Antalasia gazed at the sea of sparkling stars floating in the midnight sky. The moon gently rose above her and then traveled to the other end of the land, bidding her adieu. The sky lightened up, slowly engulfing the shining stars and the glowing moon. Like a splash of paint in water, pink orange and yellow slowly faded, giving way to the glorious golden sun.

There was a sudden shuffling noise behind her. Whipping around, Antalasia watched as a Kara tribesman made his way towards her. She knew that the old man was Baltasar but had never spoken to him.

"Haiyiti, if I may, I have a suggestion," said Baltasar. He was wearing a brown long robe which would have been pure white at one time. The red border was hardly visible, obscured with dirt and sweat. His once round cheeks sagged and hung limply. Haunted, tired pale grey eyes darted all over the camp in fear. Bony hands peaked through his long sleeves, fidgeting continuously.

Antalasia nodded at him to speak.

"I'm sure you have noticed. Some of us do not accompany the rest to the Centi-Rhazaqats' wool collection work. We head to the guards' quarters. Everyone here will refuse to speak of the ongoings there but, my time there has given me an idea for our dilemma," he said.

Pulling at his sleeve and his breathing shallow, he continued, "Have you ever wondered how we get water in this dry, arid land."

Antalasia shook her head guiltily that she never thought of it.

"The water comes from an underground cave. One of my jobs is to carry pails for their consumption and ours," he said, nodding at the guards' quarters.

He then fell silent and stared at the ground, drawing into himself and looking even smaller and frail.

"Go on, grandpa. You can trust me," said Antalasia gently.

"You don't understand. If they catch us, they'll know it is me. That I was the one to tell you. I'm the only one who goes there," he mumbled, trembling in fear.

Antalasia moved and sat next to him. "Whenever I'm afraid, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Come on, do it with me," she coaxed.

Withstanding his doubtful gaze, she waited patiently with an amused smile. Mumbling, 'Its Haiyiti. We follow Haiyiti,' he did as asked.

Antalasia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She said, "Remember your parents. Remember your chieftain. Visualize them. Feel their love. Recollect all the good things in your life."

She waited and intermittently kept repeating until his hands stopped fidgeting and his breathing grew steady, deeper and regular.

Moving in front of him and placing a hand on his arm, she said solemnly, "You can open your eyes now. Look at me. Listen to me."

Making sure he was ready to listen not just hear, she continued, "I value our kingdom above all. That means the people of this kingdom and it includes you. I promise to always stand up and I will do everything possible to protect everyone. Now, tell me why you approached me."

The transformation in the old man was remarkable. His hunch became non-existent, the flickering fear in his eyes dimmed and his face glowed in hope. He appeared bigger and younger. With pride and trust shining his eyes, he said, "The rumors were true. You truly are Haiyiti. I shall tell you what I know. I care not anymore what happens to me. I will follow you."

He continued, "The underground cave has many passages. There's a rumor that long before my time, one prisoner escaped through those passaged. The guards were then made to fill that passage up. The soil has loosened over time and I believe we can dig ourselves out."

Hope filled Antalasia. The air felt lighter. For the first time, she began to notice life in the desert. The little insects that crawled the earth, the screeches made by the Centi-Rhazaqats, the grunts made by the Dragon-Horse Rhazaqats and squeaks from the shed. She watched as the camp came to life - a few guards stumbled around sleepily while few finished their rounds. She watched as the prisoners' breathing grew lighter, their bodies waking up and preparing for the laborious day ahead. A weight lifted off her shoulders and fire ignited in her eyes.

She nodded at Baltasar. "We'll talk later," she said hurriedly, hoping the guards didn't notice the serious talk and scurried away to wake her siblings."

The entire day passed slower than normal. The seconds felt like days, the minutes like months and the hours like years. Barely able to contain her eagerness, Antalasia waited for the day to end. Quieter than normal, she looked on as Michaelo and Angelo continued training the prisoners, deep into the night.

The prisoners soon fell asleep and still, Antalasia stayed quiet. She listened patiently until their breathing evened out and snores filled the air. Every time someone tossed or turned, she grew still and stiff, cautious and watchful. The moon steadily rose up high into the sky. The guards exchanged shifts and a guard passed the field.

Antalasia slowly rose into a crouch and moved stealthily across the field. Peeking at the prisoners' faces, she searched for Angelo. Finally, she spotted him lying in a corner. Three other prisoners lay asleep around Angelo making it impossible for her to go near him.

"Angelo. Angelo. Wake up," she whispered. Frustrated, she looked around and spotted small rough stones. Picking them up, she threw one at Angelo. He only snored louder. Lips pursed, she threw the next one harder. Swatting in the air, Angelo simply turned over.

Growling under her breath, she threw the last stone even harder. Angelo got up with a shout. Terrified that someone had woken up, Antalasia quickly lied down, pretending to sleep. She covertly peeked under her eyelids and breathed a sigh of relief when she did not find any unnatural movements.

As she got up, she saw Angelo lying back to sleep. "Angelo" she whispered in frustration. 

"Huh, who's there?" asked Angelo loudly, in a rough voice.

Antalasia shushed him and whisper-screeched, "Here Angelo. Come here."

Angelo squinted in the darkness, his heart thudding in fear. His sleep addled brain froze when he realized it was Antalasia's voice. "Antalasia?" he hesitantly asked.

Furious, she tsked him and said, "Quiet. Get over here."

Worried, Angelo hurried to her side, stepping over other prisoners. "What's going on? What's wrong?" he asked.

"I need to discuss something. Come over there. There won't be anyone," she whispered and began crawling quickly.

Angelo walked behind her and groused, "Now? Why can't we talk in the morning?"

Hearing his feet scrunching, she turned around and punched him. "Move quietly silly. Stop drawing attention," she snapped.

Huffing, Angelo crouched and followed her quietly until they reached an isolated part of the field which stank. The prisoners used this area as facilities to relieve themselves.

Angelo grumbled, "This better be good especially if I have to stand here."

Antalasia rolled her eyes even though it couldn't be seen in the inky darkness. She said, "There may be a way out." She explained what Baltasar had shared.

The more he heard, the more excited he grew. "Let's tell everyone. We have a guaranteed way out," he said.

"NO," said Antalasia forcefully. "Let's confirm. Only then we'll tell everyone. There's no point in raising their hopes up."

"Alright. What's the plan?" asked Angelo, unable to contain his excitement.

"I want to check that cave out. You are going to be my lookout. Let's go," she whispered.

Reckless, they sneaked out of the field into the open land. 

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. I'm going on vacation today and was busy finalizing the details. Speaking of which, there will be no update next week. But, I promise to have a double update the following week.

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