It was the lucrative promise of treasure that brought the young thief to the desert. Xeik knew well what dangers lurked in the Harena desert, but with his recent training and acquisition of new tools, he felt that even with the adversity he would face, it would be outweighed by the promise of riches. Now, to be fair, Xeik didn’t need the riches for himself, per say, but the ever expanding Heaven’s Dawn could always use new branches.
He drew the cloak’s hood back, and scanned the horizon of the desert. It was almost blinding. He had heard rumors of sand blindness before, and had taken heed of it. He dared not stare too long across the whole desert. The cloak was definitely helping with the heat. It was a strange, foreign concept to use a cloak in this mad heat, but according to Lewis, his co-leader who had recently travelled to Arri, it dispelled the heat better than wearing less clothing. Shockingly enough for the boy, it was working.
Despite this, though, Xeik found himself still overheated. He drank a sparing sip from his canteen as he trudged through the sands. So far, he had been lucky enough not to come across any bandits. At least, not yet. It wasn’t long before he noticed tracks. At first, he thought to avoid them, but he noticed a certain pattern that looked familiar. A wagon or cart of some kind. In this heat, it would be a smart move. The grooves, though, indicated some form of weight though.
Perhaps a large haul? Xeik questioned to himself. He knelt down to examine the tracks. The desert wind would hide the tracks shortly. It was decision time on whether or not he should go. He stood up straight, and glanced to the sky. Depending on how far they were, it would be around midday before he found them. It’s worth the risk… he decided after a moment longer, and started to follow the path.
He was mostly right about the timing, and about midday he arrived to the outskirts of where the caravan of bandits had camped out. He knew very well that from this distance that they had already spotted him. Straight stealth wasn’t an option. But, deceit was. He knew far too well what he appeared like from a distance, and coupled with a few new tricks he had learned, he knew the perfect way to sneak into the camp.
—
The timid blonde girl staggered as she neared the first caravan. It wasn’t surprising at all to find one of the bandits already waiting for her, a canteen in hand. The girl started to reach for it, a look of longing in her blue eyes. The bandit smiled, almost cruelly, holding it just out of reach of the girl’s arms.
“Well, miss,” he said with a gruff voice, his face covered with wrappings. “What brings you out here?”
The girl took a step back, recomposing herself, as if coming to her senses. She should not let thirst rule her. “My name is Ayaa. It may sound crazy, but my caravan abandoned me in the middle of this horrible place.” She huffed, putting her hands on her hips and puffed out. The wind blew back her hood, revealing a beautiful length of free flowing hair. “I saw some tracks and I figured it was worth the risk to come out here. It’s better than dying alone in this blaze.”
The bandit gave her a once over. At first glance, she seemed almost frail. With the tomboyish look she had currently, though, one could surmise that she was, at best, an lithe, athletic type. Still, a single girl couldn’t possible pose a threat to the group of bandits. And keeping her safe from harm might net a small reward. If not, she might made a good hostage. Push came to shove, they could sell of her off into slavery.
“Well, miss, it seems you’re in luck,” he said, lowering the water canteen to her level. “Slow sips. We need to conserve it.” She took a few gulps from it, and passed it back to the man.
“So…what brings you out here?” Ayaa asked, wandering into the camp.
The bandit looked taken aback at the brazen girl. She didn’t waste a second waltzing right into the camp without an invitation.
“Oh, er…”
She darted over to the cage that was in the middle of the caravan. She knelt down, innocently gazing into the cage for a moment. “Oh…?”
The bandit who had brought Ayaa in strolled over next to her. “This thing? Oh it’s-”
At this point, the other bandits were coming over to see the new girl.
Ayaa’s eyes locked with the captive. There was a flash of rage in her eyes, held back by a stoic face. She turned to the now grouped together bandits. “Well now,” she said with a cheerful voice. “I have something to show you all.” She knelt down in the sand, and placed her hands on the ground.
Despite the fact that there was a strange girl in the camp, their curiosity got the better of them. The whole act she had put together had completely thrown them off guard.
“Look closely now,” she said as she closed her eyes. Immediately, a brilliant flash of light exploded from her hands, reflecting off of the sand. The bandits, who had been staring intently, were instantly blinded by the light. The ones closest flailed back, knocking into those behind them, tangling each other into a big mess.
Ayaa turned around quickly, hoping that her body had blocked the light from the captive. She tossed her canteen into the cage. “Drink. Slowly. We don’t have much time.” The thief pulled out a set of tools, and within seconds popped the lock on the cage. She threw the door open, and held out her hand.
“Do you trust me?” she asked, with a smile. Should the captive take her hand, she would teleport them across the dune. It was only a short burst, but it would be enough to get a head start. And if the bandits came after then, Ayaa had a few more tricks up her sleeve to deal with them.
“I’ll keep you safe…I promise.”
