have worn something to better accommodate being in the desert, but I wasn't thinking clearly this morning as I had dressed. I had not had the time to change after meeting with Rory Nivirah and Valerie. I was also a little busy emptying my breakfast in a bucket.

The taste lingers in my mouth, leaving me in a sour mood to add to all the crap on my days plate.

Leader looks at me and yells in an attempt to be louder than the wild sand, "what are we doing here?"

Aaliyah nods as she tries to tie her hair back with a strip of leather, "a little warning would have been an excellent way to start this excursion."

Draven puts his hands into his pockets, not at all affected by being drenched in sand and clawed at by the whips of it that strike him over and over and over again.

"I will admit that I should have prepared better." I yell back at them. I then start to walk in one direction, I'm really not such which, "It should be up here, somewhere." I motion with my hands, not meaning my words all too much, but saying them to help assure myself that we won't be out in this misery long.

"Somewhere?" Aaliyah shouts back at me, taken aback.

I shrug, trying to pull my cloak to cover some of my face, "It's been a while."

Draven sighs and motions for me to lead as we start to move. I walk, trying to get a feel for where the energy that Lunata gives off is.

It's a distinct feeling of warmth. Not quite like sunlight or fire, for that matter. It's somewhere in the middle where the two meet.

It's all open desert, so there are no mountains to go by, not even a cactus or large boulder, just empty, open space. We take a few more turns ambling around as I try to find the city's entryway.

I look over my shoulder to see if my three companions are still with me, but as I do I see a sand storm in the distance and I sigh. Today just keeps getting better and better, now doesn't it?

Leander looks back too and a look of great annoyance overtakes him, "are you shitting me right now? Where did that even come from?" He yells, his voice raised above the noise of the whipping sands.

"Would you?" I ask him and he reluctantly nods as he picks up a first full of the grainy sand and he blows the heap through his fingers, the approaching sandstorm falls flat and comes to a sudden halt, all the sand falling back to the ground, leaving a sizable mound in its wake.

The winds stop then too and the sky looks almost like its raining yellow rivers. It's a sight to be seen, like a particularly wonderful sunset or a rushing waterfall that you just can't look away from. It entrances you like fire might.

Being able to better focus now, I lead our group across a few more hundred feet of land. They all look a touch more relaxed now, except for Draven, he looks the same. He looks stoic and dead eyed. I start to wonder if this is just him being him, or if something has happened.

I purge the thought from my head as I continue on. I need to focus.

I come to an abrupt halt and get on my knees, feeling around the surface of the area. I press my palm down when I settle on the right spot and I push, letting tendrils of violet light streak across the sand. It almost looks like veins of lightning as it spreads.

I close my eyes and really feel the world beneath me.

The ground splinters and Aaliyah and Leander stay back. Draven does no such thing as he calmly gazes at the cracks, almost entranced by them.

My breathing evens out and the world starts to splinter it's self into five.

All that's left in my wake in a hole in the ground. I stand, "Ready?" I say, raising a challenging brow at the group.

"Perhaps it would be best to tell us what we are walking into?" Leander says hesitantly, "seeing as, well you know, with the whole sand thing."

My eyes twinkle and my face brightens,I'm sure they've ever seen me so happy, Draven even looks a little startled, "Lunata Civitam."

Leader nods, "That's great. That's great. I just wonder if perhaps we really need to fall down the very dark looking hole that may potentially lead us to our untimely deaths."

I'm about to answer, but Draven jumps down, unphased by how strange this situation is, so I shrug and say, "I marked your soul. I can always resurrect you."

"Good. Good, then. Great, infact."

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