Chapter 3

Traze's head was forced upward as Naile's body rammed into his. The blow was intended to force Traze onto his back. But because of Traze's strength, it did not have this effect. He only stumbled backward a bit, and his eyes glanced at the vines of the rainforest above him before he situated himself for the next blow.

Training his men was an essential part of Traze's job as warlord of the Living Sands. Traze had been training much more often than usual as of late, as he felt it was the one thing he could still contribute to his tribe without fail.

And it was working out well. Traze's men were strong. They were ready for battle. Traze never doubted that in combat, his men would hold their own.

The training sessions had another benefit to Traze, however. They were an excellent way for him to let off steam about his current situation.

The only time he was truly able to tune out the world and his issues was when he was training with his men. As he lunged back at Naile, landing a blow to his chest, his worries seemed to melt away. It returned Traze to a more primal way of thinking.

Naile's scales were hard and rough against Traze's fist. Each Ateran man had his own individual style of scales. Traze's were blue and a bit softer than Naile's. Not that it stopped Traze from landing another blow. Traze had no issue with any scrapes that might bring to his scales. He was a mighty warrior, so little injuries meant nothing to him.

He continued to spar with Naile until the other man admitted defeat. Panting and out of breath, Traze watched as Naile's forked tongue rose and fell within his mouth.

Traze gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Well done. You are improving."

Traze then walked along the forest floor as he watched other warriors of the Living Sands battle. Leaves and sticks crackled under Traze's rough feet, but he didn't mind. He felt most at home within the rainforest, which was to be expected of any warrior of the Living Sands. The tropical forest cleared his mind.

"Enough of this!" Traze yelled out to end all of the sparring matches. "We must now do our rounds of the forest. Line up!"

They all did as their warlord commanded and lined up behind him.

Traze readied himself to begin the obstacle course. He had designed it himself with the help of Najol. It required an immense amount of strength and perseverance to run the course. Some men weren't even able to finish upon their first try. By now, though, they all could run it… though some had more difficulty with it than others.

For Traze, it was no difficulty at all. He began to climb the nearest tree with ease, his rough, scaly fingers digging into the bark and then releasing effortlessly. Every muscle in his body rippled as he scurried up the tree to the platform above. Once there, he had to grab on to a particularly thick vine and use only his hands to get across to the next tree. He moved one hand under the other, gripping the vine and pulling it down with each thrust forward of his body. He felt the next warrior behind him grab on as well, though he did not look back to see who it was.

Traze continued to weave through the obstacles within the vines, trees, and on the forest floor. Upon finishing, he finally looked back at his men to see them exhausted and heaving. If it were up to Traze, he would have loved to extend training so he could keep his mind off his worries… Especially Veda.

But if his men were tired, Traze would have to end the session. He just hoped he would be able to continue to keep his mind off of Veda for a while.

"That is enough. You are all free to leave," Traze announced. He looked at the sea of relieved faces before he turned around. He enjoyed seeing his men happy. It increased his confidence in his leadership.

Traze noticed quickly that the shadows of the rainforest trees indicated it was time for Veda to be carried to the healing sands. He had to take in a deep breath as his thoughts filled with her once more. It took everything he had not to rush to the healing sands to see her.

But he would not catch her in time, and he reminded himself of how painful it was to see her. Instead, he took himself to the cleansing sands. He certainly needed to wash up after such an intense training session.

Traze made his way to the cleansing sands but on the way was stopped by a healer of his tribe named Ranu. As soon as Traze saw him waving from afar to get his attention, his heart sank. There was only one reason that he would need to speak to Traze… This surely was about Veda.

"Do you have news of Veda?" Traze asked bluntly once he approached Ranu. He did not have time for pleasantries. He was desperate to know her state.

"I do, yes, but I fear it is not good news."

Traze swallowed hard. "What is it?" he asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"I am afraid the healing sands are no longer doing anything for her, yet she has not awoken. We expected she would once she had healed, but it would appear she is still unconscious."

Traze did not understand. "Wait, so are you saying she is healed? Is that not good news? She will awaken at any moment?"

Ranu looked tense. "We do not know. We have never dealt with her kind, of course, and generally, Aterans wake up immediately upon their healing. The fact that she has not woken up yet… We do not know what it means. We are unsure if she will ever wake up or if this is temporary."

Traze ached hearing this. "Then perhaps she is not yet healed," he said. "She may need more time. She is not an Ateran, of course, so perhaps you are wrong about the time she needs in the healing sands."

"I do not believe we could be wrong. We have tested her daily since her arrival. We do not entirely know her biology, but we know enough to see that the damage she arrived with is no longer present. Physically, from all we can see, she is healed. Nothing is broken. She simply won't wake."

"So… are you afraid to tell me that you expect she will never wake? Have you come here to break the news that I should not hold out hope for my kode?"

"No, no, not at all!" he answered. "We still have much hope. We have seen that our healing sands can work on her and that she has been repaired, so we still have hope for her. We cannot say for sure what will happen, of course, but it is equally possible for her to wake as it is for her to never wake. I did not come here to crush your hopes."

"Then why have you come?" Traze asked curiously. It did not make sense that he would come all this way just to give a simple update on Veda. It wasn't as if they had offered him a lot of updates through this process.

"We need your permission, as her kode, to stop using the healing sands," Ranu said uncomfortably, likely knowing this would not yield a good reaction from Traze.

"But… how can we do that? The healing sands have made her better. You just said that."

"I also said she is healed now. The healing sands are doing nothing more for her. Her healing is done. Not only do we have a much more limited amount of healing sands now that we do not want to waste, but we believe it is actually detrimental to her health at this point in time. It is taxing on her body to be taken to the healing sands. We believe we should stop using them and allow her to rest. Perhaps with rest, she will have the strength to awaken."

A wave of uneasiness rolled through Traze, even causing an uncomfortable ripple in his stomach. For some reason, despite what Ranu was saying, the idea of Veda being taken from the healing sands made Traze feel sick.

He'd learned to trust the healing sands as the only hope for Ateran injuries and illnesses. To take away that hope felt like he was condemning his kode. How could she improve any further without them?

But he had to remind himself that Veda was not an Ateran. Her body would not work the same. And if what Ranu had said was true, giving her a break from the healing sands may awaken her.

As afraid as Traze was to put a stop to Veda being doused in the healing sands, he was thrilled by the thought that maybe, just maybe, a break from them would actually bring her awake.

He drifted in his mind to thoughts of meeting his kode for the first time. He could envision her opening her eyes to him, warmth on her face, a smile forming. Surely she would feel their connection as much as Traze did. They could begin a life together…

Though even a scenario where she awoke was a complicated one for Traze. He could not be distracted from his tribe by his kode, as Najol had made clear to him.

Still, Traze thought that perhaps she would not be that much of a distraction. If they were instantly mated and happy, what could be the problem? Maybe she would even be a help to him. After all, Nakan was able to discover his stone sense after mating his kode, and it helped his tribe tremendously.

Whatever the outcome, Traze was at a crossroads. But decisions were intimidating to Traze. They were rife with both pleasant and horrible possibilities.

"I would like to see her," Traze said suddenly before he could even process what he was saying.

"Oh?" Ranu looked at him curiously.

"I am unsure of my choice, but perhaps if I am able to see her, I will be able to make a decision that makes sense to me. Perhaps our connection will strengthen with me in her presence, and I will feel an instinct about what choice to make."

"Yes, very well. I will take you to her. Please follow me."

As Traze walked behind Ranu through the rainforest, he felt his breath grow heavy with anxiety.

He had not been physically close to Veda since her arrival. And upon her arrival, he was so shocked to be seeing his kode that all he could do was stand there. After that, knowing of her condition, he made it a point to always keep his distance. Outside of watching her be carried once a day to the healing sands, he had not had any contact with her. He feared that if he were around her, their connection would strengthen and it would only be harder for him to focus on what he needed to do.

He still feared that now, but at this point, he had no other option. He could no longer sit back and wait. Choices had to be made, and he had to be the one to make them.

"Where is she now?" Traze asked.

"She is still within the healing sands. Though if you decide it, this will be her last day there."

They walked into the healing baths and even from across the room, Traze zoned in on the spot where Veda's red hair floated on top of the sands. He sped over to her, being unable to control himself. He even passed up Ranu.

When he reached her, Traze knelt down at the edge of the pool and stared at her lifeless body. Even with Veda being half-submerged, Traze could see immediately that her condition had much improved. Her body had seemed so frail upon her arrival. Now she seemed to have so much more vitality, even with her eyes closed.

She was beautiful, and Traze was breathless being so close to her. He could feel his mound underneath his sheath as it rammed against the thin skin, ready to leap out for his mate.

This was what he'd feared. Simply being around her caused Traze an unending amount of desire. He wanted nothing more than to take his kode and claim her.

He had to refocus himself if he was going to calm his desires. He forced himself to look away from her and instead at the healing sands around her. When he did, he was even more alarmed than he had been before.

The healing sands were severely depleted. The once high-rising sand bath now had only a quarter of its volume. The green algae that grew along the edge of the healing sands were also depleted, now nothing but a mild green hue along the edges in its place. This was especially alarming because that algae was extremely valuable to the Tribe of the Living Sands. They used it to trade other goods.

Traze wasn't sure what bothered him more—his inability to control his insatiable desire for Veda or seeing the depletion of the healing sands.

He looked back at Veda, still lying there vulnerable and helpless. Traze would have done anything to help her.

"You may get in with her, if you so wish," Ranu told him.

Traze looked at him warily, but now that Ranu had suggested it, he was unable to stop himself from getting in the muddy sands and pulling her close to him. He knew it was likely a bad idea, considering how much he already wanted her, but it felt so good to hold her. She was warm, her skin soft on his scales. He had been dreaming of this moment, haunted by thoughts of her while he slept. Now that he had her, he wasn't sure how he would let her go.

"She looks so much better with you nearby. Look how she has improved. You should have been here this whole time. Perhaps she would have healed faster," Ranu said with an air of judgment.

This struck a chord with Traze, and he was immediately irritated. "I was trying to do what was best for the tribe by keeping my distance."

"Well, perhaps you should have been doing what was best for your kode. She clearly needed you here."

This sent Traze over the edge. He was being criticized harshly no matter what he did! Najol chastised him for even thinking of Veda when he should have been focusing on the tribe, and now Ranu was chastising him for not being by her side. How could he do both? Everyone's expectations of him as a leader were impossible!

"Do not tell me what I am supposed to do!" Traze yelled, his jaw tensing and his anger on full display. "I am the warlord of the Living Sands, and I will not stand here and be questioned by anyone!"

Before Ranu could even respond, a shrill noise pierced Traze's ears. It came from within his arms, and he looked down to see Veda, wide-eyed and screaming as she looked up at him.

She was awake.