Chapter 11

11

D amon

Endless sand is all around us. I shift on the rock I am using as a seat, looking over at the camels, who are cordoned off on a section of rock.

The beasts already look like they are sleeping even though the sun has yet to fully slip beneath the horizon.

“There isn’t much water left,” Cyrano says, taking a big gulp.

“We should make it out of the desert tomorrow, but I’m not sure how long we will need to travel to find drinkable water. We still need to be careful with what little we have left.”

“I’m parched,” Cyrano whines, but he hands the skin over to Kyrie, who takes a small sip.

“Tomorrow, you say?” Kyrie lifts her brows; her eyes dance in the setting sun.

I nod. “Yep. It’s looking like it.”

“How would you know that?” Cyrano asks. “You can’t possibly know such a thing,” he mutters, shaking his head.

“Look at the horizon in the direction we are headed.” I point.

Kyrie wrinkles her nose and squints her eyes. “Clouds!” she shrieks in excitement. “Are those clouds?”

“They are indeed,” I say.

“I don’t see clouds,” Cyrano says. “It’s probably just a mirage.”

“They’re definitely clouds,” Kyrie tells him. “It’s getting more difficult to see them with the dimming light. You’ll be able to see them soon enough tomorrow.” She sounds excited.

The world out there isn’t too much better than being in the desert. We aren’t equipped for rain. There are many more dangerous creatures as well. Not just hywolves but burcees, jackocracks and yazuul lizards, too. That’s just to name a few.

It’s something to worry about tomorrow. Thankfully, we have been lucky with the rocky outcrops we’ve found each night, and tonight is no different.

We still need to be on our guard.

“I can’t wait to feel solid ground beneath my feet and rain on my face.” She gets this dreamy smile. “As little girls, my sister and I used to dance in the rain on hot summer days. Then we’d play in the mud puddles, much to my mother’s dismay.” She laughs softly even though her eyes fill with tears for a moment as she remembers her family.

“What about you?” Cyrano asks me. “Do fae dance in the rain, too?”

“I can’t say I’ve ever danced in the rain. I have played in a mud puddle or two. There were many occasions where my brother and I, with our dogs in tow, would arrive back at the…back at home covered in mud.”

“A brother, you say?” Cyrano rubs his chin; scraps of haphazard growth catch on his fingers. I am halfway to a full beard. I don’t like it much.

“Yes.” I nod.

“Oh? Where is he now?” It always feels like an interrogation when Cyrano asks me anything.

“Dead. He died when Snow took power. It isn’t just humans who have suffered under her reign.” My heart instantly feels heavy just thinking about what happened to Kyran.

“Mostly humans suffered. Mostly humans still do suffer,” Cyrano mutters, narrowing his eyes on me.

“I’m so sorry. How did it happen?” Kyrie asks, her eyes filled with concern.

He was poisoned.

I can’t say it. I don’t want Cyrano putting two and two together. I don’t want him to know anything more that he can use against me.

“I’m so sorry,” Kyrie says, looking down at her hands for a second. “It’s probably too hard to talk about it.”

I nod once. “It doesn’t get any easier,” I finally say.

“No, it doesn’t,” Kyrie says, setting her jaw. “It doesn’t get easier when you don’t have closure.” And just like that, I watch the walls go back up. Her eyes harden, and her lips become a thin white line.

“We should get some rest. I will take first watch. Tomorrow’s journey will be long if we want to be clear of the desert in time,” I say.

Night falls, the air turns cold, and the stars twinkle above us like scattered diamonds on black velvet. It always amazes me how stark the difference in temperature is out here. My breath plumes white with every exhale. It’s good for staying alert.

Cyrano snores loudly. I’m surprised he hasn’t attracted more attention over the last few nights. Perhaps he has, and we just didn’t know about it. Thankfully, the rocky outcrops are getting more plentiful and bigger as the days go by.

When the time comes, I go and shake him awake. “Your turn,” I tell him. I’m not sure why I bother since I stay awake for his watch, anyway. Cyrano has fallen asleep more than once during his watch, and, like with everything else, he can’t be trusted. I wake him because he needs to do his part, even if his part is half-assed.

I lie down. It’s nice to rest, even if I can’t sleep until Kyrie takes her turn.

The nights are almost as long and tedious as the days. It is an age before the sun finally creeps above the horizon.

The others seem to think that our ordeal will be over once we make it out of the desert, but that is far from true. I fear it will only be beginning.

I only hope that Kyrie changes her mind about going her own way. We will need to stick together more than ever if we plan to survive. If she plans to survive. She’s not going to get rid of me easily. At least, not until I am sure that she is safe.

I wish I had an inkling of where to go next. Back to the Ice Court is not an option. I’ll need to get Kyrie to safety and then take it from there.

We go through our morning routine and set out. By the end of today, we’ll be free of the desert and yet the thought has me feeling uneasy.

“You okay, Damon?” Kyrie asks me. She’s always been able to sense my moods. That hasn’t changed.

I nod and force a smile.

“We’ll find water and weapons. We’ll figure it out,” she says, guessing where my mind is at.

We.

That one small word gives me hope.