Twenty: Leaving the Sands

The Khusuru did two things well. They ate, and they danced.

For five days the thrumming of the drums and the dancing of the people filled me with an energy that was more than just my own. It was the life of the desert people, and for those five short days it flowed through me too.

As we celebrated, more people showed up. The first tribe that came simply began setting up their tents as a continuation of the Khusuru ones. Their tents may have been decorated with different symbols and new colors, but they were happy to merge with the celebration. They quickly brought food and new music and their shaman to the center fire. Somewhere a goat was cleaned and put on a spit to roast. I could smell baking bread too, and hear the laughter and songs of the children.

And more people came. After the first tribe joined onto the Khusuru village so did the next tribe, and the next. Soon we had a veritable city of tents and drums and cooking food.

No longer was there a question of hiding ourselves either. Unlike the people of Sulls, the desert people accepted us as aoyi'ka. Not something to be weary of, but something that was just another part of the world around them. Schula was happy with it, she could stop disguising herself and she could do one of her favorite things. Dance.

The drums thrummed and Schula danced with anyone who was willing. At some point she was given a scarf much like the one I received from the Khusuru weaver before we left to see the stone. She also had beaded bracelets on her wrists that I hadn't seen before, but knowing Schula she was overjoyed to gain new and interesting jewelry.

But the dancing, it was beautiful and energetic. It was wild and free of form, unlike most of the dancing I had seen in Thanantholl but Schula jumped into the new motion with abandon. I tried it some, but it wasn't for me and I happily sat out just to watch her enjoy herself.

Nassir managed to surround himself with the elders from every tribe. They were happy to answer his prodding questions about their history and culture, and he was happy to give them interested and excited responses. He was enjoying himself immensely. Nassir's wisdom and curiosity were wasted in that dark cave, he should have been nothing less than a royal adviser or a highly respected scholar. I was blessed to know him, and I was going to make great use of his advice for as long as he would give it to me.

I found myself sitting with Daai and the other shamen for most of the festivities. They were amazing storytellers, and we kept being brought food which I didn't argue with. Puko spent most of his time with me, basking in the attention of the curious shamen and being stuffed full of treats like dried fruits and strips of meat. Spoiled bird.

Kai was less in the spotlight than the aoyi'ka were, but he was mostly absorbed into the people. A few still looked to him with weary eyes, but plenty more respected the shaman's decision. As each new shaman arrived, they reinforced Daai's command with their own, agreeing that his deeds deserved to be honored. I spotted Kai several times over the three days we stayed in the desert. He was laughing, eating, talking, playing games with little painted stones in bowls. He was enjoying himself. Sometimes he would stay with the shamen, but I could tell he was nervous. The people revered them, it wasn't a wonder that it would be hard to stay in their presence for long. For me they were no different than spending time with Mila and the occasional witch who would come to visit her.

It was the Sixth evening, when the sun was sinking low and the moon was just considering peeking over the horizon, when I felt the urge to go. It wasn't strong, it wasn't forceful. Just a feeling that it was time.

I lay on the same kind of bedding I had slept on before. A raised stretched canvas that was suspended a hand width over the sand by poles at each corner I didn't sleep the first day, I slept little the second day, and the days after that I had slept for a full passing of the daylight. I yawned, scratching Puko's head as I contemplated the next leg of our journey, when next to me Schula stirred in her own bed.

"Hmm." She groaned and stretched, still refusing to open her eyes. "I feel like a herd of goats trampled me."

I giggled and nudged her with the foot I had already dangled off the side of my bedding. "You've been moving non stop. I'm not surprised you are sore from it."

She smiled but nudged my foot back with her own. "So where is Nassir?"

"He came to the tent when I did last night but he's already up and gone." I yawned and Puko hopped off of me onto the sandy ground. "Hey, how do you feel?"

"Sore," she said.

I yawned and listened to the thrum of drumming that was still going on outside. I don't think it had stopped, even through the hot sun. I hoped no one passed out while dancing under it, but even if they did I'm sure the drumming would continue. A new tribe had arrived last night, a tribe that specialized in fermenting drinks. If the celebration wasn't wild before, it was now.

"No, I mean does it feel like... time?" I asked.

Schula rolled onto her side to face me better and chewed on her lip while she thought about it. "Yeah, it feels right. We should talk, all three of us. I wonder where to find Nassir."

"No need, Nassir is here." I grinned as the old fae came through the tent opening with an armful of bread. Puko hopped around his feet, mouth open and pointed upward in a shameless display of begging.

"Puko!" I scolded. "Let Nassir come inside first, I'm sure he'll give you some."

Nassir chuckled as he sat on his bedding, handing us each a flat round bread. "So why were we finding Nassir?"

I took my bread gladly, eyeing Schula and wondering if I could manage to put on a little more weight after the last three days of feasting. She hadn't gained any, but then again she wasn't as scrawny as I was and she didn't need it. I tore off a bit of bread and gave it to the begging raven on the ground.

"We think it might be time," Schula said. "We've been here a few days, but soon we will need to finish crossing the sands. The new moon is coming."

Nassir nodded thoughtfully. "I agree. We should pack up our things and say our goodbyes. I will miss these fascinating people though."

"Nassir," Schula sighed. "I am confident we will find you some fascinating people wherever we go."

I hid my grin behind my round of bread as Nassir scoffed indignantly.

"Forgive me for making up on lost time to explore the world around me." He winked playfully.

I offered Puko another scrap of bread and he snatched it right up. I set the rest of the bread on my knee and leaned down to grab my boots. I knocked some sand out of them and started putting them on my feet.

"I'm going to find Daai first. I want to know how to bow out of the rest of the celebrations without upsetting anyone," I said.

"I'll pack with Nassir then," Schula offered. "Find Kai while you're out there, he needs to come say goodbye too."

I nodded. "Sure. Puko, coming or staying?"

"Caw!" Puko pecked at the last crumb he had been thrown and flapped his wings, and hopped from the bed to my shoulder.

I stared at him a moment, then looked up to Schula and Nassir.

"Don't look at me, he's your bird," Schula said.

"Well you did ask him if he was going with you. He is a clever one when he wants to be." Nassir pointed out.

"Caw!"

I let it go and stood from the bed, raven and all. "Alright then, I suppose we're going."

"Try not to get caught in the drum circle," Schula mused.

I laughed and left the tent with Puko. The sun was almost completely gone now but the sand was still warm underfoot. The drums beat loudly in the open area that had been left for music and dancing, but I turned the other way to the bonfire of the shamen.

Smiles greeted me as I rounded tents and wove through the Khusuru. I smiled back and tried not to get stopped. It had become a problem since we solved the mystery of the Stone of Souls, we would be stopped by anyone to chat or be thanked or be given food or trinkets. If I let myself get stuck in that loop we would never make it out of the city of tents, so I did my best to look like I was in a hurry.

When I finally reached where the shamen had gathered, each with their own tent erected near the fire and spaces for more to arrive. Daai was just coming out of her tent with a sleepy expression and a skin of something to drink in her hand.

"Good moonrise, Wren. You're here early." She offered me the drink in her hand but I shook my head.

"I'm not actually here for more celebration," I said. "I'm here to let you know we are about ready to leave. But I don't want to offend anyone by leaving the gathering early."

Daai waived a hand at me and sat down on a mat near the fire. "Bah, don't worry about that. You are aoyi'ka. You come and go as you please. Believe me, everyone is glad you stayed as long as you did."

"Oh, okay." I scratched Puko's head absently as I talked. "Well then, I guess we'll be leaving tonight. It was nice to meet you, and refreshing to meet humans who weren't afraid of us."

Daai's eyes crinkled with mirth as she got comfortable on her mat. "You are welcome back to the desert at any time. I hope you visit again."

"I'm sure we will, or I will try at least," I said earnestly. "It's been an interesting experience to say the least."

"Well I won't keep you any more," Daai said. "You must get ready to go if you want to have the most night to travel I will send a few supplies your way."

"I appreciate that." I grinned. "Take care, Daai."

"Take care, aoyi'ka." Daai waved and I left.

I wandered toward the tents where I knew Kai was staying but I couldn't find him. He may still be asleep, or he may be somewhere else entirely. I asked a few people, but none had seen him. I had to give up eventually when I ran out of ideas, and went back to the tent.

Opening the flap, I found Nassir and Schula had gathered all of our things.

"So what did the shaman say?" Nassir asked.

"Oh, we can just go," I answered. "But I couldn't find Kai to say goodbye."

"That won't be a problem," Schula grinned. "He actually stopped by a moment ago, he'll be right back with his own bag. He's going to walk us to the edge of the sands."

"Good!" I took my pack from Schula and slung it over my shoulder. "I'd hate to leave without seeing him."

We gathered our things and stepped out of the tent, the evening air sending a breeze over our faces that was a refreshing change of pace to the usually still air. After a moment, of just taking in the scene around us, Kai rounded another tent into our view.

"Kai!" I said. "I'm so glad you're walking us to the edge. It wouldn't feel right crossing the desert without our red star."

He chuckled and adjusted the pack on his shoulder, holding another in front of him. "I need a break from the activity anyway. Also, the shaman sends you these things, it's pretty much all food for your journey. If we go now, by sunrise we will be camping at the edge of the sands. I'll camp with you, then when we get up I'll come back and you'll have your feet in the grass again."

"That sounds wonderful," Nassir said.

"Caw!"

"Well then, let's finish the last leg of your first desert crossing." Kai grinned and led on, weaving through the tents until all we had before us was open sand.

We rounded the Stone of Souls and put the tents to our backs for good. My ears rang with the echoes of the drumbeats we left behind. It was hard to have them as a constant for days at a time and now face the silence of the sands. But it was invigorating too, we really were on our way out and the next step in our journey was finally here.

We talked some, but we mostly walked in comfortable silence. There wasn't much else to say. While Kai had become a friend, we all knew we would be parting ways at some point. I'm just glad we parted ways while he had a new welcoming home to return to.

It was hours later when we reached a higher point of the sand dunes when Kai pointed ahead.

"There is the edge."

Ahead of us was a thin line of horizon that could peek out from over the last of the sand dunes. While the desert did have stray scraggly plants, the line ahead of us began to have green mixed into it.

"Wow, I didn't think it would simply stop like that. It's not much of a transition, is it?" Schula said.

"No, that's how it is all the way around." Kai answered.

It had been ages since I had seen that much green. Not nearly as much as I would see back in the mountains, but definitely more than I've seen since we arrived to Sulls. We walked a little further and the line disappeared again, much to my dismay.

We walked, perhaps a little faster now, toward our destination. It didn't take long to get there, and when the sand stopped and the dirt began I sat down to remove my boots and feel the ground under my feet.

"I didn't realize how much I missed grass until now," Schula mused, joining me.

Nassir placed his hands on the ground with a smile. "It's very different from being in the sand."

Kai laughed and dropped his bags on the ground. "This is where we camp. I'll bid my goodbyes tomorrow, but for tonight we should get some sleep."

We set up our mats and things quietly. We cooked, we ate, we rested under the stars as the sky began to lighten at the edges from the coming sun. There was nothing quite like the comfortable silence between good friends, and I enjoyed every last heartbeat of it. The only real acknowledgement of us parting was came before sleep took me.

"I am blessed to have met you all," Kai said quietly from his sleeping mat. "Journey well."

It was so quiet I almost didn't hear, even with my elven ears. I had a big smile on my face as I drifted off to sleep.