To cross the desert, there were multiple routes. The most direct and fastest took a few days, but with no settlements to stop at, required carrying all their supplies and water. The group opted to hire a sledge, designed especially for the sands around Anshara to carry their cargo.

The town they were headed toward, Hafenstad, lay on the coast north of the desert. The most reasonable way to get there they concluded was to travel eastward, which was inland and then north out of the desert. This would allow for a stopover in a small outpost for travellers.

They departed Anshara’s double-walled safety through the main east gate of the city and stepped out into the desert. Towering granite obelisks, although not showing a direction on them, were dotted along the route. Sometimes the obelisks listed to one side, or lay in the sand.

All three dressed in loose robes to protect themselves from the desert sun and wind. The sand changed in colour as they progressed, from golden, to black, to white, to golden again.

A gruelling two-day trek lay between them and the outpost, battered by the hot and dry winds and taking turns to pull the sledge across the sands.

As soon as the sun approached the horizon, they stopped. Ary and Xellie set up the three-person tent, while Mattos busied himself creating a barrier for them to rest inside.

Sleeping through the cold desert night proved easy for the exhausted travellers, despite the wind buffeting the fabric and the crackle and crash sounds of dark energies hitting the magic barrier.

They pushed onwards until they reached the outpost in the late afternoon. A series of imposing, grey blocky buildings, with a large inn at the centre.

Despite the remote location, the inn was surrounded by groups of raucous fighters and travellers.

“Don’t mind these wannabes,” Xellie told Mattos quietly. “As soon as it gets dark, they’ll go off to find mooks to fight. This whole place will be nice and quiet until dawn.”

“And their return will wake us in time to leave?” Ary asked with a laugh.

“Pretty much.” Xellie turned her attention to the innkeeper. “One room, two beds if you can.”

The innkeeper looked the group over, sizing them up. He scratched his beard thoughtfully then gruffly replied.

“Board is free if you entertain...”

Xellie rolled her eyes and leaned in hard over the countertop. Snarling as she interrupted him forcefully.

“You dare speak like this to sanctioned hunters? While you cater to these amateur hooligans?”

“N...n... never mind.” He handed over a key. “Upstairs, fourth floor, room seven. No charge.”

“Better,” Xellie replied, snatching the key off him and stomping up the stairs, stopping to laugh at the top. “These people are all the same,” She giggled.

“He damn thought you were going to kill him.” Mattos shook his head in amusement.

“Feels so good to be on solid ground again!” Ary tipped the sand out of her boots through the window.

The trio relaxed in the sparse wooden floored room. Xellie and Ary on one bed together, Mattos on the other.

“Wanna get something to eat?” Mattos asked, sitting up.

Xellie lay on her back, arms folded under her head, one foot balanced on her knee. Tracing circles with her toes in the air, she shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m not hungry yet.”

“Woah. Are you okay?” Ary lay a hand on Xellie’s forehead. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m too lazy to get up!” Xellie replied with a laugh, sitting up to look out of the window, leaning on the sill with folded arms. “We’re so high up here.”

“Maybe...” Mattos glanced over at the window. “You should jump out and practise flying.”

“What? No!” Xellie glanced out of the window at the sand-covered slabs of stone below and shuffled away from the window. “Maybe YOU should learn to fly.”

“Hungry yet?” Mattos asked with a grin, getting to his feet.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Finally!” Ary exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “I’ll eat anything that isn’t dried or salted.”

“Fiiiiine...” Xellie yawned and stretched in front of the window. “And salt is important in these dry climates you know beca...”

She stopped speaking abruptly, looking around wide-eyed as a high-pitched whistle filled the air, followed by an explosion that shook the building, causing the whitewashed plaster to crack.

“What the hell?!” Mattos grabbed his sword.

“Let’s get out of here,” Xellie suggested, throwing the door open and looking down the hall.

Where the staircase they had come up had been, was now a gaping hole, with acrid smoke billowing upward.

She turned around and threw the door shut.

“Uuuhh... There was only one set of stairs.” Xellie said with a gulp.

“What do you mean... was?” Mattos asked, dropping his sword to the ground as he saw smoke curling under the door. “... shit.”

“Anyone got any rope?” Ary asked, wide-eyed looking between the window and the door.

“Why would I carry rope?” Xellie asked, running to the window and looking down for anything that could hold their footing if they climbed out.

The shrill whistle of magic building up filled the air once more. This time louder and closer than before.

“GET DOWN!” Mattos yelled, diving onto the floor, and taking Ary down with him to cover her.

Xellie hit the floor, covering her head with her arms. The pressure wave blew out the wall where the window was and sent splinters of the room door through the air.

Mattos cautiously got to his feet, sword drawn. Xellie lifted her head slightly to look through the shattered door frame and see Deena standing confidently blocking the way.

“Couldn’t you even let us have dinner?!” Xellie exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “Are you crazy?”

Deena slowly tilted her head to one side and flexed her fingers, sparks dancing between the tips.

“Okay...” Xellie tensed herself up, slowly slipping her hand to her waist, and reaching for her sword.

At that moment, it was as if everyone in the room realised what was about to happen.

“MOVE!” Yelled Mattos.

“Watch out!” Ary screamed at the same time.

Deena flicked her hand open, palm first toward Xellie, sending another wave of pressure toward her.

“Shit.”

There was no time to react. Deena’s spell threw Xellie out of the window and even higher into the air. The sudden motion winded her. Finding herself unable to breathe was almost more disconcerting than the thought of hurling to the ground uncontrollably.

This had to be the end. Xellie had experienced enough high falls and bad landings to know this was intended to at the very least cripple her.

Leaving her as easy prey for Deena and Tane to take back to Ashmevtiti.

A sensation of relief filled her, as she twisted her body in the air so that she was facing up toward the sky, feet higher than her head.

Stretching her arms out to feel as much of the air whipping past her as possible, a warmth spread through her body, starting at her shoulders.

That must have been it. She must have hit the ground and felt nothing.

Xellie flipped over and looked down.

She was still in the air, but only a few feet above the sand-covered slabs.

I’m either dead or flying.

She repeated that to herself a few times, laughing joyously at the realisation.

“I’m either dead, or flying, I’m either dead or flying....”

“What’s so funny?” Tane asked from the shade, leaning against the inn wall below the destroyed window.

Tane’s voice broke the moment, and she fell to the ground, landing hard on her feet.

“Did you really blow up this place to find me?!” Xellie asked angrily, pushing Tane against the wall.

“No, we already knew where you were. We blew it up to get you away from your friends.”

“Why would you kill people for that?!” She pulled him away from the wall, throwing him against it harder. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

“Then just come with me if you don’t want anyone else to die!” Tane snapped back, pushing her away.

“We will keep chasing until you submit,” Deena added, walking out of the wall next to Tane.

“That’s not happening.” She growled, stepping away and drawing her sword. This didn’t look good for her, by her own admission.

Her sword’s energy blade pulsed and flickered in rhythm with her thumping heart.

They’re not your friends anymore. They are minions of a demon lord...

“I didn’t get a good look before.” Tane gave an impressed whistle. “That must be the soul shifter sword I heard about.”

“I dunno about that,” Xellie said, holding the sword before her, the tip wavering with her breathing.

“Come on Deena, we can’t fight her. She can fly and has that thing. Let's get out of here.” Tane said with a casual shrug.

Deena nodded and turned with Tane to walk away, leaving Xellie in confusion.

“Just kidding.” Tane laughed, as he and Deena turned around simultaneously, Tane throwing a fireball and Deena throwing a ball of lightning.

She braced for the impact, knowing Raye had enchanted her tunic to absorb most magic. That still meant that it would push her around or feel uncomfortable.

A blue haze stopped the magic short in front of her.

Xellie glanced up at the window, giving a nod to Mattos.

“You didn’t separate us enough!” Ary shouted down, shooting a glowing, white, immaterial arrow at Deena.

“I didn’t know you could shoot,” Mattos commented.

“I didn’t know she had a bow!” Xellie yelled back up, then turned her attention to Deena and Tane with a smirk. “How do you feel about your chances?”

“We’ll give it our best shot,” Tane said.

Xellie wasted no time in running at them with her sword, throwing all her faith in Mattos’ protection spells.

Tane jumped aside and took a swipe at her with his wooden staff, which she parried away as Mattos protected her from Deena’s magic from behind.

She jumped into the air, landing a kick square in Tane’s chest pushing him to the ground, then turned to face Deena.

Deena pulled a short sword, carved from bone from her belt. Dark energy emanated from it, as an aura of black mist.

Physically, Deena was extremely agile, moving as if she weighed nothing, jumping out of the way of Ary’s arrows of light as she used her sword to push Xellie away.

“BEHIND YOU!” Mattos yelled.

Xellie turned around, narrowly ducking out of the way of Tane trying to grab her and pin her arms to her sides. She spun around, the energy tip of her blade passing through Tane’s body.

Tane winced slightly, then shook himself off.

Knowing Deena was behind her with a weapon, Xellie turned around, bringing her sword overhead to try and land it on Deena. As Deena moved to block her, Ary landed an arrow in Deena’s back.

Deena fell to her knees, gasping loudly.

“Tell your master to get better minions,” Xellie told Tane, holding the sword level with his throat. “I didn’t even break a sweat in this poor excuse for a fight.”

“If that’s...”

“LOOK AT HER TANE!” Xellie exclaimed, pointing with her free hand toward the struggling Deena. “That isn’t Deena! That’s an animated corpse! It doesn’t even have a fraction of her power!”

“Or you got stronger,” Tane muttered. “Anyway...”

Tane gestured at the ground violently. The sand flew up into the air, blocking vision and getting into Xellie’s eyes. She grabbed her scarf quickly trying to clean her eyes before Tane could launch another surprise attack.

As the dust settled, she realised Tane and Deena were gone.

Xellie glanced over toward the bar area of the inn, looking at the flames licking the downstairs windows.

“Uh, you two, listen! I’m gonna get you out of there, just throw the camping equipment down so we’re not stranded without shelter.”

Mattos looked confused at Ary, who simply just picked up the tent and threw it out.

“She can do it,” Ary told Mattos. “you watch.”

Xellie ran around the corner to the entrance of the building, shielding her face from the heat as she tried to decide the best way to get inside. Taking a moment to dunk her scarf in the well and wrap it over her nose and mouth.

Vella appeared next to her, arms sternly folded.

“Don’t you dare.”

“You can’t stop me... Anyway, is this not heeerooooic enough for you?” Xellie snapped at Vella.

“You’re such an idiot,” Vella said with a tut, blocking the doorway with her body. “No.”

“Get out of the way!” Xellie pushed Vella aside and ran through to the bottom of the ruined staircase.

She started climbing up the remains of the stone stairs, and wooden beams, coughing in the smoke. Getting as far as she could she looked up the stairwell in frustration, realising she was far, far away from being high enough.

Vella followed behind, leaping into the air, grabbing Xellie under the arms and lifting her to the fourth floor.

“Damn you child,” Vella muttered. “I’m only helping you because I can’t have Raye see this.”

“What’s it to you?” Xellie huffed.

“BECAUSE SHE LOST HER HUMAN LIFE RUNNING INTO A BURNING BUILDING!” Vella gave Xellie a push toward the room Mattos and Ary were in, handing her a long rope. “Go save your worthless friends.”

With that, Vella vanished.

Xellie ran to the room, looking for something to secure the rope to. After tying it to the bed, the trio climbed down cautiously.

“Why’d you climb instead of fly?” Mattos asked.

“I dunno how I did that, and I don’t trust myself to do it again.”

“Let's just find somewhere to sleep,” Mattos said with a yawn. “Unless you think there are more people in the building that need saving.”

“I...” Xellie looked over toward the inn. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I’m confident there’s nobody else in there. I think they are all out in the desert.”