Chapter 1

 

 

From the top of a sand dune in the Scorched Desert in the land of Lendor, Jena watched the dawn brighten. The air grew brighter as the sun peeked above the eastern horizon and the dunes began to turn gold. There was not a breath of wind this morning, the air still cool from the past night.

 

‘I never get tired of looking at a sunrise… or a sunset,’ said Berrin the desert elf beside her. ‘They are my favourite times of the day.’

 

‘It’s as though the whole desert is holding its breath,’ Jena said. ‘Waiting to see what the day will bring.’

 

A laugh to her left made her look up at Nyssa, her elven friend of more than three years now.

 

‘You’re a bit of a poet, Jena,’ she said. ‘But you’re right, it’s as if the desert is waiting for something.’

 

‘And yet often nothing does,’ Berrin said. ‘There might be no wind for days and the desert will bake in the sun. But on other days, the lightest of breezes in the morning will turn into a sandstorm by noon, smothering the desert for miles and miles.’

 

‘Will we see a sandstorm today?’ Jena asked.

 

‘Probably not,’ Berrin replied, but then smiled at her. ‘But the desert is unpredictable.’

 

Jena nodded, hoping that they might… though from a distance she thought. She had already heard from Nyssa, Lore and Lore’s Aunt Rena what a sandstorm could be like up close and it didn’t sound all that pleasant.

 

They had experienced one here during their adventure to save Lendor from Mogrom the Sorceress and the Ice Lord, Orcon. They had met Berrin and her folk here and Jena had met her when she had accompanied them on their return.

 

So it was only natural that a return visit to the desert elves was made and Jena and Dom had come along. They had been in the Scorching Desert for more than two weeks now and had made many new friends. Including the desert elven ruler, Queen Kerin who had made them all very welcome.

 

They had spent the first week exploring the surrounding desert and the mountains where Ashmon, the Desert Lord’s cave was. And where, it was rumoured, Mogrom was held as a guest for her part in trying to freeze him.

 

Then Berrin had proposed they undertake a trek to the last known southern oasis in the desert. She said it was a unique place and well worth the long march. Everyone had been keen on the idea and the party had set out which included Nye, Queen Kerin’s youngest son.

 

So for six days they had trekked south. They had travelled at night when it was cool and slept the sweltering days under palm trees in small oasis in the desert.

 

They had been walking the past night too, but had stopped to enjoy the sunrise. The oasis they were heading for was close and Berrin had said they would walk through the morning before reaching it about noon. It would mean a trek under the hot sun, but they had plenty of water in their packs.

 

Movement was heard behind them and they turned to see Lore and Nye climbing up the dune to join them. Dom was perched on the dwarf’s shoulder and he waved at them.

 

‘We found one!’ Dom called excitedly.

 

Berrin jumped to her feet and with Nyssa and Jena, hurried over to them.

 

‘Let me see!’ she said eagerly.

 

Nye was grinning proudly, his hands cupped before him. He knelt down so Jena could see what he was holding and everyone gathered around. He parted his hands and in the palm of one hand was a small, very unique lizard. It was a dark yellow in colour and was covered in tiny spikes.

 

‘Isn’t it great!’ he said. ‘I thought those tracks on the other side of the dune were fresh and it might be close.’

 

‘What do you call it?’ Jena asked.

 

‘Nye says it’s called a Dragonspike,’ Lore said.

 

Berrin nodded.

 

‘They are very rare,’ she said. ‘You might go months and not see one. They only come out to hunt at night.’

 

‘How do they survive?’ Jena asked. ‘There’s not a lot to eat in the desert.’

 

‘Oh, they get by on insects,’ Nye replied. ‘The spine cacti you’ve seen scattered through the desert have ants and other insects around them.’

 

‘He’s probably wandered off from the one at the bottom of the dune,’ Berrin said. ‘Let’s drop him off there.’

 

Nye got to his feet and they headed away, Nyssa picking up Jena and putting her on her shoulder. They descended the dune to a clump of Spine Cactus, a pale green thorny cactus plant. Here Nye put the Dragonspike down on the sand and it immediately scuttled away into the cactus’ thorny protection.

 

By now the sun had risen above the horizon in the east and Jena could feel the heat rising in the air. She knew that in a few hours it would be boiling hot.

 

‘So, are we ready for the last trek?’ Nye asked. ‘It will be a hot walk, but there’ll be a cool swim waiting for us at the end… and a surprise too.’

 

‘What surprise?’ Nyssa asked.

 

Berrin smiled mysteriously.

 

‘Now that would spoil it if we told you,’ she said. ‘You’ll have to wait till we get there.’

 

‘Can’t you give us a hint?’ Dom asked as they headed off across the sand toward the next dune.

 

‘Hey, no hints!’ Jena said. ‘I like surprises.’

 

*

 

So for the next several hours they marched across the desert, the sun rising higher into the pale blue sky and the air getting hotter. But they were well protected, each wearing wide brimmed hats to protect their faces from the burning sun.

 

They climbed up and down dunes that at times could be more than a hundred feet high. It was hot work and they drank water from leather water bottles they carried, or in the gnomes’ case, from thimbles Nyssa carried in her pack.

 

Then toward noon they crested one high dune and saw the promised oasis ahead. It was quite a large one with numerous palm trees and brush growing around a wide pool of water. It sparkled in the sunlight and Jena thought it looked very inviting.

 

But there was something else to see about a mile beyond it. Here the desert underwent a curious change. Its dunes were gone, replaced by a vast expanse of white sand that spread south as far as the eye could see.

 

Berrin stopped and waved a hand before her.

 

‘The last known oasis of the south,’ she said and then added a little solemnly. ‘Beyond is what we call the Dead Sands. No-one knows are big it is or what lies on its far side.’

 

‘Has anyone ever tried?’ Jena asked.

 

Berrin laughed.

 

‘A few have ventured a little way over it,’ she said. ‘But they always came back very thirsty.’

 

‘There was Alin,’ Nye put in.

 

Nyssa nodded, a solemn look on her face.

 

‘Yes, Alin may have tried.’

 

‘Who is Alin?’ Jena asked.

 

‘He was a famed elven scout who disappeared some years ago,’ Nye replied. ‘It is said he always wanted to try and cross the Dead Sands, but no one else would join him. One day he just disappeared and it is thought he made the attempt and died out there.’

 

‘That’s so sad!’ Jena said and everyone nodded in agreement.

 

‘But what makes the sand so white?’ Dom asked.

 

‘It’s not sand, Dom,’ Nye replied. ‘It’s mostly salt.’

 

‘Good dwarves! Salt!’ Lore exclaimed in surprise.

 

Nye nodded.

 

‘Yes, it’s a huge salt plain, with sand blown over it from the desert. If you thought the desert was hot, then wait till we go for a little walk over it.’

 

Jena could believe him. Even from this distance the expanse of white salt was almost blinding in the sunlight. She could well believe how hot it would be there.

 

‘I told you it would be a surprise,’ Berrin said. ‘Now, who’s for a swim?’

 

‘Me!’ Everyone replied.